Ben (song)

Background

"Ben" was written for Donny Osmond, but he was on tour at the time and unavailable for recording, so Black and Scharf offered the song to Jackson instead. In addition to its one week at number 1 in the US, the song later reached a peak of number 7 on the British pop chart. "Ben" won a Golden Globe for Best Song. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1973; Jackson performed the song in front of a live audience at the ceremony. Billboard called it a "beauty".

Although Jackson had already become the youngest artist to ever record a number 1 ("I Want You Back" with The Jackson 5, in 1970), "Ben" made him the third-youngest solo artist, at 14, to score a number 1 hit single. Only Stevie Wonder, who was 13 when "Fingertips" went to number 1, and Osmond, who was months shy of his 14th birthday when "Go Away Little Girl" hit number 1 in 1971, were younger.

The song is one of Jackson's most re-released, having appeared on The Jackson 5 Anthology, The Best of Michael Jackson, 18 Greatest Hits, Michael Jackson Anthology, Jackson 5: The Ultimate Collection, The Essential Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection, Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection, The Definitive Collection, The Jacksons Story, the North American version of Number Ones (even though here it is the 1981 live version), some versions of King of Pop and Icon.

Live recorded versions were released on the 1981 album The Jacksons Live! and Live at the Forum, and remixed versions have appeared on The Remix Suite, The Stripped Mixes and some versions of Immortal. After Jackson's death, singer Akon released a remix of the song with his own background vocals and Jackson's original vocal solo.

Osmond did record it later in his career, including it in his 2014 album The Soundtrack of My Life.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Lindsay Planer wrote about the success of the song: "Like much of the Motown empire at the time, the title track's multimedia exposure, coupled with strong crossover appeal, ensured that 'Ben' scored the artist his first Pop Singles' chart-topper". Rolling Stone editor Vince Aletti was not satisfied: "The title song is lovely, no doubt, and Michael packs it with a surprising amount of feeling (his delivery of 'They don't see you as I do/I wish they would try to' still tears me up) but it's all a little too thick for my tastes".

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Marti Webb version

| B-side = Nothing Ever Changes

In 1985, the song became a top 10 hit again in the U.K. when covered by Marti Webb as a tribute to Ben Hardwick, a young liver transplant patient. This version reached No. 5 in the U.K. Singles Chart and was one of Webb's biggest hits.

Other cover versions

Crispin Glover performed a cover of the song, as well starred and directed a music video, to the 2003 remake of Willard. The video featured R. Lee Ermey (who also appears in the film) as a few male patrons, as well Lindsay Beamish and Jane Jensen among the female extras.

Kipp Lennon of the band Venice performed a cover of the song on a 1991 episode of The Simpsons titled "Stark Raving Dad". Jackson himself appeared as a guest voice in this episode, but for contractual reasons, all of the singing lines his character had were given to Lennon. The song was also regularly performed live by rock band Faith No More during their reunion tour in 2010.

References

References

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8. (13 January 2015). "Donny Osmond Gets Personal With 'Soundtrack Of My Life'".
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26. (20 December 2022). "Marti Webb – The Pheasantry".
27. "MARTI WEBB: full Official Chart History".
28. Roman "Romych" Pictures. (2019-12-03). "Crispin Glover - "Ben" [HD]".
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30. Injection, Metal. (April 19, 2010). "FAITH NO MORE at Coachella 2010: Reunited And It Feels So Good!".
31. (18 April 2010). "Faith No More: Big Pimping Their Coachella Reunion!". SPIN.