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Off the Wall (Michael Jackson song)

Field	Value
name	Off the Wall
cover	Off the Wall by Michael Jackson A-side US vinyl single.jpg
caption	Side A of the US vinyl single
type	single
artist	Michael Jackson
album	Off the Wall
B-side	"Get on the Floor"
* November 16, 1979 (UK)<ref name	UKrel2
* January 31, 1980 (US)<ref>{{cite web	url	https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&se=Off+the+wall#search_section	title=RIAA}}
recorded	December 1978April 1979
writer	Rod Temperton
producer	Quincy Jones
prev_title	Rock with You
prev_year	1979
next_title	She's Out of My Life
next_year	1980
misc	{{Extra album cover
header	Alternative release(s)
type	single
cover	michaeljoffthewall.jpg
caption	Artwork for German and Dutch vinyl releases
{{External music video	header	Licensed audio	}}

| B-side = "Get on the Floor"

November 16, 1979 (UK)
January 31, 1980 (US)
Disco
funk
4:05 (album version)
3:47 (single version)
Epic
CBS

"Off the Wall" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, from his fifth album of the same name (1979). It was written by English songwriter Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones, and released by Epic Records as the album's second single in the UK on November 16, 1979 Lyrically, the song is about getting over troubles.

The song was well received by music critics, and became Jackson's third top 10 single from Off the Wall, which eventually spawned four top 10 singles; Jackson was the first person to accomplish this. It was performed by Jackson in five of his concert tours.

Reception

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine highlighted the song on its studio album. The song became Jackson's third top 10 single from Off the Wall. It peaked at number ten on the Pop Singles Chart and at number five on the Billboard Soul Singles Chart.

Cash Box called it "another killer" after "Rock with You" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", saying that "a fluid, sashaying dance beat rocks the cut."

Other versions and samples

Mariah Carey interpolated "Off the Wall" on her song "I'm That Chick", which is included in her 2008 album E=MC².

Vaporwave producer Saint Pepsi sampled "Off the Wall" in the song "Enjoy Yourself", a line featured in the original song's chorus.

PinkPantheress sampled "Off the Wall" in her 2021 single "Just a Waste".

Track listing

Official versions

Album version – 4:05
Remix – 4:01
7" remix – 3:47
Edit – 3:46 – Featured on the Essential Collection is an early fade of the album version.
Junior Vasquez mix – 5:13 – Featured on the Stranger in Moscow single.
Live – 4:00 – Featured on The Jacksons Live!.

US and Japanese singles feature the remix running 3:47, while the UK and the rest of the world got the other remix running 4:01.

Personnel

Written and composed by Rod Temperton
Produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson
Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien
Michael Jackson: Lead and background vocals
Louis Johnson: Bass
John Robinson: Drums
David Williams, Marlo Henderson: Guitars
Greg Phillinganes: Rhodes piano, synthesizer
Michael Boddicker: Synthesizer programming
George Duke: Synthesizer, synthesizer programming
Paulinho da Costa: Percussion
Horns arranged by Jerry Hey and performed by The Seawind Horns:
- Jerry Hey: Trumpet, flugelhorn
- Larry Williams: Tenor and alto saxophones, flute
- Kim Hutchcroft: Baritone and tenor saxophones, flute
- William Reichenbach: Trombone
- Gary Grant: Trumpet
Rhythm and vocal arrangements by Rod Temperton
Sound effects by George Duke

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1979–1980)	Peak
position	Australia (Kent Music Report)	South Africa (Springbok Radio)	US Billboard Hot 100	US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)	US Cash Box Top 100{{cite web	url=http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19800419.html	title=CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending APRIL 19, 1980	access-date=June 21, 2016	url-status=unfit	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120913113219/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/19800419.html	US Radio & Records CHR/Pop Airplay Chart
94
20
10
5
Cash Box magazine]].	11
9

Chart (2009)	Peak
position	US Digital Songs (Billboard)
51

Year-end charts

Chart (1980)	Position	US Billboard Hot 100	US Cash Box Top 100
79
84

Certifications

Notes

References

(1979-11-17). "Epic advertisement".
"RIAA".
(21 April 2013). "Behind The Music: Karen Carpenter (Solo)".
"Off the Wall - Michael Jackson - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
(February 16, 1980). "CashBox Singles Reviews". Cash Box.
(April 11, 2008). "Mariah Carey Leads A Track-By-Track Tour Of E=MC2, Which She Calls '100 Percent Of Me'".
"Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989".
"South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1965 – 1989 Acts J".
(30 September 2021). "Michael Jackson Chart History (Hot 100)". [[Billboard (magazine).
"Michael Jackson - Chart History".
"Michael Jackson".
"Michael Jackson - Chart History".
"Top 100 Hits for 1980".
"The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1980".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1979-songs 1979-singles 1980-singles american-funk-songs michael-jackson-songs songs-written-by-rod-temperton song-recordings-produced-by-quincy-jones epic-records-singles columbia-records-singles cbs-records-singles songs-about-dancing

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