I Want You Back

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I Want You Back

"I Want You Back" is a 1969 number-one single recorded by The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5 was a two-time Grammy Award-nominated American popular music Jackson family Musical ensemble from Gary, Indiana. Founding group members Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson and Michael Jackson formed the group after performing in an early incarnation called The Jackson Brothers, which originally co...
for the Motown label. The song, backed with a cover of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You

Who's Lovin' You

"Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul music song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including The Miracles 1960 original version, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Jackson Five, Terence Trent-D'arby, Brenda and The Tabulations, John Farnham, Human Nature and En Vogue....
," was the only single from the first Jackson 5 album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5
Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5

Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 is the debut album from Gary, Indiana-based soul family band The Jackson 5, released on the Motown label in December 1969....
. It held the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
singles chart for the week of January 31, 1970.

"I Want You Back" ranks number 120 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

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Encyclopedia

"I Want You Back" is a 1969 number-one single recorded by The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5 was a two-time Grammy Award-nominated American popular music Jackson family Musical ensemble from Gary, Indiana. Founding group members Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson and Michael Jackson formed the group after performing in an early incarnation called The Jackson Brothers, which originally co...
for the Motown label. The song, backed with a cover of Smokey Robinson & the Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You
Who's Lovin' You

"Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul music song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including The Miracles 1960 original version, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Jackson Five, Terence Trent-D'arby, Brenda and The Tabulations, John Farnham, Human Nature and En Vogue....
," was the only single from the first Jackson 5 album, Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5
Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5

Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 is the debut album from Gary, Indiana-based soul family band The Jackson 5, released on the Motown label in December 1969....
. It held the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard Single popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on airplay and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday; while the airplay tracking-week runs from Wednesday to Tuesday....
singles chart for the week of January 31, 1970.

"I Want You Back" ranks number 120 on Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a United States-based magazine devoted to music, politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J....
s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2006, Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication devoted to music journalism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews....
named it the second best song of the 1960s, adding that the chorus contains "possibly the best chord progression in pop music history."

Production notes
Originally considered for Gladys Knight & the Pips
Gladys Knight & the Pips

Gladys Knight & the Pips were an R&B/soul music musical act from Atlanta, Georgia, active from 1953 to 1989. The group was best known for their string of hit singles from 1967 to 1975, including "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" and "Midnight Train to Georgia" ....
and later for Diana Ross
Diana Ross

Diane Ernestine "Diana" Ross is a recording artist, actress, and entertainer. During the 1960s, she helped shape the Motown Sound as lead singer of The Supremes before leaving for a solo career in the beginning of 1970....
, as "I Wanna Be Free," "I Want You Back" explores the theme of a lover who decides that he was too hasty in dropping his partner. An unusual aspect about "I Want You Back" was that its main lead vocal was performed by a preteen
Preteen

Preadolescence is a stage of Human development through childhood that occurs in a child's years before adolescence. Sigmund Freud termed this the latency period, which he saw as a period of unparalleled repression of sexual desires and erogenous impulses....
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson is an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group....
.

The single was a notable first in many respects: it was the first Jackson 5 single to be released on Motown, the first of four Jackson 5 number-ones released in a row (the others are "ABC", "The Love You Save
The Love You Save

"The Love You Save" is a 1970 number-one hit single recorded by The Jackson 5 for the Motown label. It held the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart for two weeks, from June 27 to July 4, 1970, replacing "The Long and Winding Road" by The Beatles, and replaced by "Mama Told Me Not to Come" by Three Dog Night....
", and "I'll Be There
I'll Be There

"I'll Be There" is a soul music song written by Berry Gordy, Jr., Bob West, Hal Davis, and Willie Hutch, which resulted in two United States number-one hit singles: the original 1970 recording by American vocal quintet The Jackson 5 and a 1992 live version by American pop music singer Mariah Carey and American contemporary R&B singer Trey Lor...
"), and the first song written
Songwriter

File:Beethoven.jpgA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer....
and produced
Record producer

In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
by The Corporation, a team comprising Motown chief Berry Gordy
Berry Gordy

Berry Gordy, Jr. is an United States record producer, and the founder of the Motown record label and its many subsidiaries....
, Freddie Perren
Freddie Perren

Frederick "Freddie" Perren was an United States songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor.He is notable for being a member of The Corporation , a hitmaking production team which included Alphonzo Mizell, Deke Richards and Berry Gordy that wrote and produced The Jackson 5's early hits, including "I Want You Back", "ABC...
, Alphonzo Mizell, and Deke Richards
Deke Richards

Deke Richards, also known as Dennis Lussier, is a songwriter and record producer, one of many white musicians/songwriters who were affiliated with Motown....
.

"I Want You Back" was also the first Jackson 5 song recorded in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
; the quintet had previously been recording Bobby Taylor
Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers

Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers were a Soul music band from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Briefly signed to Motown Records in the late 1960s, they had one top 30 hit single, "Does Your Mama Know About Me"....
-produced covers, including "Who's Lovin' You
Who's Lovin' You

"Who's Lovin' You" is a Motown soul music song, written in 1960 by William "Smokey" Robinson. The song has been recorded by many different artists including The Miracles 1960 original version, The Temptations, The Supremes, The Jackson Five, Terence Trent-D'arby, Brenda and The Tabulations, John Farnham, Human Nature and En Vogue....
", the b-side to "I Want You Back", at Hitsville U.S.A.
Hitsville U.S.A.

"Hitsville U.S.A." was the nickname given to Motown Records' first headquarters. Located at 2648 West Grand Blvd. in Detroit, Michigan, Hitsville U.S.A., formerly a photographers' studio, was purchased by Motown founder Berry Gordy in 1959, and converted into both the record label's administrative building and recording studio, which was ope...
in Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan

Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Wayne County, Michigan. Detroit is a major port city on the Detroit River, in the Midwestern United States of the United States....
.

Although Gladys Knight
Gladys Knight

Gladys Maria Knight, "The Empress of Soul," is an United States R&B/soul music singer-songwriter, Actor, businesswoman, humanitarian, and author....
and Bobby Taylor of the Vancouvers had been the ones to bring the Jackson brothers to Motown, Motown credited Ross with discovering them, not only to help promote the Jackson 5, but also to help ease Ross' transition into a solo career., a career began soon after the Jackson 5 became a success.

The Jackson 5 performed "I Want You Back," along with Sly & the Family Stone's
Sly & the Family Stone

Sly & the Family Stone is an Music of the United States Funk music, soul music and rock music band from San Francisco, California. Originally active from 1966 to 1983, the band was pivotal in the development of soul, funk, and psychedelic music....
"Sing a Simple Song," The Delfonics'
The Delfonics

The Delfonics are a Philadelphia soul singing group, most popular in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Their most notable hits include "La-La ", "Didn't I ," "Break Your Promise," "I'm Sorry," and "Ready Or Not Here I Come "....
"Can You Remember," and James Brown
James Brown

James Joseph Brown, Jr. was an United States entertainer. He is recognized as one of the most influential figures in 20th century popular music and was renowned for his vocals and feverish dancing....
's "There Was a Time" during their first television appearance on The Hollywood Palace
The Hollywood Palace

The Hollywood Palace was an hour-long television variety show that was broadcast weekly on American Broadcasting Company from January 4, 1964 to February 7, 1970....
in an episode hosted by Diana Ross & the Supremes.

Credits

Lead vocals by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson is an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. The seventh child of the Jackson family, he debuted on the professional music scene at the age of 11 as a member of The Jackson 5 and began a solo career in 1971 while still a member of the group....
, Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine Jackson

Jermaine LaJaune Jackson or Muhammad Abdul Aziz , is an United States Grammy Award-nominated singer, bass guitarist, former member of The Jackson 5 and older brother of United States Pop music stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson....
, Jackie Jackson
Jackie Jackson

Sigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson is an United States singer and musician, a former member of The Jackson 5, and the second child in the The Jackson Family....
and Marlon Jackson
Marlon Jackson

For the similarly named American football player, see Marlin Jackson.Marlon David Jackson is an American singer, former member of The Jackson 5, and older brother of American pop music Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson....
Background vocals by Michael Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Tito Jackson
Tito Jackson

Toriano Adaryll "Tito" Jackson is an United States singer and guitarist and an original member of the The Jackson 5....
, Jackie Jackson and Marlon Jackson
Marlon Jackson

For the similarly named American football player, see Marlin Jackson.Marlon David Jackson is an American singer, former member of The Jackson 5, and older brother of American pop music Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson....
Written, produced and arranged by The Corporation
Keyboards by Freddie Perren
Freddie Perren

Frederick "Freddie" Perren was an United States songwriter, record producer, arranger, and orchestra conductor.He is notable for being a member of The Corporation , a hitmaking production team which included Alphonzo Mizell, Deke Richards and Berry Gordy that wrote and produced The Jackson 5's early hits, including "I Want You Back", "ABC...
Piano by Joe Sample
Joe Sample

Joseph Leslie "Joe" Sample is an United States pianist, keyboard player and composer. He was one of the founding members of the Jazz Crusaders, the band which became simply The Crusaders in 1971, and remained a part of the group until its final album in 1991 ....
Guitar by David T. Walker, Louis Shelton and Don Peake
Bass guitar by Wilton Felder
Wilton Felder

Wilton Felder is both a saxophone and bass guitar player, and is best known as a founding member of The Crusaders, initially called the Jazz Crusaders....
Drums by Gene Pello

Cover versions
A "live" version by Graham Parker and The Rumour
Graham Parker

Graham Parker is a United Kingdom Rock and roll singer and songwriter....
garnered mild success in 1979; its title is sometimes shown as "I Want You Back (Alive)." David Ruffin
David Ruffin

David Ruffin was an American soul music singer most famous for his work as lead singer of The Temptations from 1964 to 1968 . His was the lead voice on such classic songs as "My Girl " and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"....
recorded a version with The Funk Brothers at Hitsville in Detroit with the familiar Motown sound. It was to be included on his unreleased LP "David".

Canadian girl group West End Girls
West End Girls (Canadian band)

West End Girls were a Canada pop music band and girl group in the early 1990s....
had a top-10 single in 1991 with their cover.

British girl group Cleopatra
Cleopatra (band)

Cleopatra are a music recording sales certification selling, BRIT Awards and MOBO Awards nominationed Contemporary R&B/pop music girl group from the United Kingdom whose members are sisters Cleo Higgins, Yonah, and Zainam Higgins....
released their cover version, which reached #4 in the UK official top 40 in 1998.

Singer-songwriter KT Tunstall
KT Tunstall

'Kate Victoria "KT" Tunstall' is a Scotland singer-songwriter and guitarist. She broke into the public eye with a live solo performance of her song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on Later......
often performs a cover version of the song live at her concerts. A progressive bluegrass
Progressive bluegrass

Progressive bluegrass is one of two major subgenres of bluegrass music. It is also known as newgrass, a term attributed to New Grass Revival member Ebo Walker)....
version of "I Want You Back", featuring mandolin and guitar, was performed by United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
acoustic
Acoustic music

Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses musical instrument s which produce sound through entirely Musical acoustics means, as opposed to electronic means....
trio Nickel Creek
Nickel Creek

Nickel Creek was an American acoustic music trio. Although the group's music has roots from bluegrass music, the trio describes itself as "progressive acoustic"....
on their "Farewell (For Now) Tour" in 2007.

The song has been repeatedly sampled
Sampling (music)

In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an musical instrument or a different sound recording of a song....
, with notable uses by Kris Kross
Kris Kross

Kris Kross was a teenage hip hop music duet of the early 1990s. The duo is most famous for their 1992 in music hit "Jump ", and their fashion styling?consisting of wearing their clothes backwards....
("Jump
Jump (Kris Kross song)

"Jump" is a 1992 song by the hip hop music duo Kris Kross. It was released as a single in early 1992 from their album Totally Krossed Out. It achieved great success in many countries where it topped the charts, including Australia, Switzerland and the U.S....
", 1992), Tamia
Tamia

Tamia Hill , professionally known as Tamia, is a Canada-United States Grammy-nominated contemporary R&B singer. She first gained prominence at age 19 for contributing to "You Put a Move on My Heart," the first single from Quincy Jones' 1995 album Q's Jook Joint....
("Imagination, 1998), Jay-Z
Jay-Z

Shawn Corey Carter , better known as his stage name, Jay-Z, is an American hip hop artist and businessman. He is the former Chief executive officer of Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records....
("Izzo (H.O.V.A.)
Izzo (H.O.V.A.)

"Izzo " was a single released from Jay-Z in 2001 in music from his sixth album The Blueprint. It is among his most popular singles. This was the second song released off The Blueprint, after the diss track "Takeover_", but the lead single from it....
"), 2001), and Lil Romeo ("My Baby", 2001). The song was interpolated
Interpolation (music)

In music and musical composition, especially twentieth century music and later, interpolation is an abrupt change of aspect of music, with continuation of the first idea ....
by BLACKstreet
BLACKstreet

BLACKstreet is an American R&B group founded in 1992 by Teddy Riley , the inventor of New Jack Swing known for his work as a member of Guy . The band members are: Teddy Riley , Chauncey Black , Mark Middleton, and Eric Williams....
and Mya featuring Mase
Mase

Mason Durrell Betha , better known by stage name Mase , is an United States Rapping, songwriter, television personality and inspirational speaker....
and Blinky Blink for the remix
Remix

A remix is an alternative version of a song, different from the original version. A remixer uses Audio mixing to compose an alternate master recording of a song, adding or subtracting elements, or simply changing the equalization, dynamics, Pitch , tempo, playing time, or almost any other aspect of th...
of "Take Me There" from the Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie

The Rugrats Movie is a 1998 animated film, produced by Nickelodeon Movies, Klasky-Csupo and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Based on the animated Nickelodeon series, Rugrats, this film introduced Tommy's baby brother Dil Pickles, who was named after Didi Pickles's cousin, and appeared on the original series the next year....
soundtrack
Soundtrack

The term soundtrack refers to three related concepts: recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; and the physical area of a film that contains the synchronized recorded so...
. A not so noticed sample was the one used in "Fantastic" by will.i.am
Will.i.am

William Adams , better known by his stage name will.i.am is a Jamaican American who has won an Emmy Award and a Grammy Award. Will.I.Am is a hip hop musician, rapper, dancer, songwriter, animation voice and founding member and frontman of Black Eyed Peas....
.

The single was re-issued in the UK in 1988 as a remix by Pete Waterman
Pete Waterman

Peter Alan Waterman OBE is an England record producer, occasional songwriter, radio and club DJ, television presenter, president of Coventry Bears rugby league club and a keen railway enthusiast....
's PWL label. They remixed the song to include a snippet of "ABC". The remix reached #8 in the UK.

North Carolina band Angry Salad released a cover of "I Want You Back"; the song quickly became a fan favorite.

External links

Complete picture sleeved records from all over the world, from jackson5abc.com