| "Ben" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
&sq=Envato&lang=en&file=File:Ben_by_michael_jackson_brasilian_vinyl_side-A.png) Side A of the Brazilian single | ||||
| Single by Michael Jackson | ||||
| from the album Ben | ||||
| B-side | "You Can Cry on My Shoulder" | |||
| Released | July 12, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | November 1971 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:44 | |||
| Label | Motown | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | The Corporation | |||
| Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Ben" (often referred to as "Ben's Song")[1] is a song written by Don Black and Walter Scharf for the 1972 film of the same name (a spin-off to the 1971 killer rat film Willard). It was performed by Lee Montgomery in the film and by Michael Jackson over the closing credits. Jackson's single, recorded for the Motown label in 1972, spent one week at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, making it Jackson's first number one single in the US as a solo artist.[2] Billboard ranked it as the number 20 song for 1972.[3] It also reached number 1 on the ARIA Charts, spending eight weeks at the top spot.[2] The song also later reached a peak of number 7 on the UK Singles Chart.[2] In 2004, the song appeared in The Ultimate Collection.
"Ben" won a Golden Globe for Best Song. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1973, losing to "The Morning After" by Maureen McGovern from The Poseidon Adventure. Jackson lip-synced to the song at the Oscars ceremony.[citation needed][4]
- ^ "BEN (1972) - (MOVIE CLIP) BEN'S SONG". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 8 August 2022. Retrieved 13 February 2024.
- ^ a b c Cadman, Chris (2007). Michael Jackson: For the Record. Authors OnLine. ISBN 978-0-7552-0267-6.
- ^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1972
- ^ "Michael Jackson - Ben (Oscars 1973)". Youtube.com. 3 February 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2024.