"ABC" | ||||
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Single by The Jackson 5 | ||||
from the album ABC | ||||
B-side | "The Young Folks" | |||
Released | 1970 | |||
Recorded | December 1969[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:55 | |||
Label | Motown M 1163 | |||
Songwriter(s) | The Corporation (Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell and Deke Richards)[3] | |||
Producer(s) | The Corporation | |||
The Jackson 5 singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"ABC" by the Jackson 5 on YouTube |
"ABC" is a song by the Jackson 5. It was released as a single in 1970. The song replaced the Beatles' "Let It Be" on the number one spot of the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970, and was No. 1 on the soul singles chart for four weeks. It is the title track to the group's second album and sold 2 million copies within the first week of its release in the US and over 4 million copies worldwide.[4][5][6]
Cash Box said "Having whetted the world’s appetite with "I Want You Back” the Jackson 5 makes it back with another dynamite side cast in the image of its million seller. Searing vocals and the familiar drive of the Motown supporting cast assure another giant here."[7] Billboard said "This pulsating swinger has all the sales and chart potential of the initial entry ['I Want You Back']."[8] Record World said the song proved that "the Jackson 5 are Motown's newest supergroup."[9]
"ABC" was performed on television on American Bandstand (February 21, 1970), The Ed Sullivan Show (May 10, 1970), and The Flip Wilson Show (November 4, 1971), among many other broadcasts.[10] The upbeat lyrics compare learning to love to learning the alphabet.
It was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals in 1971. 50 Cent told NME that the song was the first he remembered hearing: "I've always loved MJ, so I guess it was probably a good place to start music: right here, with the ABCs."[11] On November 7, 2016, the Grammy Hall of Fame announced its induction, along with that of another 24 songs.[12]
I Want You Back sold 1 million copies in the first nine days and ABC sold 2 million in the first two weeks.