The Jackson 5's 15 greatest songs, ranked

17 September 2024, 11:38

By Mayer Nissim

Before Michael Jackson there was The Jackson 5.

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Michael Jackson was of course one of the biggest names in popular music.

But before he was a solo superstar, he was one of The Jackson 5, the all-brother group who took the disco and pop charts by storm in the late 1960s and 1970s.

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There were some lineup changes and a namechange to The Jacksons towards the end of the decade, but the massive hits kept coming.

They're even still touring today, with original members Jackie and Marlon still keeping the flame alive after the departure of Randy and Jermaine and sad deaths of Michael and, more recently, Tito.

In celebration of all the Jacksons, we've rounded up their 15 very best songs below.

Big Boy

Big Boy

Where it all began. The pre-Motown Jackson 5 released their debut single, fronted by the then-9-year-old Michael on the local Steeltown Records label.
A deal with Atlantic got the record in the shops around the country, selling a few thousand around the US.
It doesn't quite have the sway or swagger of their Motown records, but you can already hear the sheer talent not just of Michael but the whole Jackson family, with MJ's note-perfect tones and his brother's soulful backing vocals.
There was one more record released on Steeltown before Motown bought out their contract and set them on the path to superstardom.
Who’s Lovin' You

The Jackson 5 "Who's Loving You" on The Ed Sullivan Show

Written by Smokey Robinson and first released by his Miracles back in 1960, 'Who's Lovin' You' is a gorgeous slice of Motown with all those classic soaring Smokey dynamics.
It had already been much covered by the time the Jackson 5, who perfected it at the Hitsville U.S.A. recording studio in Detroit, Michigan, with the Funk Brothers, laying down the template for most future versions.
The Love You Save

The Jackson 5 "The Love You Save" on The Ed Sullivan Show

The stellar Holland–Dozier–Holland songwriting team left Motown a couple of years before The Jackson 5 joined the label – oh, what might have been...
After their departure Motown used in-house writing/production/arrangement teams "The Clan" and then "The Corporation", the latter made up of Berry Gordy himself together with Fonce Mizell, Freddie Perren and Deke Richards.
MJ and Jermaine Jackson shared lead vocals on this relentlessly upbeat lovesong that namechecked Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell and Christopher Columbus.
It went to number one, selling over two million copies in the US alone.
Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)

Jacksons ft. Michael Jackson - Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground) • TopPop

By the late 1970s, The Jackson 5 were now The Jacksons, and Jermaine had left and been replaced by Randy. The group had also left Motown and were signed to Epic, and had taken more control over their material.
'Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)' was a great example of what they could do with that freedom and new membership, with Michael and Randy writing this hooky slice of soulful club-friendly disco.
Another platinum US single, it charted at number 7 on the Hot 100 and went as high as number 4 in the UK.
Mama's Pearl

Mama's Pearl

Only kept off the top by The Osmond's 'One Bad Apple', 'Mama's Pearl' was another massive Motown hit for The Jackson 5 courtesy of The Corporation.
Michael shared lead vocals on this 1971 single with Jermaine and Jackie.
It's been claimed that producer Deke Richards changed the original title and lyrics from the raunchy 'Guess Who's Making Whoopie (With Your Girlfriend)', with the label still keeping an eye on MJ's image.
Never Can Say Goodbye

Never Can Say Goodbye

Clifton Davis originally wrote this laid back bit of harmonic soul for The Supremes, and when their version eventually emerged in the early 2000s it was clear they made a fantastic job of it, too.
But Motown decided that the song would be better suited for The Jackson 5, and it was the incredibly successful lead single from their Maybe Tomorrow album in 1971.
It's been covered umpteen times since, with Isaac Hayes, Gloria Gaynor and The Communards being standouts.
Enjoy Yourself (as The Jacksons)

The Jacksons - Enjoy Yourself (Official Video)

Written and produced by Gamble and Huff (Kenneth Gamble and Leon A Huff), 'Enjoy Yourself' was a vital release in The Jacksons' history.
It was their very first single after their momentous exit from Motown, and all eyes would have been on whether they could continue their run of success without that label behind them.
No-one needed to worry, and this song – led by Michael and Jackie and the first released to feature then-new member Randy – was a slick bit of funk that went platinum with a million copies sold.
Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Jackson 5 - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Official Video)

Phil Spector's Christmas album is great, but truthfully you can feel worn down by the Wall of Sound by the time you get to the end and Phil's creepy spoken-word outro.
The Jackson 5 Christmas Album is an unadulterated pleasure from beginning to end, year after year. It's hard just to pick out one (okay, two) hits from that record to put on this list.
The first is 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town', the J Fred Coots and Haven Gillespie classic first made famous by Eddie Cantor back in 1934. One of the all-time great seasonal standards, Michael's lead vocals and the busy Motown arrangement take it to the next level.
We'd even say it's the second-greatest version of this song (Bruce Springsteen just pips it), but with well over 200 covers out there, that's no faint praise.
I'll Be There

Jackson 5 - I'll Be There (Lyric Video)

While The Jackson 5's best-loved early moments were often their toe-tapping, finger-snapping dance-ready bubblegum classics, on occasion they slowed things down and let their stunning voices do the talking.
Michael and Jermaine trade lead vocals that perfectly balance one another on this history-making slice of romantic Motown soul that would eventually be inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
It was the band's fourth consecutive number one, making them the first group to have their first four (major label) singles top the chart, and the first black male group to score four consecutive number one singles.
Dancing Machine

Jackson 5 - Dancing Machine (Live)

Still on Motown in 1974, the Jackson 5 had already started shifting their sound to club-friendly soul and what was slowly becoming known as disco.
'Dancing Machine' was a perfect example of that vibe, led by MJ's perfectly pitched vocals offset by that deeper counterpoint from Jermaine and buoyed by harmonies for the rest of the group.
Written by Hal David (with Don Fletcher and Dean Parks) and produced by Hal, it was something of a return to form for the band, winning their first top ten hit since 'Sugar Daddy' three years earlier.
ABC

Jackson 5 "ABC" on The Ed Sullivan Show

Now we're getting to the group-defining, era-defining, classics, with this classic bit of Motown soul from The Corporation and The Jackson 5.
It replaced The Beatles' 'Let It Be' at the top of the Billboard Hot 100. It's a better song than 'Let It Be' (there, we said it).
'ABC' was the title track of the group's second album, a record that more than proved they certainly weren't one-album wonders.
The playground lyrics about the simplicity of love ("A B C, It's easy as / 1 2 3, as simple as") belie just how sophisticated a composition 'ABC' is, with Michael and the boys perfectly realising the fusion of soul, R&B, highschool and bubblegum pop.
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus

Jackson 5 - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus (Official Video)

The other song from The Jackson 5 Christmas Album to make this list, and here there's no equivocation. The Jackson 5's take on 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus' is the greatest version of this Xmas standard bar none.
Written by Tommie Connor and first recorded by Jimmy Boyd in 1952, The Ronettes' 1963 version was the go-to until The Jackson 5 put their spin on it in 1970.
It stalled at 91 in the UK charts and only reached 45 on the Billboard Holiday 100, but in the years since its release the stature of the song has only grown.
MJ was 12 when they recorded the song but still had enough youthful soul in the sound of his voice that – unlike the Ronnettes – you can absolutely believe he means every single word he's singing in one of the most gorgeously innocent songs in the Christmas canon.
Blame It On the Boogie (as The Jacksons)

The Jacksons - Blame It On the Boogie (Official Video)

In one of those odd coincidences, 'Blame It On The Boogie' was written by a Brit called... Mick Jackson, together with his brother David and Elmar Krohn. Mick was credited on the label as Michael George Jackson-Clarke, saving us from any confusion.
Mick recorded the song himself in 1977 but apparently wrote it with Stevie Wonder in mind. While this was going on, The Jacksons got ahold of it and rushed out their own version around the time Mick's hit the shelves. There was only going to be one winner.
Taken from their Destiny album, 'Blame It On The Boogie' came into its own in the 12" version, like many of the club-friendly Jackson songs of the era. Their first Hot 100 hit after a succession of failures, it still only peaked at number 54, but over the years has been rightly recognised as one of the Jacksons' post-Motown classics.
Can You Feel It (as The Jacksons)

The Jacksons - Can You Feel It

'Can You Feel It' was actually the third single from The Jacksons' 1981 Epic album Triumph after 'Lovely One' and 'This Place Hotel', but it's this cut that truly lives up to the record's title.
The Tamperer featuring Maya scored a massive hit with their sample-heavy 'Feel It' years on, but that hasn't dulled the sheer power of the original hit.
Written by Michael and Jackie and with vocal leads from Michael (of course) and Randy, 'Can You Feel It' is an absolute MONSTER of a record. MJ and JJ head things up, but this is all about the masterful production, with the choir and strings bowling you over on every listen.
Michael also nodded to his near future as a music video pioneer with the nine-minute promo clip.
I Want You Back

The Jackson 5 "I Want You Back" on The Ed Sullivan Show

Speaking of samples, 'I Want You Back' is said to be one of the most sampled songs in the history of hip-hop and pop, and given how absurdly packed it is with instant, memorable hooks, you can understand why.
Written and produced by The Corporation, it was the band's Motown debut and also their first number one hit.
It led the band's debut album Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (part of Motown's mythmaking, as Ms Ross didn't have anything to do with discovering the group), and rightly put them on the path to superstardom.
'I Want You Back's tale of regret and love lost wasn't dulled a smidge by being sung by an 11-year-old, because, well, Michael Jackson wasn't any old 11-year-old. A fusion of perfect melody, production and those lead (and backing) vocals all added up to one of the greatest.