Michael Jackson Off-the-wall Album < Plus >

The Night Michael Became a Supernova: Revisiting 'Off the Wall'

That next album, of course, was Thriller —the best-selling album of all time. But Thriller ’s paranoia, its obsession with monsters and pressure, was a direct reaction to the happy, inclusive joy of Off the Wall being snubbed. Had the Grammys embraced Off the Wall , we might have gotten a very different, less anxious Thriller .

: It became the first album by a solo artist to produce four Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," "Rock with You," "Off the Wall," and "She's Out of My Life". michael jackson off-the-wall album

| Track | Songwriter | Length | Chart Performance (US Pop) | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough | Michael Jackson | 6:04 | | | 2. Rock with You | Rod Temperton | 3:40 | #1 | | 3. Working Day and Night | Michael Jackson | 5:14 | Not a single (fan favorite) | | 4. Get on the Floor | M. Jackson, L. Johnson | 4:39 | Not a single | | 5. Off the Wall | Rod Temperton | 4:06 | #10 | | 6. Girlfriend | Paul McCartney | 3:05 | Not a single (UK Top 40) | | 7. She’s Out of My Life | Tom Bahler | 3:38 | #10 | | 8. I Can’t Help It | S. Wonder, S. Greene | 4:30 | Not a single | | 9. It’s the Falling in Love | C. Bayer Sager, D. Foster | 3:48 | Not a single | | 10. Burn This Disco Out | Rod Temperton | 3:48 | Not a single (B-side) |

The album opens with a heartbeat—Michael’s own, recorded live in the studio. Then, a funk bassline that has aged like fine wine. Michael overdubbed his own backing vocals into a swirling choir of Michaels, singing lyrics that are pure hedonism. He wrote this track himself, proving his compositional chops instantly. The falsetto break at 3:40 (“Keep on with the force don't stop / Don't stop 'til you get enough”) is one of pop music’s most ecstatic moments. The Night Michael Became a Supernova: Revisiting 'Off

Thriller made him the King of Pop. But Off the Wall proved he was a genius. If you have ever danced alone in your kitchen, driven too fast down a highway with the windows down, or fallen in love for the first time, that feeling—the uncomplicated, electric thrill of it—lives inside this album.

: The album featured elite songwriters and musicians, including Stevie Wonder , Paul McCartney , and Rod Temperton . : It became the first album by a

But history remembers the snub. In 1980, the Grammy nominations were announced. Despite being one of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums of the year, Off the Wall received only one nomination: Best R&B Vocal Performance for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough." It lost.