Off The Wall
- Producers
- Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson
- Executive Producers
- Quincy Jones
- Studios
- Allen Zentz Recording, Hollywood
Cherokee Recording Studios, Hollywood
Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles - Recorded
- 1 December 1978 to 1 June 1979
- Label
- Epic Records
- Runtime
- 42:28 · 10 tracks
- Awards
- 5 wins Read more
Tracklist
- 01 Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough Single 6:05
- 02 Rock with You Single 3:40
- 03 Workin' Day and Night 5:14
- 04 Get on the Floor 4:39
- 05 Off the Wall Single 4:06
- 06 Girlfriend Single 3:05
- 07 She's Out of My Life Single 3:38
- 08 I Can't Help It 4:29
- 09 It's the Falling in Love 3:48
- 10 Burn This Disco Out 3:41
Singles
Off the Wall is Michael Jackson’s fifth studio album, released on 10 August 1979 by Epic Records. It marked his first collaboration with producer Quincy Jones, after the two met during the filming of The Wiz the previous year. Recorded between December 1978 and June 1979 at three Hollywood studios, it represented a clear break from Jackson’s Motown years and the Jacksons’ Epic output.
Jackson and Jones assembled an extraordinary cast of session musicians and songwriters. Rod Temperton, then of Heatwave, contributed three tracks including the title song and “Rock with You”. Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney each gave the album a song. Toto members Steve Lukather and David Paich played extensively, while Greg Phillinganes provided keyboards and arrangements that would define the Jackson-Jones sound for the next decade.
Four singles became U.S. top-10 hits: “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (#1), “Rock with You” (#1), “Off the Wall” (#10) and “She’s Out of My Life” (#10). “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” won Jackson the 1980 Grammy for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance, his first Grammy as an adult solo artist. Jackson, however, was deeply disappointed that the album was overlooked for Album of the Year, and reportedly used that disappointment as fuel for the all-encompassing ambition of Thriller.
Off the Wall has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. It transformed disco into something more sophisticated, blending pop, funk and post-disco soul, and proved that Jackson could carry a major adult solo career on his own. The album is widely cited as one of the greatest of all time and was reissued in 2016 alongside Spike Lee’s documentary film Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall.
| Country | Chart | Peak | Weeks at #1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | Billboard 200 | #3 | |
| United Kingdom | UK Albums Chart | #5 | |
| France | SNEP | #2 | |
| Australia | Kent Music Report | #2 | |
| Netherlands | MegaCharts | #1 | 5 |
| Sweden | Sverigetopplistan | #4 | |
| Germany | Media Control | #7 | |
| Canada | RPM 100 | #6 | |
| Japan | Oricon | #14 |
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★Won 1980Grammy AwardBest Male R&B Vocal Performance ("Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough")
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★Won 1980American Music AwardFavorite Soul/R&B Album
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★Won 1980American Music AwardFavorite Soul/R&B Male Artist
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★Won 1980Billboard Music AwardTop Black Album
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★Won 1980NAACP Image AwardOutstanding Album
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Off the Wall is a polished, professional pop record on which Jackson and Jones have created an integrated, gleaming dance album of fluid, deeply satisfying grooves.
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A glittering, shape-shifting masterpiece that announced Jackson as both a superstar in his own right and the most ambitious pop artist of his generation.
Read review → -
A welcome rediscovery of Jackson the singer, the dancer and now, at last, the adult artist.
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Off the Wall is the sound of a young man arriving fully formed, and the foundation on which everything else MJ would do was built.
| Country | Body | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | RIAA | 8× Platinum | 8 December 2015 |
| United Kingdom | BPI | 4× Platinum | 11 November 2013 |
| France | SNEP | Platinum | |
| Australia | ARIA | 4× Platinum | |
| Canada | Music Canada | 6× Platinum |
Album Shoot (1)
Promo / Press (4)
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“Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” released as single
"Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough" released as a single from Off The Wall.
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Off The Wall released
First adult solo album produced by Quincy Jones. Defines the modern pop-soul sound.
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“Rock with You” released as single
"Rock with You" released as a single from Off The Wall.
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“Off the Wall” released as single
"Off the Wall" released as a single from Off The Wall.
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Grammy win — Best Male R&B Vocal Performance
Michael wins his first solo Grammy for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough".
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“She’s Out of My Life” released as single
"She’s Out of My Life" released as a single from Off The Wall.
37 people credited across this album.
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Michael Jackson Lead Vocals · Percussion · Producer · Songwriter10 tracks -
Quincy Jones Producer10 tracks -
Louis Johnson Bass Guitar · Songwriter10 tracks -
Greg Phillinganes Rhodes Piano · Rhodes Piano / Clavinet · Rhodes Piano / Synthesizer10 tracks -
Bruce Swedien Engineer10 tracks -
J
John Robinson Drums · Drums / Percussion9 tracks
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D
David Williams Guitar9 tracks
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Marlo Henderson Guitar9 tracks
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Paulinho da Costa Percussion7 tracks -
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Larry Williams Alto Saxophone Solo · Saxophone / Flute7 tracks
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Gary Grant Trumpet6 tracks
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Jerry Hey Trumpet / Flugelhorn6 tracks -
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Bill Reichenbach Jr. Trombone6 tracks
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Kim Hutchcroft Saxophone / Flute6 tracks
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J
Jim Gilstrap Backing Vocals3 tracks
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M
Mortonette Jenkins Backing Vocals3 tracks
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A
Augie Johnson Backing Vocals3 tracks
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Paulette McWilliams Backing Vocals3 tracks -
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Zedrick Williams Backing Vocals3 tracks
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Rod Temperton Songwriter3 tracks -
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Wah Wah Watson Guitar3 tracks
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Michael Boddicker Synthesizer · Synthesizer Programming2 tracks -
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George Duke Synthesizer2 tracks
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David Foster Songwriter · Synthesizer2 tracks -
Randy Jackson Percussion1 track -
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Richard Heath Percussion1 track
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Bobby Watson Bass Guitar1 track
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Phil Upchurch Guitar1 track
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Paul McCartney Songwriter1 track -
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Tom Bahler Songwriter1 track
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Larry Carlton Guitar1 track
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Johnny Mandel String Arrangement1 track
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Stevie Wonder Rhythm Arrangement · Songwriter1 track -
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Susaye Greene Songwriter1 track
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Carole Bayer Sager Songwriter1 track -
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Patti Austin Lead Vocals1 track
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Steve Porcaro Synthesizer Programming1 track
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Quincy Jones met Michael Jackson during the filming of The Wiz in 1978 and was initially reluctant to produce his solo album, asking Jackson "Why would you want me to produce you?". They went on to make three of the best-selling albums in history together.
Quincy Jones, Q: The Autobiography -
The trademark "hee hee" Michael Jackson vocal hiccup was developed during the Off the Wall sessions, partly because Jackson was instructed by Bruce Swedien to "make every breath audible".
Bruce Swedien -
Tom Bahler's "She's Out of My Life" was originally written for Frank Sinatra; Sinatra rejected it and Quincy Jones gave it to Jackson, who is famously heard breaking down at the end of the recording.
Wikipedia -
Despite four U.S. top-10 singles and over 6 million copies sold by the end of 1980, Off the Wall was nominated for only one Grammy. Jackson said "I cried for two days" over the snub and vowed his next album would be "the biggest in history".
J. Randy Taraborrelli -
Off the Wall was the first solo album to produce four top-10 U.S. singles. The record stood until Thriller broke it three years later.
Billboard -
Stevie Wonder co-wrote "I Can't Help It" with Susaye Greene of The Supremes. He gave the song to Jackson without recording it himself.
Wikipedia -
Paul McCartney wrote "Girlfriend" with Jackson in mind years before they met. By the time Jackson recorded it for Off the Wall, McCartney had already released his own version on the Wings album London Town.
Paul McCartney -
Off the Wall was reissued in February 2016 alongside the Spike Lee documentary "Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall". The reissue charted in the UK top 10, 36 years after the original release.
Official Charts Company
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Off the Wall: Special Edition 2001
2001 expanded reissue with bonus interviews and a remastered original.
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Reissued February 2016 alongside Spike Lee's documentary "Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall". Available as CD+DVD, vinyl and digital.
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