The Motown Years
(Redirected from 50 Best Songs – The Motown Years: Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5)
The Motown Years (also known as The Motown Years 50) is a 3-disc compilation box set by American singer Michael Jackson and the group The Jackson 5, released on September 9, 2008, by Motown Records and Universal Music Group to celebrate Jackson's 50th birthday. The 50-track album features all of the hits through the Motown years from both the Jackson 5 (like "ABC", "I Want You Back", "Never Can Say Goodbye") and Michael's solo material (including "You've Got a Friend", "Ben", "Ain't No Sunshine" and "One Day in Your Life"), all of them released during their tenure with Motown (1969–1975), with the exception of "Farewell My Summer Love" and "Girl You're So Together", which were released in 1984, long after Jackson and the group had left the company.[1][2]
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| Released | September 9, 2008 | |||
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Unlike Motown's previous Jackson 5 compilations, the 1995 4-disc Soulsation! and the 2005 2-disc Gold (both of which contain many of the same songs that appear in The Motown Years), the tracks on this 3-disc set are not ordered chronologically. Also in contrast to Soulsation!, there is no previously unreleased music. The only somewhat rare songs included are the B-sides "I'm So Happy" and "Love Song", both of which previously appeared on the 2000 version of The Jackson 5's Anthology (re-released with the title Gold in 2005), and also the 2001 "Two Classic Albums/One CD" series, as bonus tracks on Maybe Tomorrow and Lookin' Through the Windows, respectively.
A Chinese re-issue with different track selection was released on August 29, 2022 (what would've been Michael Jackson's 64th birthday) to celebrate 50th anniversary of Jackson's first solo album Got to Be There.[3]
Track listing
editInternational standard edition
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | First appeared on | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "ABC" | The Corporation (Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, Alphonzo Mizell) | ABC (1970) | 3:01 |
| 2. | "Never Can Say Goodbye" | Clifton Davis | Maybe Tomorrow (1971) | 3:03 |
| 3. | "Ready or Not (Here I Come)" | Thomas Bell; William Hart | Third Album (1970) | 2:34 |
| 4. | "Love Song" | The Corporation; Christine Yarian | B-side of "Lookin' Through the Windows" | 3:27 |
| 5. | "Forever Came Today" | Brian and Eddie Holland; Lamont Dozier | Moving Violation (1975) | 6:23 |
| 6. | "The Life of the Party" | Clarence Drayton; Hal Davis; Tanny Smith | Dancing Machine (1974) | 2:35 |
| 7. | "Doctor My Eyes" | Jackson Browne | Lookin' Through the Windows (1972) | 3:11 |
| 8. | "All I Do Is Think Of You" | Brian Holland; Michael Lovesmith | Moving Violation | 3:13 |
| 9. | "I Am Love" (Pts. 1 & 2) | Donald Fenceton; Jerry Marcellino; Mel Larson; Roderick H. Rancifer | Dancing Machine | 7:26 |
| 10. | "Darling Dear" | Allen Story; George Gordy; Rosemary Gordy | Third Album | 2:38 |
| 11. | "Maybe Tomorrow" | The Corporation | Maybe Tomorrow | 4:48 |
| 12. | "I Found that Girl" | The Corporation | ABC | 3:10 |
| 13. | "It's Too Late to Change the Time" | Leon Ware; Pamela Sawyer | G.I.T.: Get It Together (1973) | 4:00 |
| 14. | "Lookin' Through the Windows" | Clifton Davis | Lookin' Through the Windows | 3:37 |
| 15. | "Who's Lovin' You" | Smokey Robinson | Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 (1969) | 3:59 |
| 16. | "Whatever You Got, I Want" | Gene Marcellino; Jerry Marcellino; Mel Larson | Dancing Machine | 2:56 |
| 17. | "I'll Be There" | Berry Gordy Jr.; Bob West; Hal Davis; Willie Hutch | Third Album | 3:59 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | First appeared on | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Want You Back" | The Corporation | Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 | 2:58 |
| 2. | "Dancing Machine" (album version) | Donald Fletcher; Hal Davis; Weldon Dean Parks | G.I.T.: Get It Together | 3:29 |
| 3. | "Sugar Daddy" | The Corporation | Greatest Hits (1971) | 2:33 |
| 4. | "Little Bitty Pretty One" | Robert Byrd | Lookin' Through the Windows | 2:48 |
| 5. | "Hum Along and Dance" | Barrett Strong; Norman Whitfield | G.I.T.: Get It Together | 8:37 |
| 6. | "Corner of the Sky" | Stephen Schwartz | Skywriter (1973) | 3:40 |
| 7. | "I'm So Happy" | The Corporation | B-side of "Sugar Daddy" | 2:48 |
| 8. | "Get It Together" | Berry Gordy Jr.; Donald Fletcher; Hal Davis; Jerry Marcellino; Mel Larson | G.I.T.: Get It Together | 2:49 |
| 9. | "Goin' Back to Indiana" | The Corporation | Third Album | 3:32 |
| 10. | "Skywriter" | Jerry Marcellino; Mel Larson | Skywriter | 3:10 |
| 11. | "The Love You Save" | The Corporation | ABC (1970) | 3:01 |
| 12. | "Mama's Pearl" | The Corporation | Third Album | 3:09 |
| 13. | "Touch" (originally by The Supremes) | Frank Wilson; Pamela Sawyer | Skywriter | 3:01 |
| 14. | "La-La (Means I Love You)" (long version) | Thom Bell; William Hart | ABC | 3:29 |
| 15. | "It's Great to Be Here" | The Corporation | Maybe Tomorrow | 3:00 |
| 16. | "Hallelujah Day" | Christine Tarian; Freddie Perren | Skywriter | 2:45 |
| 17. | "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" | Haven Gillespie; J. Fred Coots | Jackson 5 Christmas Album (1970) | 2:25 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | First appeared on | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Farewell My Summer Love" (1984 mix) | Kenny Lewis | Farewell My Summer Love (1984) | 3:46 |
| 2. | "You've Got a Friend" (originally by James Taylor) | Carole King | Got to Be There (1972) | 4:45 |
| 3. | "My Girl" (originally by The Temptations) | Ronald White; Smokey Robinson | Ben (1972) | 3:11 |
| 4. | "One Day In Your Life" | Samuel F. Brown III; Renee Armand | Forever, Michael (1975) | 4:20 |
| 5. | "Just a Little Bit of You" | Brian Holland; Eddie Holland | Forever, Michael | 3:17 |
| 6. | "Got To Be There" | Elliot Willensky | Got to Be There | 3:26 |
| 7. | "We've Got a Good Thing Going" | The Corporation | Ben | 3:05 |
| 8. | "Rockin' Robin" (originally by Bobby Day) | Leon Rene (using pseudonym Jimmie Thomas) | Got to Be There | 2:35 |
| 9. | "Ben" (from the film Ben) | Don Black; Walter Scharf | Ben | 2:48 |
| 10. | "I Wanna Be Where You Are" | Arthur Ross; Leon Ware | Got to Be There | 3:00 |
| 11. | "Girl You're So Together" (1984 mix) | Kenny Lewis, Kenneth Melbourne | Farewell My Summer Love | 3:11 |
| 12. | "We're Almost There" | Brian Holland; Eddie Holland | Forever, Michael | 3:47 |
| 13. | "Wings of My Love" | The Corporation | Got to Be There | 3:24 |
| 14. | "Girl Don't Take Your Love from Me" | Willie Hutch | Got to Be There | 3:50 |
| 15. | "Music and Me" | Donald Fenceton; Jerry Marcellino; Mel Larson; Mike Cannon | Music & Me (1973) | 2:40 |
| 16. | "Ain't No Sunshine" (originally by Bill Withers) | Bill Withers | Got to Be There | 4:10 |
Chinese limited re-release (2022)
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | First appeared on | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Big Boy" | Ed Silvers | non-album single | 2:59 |
| 2. | "I Want You Back" | The Corporation | Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 | 3:00 |
| 3. | "Who's Loving You" | Smokey Robinson | Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 | 4:03 |
| 4. | "Can You Remember" | Thom Bell, William Hart | Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 | 3:08 |
| 5. | "Stand!" | Sylvester Stewart | Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 | 2:36 |
| 6. | "ABC" | The Corporation | ABC | 2:56 |
| 7. | "The Love You Save" | The Corporation | ABC | 3:00 |
| 8. | "La La (Means I Love You)" | Thom Bell, William Hart | ABC | 3:29 |
| 9. | "I'll Bet You" | George Clinton, Sidney Barnes, Theresa Lindsey | ABC | 3:17 |
| 10. | "It's Your Thing" | Ronald Isley, O'Kelly Isley Jr., Rudolph Isley | Soulsation! | 3:42 |
| 11. | "I'll Be There" | Berry Gordy, Bob West, Hal Davis, Willie Hutch | Third Album | 3:58 |
| 12. | "Goin' Back to Indiana" | The Corporation | Third Album | 3:31 |
| 13. | "Mama's Pearl" | The Corporation | Third Album | 3:09 |
| 14. | "Darling Dear" | George Horgay Gordy, Robert Gordy, Allen Story | Third Album | 2:38 |
| 15. | "Give Love on Christmas Day" | The Corporation | Christmas Album | 3:04 |
| 16. | "Maybe Tomorrow" | The Corporation | Maybe Tomorrow | 4:42 |
| 17. | "Never Can Say Goodbye" | Clifton Davis | Maybe Tomorrow | 2:59 |
| 18. | "It's Great to Be Here" | The Corporation | Maybe Tomorrow | 3:00 |
| 19. | "Sugar Daddy" | The Corporation | Greatest Hits | 2:30 |
| 20. | "Feelin' Alright" (studio version) | Dave Mason | Goin' Back to Indiana / Come and Get It: The Rare Pearls | 3:11 |
| 21. | "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" | Nickolas Ashford, Valerie Simpson | Lookin' Through the Windows | 2:30 |
| 22. | "Lookin' Through the Windows" | Clifton Davis | Lookin' Through the Windows | 3:45 |
| 23. | "Doctor My Eyes" | Jackson Browne | Lookin' Through the Windows | 3:14 |
| 24. | "Love Song" | The Corporation, Christine Yarian | non-album single | 3:25 |
| Total length: | 77:46 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | First appeared on | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Skywriter" | Mel Larson, Jerry Marcellino | Skywriter | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Hallelujah Day" | Freddie Perren, Christine Yarian | Skywriter | 2:49 |
| 3. | "Touch" | Pam Sawyer, Frank Wilson | Skywriter | 3:01 |
| 4. | "Corner of the Sky" | Stephen Schwartz | Skywriter | 3:31 |
| 5. | "Superstition" (live in Japan) | Stevie Wonder | In Japan! | 2:54 |
| 6. | "Get It Together" (alternative version) | Hal Davis, Donald Fletcher, Berry Gordy, Mel Larson, Jerry Marcellino | G.I.T.: Get It Together | 2:47 |
| 7. | "Hum Along and Dance" | Barrett Strong, Norman Whitfield | G.I.T.: Get It Together | 8:35 |
| 8. | "It's Too Late to Change the Time" | Pam Sawyer, Leon Ware | G.I.T.: Get It Together | 3:56 |
| 9. | "Dancing Machine" (uncut version) | Hal Davis, Donald Fletcher, Dean Parks | G.I.T.: Get It Together | 4:25 |
| 10. | "I Am Love" | Don Fenceton, Jerry Marcellino, Mel Larson, Ronnie Rancifer | Dancing Machine | 7:29 |
| 11. | "Whatever You Got, I Want" | Gene Marcellino, Jerry Marcellino, Mel Larson | Dancing Machine | 2:57 |
| 12. | "The Life of the Party" | Clarence Drayton, Hal Davis, Tamy Smith | Dancing Machine | 2:34 |
| 13. | "You're My Best Friend" | Sam Brown, Christine Yarian | Joyful Jukebox Music | 3:25 |
| 14. | "We're Here to Entertain You" | Hal Davis, Nita Garfield, Charlotte O'Hara | Joyful Jukebox Music | 3:03 |
| 15. | "Buttercup" | Stevie Wonder | I Want You Back! Unreleased Masters | 3:53 |
| 16. | "Forever Came Today" (alternative version) | Holland–Dozier–Holland | Moving Violation | 6:12 |
| 17. | "Body Language (Do the Love Dance)" | Hal Davis, Donald Fletcher | Moving Violation | 4:07 |
| 18. | "All I Do Is Think of You" | Michael Lovesmith, Brian Holland | Moving Violation | 3:15 |
| 19. | "Breezy" | Mel Larson, Jerry Marcellino | Moving Violation | 3:38 |
| 20. | "Joyful Jukebox Music" | Tom Bee, Michael Edward Campbell | Joyful Jukebox Music | 3:16 |
| Total length: | 78:57 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | First appeared on | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ain't No Sunshine" | Bill Withers | Got to Be There | 4:11 |
| 2. | "I Wanna Be Where You Are" | Arthur "T-Boy" Ross, Leon Ware | Got to Be There | 3:01 |
| 3. | "Got to Be There" | Elliot Willensky | Got to Be There | 3:23 |
| 4. | "Rockin' Robin" | Leon Rene | Got to Be There | 2:32 |
| 5. | "Maria (You Were the Only One)" | Lawrence Brown, Linda Glover, George Gordy, Allen Story | Got to Be There | 3:40 |
| 6. | "Ben" | Walter Scharf, Don Black | Ben | 2:46 |
| 7. | "People Make the World Go 'Round" | Thom Bell, Linda Creed | Ben | 3:17 |
| 8. | "We've Got a Good Thing Going" | The Corporation | Ben | 3:03 |
| 9. | "With a Child's Heart" | Sylvia Moy, Henry Cosby, Vicki Basemore | Music & Me | 3:33 |
| 10. | "Happy" | Michel Legrand, Smokey Robinson | Music & Me | 3:26 |
| 11. | "Morning Glow" | Stephen Schwartz | Music & Me | 3:37 |
| 12. | "Music and Me" | Jerry Marcellino, Mel Larson, Don Fenceton, Mike Cannon | Music & Me | 2:38 |
| 13. | "Little Christmas Tree" | George Clinton, Artie Wayne | A Motown Christmas | 3:38 |
| 14. | "Farewell My Summer Love" (original 1973 mix) | Keni St. Lewis | Farewell My Summer Love | 3:37 |
| 15. | "Call on Me" (original 1973 mix) | Fonce Mizell, Larry Mizell | Farewell My Summer Love | 3:21 |
| 16. | "Girl You're So Together" (original 1973 mix) | Keni St. Lewis | Farewell My Summer Love | 2:59 |
| 17. | "Make Tonight All Mine" (original 1973 mix) | Freddie Perren, Christine Yarian | One Day in Your Life | 3:03 |
| 18. | "If I Don't Love You This Way" (1987 remix) | Leon Ware, Pam Sawyer | The Original Soul of Michael Jackson | 3:25 |
| 19. | "We're Almost There" (DJ Spinna remix radio edit) | Eddie Holland, Brian Holland | Forever, Michael | 4:25 |
| 20. | "Just a Little Bit of You" | Eddie Holland, Brian Holland | Forever, Michael | 3:12 |
| 21. | "One Day in Your Life" | Sam Brown, Renée Armand | Forever, Michael | 4:18 |
| 22. | "Dear Michael" | Hal Davis, Elliot Willensky | Forever, Michael | 2:39 |
| 23. | "If 'n I Was God" (original 1973 mix) | Robert Sherman, Richard Sherman | Looking Back to Yesterday | 4:06 |
| Total length: | 77:50 | |||
Charts
edit
Weekly chartsedit
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Year-end chartsedit
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Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[23] | Gold | 35,000^ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[24] | Gold | 100,000* |
|
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
References
edit- ^ "50 Best Songs - The Motown Years ~ CD ~ Michael Jackson & The Jackson 5". Mighty Ape NZ.
- ^ "The Motown Years - Michael Jackson, The Jackson 5 - Songs, Reviews, Credits – AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "The Motown Years: The Ultimate Collection Of Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 Hits". Douban.
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Austriancharts.at – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Ultratop.be – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Michael Jackson". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Italiancharts.com – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Charts.nz – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – Michael Jackson & Jackson 5 – 50 - The Motown Years". Hung Medien. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2009". Ultratop. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Rapports Annuels 2009". Ultratop. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2009". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2009 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ "British album certifications – Michael Jackson & Jackson Five – The Motown Years". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
External links
edit- The Motown Years at Discogs (list of releases)