Ben (Michael Jackson album)

Ben, the second studio album from American singer Michael Jackson, arrived on August 4, 1972, via Motown Records while Jackson was still performing with the Jackson 5. Critics at the time gave it mixed reviews, but it outperformed his debut album on the charts, cracking the top 10 on the US Billboard 200. Outside the United States, its reach was more limited: it peaked at number 12 in Canada and landed within the top 200 in Australia and France.

The album produced only one single, its title track "Ben." That song became a major commercial success, hitting number one on both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Australia’s ARIA charts—Jackson’s first number-one single at home and abroad. "Ben" also reached the top 10 in several other countries. A second single, "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," was planned but later canceled for reasons that were never explained. Two songs from the album were later included in the 2009 three-disc compilation Hello World: The Motown Solo Collection.

Recording sessions for Ben ran from November 1971 to February 1972. Six producers worked on the album, with Berry Gordy serving as executive producer. Songwriters for the ten tracks included Mel Larson, Jerry Marcellino, Thom Bell, Linda Creed, The Corporation, Smokey Robinson, and Ronald White. The tempos range from a slow 69 beats per minute on "Ben" to a brisk 130 on "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day."

The title track, written as the theme for the 1972 film Ben (a sequel to the killer-rat movie Willard), won a Golden Globe and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Song, ultimately losing to "The Morning After" from The Poseidon Adventure. "What Goes Around Comes Around" shares similarities with Jackson’s older brother Jackie’s single "Didn't I (Blow Your Mind This Time)," which featured vocals from Michael and his other brothers. For this album, Jackson recorded covers of several earlier hits: The Temptations’ "My Girl," The Stylistics’ "People Make The World Go Round," Lionel Hampton’s "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," Brenda Holloway’s "You Can Cry on My Shoulder," and Stevie Wonder’s "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day." "My Girl" features a funk rhythm and call-and-response interplay reminiscent of the Jackson 5’s style—the group had won a talent show at Gary’s Theodore Roosevelt High School in 1966 performing that same song. "You Can Cry on My Shoulder" is a mid-tempo track.