Greetings,
friends! Tonight, we invite you to feast your ears on a modest hit
from one of the '80s biggest superstars. A song that has an
interesting backstory, despite being largely forgotten in the years
since it's release. Read on for the legendary Michael Jackson's 1984
single “Farewell
My Summer Love”!
“I
found my happiest days... when you came to see your grandma in May,
I bumped into you by the corner store... I told you that you sure looked good, now.”
I bumped into you by the corner store... I told you that you sure looked good, now.”
Since
our previously spotlighted song featured vocals from one Janet
Jackson, we naturally started thinking about the works of her iconic
brother Michael, and what, if any
songs of his could deserve a second look. The trouble is that MJ's
music has been analyzed ad infinitum as he IS the undisputed “King
of Pop”, after all. But then we remembered one track in
particular...
Recorded
in 1973 (when Mike was but a young lad of fourteen), and supposedly
“lost” by Motown, then found and remixed in '84 with added modern
instrumentation, “Farewell...” was the title cut from the album
of the same name, which contained similarly updated archival material
from early in Michael's career.
This
was a clever case of Motown seeing an opening, and striking while the
iron was hot. Seven (!) smash hit singles had already been extracted
from Jackson's Thriller
LP since it's November 1982 release, but even on legendary albums,
the singles eventually dry up. By the spring of '84, the world was
still firmly in the one-gloved grip of “Michael-mania”, but the
man himself had no new material out there. So Motown, brilliantly I
might add, filled that void with the “Farewell...” album.
Unfortunately, the retro-bubble gum title track didn't continue
Michael's domination of the top 10, and only peaked at US #38 pop and
US #37 R&B. It did, however, do quite well in Europe, reaching UK
#7.
“I'll
never forget you... And maybe next year when you're out of
school...
You'll return, but until you do, baby... Bye, bye, don't turn around... You might see me cry.”
You'll return, but until you do, baby... Bye, bye, don't turn around... You might see me cry.”
The
song follows a plot one might associate with an afterschool special
of the era. Boy meets girl,
enjoys a summertime romance, girl returns home as summer ends, guy
longs for girl but realizes he probably won't see her again. As
cliched as this story may be, nearly everyone can identify with it,
as young loves often follow the pattern of what Michael sings about
here.
I
suspect had “Farewell...” been released back in '73, we would now
be regarding it as one of Michael's early classics, like “Got
to be There”,
“Rockin' Robin'”,
and “Ben”.
But even though Motown's plan to dust off and modernize a classic
Jackson cut was ambitious, the remixed track just didn't fit
alongside the pioneering work he released on Thriller. It felt like a
step backward, which unfairly reduced it to being an obscure 80s
musical footnote. (despite being a catchy, guilty pleasure)
Ya
know, it's about darn time we discussed some MJ here on the Dial.
We've spotlighted the Jackson family rather often, as we've featured
The Jacksons' “Torture”,
Rebbie's “Centipede”,
and our previous review, “Diamonds”
by Herb Alpert which featured Janet on vocals. So now Michael finally
earns his own spot on the Dial. Mike, this one goes out to you...
“Farewell
my summer love, farewell... Girl I won't forget you,
Farewell, my summer love, farewell.”
Farewell, my summer love, farewell.”
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