Overview
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is a single written and recorded by American singer Michael Jackson. Released under Epic Records on July 10, 1979, the song is the first track on Jackson's fifth studio album Off the Wall (1979). It was the first solo recording over which Jackson had creative control.
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" was Jackson's second single to hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart following "Ben" and his first solo number-one hit on the Billboard Soul Singles chart. It remained at number one for six weeks on Billboard Soul Singles chart. It is certified 5× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The song also achieved worldwide success, reaching number one in nine other countries. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" was well received by contemporary music critics and is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most iconic disco songs of all time.
An accompanying music video for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" was released in October 1979. The video shows Jackson dancing, as well as being shown in an innovative triplicate, in different color backgrounds. The song also won Jackson his first Grammy Award and American Music Awards.
Background and production
In 1978, Jackson starred as the Scarecrow in The Wiz, an urbanized retelling of L. Frank Baum's The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. After the filming, Jackson, who was still a member of The Jacksons, approached the film's musical director, Quincy Jones, to ask if he knew of any producers to help with Jackson's future solo endeavors. Jones suggested himself, and the two began work on Off the Wall. After listening to hundreds of demos, the two decided upon the ones to record. These included "Workin' Day and Night", "Get on the Floor" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". The song was recorded in Los Angeles. Jackson claimed that when the melody of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" came to him, he couldn't shake it off. He found himself humming and singing it while walking through the Jacksons' Encino home. As Michael was not a keyboardist, although certainly capable of playing piano, he had his brother Randy perform the melody on a piano in the family's recording studio. When Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, a devout Jehovah's Witness, heard the song, she was shocked by the lyrical content and felt that the title could be misconstrued as pertaining to sexual activity.
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