Like most of the other early Jackson 5 hits, "ABC" was written and produced by The Corporation, a team composed of Motown chief Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell, and Deke Richards and recorded in Los Angeles, California, away from the old Motown studio at Hitsville USA in Detroit, Michigan.
"ABC" was the first single from the second Jackson 5 album, ABC, issued with a cover of Diana Ross & the Supremes' "The Young Folks" as the B-side. It is today one of the Jackson 5's signature songs.
The song has also been sampled by Naughty by Nature for their 1991 single "O.P.P.", also by Girl Talk on his fourth album Feed the Animals.
ABC
The Jackson 5 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A buh-buh buh buh-buh
You went to school to learn, girl
Things you never, never knew before
Like I before E except after C
And why two plus two makes four
Now, now, now, I'm gonna teach you
All about love, dear
All about love
Sit yourself down, take a seat
All you gotta do is repeat after me
ABC
Easy as
One, two, three
Or simple as
Do re mi
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me girl
ABC
Easy as
One, two, three
Or simple as
Do re mi
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me
Come on, let me love you just a little bit
Come on, let me love you just a little bit
I'm a going to teach how to sing it out
Come on, come on, come on
Let me show you what it's all about
Reading, writing and arithmetic
Are the branches of the learning tree
But without the roots of love every day, girl
Your education ain't complete
T-T-T-Teacher's gonna show you
Show you, show you
How to get an A
Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah
Spell "me" "you"
Add the two
Listen to me baby, that's all you gotta do
Oh, ABC
As easy as
One, two, three
Or simple as
Do re mi
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me girl
ABC
It's easy
It's like counting up to three (One, two, three)
Sing a simple melody (Do re mi, ABC)
That's how easy love can be
Sit down, girl
I think I love you
No
Get up, girl
Show me what you can do
Shake it, shake it, baby, come on now
Shake it, shake it, baby, ooh ooh
Shake it shake it, baby, huh
One, two, three, baby, ooh ooh
ABC, baby, nah nah
Do re mi, baby, huh
That's how easy love can be
ABC, it's easy
It's like counting up to three (One, two, three)
Sing a simple melody (Do re mi, ABC)
That's how easy love can be
(I'm not gonna teach you how to sing it out)
Come on come on come on let me show you what it's all about
ABC, it's easy
It's like counting up to three (One, two, three)
Sing a simple melody (Do re mi, ABC)
That's how easy love can be
(I'm not gonna teach you how to sing it out)
Sing it out, sing it, sing it, sing it
Oh baby, ABC, it's easy
It's like counting up to three (One, two, three)
Sing a simple melody (Do re mi, ABC)
That's how easy love can be
The Jackson 5's song "ABC" is an upbeat and catchy tune that serves as a lesson for its listeners. The lyrics are about teaching someone about love and using the alphabet and numbers to do so. The song begins with a repetition of "buh-buh buh buh-buh" as an introduction. It then goes on to talk about going to school to learn things we never knew before, like spelling and math. The chorus then comes in with the repetition of "ABC" and the numbers 1, 2, and 3, signifying the simplicity of love. The pre-chorus follows with the singer encouraging the listener to repeat after him and learn how to love, adding a bit of a flirtatious tone to the song. The bridge solidifies the message by connecting love to education, stating that "without the roots of love every day, girl/Your education ain't complete." The song ends with the chorus and the singer reassuring the listener that love is easy as counting to three and singing a simple melody.
Line by Line Meaning
A buh-buh buh buh-buh
An introductory vocalization
You went to school to learn, girl
The singer addresses a girl and remarks that she attended school to gain knowledge
Things you never, never knew before
The singer notes that the girl learned things she did not know previously
Like I before E except after C
The artist references a common rule in the English language: 'I' comes before 'E' except after 'C'
And why two plus two makes four
The artist mentions a basic arithmetic fact that is widely known
Now, now, now, I'm gonna teach you
The singer indicates that they are going to teach the girl something new
Teach you, teach you
Reinforcement of the upcoming instruction
All about love, dear
The artist specifies the topic of the lesson: love
All about love
Reiteration of the lesson topic
Sit yourself down, take a seat
The artist invites the girl to sit down
All you gotta do is repeat after me
The singer tells the girl to simply repeat what they say
ABC
A reference to the song's title, and a simple phrase the girl is to repeat
Easy as
The singer emphasizes the ease of the lesson
One, two, three
A counting sequence, a metaphor for the simplicity of love
Or simple as
The singer repeats the previous point about simplicity
Do re mi
A simple musical scale, another metaphor for love's simplicity
ABC, one, two, three, baby, you and me girl
A repetition of previous lines, emphasizing the connection between the girl and the artist
Come on, let me love you just a little bit
The singer asks for permission to express their love for the girl
I'm a going to teach how to sing it out
The singer intends to teach the girl how to vocalize the lesson
Come on, come on, come on
Encouragement to the girl to continue with the lesson
Let me show you what it's all about
The artist intends to demonstrate the essence of the lesson
Reading, writing and arithmetic
Three fundamental elements of education
Are the branches of the learning tree
A metaphorical phrase comparing education to a tree with multiple branches
But without the roots of love every day, girl
The artist stresses the importance of love in everyday life
Your education ain't complete
Not having love means that the girl's education is not entirely fulfilling
T-T-T-Teacher's gonna show you
The singer again presents themselves as the girl's teacher, with a stutter for emphasis
Show you, show you
Reiteration of the singer's intent to teach
How to get an A
The artist humorously suggests that the girl will receive an 'A' in the subject of love
Nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah nyah
Another playful vocalization
Spell "me" "you"
The singer offers an easy-to-remember spelling of two words, stressing the simplicity of the lesson
Add the two
The singer prompts the girl to add the two words together
Listen to me baby, that's all you gotta do
The artist reassures the girl that this is all she needs to do
ABC
Reiteration of a simple phrase for the girl to repeat
It's easy as
A reminder of the lesson's simplicity
Sing a simple melody
The singer tells the girl to sing a simple tune, as a metaphor for how easy love can be
That's how easy love can be
Reiteration of how effortless love can be
Sit down, girl
Repetition of an earlier invite to sit down
I think I love you
The singer expresses their love for the girl
No
A negation, an interruption of the previous phrase
Get up, girl
The artist now encourages the girl to stand up
Show me what you can do
The artist wants to see the girl in action
Shake it, shake it, baby, come on now
The singer asks the girl to dance and move her body
Shake it, shake it, baby, ooh ooh
Reiteration of the previous line, with vocalizations
Shake it shake it, baby, huh
Another repetition of the dancing instruction
One, two, three, baby, ooh ooh
A counting sequence, a reminder of the song's theme of simplicity
ABC, baby, nah nah
The artist repeats the title phrase, with additional vocalizations
Do re mi, baby, huh
Another reference to a simple musical scale, emphasizing simplicity
ABC, it's easy
The artist again reminds us of the ease of the lesson
It's like counting up to three (One, two, three)
A metaphor for how easy love can be
Sing a simple melody (Do re mi, ABC)
Another metaphor for the ease of love
I'm not gonna teach you how to sing it out
The singer reminds the girl that they will not teach her how to sing
Come on come on come on let me show you what it's all about
Another demonstration of how easy love can be
Sing it out, sing it, sing it, sing it
The artist encourages the girl to sing the lesson out loud
Oh baby, ABC, it's easy
The singer affirms that love is simple and reiterates the title phrase
That's how easy love can be
The singer repeats the central message of the song: love is easy
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Berry Gordy, Dennis Lussier, Alphonzo Mizell, Freddie Perren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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