The primary members of the group were all the sons of Katherine and Joseph Jackson: Jackie Jackson, Tito Jackson, Jermaine Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Michael Jackson, and Randy Jackson. Joseph Jackson formed the band in 1964 and served as its manager, with Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and unrelated youths Reynaud Jones and Milton Hite comprising its original lineup. Within a year, Michael and Marlon joined the band, and Michael became lead singer as the group developed a following in the eastern and midwestern United States during the mid-1960s. Signed to the Motown label from 1969 to 1975, and to CBS Records (as "The Jacksons") from 1975 until their disbanding in 1990, the Jackson 5 were one of the most popular groups of the era and became the first recording act to have their first four major label singles (I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save, and I'll Be There) reach the top of the American charts. Several future singles, among them "Mama's Pearl", "Never Can Say Goodbye" and "Dancing Machine", were Top 5 pop hits and number-one hits on the R&B singles chart. Most of the early hits were written and produced by a specialized songwriting team known as The Corporation™; later Jackson 5 hits were crafted chiefly by Hal Davis.
While not the first act considered a "boy band", The Jackson 5 is one of the earliest examples of the type as it is defined today: five adolescents specifically packaged and marketed by a record label for crossover pop success. Upon their departure from Motown for CBS in 1975, the Jacksons, were forced to change their name and trade Jermaine (who remained at Motown) for Randy. The group took control of their songwriting, production, and image, and their success continued into the 1980s with hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" and "State of Shock", and a highly successful 1984 Victory tour. The Jacksons officially disbanded in 1990.
History
Early works
The Jacksons were a working-class family from Gary, Indiana. Katherine, being a Jehovah's Witness, raised the children as such, while their father, Joe, was not of that faith. Their father, a steel mill employee who often performed in an R&B band called "The Falcons" with his brother Luther, was a strict disciplinarian. Many of the Jackson children recall being severely beaten by Joe for misbehaving.
The children found an outlet in music, with elder brothers Jackie (born Sigmund Esco Jackson, 1951), Tito (born Toriano Jackson, 1953), and Jermaine (b. 1954) borrowing their father's guitar without his permission and playing along to the radio. Younger brothers Marlon (b. 1957) and Michael (b. 1958) were allowed to watch as long as they did not tell. Joseph eventually discovered that the older three boys were playing his guitar when one of the strings broke[2]. Although he was furious at first, Joseph realized the boys had talent and began making plans to create a musical act for them.
In 1965, Jackie, Tito, and Jermaine began performing around the Gary area with two neighborhood children, Milford Hite (on drums) and Reynaud Jones (on keyboards), in a group called The Jackson Brothers. Joe Jackson served as the manager, at first only part-time, and then eventually quitting his job at the steel mill. Jermaine sang lead and played bass, and Tito played guitar.
In 1966, younger brothers Marlon and Michael, joined the group as its tambourine and bongo players. Already showing talent as a singer and dancer[3], Michael replaced Jermaine as lead vocalist by mid-1967. Shirley Cartman, Tito's junior high orchestra teacher, noticed the group's talents and served as an early mentor to the group, by then calling itself The Jackson Five.
During this period, the boys toured Indiana extensively, and after winning a major local talent show in 1966 with a rendition of The Temptations' "My Girl", led by Michael, they began playing professional gigs in Chicago, Illinois and across the mid-eastern U.S. Many of these gigs were in a string of black clubs and venues collectively known as the "chitlin' circuit", and the young kids sometimes had to open for strip teasers and other adult acts in order to earn money.
Shirley Cartman got the Jackson Five a record deal with Gordon Keith's local Steeltown label, and the group began making their first recordings in 1967. Their first single, "Big Boy", became a regional hit. During this period, Johnny Jackson (no relation) on drums and Ronnie Rancifer on keys replaced Milford Hite and Reynaud Jones.
The Jackson Five had a number of admirers in their early days, including Sam & Dave, who helped the group secure a spot in the famous Amateur Night competition at the Apollo Theater in Harlem. The group won the August 13, 1967 competition during the Amateur Night showdown at the Apollo, impressing Motown Records artist Gladys Knight of The Pips. Knight recommended the group to Motown chief Berry Gordy, but Gordy, who already had teenager Stevie Wonder on his roster, was hesitant to take on another child act because of the child labor laws and other problems involved.
The Jackson Five's sound was influenced by many of the biggest stars of the 1960s, especially including family funk bands Sly & the Family Stone and The Isley Brothers, soul pioneer Marvin Gaye, doo-wop boy band Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers, and soul shouters like Wilson Pickett, Jackie Wilson, Stevie Wonder and James Brown [4]. At the time of their early success, soul and funk stars, especially coming from Motown Records, were among the most popular musicians; Motown had launched the careers of dozens of the decade's biggest stars, most notably Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, and Diana Ross & the Supremes.
Influences
From these sources, The Jackson Five developed many of their vocal arrangement styles and dance movements. The group's multi-lead vocal style was inspired by that of The Family Stone, while young Michael adapted Jackie Wilson and James Brown's impassioned singing and dancing styles into his own.
Joining Motown
By 1968, the Jackson 5 were a headlining act for the All Star Floor Show at Chicago's The Guys' and Gals' Cocktail Lounge and Restaurant. From July 12 - 27, 1968, the Jackson 5 opened for Motown group Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers at Chicago's Regal Theater. Taylor was also very impressed with the boys, and he decided to make the commitment to bring them to Detroit and Motown. Joseph and the Jackson Five stayed on the floor of Bobby Taylor's Detroit apartment the night of July 22, while Taylor and Motown executive Suzanne de Passe arranged for the Jackson Five to audition for the label.
On July 23, the Jackson Five had their Motown audition, for which they performed James Brown’s then current hit "I Got the Feelin’". Berry Gordy was not in attendance, but the audition was videotaped and sent to him in Los Angeles. Gordy's initial reluctance to sign the group disappeared when he finally saw the boys perform. Gordy decided to sign the Jackson Five to Motown, and hosted a party at his Detroit mansion on November 25, 1968 to introduce them to the Motown staff and stars.
Motown began negotiations to buy out the Jackson Five's Steeltown contract, completing the deal in March 1969. By the summer, Bobby Taylor began producing the group's first recordings at Motown's Hitsville U.S.A. recording studio in Detroit. The early Taylor-produced Jackson Five records were all covers of both contemporary hits and Motown-standards, including Sly & the Family Stone's "Stand!" and their famous rendition of The Miracles' "Who's Lovin' You", written by Smokey Robinson.
In mid-August 1969, Gordy moved the Jackson Five and Joseph to California, and he and Suzanne de Passe began the process of grooming them as the label's next big act, while the rest of the family remained in Gary. While looking for a house in California, Joseph, Jermaine, Tito, and Jackie lived with Berry Gordy, while Michael and Marlon lived with Motown star Diana Ross.
Up on the Housetop
The Jackson 5 Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here comes santa claus
Here he comes, here he comes
Here comes santa claus
Here comes santa claus
Here he comes, here he comes
Out jumps good old santa claus
Down through the chimney with lots of toys
All for everyone's christmas joys
Tito had just one desire
That he gets a new guitar
But he wants a guarantee
That it won't play out of key
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click,
Down through the chimney with old st. nick
(I said) ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click,
Down through the chimney with old st. nick
Here comes santa claus
Here comes santa claus
Here he comes, here he comes
Here comes santa claus
Here comes santa claus
Here he comes, here he comes
Jackie's almost six feet tall
But no hot shot at basketball
Bring him a basket three feet tall
Maybe he'll play like a pro
Marlon wears his shoes so thin
He's gone through his socks again
He's always dancin' as you know
(so bring me some shoes with lots of sole)
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click,
Down through the chimney with old st. nick
(I said) ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click,
Down through the chimney with old st. nick
Patter patter pitter patter
Pitter patter patter
Pitter patter pitter patter
Pitter patter patter
Oh dasher, dancer, prancer and vixen
Come on comet, cupid, donner and blixen
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall
Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!
Did you read santa claus my list?
All the girls you're waiting to kiss?
Mike, that list was only a joke
Too late, jermaine, he's bringing you mistletoe
But you just want toys and stuff
Yeah, but that's not even half enough
What I want means more than fun
What's that? - love and peace for everyone
Up on the house top reindeer stand
Waiting for that dear old man
Up to the chimney with gifts to spare
And lots of christmas joy to share
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click,
Up out through the chimney with old st. nick
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click,
Up through the chimney with old st. nick
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click,
Up through the chimney with old st. nick
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Up on the housetop, click, click, click,
Up through the chimney with old st. nick
Up on the Housetop is a classic Christmas song that tells the story of Santa Claus and his reindeer. The lyrics refer to different members of the Jackson 5 and their desires for Christmas gifts. The song begins with the jolly Santa Claus arriving at the housetop with his reindeer, and then he slides down the chimney to deliver toys to children for Christmas. The lyrics continue with different desires of the Jackson 5 members. Tito, the guitar player, wants a guitar that won't play out of key. Jackie, the tallest member of Jackson 5, wants to be good at basketball. Marlon, the dancer, wants shoes with lots of sole. The song then moves back to the idea of Christmas and what it truly means to the Jackson 5. The group wishes for love and peace for everyone, which is the ultimate gift.
Line by Line Meaning
Here comes santa claus
Santa Claus is arriving
Up on the housetop, reindeer pause
The reindeer on the rooftop have stopped moving
Out jumps good old santa claus
Santa Claus jumps out from the rooftop
Down through the chimney with lots of toys
He comes down the chimney with many toys
All for everyone's christmas joys
The toys are for everyone's happiness at Christmas
Tito had just one desire
Tito has a single wish
That he gets a new guitar
He wants a new guitar
But he wants a guarantee
He wants assurance
That it won't play out of key
The guitar should not produce wrong notes
Ho, ho, ho! who wouldn't go?
Santa Claus is inviting us to join him
Up on the housetop, click, click, click,
The sound of the reindeer hooves tapping on the rooftop
Jackie's almost six feet tall
Jackie is almost 6 feet in height
But no hot shot at basketball
He is not excellent at basketball
Bring him a basket three feet tall
Getting him a small basketball hoop may help improve his game
Maybe he'll play like a pro
He might play like a professional basketball player
Marlon wears his shoes so thin
Marlon's shoes are worn out
He's always dancin' as you know
Marlon is always dancing, as everyone knows
(so bring me some shoes with lots of sole)
New shoes with thick soles will help Marlon's feet
Oh dasher, dancer, prancer and vixen
The names of some of the reindeer
Come on comet, cupid, donner and blixen
More names of the other reindeer
To the top of the porch, to the top of the wall
They climb to the top of the porch and the wall
Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!
They quickly move away from the rooftop
Did you read santa claus my list?
Asking if Santa Claus read his wish list
All the girls you're waiting to kiss?
Asking if Santa Claus is planning to kiss girls
Mike, that list was only a joke
Mike's list was not serious
Too late, jermaine, he's bringing you mistletoe
Jermaine missed the chance to tell Santa Claus what he wants
But you just want toys and stuff
Santa Claus says they only asked for toys and gifts
Yeah, but that's not even half enough
They want more than just toys and gifts
What I want means more than fun
They're not just looking for entertainment
What's that? - love and peace for everyone
They want love and peace for everyone
Up on the house top reindeer stand
The reindeer are still on the rooftop
Waiting for that dear old man
They're waiting for Santa Claus
Up to the chimney with gifts to spare
He climbs up the chimney with extra gifts
And lots of christmas joy to share
He has a lot of Christmas happiness to share
Up out through the chimney with old st. nick
He is leaving up the chimney
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cris Sabanpan
on I Want You Back
Hlo