Words: Joe Bourne / WhoSampled staff
This weekend marks the 35th Anniversary of Michael Jackson‘s fifth studio album, Off the Wall, the Quincy Jones produced classic long player that marked a new era in the Michael Jackson sound, moving away from the Motown stylings of his popular early material toward a new hybrid of pop, funk and disco. The album found both critical and popular success: it earned Jackson his first Grammy since the early ’70s, and its 20 million sales make it one of the best-selling albums of all time. To commemorate this milestone, WhoSampled provides an insight into the album’s lasting influence via a breakdown of the many samples, covers and remixes of the album’s timeless tracks.
1. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (sampled 49 times, covered 12 times, remixed twice)
The album’s opening cut is also the LP’s lead single and one of the album’s best loved tracks. Released as a single a month prior to the album, the track was a US Billboard #1, achieving Platinum sales in the process. The syncopated bass riff that opens the track is punctuated with a trademark MJ ‘woo’ before giving way to disco strings and horns with remarkably simple chord structure that underpins a complex web of rhythmic instruments. The track has been sampled 49 times with the famous ‘woo’ being among the most popular samples, appearing for example in Jazzy Jay’s mid 80s cut up classic ‘Def Jam‘. The track was also sampled in a more wholesale fashion by Beyoncé in her 2009 unreleased track ‘Black Culture’, has been covered by the likes of easy listening household name James Last and remixed by house music royalty Masters at Work and Roger Sanchez.
2. Rock With You (sampled 39 times, covered 19 times, remixed twice)
The tempo slows only marginally for the second track, moving from disco to a more funk-led groove. ‘Rock With You’ was the album’s second single released several months after the album in late 1979. Also a US Billboard #1, it is credited as being the 4th biggest selling single of 1980. Of the many samples of the track Burial’s dark interpretation is worthy of mention. Sample meets cover version in Ashanti’s pop-RnB rework and the ‘Rock With You’ vocal sample finds its way into De La Soul‘s montage of ‘Rock’ themed vocal snippets ‘Cool Breeze on the Rocks’. The track’s producer Quincy Jones covered the track in the mid 90s in an RnB style with the assistance of the late Heavy D and Brandy. Remixes again come courtesy of house music legends Masters at Work and the late great Frankie Knuckles.
3. Working Day and Night (sampled 7 times)
Another fast-paced rhythm track, ‘Working Day and Night’ combines a driving bass line with frenetic percussion, pushing syncopation to the limit as the track draws to a close. The track forms the backbone of Will Smith‘s Jazzy Jeff produced album track ‘Can You Feel Me?‘. Percussion from the track was also sampled for Michael’s posthumous duet with Justin Timberlake from this year’s Xscape album ‘Love Never Felt So Good’.
4. Get on the Floor (sampled 6 times)
The slap bass at the foot of this track and the off-beat hi-hat provide the perfect backdrop for Jackson’s soaring vocals. The track returns to more disco-y territory with sweeping strings also making another appearance. That disco pulse has been sampled by some greats including Jeff Mills who utilises the track’s drums and vocal adlibs for his infectiously repetitive techno reworking ‘Call of the Wild‘.
5. Off the Wall (sampled 13 times)
The album’s title track moves to more laid-back territory with an incredibly catchy boogie head-nodder. Released as a single in early 1980, the track would be Jackson’s third top ten single from the LP. Written by Rod Temperton, the track owes some its song-writing to another of Temperton’s compositions, Heatwave’s ‘Boogie Nights’. Jackson’s multi tracked vocals really come into their own during the track’s chorus ‘just enjoy yourself’, that vocal hook forming the chorus of Chubb Rock‘s uptempo album track ‘Enjoy Ya Self’.
6. Girlfriend
The album’s 5th and final single is a cover of a Wings’ ‘Girlfriend‘. Written by Paul McCartney, this track was a sign of things to come as MJ and the Beatles singer went on to have numerous collaborations, most notably the 1982 hit single ‘The Girl Is Mine’.
7. She’s Out of My Life (sampled 3 times, covered 32 times)
The album’s million selling 4th single is a far-cry from the driven bass lines and fast-paced rhythmic drive of the rest of the album. ‘She’s Out of My Life’ shows the singer’s more sensitive side with a ballad in which Jackson’s voice approaches the sound of crying in the closing moments. Not particularly heavily sampled, the track has been covered more than 30 times by artists including Shirley Bassey, Ginuwine and even S Club 7.
8. I Can’t Help It (sampled 24 times, covered 12 times)
Energy is resumed for the smooth uptempo number with the syncopated bass back in the limelight. The atmospheric Rhodes and bass combination from the track’s intro notably forms the foundation for De La Soul‘s early 90s classic ‘Breakadawn’. Covers of the track include a smooth jazz rework by Grover Washington Jr.
9. It’s the Falling in Love (sampled twice)
This track returns to MJ’s softer side for a love song featuring Patti Austin. Accordingly, the focus swings back from rhythm to harmony, with solo verses from each of the singers. The second cover version to appear on the LP, the track was originally recorded by Carole Bayer Sagel in 1978.
10. Burn This Disco Out
Fittingly, this predominantly disco led long player plays out with an up tempo dancefloor cut, introduced with a rousing horn line, the drums, hand claps and bustling bassline that characterise the album’s sound are all present.
