So I am going to play every 45 in my collection.......(Part 3!!)

The Jacksons- Heartbreak Hotel/Things I Do For You
This track, renamed This Place Hotel, got to #22 USA and #44 UK in 1980. Songwriter Michael claimed he was unaware of the Elvis song (!) but changed the title nonetheless. Some heavyweight musicians feature on the tune including Michael Sembello, Ollie E. Brown and Nathan Watts. Interesting idea behind the song, a hotel run by women that sets out to break couples up by setting guys up as being unfaithful. I dig the slow groove but the track is a bit too busy with sound effects and. It feels claustrophobic, which works on an emotional level, but fails on a musical one. I still like it though! I need to revisit Michael's live version from the Bad tour. Was it radically different/better?

 

The Jacksons/Mick Jagger- State of Shock/Your Ways
This duet with Sir Mick reached #3 USA and #14 UK in 1984. Originally a vocal collaboration recorded between Michael and Freddie Mercury (versions of this and other tracks are out and about), it ended up being finished with Mick as scheduling conflicts interfered. The track Is built around a nice rock guitar riff which is the best part of the track. Mick's vocals overpower Michael's a bit on the verses. The part where they go back and forth with each other is pretty cool. On the whole, a fun record.

 

The Jacksons-Torture/Instrumental
Love this picture sleeve! The Jackson fellas awaiting Indy's arrival to head out on safari! That makeup is going to run in the extreme heat though.....
Written by Jackie and Kathy Wakefield, this fine pop song reached #17 USA and #26 UK in 1984. I really like Michael and Jermaine alternating leads. Too bad they didn't contribute more to the Victory project. Even though the video (more on that coming!), depicts physical torture, the lyrics actually describe mental torture over a breakup. The chorus is very catchy and the Wall of Jackson voices sounds incredible. I was very surprised when this wasn't a huge hit. Aah....the video....no Michael or Jermaine but instead a wax dummy of Michael! Perry Lister (Billy Idol's ex) fired as choreographer and replaced by Jackie's then girlfriend, Paula Abdul! Production costs that bankrupted the production company!

 

"Shake Your Body" is one of the great disco bangers of all time. I actually think it doesn't get mentioned enough in that context.
I thought "Centipede" was one of the best non-Michael singles from the Jackson clan.
When you look through this portion of the thread, it really drives home the fact that the Jacksons were truly the most talented musical family of all time.

 

A lot of talent for sure!!! Even Jackie, LaToya and Rebbie have some excellent songs that sadly get overlooked. Jermaine also doesn't get the credit he deserves. I honestly probably play his records the most!

 

Wow, "State of Shock" and "Torture" remind me so much of the summer of 1984 hearing them on Z-100 out of NYC. Looking back on your last several postings, it's amazing how the entire Jackson family was all over the charts for a few years there following Thriller...

 

We played a lot of Z100 at my house on Long Island in those days as well! A lot of WPLR for the rock oriented stuff also.

 

Love Torture! It's pretty much their only 80s song I like and I agree it deserved to be at least Top 10. I'm surprised their were legal issues surrounding the title Heartbreak Hotel. There are quite a few tunes that have the same title with no legal issues cropping up and I don't recall Whitney Houston suffering the same fate with her song of the same name. Wonder if someone was trying to get Jackson money?

 

I don't remember if there was ever a rumor of a lawsuit or if Michael just did it on his own once he found out about the Elvis song.

 

Joel Whitburn's Pop Singles book has a blurb under this entry that says the title was changed due to legal issues. Maybe Jackson just didn't want the headaches?

 

Cool info! That Whitburn book is amazing.

 

Oh yeah! I've referenced it so much that my copy has completely fallen apart!

 

I've had several editions of the both the Top 40 and Hot 100 versions of Whitburn's books. They're fantastic. Even though you can find the same info online nowadays, I still enjoy looking it up in a book...

 

I know The Power Of Love is a more generic term/expression than Heartbreak Hotel, but within 7 months three singles were released with that title:

November 1984 Frankie Goes To Hollywood
May 1985 Jennifer Rush
June 1985 Huey Lewis And The News

People never mistook one song for the other, just as Heartbreak Hotel by Elvis doesn't sound anything like The Jackson's Heartbreak Hotel.

 

The first and only time I ever heard this was on Soul Train, so I had to buy the 45. But, my copy is an earlier pressing with the older orange label.

 

I love this song too, one of the best Michael has written.

It annoys me to no end that the Japanese changed the name to "This Place Hotel" on CD copies, and CBS/Sony continued with it. But, in recent years, I notice that Sony has made an effort to include the original title.

No, the name alteration had nothing to do with Elvis presley's song of the same name. It had to do with the fact that the Japanese language has no word for "heartbreak".

 

The novelty wore out fast for me.

 

It was all a rumour that I read was perpetuated by people who were incensed that Michael and Lisa Marie married. You cannot copyright a song title, so there could be no lawsuit. The lyrics are totally different, too.

 

Yup, I didn't think so either.

 

"State Of Shock" is better than "The Girl Is Mine," in my opinion anyway. I can't listen to the latter at all anymore but I keep "State Of Shock" on my 80's and 12" single playlists.

 

I agree. Having the physical book is much more satisfying. It's fun to just turn to a random page and read.

 

Wow that is interesting! This Place Hotel is such a clunky title!

 

I like it better too!

 

I also listened a lot to K-104 out of Poughkeepsie (did you get that on Long Island?) Both stations were great for the current hits. I also remember WPLJ and 92-K Rock for classic rock. Funny thing -- on a trip back up there a few years ago, I tuned into Z-100 and they were playing "Give Me Tonight" by Shannon like it was '84 all over again. Even stranger, that one wasn't as big a hit as "Let The Music Play," but in '84, they played it all the time like it was.

 

Wow that is weird!! What are the chances? I have family in Poughkeepsie and my cousin always had K-104 on.