1 Hidden Gem From Every Michael Jackson Album
11. Ben - Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Ba-Day
Ben is an album forever destined to be entirely overshadowed by its title track. The song might be about befriending a rat but it’s also a showcase for a young Michael Jackson’s ability to empathise and emote beyond his years. The song won a Golden Globe and was nominated for an Oscar.
Sadly the album, while blandly competent, doesn’t have a awful lot else to recommend it. It’s chock full of covers and one song, In Our Small Way, that was a repeat from his solo debut.
Its not that the album is bad, it’s a pleasant enough way to kill some time. It’s just that little is essential. The Jackson 5 kickstarted their career by winning a high school talent contest with their rendition of My Girl. Michael turns in a solid performance here but it’s no match for the original.
Pick of the absolutely-fine-but-not-all-that-inspired bunch is Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Ba-Day. The song is penned by Motown’s other wunderkind Stevie Wonder. It’s one of several Wonder songs Jackson covered throughout his career, perhaps he felt an affinity for his fellow child star. Certainly he brings a fitting exuberance to this funky track.