Recorded - January 1972
Released - July 12, 1972
#1 for week of October 14, 1972.
"A number one song about a young boy who befriends the leader of a killer rat colony" - Under normal circumstances, a song with this kind of subject matter wouldn't stand a chance at reaching number one. Then again, we do have the future king of 1983 singing lead vocals so that makes these chances invert.
Now, without the context of the film of the same name that "Ben" was featured in, one may assume that young Michael Jackson was merely singing about a close friend. Even knowing the song's rather unfortunate real meaning, Michael gives the song a good vocal performance. His voice manages to have a unique charm, despite the highly sugary lyrics.
Although "Ben" is one of Michael's most noteworthy early hits, I confess to not being a huge fan of the song. From the extremely twee backing vocalists to the cloyingly sweet music, down to the fact that the song is about a pet rat, I've never considered the song one of Michael's best. Of course, Michael had nothing to do with the composition of "Ben" so he's not to blame for any of the song's musical or lyrical fluffiness.
No matter my personal opinion of "Ben", the song is an important milestone in Michael's career. It was his last #1 hit while he still had his younger singing voice. By 1979, when Michael hit the top of the singles charts again, his career was soon headed "Off The Wall" and into the stratosphere. But that's another story for a future year...
Final Verdict - This may be an unpopular opinion, but I don't consider "Ben" to be a truly good song, let alone a #1 pop hit. Even a solid Michael vocal can't save the song from its rather sappy music and lyrics. Without the context of the movie it is based on, "Ben" doesn't hold up on its own.
Coming Up Next - "My Ding-a-Ling" by Chuck Berry.
Until Next Time, there's no other friend, like Dr. Rock -
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