Joseph Jackson always had his eye on the competition, namely the Osmond Brothers, a family group from Salt Lake City, Utah. In June 1971, MGM Records released ‘Sweet and Innocent’ by the youngest member of the group, Donny Osmond, as a solo act.
That record's success all but guaranteed him teen-star status in the predominantly white teenybopper magazines. Because of their colour, The Jackson 5 could never be perceived as teen idols in those magazines, despite all of their success and good looks. Though the Jacksons would make occasional appearances in magazines like 16 and Fave, the Osmonds and other white stars like them dominated the pages of such publications. This practice chagrined Joseph, who viewed it as racism.
After Donny Osmond's hit, Joseph decided that Michael should also record a song on his own. He and Berry Gordy decided to release a song called ‘Got to Be There’, as Michael's first solo, instead of as a group effort as originally planned. Michael would still be a part of the group, just as Donny was a part of The Osmonds, but he would now also be a solo Motown artist. ‘Then we can all make more money,’ Joseph reasoned. Joseph never dreamed that he had just put into motion a plan that would one day separate Michael not only from his brothers, but from him as well. ‘Got to Be There’ was issued in October. Although it would not reach the top of the charts, it was a reality check of sorts for the Jackson brothers when they saw that Michael could crack the Top Five on his own. In England it was a number five hit, and stayed in the Top 50 for almost three months. Globally, ‘Got to be There’ sold 1,583,850 copies.
This lushly produced and orchestrated, mid-tempo love song was the perfect vehicle for launching Michael's solo career; it's surely one of the most beautiful songs in Motown's publishing catalogue. At the time, it was the envy of many artists whose flagging careers could have been salvaged by such a versatile, well-tailored number. Instead, it served to bolster the enormously popular lead singer of The Jackson 5.
Immediately after Christmas in 1971, The Jackson 5 embarked on a concert tour of the South. In Dallas, a reporter arranged an interview in their hotel room. It wasn't long before fans had congregated outside the door, chanting, ‘Michael! Michael! Michael!’ Tito went out in the hallway hoping to quieten them down. When he opened the door, a group of girls burst into the room and began kissing and hugging Michael, totally ignoring the others. The brothers did not appear to be jealous and, rather, treated the incident as a chance to tease Michael. ‘Just wait till I get my solo song released,’ Jermaine said. ‘Then I'll be the ladies' man 'round here.’
‘Well, right now Michael's the real ladies' man,’ Jackie said after the girls were escorted out of the room by security guards.
‘Aw, c'mon, you guys,’ Michael said, bashfully.
‘You are, Mike,’ Jermaine agreed. ‘But not for long…’
Then all four brothers jumped on Michael, tickling him good naturedly and wrestling him to the ground. One could hear their laughter echo through the halls.
