20. Rockin' Robin and Ben
 
By winter of 1972, Motown had released two more solo singles by 
Michael Jackson, the first being ‘Rockin' Robin’. While Michael 
twitters his way through the song, the session player bangs out the 
easy ditty on the piano to create a song that was irresistible. 
‘Rockin’ Robin' became an even bigger success than ‘Got to Be 
There’. The song peaked in the same position for Michael as the 
original did for the late Bobby Day, at number two. 


One early record of Michael's that still brings snickers today is 
‘Ben.’ The words of the song extol friendship, though there is no 
clue in the lyrics that the song is actually about a rodent. (In the 
film,  Ben,  a young boy befriends a rat named_ Ben. A little-
known fact is that Bing Crosby was one of the movie's producers.) 

 
Michael's voice complements the delicately orchestrated piece, 
with its solo guitar accompaniment; the recording is layered at all 
the emotional peaks with a precise string arrangement. The song 
obviously stood on its own, independent from the film. It became 
Michael's first number-one solo record, selling an amazing 
1,701,475 copies. It was also nominated for an Oscar. 

 
Michael saw the movie Ben many times, sitting in the back of 
the theatre just waiting to hear his song and then see his credit on 
the screen. As a child, Michael loved rats. At one point,  Katherine 
was horrified to find that Michael had thirty rats in a cage in his 
bedroom. He was passionate about the rodents until the day he 
discovered that they were eating each other – as rats will do. 

 
Sickened by the sight, Michael put the rat cage outdoors. 
In addition to his solo records, Michael started recording the 
group's songs separately from his brothers, putting the lead vocal 
on tape alone in the studio. Later, the brothers would come in and 
record their background vocals. Often, additional – anonymous – 
singers would be added to the mix. This was a decision made by 
Motown to make the recording process more expedient. All it did 
for Michael, though, was make him feel more singled out, and not 
a part of the group. He didn't like it. 

 
In November 1972, The Jackson 5 embarked on a twelve-day 
European tour, which would begin with a royal command 
performance before Queen Elizabeth. There was actually some 
concern at Motown that the tour would not be a success, based on 
the group's flagging record sales in Europe. Unlike the situation in 
America, sales were down for The Jackson 5 in Europe, and 
especially in Britain. The group's Maybe Tomorrow album, for 
instance, didn't even make the UK Top 50. Their single ‘Sugar 
Daddy’ also flopped in the UK. However, as a solo recording artist 
Michael was faring well. ‘Got to Be There’ and ‘Rockin' Robin’ 
sailed to the British number five and three positions, respectively. 

 
Later in the month, ‘Ben’ would peak at number seven and sell 
more than a quarter of a million copies, just in the UK. So even if 
the group was falling short in record sales with a British audience, 
it was hoped that thanks to Michael's popularity the tour would 
draw audiences. It did, and in a big way. As British teenagers 
swarmed London's Heathrow Airport to welcome the group, the 
ensuing mob scene was reminiscent of Beatlemania. 

 
‘Large plugs of hair were jerked from the scalp underneath 
Jermaine's giant Afro by souvenir hunters,’ reads Motown's 22 
November press release. ‘Noise so intense that it drowned out the 
whine of jet engines drove tears to Michael's and Marlon's eyes. 
Tito was bruised and shaken by the stampede of the thundering 
herd. Randy nearly panicked when frenzied females devoured him 
with bear hugs and wet kisses. Jackie was cool but more than a 
little bit worried. It was sheer pandemonium. It was near chaos. It 
was frightening. It was JACKSONMANIA.’ 

 
Besides losing a shoe, Michael was almost choked to death. 
‘He was really frightened,’ recalled Jermaine. ‘They were pulling 
on both ends of his scarf, actually choking him. He had to put his 
hand up under his scarf and start screaming so that it wouldn't 
tighten up on his neck.’ 

 
Michael loathed such mob scenes. He recalls having to run 
through crowds of screaming girls with eyes covered by his hands 
for fear that their nails would scratch him. He remembers hiding in 
broom closets, hoping the throng would rush by and miss him. 
‘They grab your hair and pull hard and it hurts like fire,’ he 
recalled. ‘You feel as if you're going to suffocate or be 
dismembered.’ 

 
Fans barricaded the entrance to the Churchill Hotel where the 
group stayed in London, preventing them from leaving the scene 
after their royal variety performance. Joseph called the police, who 
arrived with water hoses, which they unleashed on the fans. The 
next day, a nine-year-old girl threatened to use a knife on a hotel 
doorman unless he allowed her access to Michael's room. She was 
detained by the police. A Rolls-Royce limousine carrying the 
group sustained twelve thousand dollars' worth of damage when it 
was dented and scratched by young girls clawing to get to their 
idols. Later, as the Jacksons performed at the Talk of the Town 
nightclub, souvenir hunters stripped their limousine of its 
cushions, radio, lights, tyres_ 


It was this way wherever the brothers travelled on the rest of 
their tour, whether in Amsterdam, Brussels, Munich, Frankfurt or 
Paris.