Tuesday, October 30, 2012

"Let's Get Serious" by Jermaine Jackson

Top 10 Alert!
Song#:  0109
Date:  03/29/1980
Debut:  83
Peak:  9
Weeks:  23
Genre:  R&B



Pop Bits:  Jermaine is the fourth-born child in the Jackson clan and prior to hitting it big with his brothers as the Jackson 5, he was the sole lead singer for the early incarnation of the group. When brother Michael came in, the lead vocal duties were shared by the pair. Jermaine started his solo career while still part of the family group (as did Michael) and had a hit with his second single "Daddy's Home" (#9 in 1972), a cover of Shep & the Limelites' #2 hit in 1961. His follow-up albums and singles made little impact on the charts, but the lead single from his "Let's Get Serious" album put him back in the pop Top 10 and garnered him his first solo #1 R&B song.

ReduxReview:  Jackson's career certainly needed a boost and this song provides it. The song has a groovy dance feel that is reflective of its writer/producer (see below). Radio friendly and hooky, it is not surprising this became a hit. Plus, having a big name attached who was hot-hot-hot at the time helps a great deal.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  This song (and the album) was co-written and produced by Stevie Wonder. He also provides some backing vocals for the tracks.

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3 comments:

  1. I actually feel bad for Jermaine. If you listen to his albums, many of them are pretty damn great. But when your brother is King of Pop, it's really tough to not get overshadowed. Despite the fact that he had quite a few "hits" - I feel like he deserved more recognition.

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    1. I think so as well. They were kind of like the Beyonce and Solange of the day. Solange has put out some excellent material, but Queen B gets the accolades and attention. Still, Jermaine was able to score some good hits along the way.

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  2. Chart Run: 83 - 73 - 64 - 52 - 46 - 39 - 32 - 29 - 25 - 20 - 18 - 14 - 13 - 11 - 10 - 9 - 9 - 21 - 38 - 47 - 70 - 92 - 98

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