"I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5

Some songs are just built to move. "I Want You Back" by The Jackson 5 is one of them. It’s sonic catnip from the first bar: piano hits like punctuation, a bass line that bounces with purpose, drums with just enough swing to keep it loose but locked in. It’s pop, but with all the mechanics and swagger of funk. The pieces and parts fit together like a fine watch, and yet it never feels stiff. It's miles from formal. This song is an expertly crafted and lavishly produced great hang.

Then there’s young virtuoso Michael Jackson, already commanding the soundstage as a pre-teen. (I don't want to talk about the Jacksons and their demons, and you can't make me.) Michael's vocal performance casually flips between polished charm and raw urgency. Can an eleven-year-old have soul? What's happening? He doesn’t just ask for love back, he pleads for it, croons for it, and rides the rhythm like it’s pulling him forward. That energy carries the whole thing.

On a good system, you can hear the seams and the age of the recording tech available in 1969, when it was released as the third track on Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5. It's fine. The bass thumps with body, the strings jab like live wires, and the background vocals swirl in and out like dancers moving through a spotlight. "I Want You Back" is a track that rewards hi-fi systems with real timing and snap.

It's also worth mentioning: there is a kickass Dolby Atmos version available at Apple Music on Jackson 5: The Ultimate Collection.

Listen for: The kick drum and bass guitar lock together. It’s a study in groovology. If your system has tight low-end control, you’ll feel it click like gears.

Data

Song: I Want You Back
Album: Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5
Artist: The Jackson 5
Genre: Pop
Year: 1969
Length: 3:01
Composer: Alphonso Mizell, Berry Gordy Jr., Dennis Lussier, Freddie Perren
Producer: The Corporation