1970 Career-Defining Classic Became a No. 1 Hit 56 Years Ago Today
1970 Career-Defining Classic Became a No. 1 Hit 56 Years Ago Today
Geca FloresMon, March 30, 2026 at 1:13 AM UTC
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The Jackson 5’s song “ABC” has that infectious groove and vibrant energy that instantly made it a chart-topping success.
Formed in 1964, the iconic vocal group consists of five brothers: Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael Jackson, whose original name was The Jackson 5. They would go on to become one of the most influential acts in the music scene, introducing a string of smash hits.
Released in 1970 as part of their second studio album under Motown Records, “ABC” cemented the group’s place in music history, further propelling their popularity and helping define the crossover appeal of soul and pop during that era.
Fifty-six years ago today, The Jackson 5 launched a young group into superstardom after the single reached No. 1 on the R&B chart, a weekly music ranking released by Billboard magazine.
Following this, the five-member band proved unstoppable, topping the Billboard Soul Singles on the week of April 4, 1970, and holding the No. 1 spot for four straight weeks.
The Jackson 5 members Tito Jackson, Randy Jackson, Michael Jackson, Marlon Jackson and Jackie Jackson. (Photo by Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns)Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns via Getty Images (Gijsbert Hanekroot/Redferns via Getty Images)
On April 25, 1970, “ABC” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, dethroning “Let It Be” by The Beatles.
With the song’s immense popularity, it not only became their second big hit but the Jackson 5 single also sold 2 million copies in its first week of release in the U.S and over 4 million copies worldwide.
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Composed by a team of Motown songwriters and producers, which includes Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Alphonzo Mizell and Deke Richards, also known as The Corporation, the single’s catchy lyrics and funky melody instantly stole the hearts of fans, making this an undeniable stepping stone toward Jacksonmania.
Prior to the release, the late Tito Jackson, one of the founding members, told The Guardian how worried he was about “ABC” that it might not achieve the same success that their previous song “I’ll Be There” received.
“‘ABC’ was more nail-biting,” he said, adding, “We’d been told the second hit is harder than the first, so to watch that one go up the charts was even more amazing. Then it happened with ‘The Love You Save,’ too. We didn’t think we’d do it a fourth time with ‘I’ll Be There.’ But it replaced Marvin Gaye’s ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ as Motown’s biggest record, selling seven million.”
As for the King of Pop, who was a preteen at the time, he immediately liked the song more than their previous smash hit.
“I loved ‘ABC’ from the first moment I heard it,’” Michael Jackson said, as cited by Rolling Stone Australia. “I had more enthusiasm for that than I did for ‘I Want You Back.’”
Related: Michael Jackson’s Iconic Song Hits 1 Billion Streams After 38 Years
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
