Michael Jackson Rocked With You 30 Years Ago This Week

Thirty years ago this week, a 21-year-old Michael Jackson stood at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart with “Rock With You.”  Michael Jackson had, of course, been famous for a decade by the time this song hit the chart, and this wasn’t even the first Number 1 song of his solo career.  “Ben” spent a week at Number 1 in 1972 and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” had just spent a week at Number 1 in October 1979.  However, while spending 4 weeks atop the chart, “Rock With You” gave Michael two chart-toppers in a row.  The song also arguably blasted Michael into mega-superstar status, setting him up for the success from Thiller a few years later that would earn him the title “King of Pop” that he claimed (and had written into contracts).  Certainly, “Rock With You” is memorable for its danceability as well as the laser show and Michael’s outfit in the video.