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You wait all this time for a Michael Jackson appearance and then there are two on the same album... For yes it is him singing the chorus, and cynical voices have suggested that this record wouldn't have been the hit it was without this; certainly no other Rockwell singles reached the Top 75 in the UK, although he managed to scrape the US Top 40 with 'Obscene Phone Caller' and the Top 100 with a cover version of 'Taxman', which seems like a fair summary of his lyrical agenda: paranoia and a difficult relationship with the IRS.
The other fact everyone knows about Rockwell is that his father owned the record company. Many sources claim that Berry Gordy didn't find out his true identity until after the album came out, which I've never entirely believed, especially considering the effort it must have taken to call in the big guests and producers for this, and the fact that, let's face it, he can't really sing or anything. There's enough money thrown at this to give it some entertainment value, and that's probably why it turns up regularly on Halloween compilations alongside Ray Parker Jr. But it's in no way an actual good record.
Incidentally, this is the third Motown track on Now 4, three more than I can see on the previous volumes put together; they must have taken some persuading because this was a hit in February nearer the time of Now II. Motown's biggest single of 1984 is still absent, but perhaps we should be grateful for small mercies.
Available on: True Motown / Spectrum 3 CD Set
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