22-year-old Michael Jackson was operating on a whole other level to the rest of the music biz. The King of Pop dropped an iconic duet on “Rock With You” with Diana Ross in 1981 for her TV special, and fans are in love with how carefree and happy he looked. The effortless magnetism, elastic vocals and world-class dance performance from Michael showcased why he was the biggest name in pop for the following two decades.
MJ kicked off the cut of his 1979 hit with a solo performance, delivering smooth vocal lines and such creativity in his dance moves. Diana made her big entrance and the pair started cooking on a smokin’ duet. Seeing the chemistry between the pair, who were very close, makes the performance even more scintillating. The Music Man has to say that seeing The King of Pop work a room like this in his prime really goes to show that there was no one else like him, then or now.
The performance has been shared on YouTube. Although “Rock With You” dates to 1979, the TV performance was broadcast in 1981. Fans have praised Jackson’s vocals and dance moves, and how happy he looked performing with Ross.
One of our favourite Michael Jackson moments came when he performed “Beat It” with Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash. The pair teamed up in New York City at an event held to celebrate the 30th year of Michael’s career. The studio version of “Beat It” famously featured a legendary bridge solo from Eddie Van Halen. So naturally, when Michael hit the stage for his retrospective performance, he had to team up with another guitar icon.
Michael Jackson released “Rock With You” in October 1979. The song was penned by Rod Temperton, and MJ’s longtime producer Quincy Jones handled the production.
The Music Man readers might be interested to hear the curious fact that “Rock With You” was offered to Karen Carpenter for a solo recording, but she turned it down. The King of Pop turned it into a major hit, scoring five-times Platinum in the US and double Platinum in the UK.