B-side "The Young Folks" Recorded 1969 | Released February 24, 1970 Length 2:55 | |
Format Vinyl record (7" 45 RPM) Genre Soul, R&B, bubblegum pop | ||
"ABC" is a 1970 number-one hit by the Jackson 5. First aired on American Bandstand on the ABC network) on February 21, 1970. It was released on February 24. "ABC" knocked The Beatles' Let It Be off the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in 1970, and was number one on the soul singles chart for four weeks.
Written with a similar structure and feel as the Jacksons' first hit of 1970, "I Want You Back". ABC was performed on television on American Bandstand (February 21, 1970), The Ed Sullivan Show (May 10, 1970), and The Flip Wilson Show (November 4, 1971), among many other broadcasts. "ABC" is considered one of the band's signature songs. It is one of the shortest titles to hit #1, and is the first alphabetically in a list of #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100.
50 Cent told NME that the song was the first he remembered hearing: "I've always loved MJ, so I guess it was probably a good place to start music: right here, with the ABCs." On 27 November 2016, the Grammy Hall of Fame announced its induction, along with that of another 24 songs.