Michael Jackson recorded “Ben” for the soundtrack of the film of the same name. Songwriters Don Black and Walter Scharf originally wrote “Ben” for Donny Osmond, but because Osmond was on tour when it was time to record, they offered the track to Jackson instead. Ben was a horror film created as a sequel to the 1971 movie Willard. It was named after a telepathic rat that befriends a young boy named Danny while leading a colony of rodents that terrorizes the town.
Jackson earned his first number-one solo single on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Ben.” Though he was only 13 or 14 at the time of its release, he already possessed masterful vocal control as a ballad singer. His endearing delivery over lyrics about a killer rat made kids and adults cry, earning the track a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and an Academy Award nomination in the same category.
Ben was also the title of Jackson’s second solo album, which fared better commercially than his 1972 debut, Got to Be There. The title track was the only single released from the record, helping it become the first top-ten solo album of his career. The album reached the charts in the UK—earning Silver certification from the British Phonographic Industry—and performed well in Australia and the Netherlands. Decades later, following Jackson’s death in 2009, the album charted again in France.
Over the years, “Ben” has appeared on numerous Jackson compilations and box sets. The dynamic concert version featured on the 1981 live album The Jacksons Live! is cited by fans alongside the studio original.
Jackson’s music and life took over pop culture once again 17 years after his passing with the release of the Michaelbiopic. Fueled by global interest in his legacy, the film grossed over one billion dollars within four months of its theatrical premiere, prompting confirmed plans for a sequel.
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