E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (album)
From Jackopedia
| E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial | ||
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| Soundtrack by Michael Jackson | ||
| Released | November 1982 | |
| Recorded | June 1981 | |
| Label | MCA Records | |
| Producer | Quincy Jones | |
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is an audiobook and soundtrack album, narrated by Michael Jackson, for the film of the same name. Produced by Quincy Jones, the album was released in the same month as Jackson's Thriller album and went on to collect a Grammy Award in 1984.
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[edit] Background
Jackson and Quincy Jones began working on the album, an audiobook of Steven Spielberg's E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, in June 1981.[1] Jackson also featured as a vocalist on the song "Someone In the Dark", written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.[1] After a publicity photo shoot, in which an animatronic robot of E.T. hugged Jackson, the singer stated "he was so real that I was talking to him. I kissed him before I left. The next day, I missed him."[1]
Jackson's record label, Epic, allowed the singer to record the album for MCA on two conditions:
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was not to be released until after Christmas 1982. This was to avoid the audiobook competing with Jackson's new album, Thriller.[2]
- "Someone In the Dark" was not to be released as a single.[2]
MCA breached both conditions, by releasing the storybook in November 1982, and giving promo copies of "Someone In the Dark" to radio stations.[2] Court action resulted in MCA having to withdraw the album and being prohibited from releasing "Someone In the Dark" as a single.[2]
[edit] Reception
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial reached #82 on the British pop chart - considered high for a storybook album.[3] The audiobook received a Grammy Award in 1984 for Best Recording For Children.[4] Upon collecting the award, and taking home a record eight Grammys, Jackson stated that "of all the awards I've gotten, I'm most proud of this one".[3]
[edit] Track Listing
- "Someone In the Dark" (opening version) (Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman) – 4.58
- "Landing" – 3.24
- "Discovery" – 11.32
- "Home" – 6.09
- "Intrusion" – 5.23
- "Chase" – 3.18
- "Goodbye" – 2.25
- "Someone In the Dark" (closing version) – 3.04
All music composed by John Williams, unless otherwise noted.
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Halstead, Craig (2007). Michael Jackson: For the Record. Authors OnLine. p. 293. ISBN 978-0-7552026-7-6.
- George, Nelson (2004). Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection booklet. Sony BMG.
- Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Terra Alta, WV: Headline. ISBN 0-330-42005-4.
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