"This Day In HIStory" August 5, 1972 ~ Michael Jackson's single "Ben" was released.

by **MJ Mod** Mon Aug 05, 2013 2:57 pm

1972 - Michael Jackson’s 4th single, "Ben", was released in August 1972, entered Hot 100.

The melancholy ballad, written & composed by Walter Scharf & Don Black, is the theme song to the tame horror movie Ben, about a youngster whose best friend is a killer rat--incidentally, Michael wasn't old enough to see the movie when it was first released! The response to the single was massive; going to number 1 in the US and Australia and number 7 in the UK during a 14 week chart run and selling over 2 million copies gained Michael a Silver Disc. Ben reached no.2 in Holland, no.4 in Zimbabwe, no.6 in Canada, no.7 in Belgium, no.12 in New Zealand and no.15 in Ireland.
It became Michael Jackson's first ever solo number 1 single. Michael became the third youngest artist to have a number 1 hit at just 14 years old which made him the youngest artist ever to top the chart both as a solo artist and as part of a group (Jackson 5ive) – a record he still holds to this day!

-Ben won the prestigious Golden Globe for Best Original Song in 1973.
-Ben won the Billboard Award for Top Singles Artist
-Ben picked up an Academy Award(Oscar) nomination for Song Of The Year in 1973, where Michael performed the song.
-Ben sold 1.7 million copies in the U.S. alone & earned Michael his 1st Platinum RIAA Sales Award.

Michael’s second solo album, "Ben", was also released in August. An album rich in ballads, it showed Michael’s vocal growth and ability. It reached number 5 in the US and number 17 in the UK.