Songoftheday 10/18/13 - It was on a street so evil so bad that even hell disowned it, every single step was trouble for the fool who stumbled on it...

The Jacksons - "Torture"
from the album Victory (1984)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #17 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 8

Today's Song of the Day is by the reunited Jacksons, who soared back into the top-5 for their biggest pop hit in a decade with "State Of Shock". The follow-up to that record was a song written by brother Jackie, but with lead vocals shared by Jermaine and Michael. However, when it came time to shoot the video, the brothers had such a falling out that neither of them would appear in the video (they would put up a wax dummy of Michael, at least, Jermaine was completely shut out). Choreographed by a young Paula Abdul (whom Jackie was dating) and an infamously ridiculously off-budget video, it certainly fit the "spectacle" bill they may have been aiming for for MTV play...

"Torture" became the group's most recent top-40 hit in September of 1984, while also reaching the top-20 on the R&B chart. The single did the best in the dance clubs, peaking at #9 on Billboard's club play chart. and internationally went top-40 in most of the world like Germany, Australia, France, and Britain. I feel this actually was the highlight of Victory, and a fitting end to their pop success.

After one more single from the album that missed the pop top-40, the totally awful "Body", both Michael and Marlon "left" the group, and the Jacksons as a unit were dormant for five years, save for a one-off single "Time Out For The Burglar" from the Whoopi Goldberg movie in 1987, and was a minor R&B hit (#88).

In 1989 the entire Jackson clan, including Michael, Janet, Rebbie, but not the crazy-at-the-time LaToya, contributed to their most recent album, 2300 Jackson Street. The first single "Nothin' (That Compares 2 U)" became their last minor pop hit at #77, while both that one and its follow-up, the title track (with Michael, Janet, and Rebbie), reached the top-10 on the R&B format. However, even Michael and Janet's participation couldn't stop the sink of this self-indulgent clunker of a record.

After Michael's death, the remaining brothers added backing vocals to "This Is It", which was an easy-listening and R&B top-20 single for the late star. Since then they've been mostly known for their crazy family antics (mother-kidnapping, anyone?) and did a brief world tour recently.

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...and here's the "Pop Up Video" send-up of the clip, worth it for the crazy..

Up tomorrow: The big-voiced gal from New York is fortunate....