Ben (song)


"Ben" is a song written by Don Black and composed by Walter Scharf for the 1972 film of the same name. It was performed in the film by Lee Montgomery and by Michael Jackson over the closing credits. Jackson's single, recorded for the Motown label in 1972, spent one week at the top of the U.S. pop chart. Billboard ranked it as the number 20 song for 1972. It also reached number 1 on the Australian pop chart, spending eight weeks at the top spot. The song also later reached a peak of number 7 on the British pop chart. In 2004, the song appeared in The Ultimate Collection.
"Ben" won a Golden Globe for Best Song. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1973, losing to "The Morning After" by Maureen McGovern from The Poseidon Adventure. Jackson lip-synced to the song at the Oscars ceremony, possibly as his vocal range had shifted since its recording. The song was Jackson's first U.S. number 1 solo hit.

Background

Originally written for Donny Osmond, "Ben" was offered to Jackson as Osmond was on tour at the time and unavailable for recording. In addition to its one week at number 1 in the U.S., the song also later reached a peak of number 7 on the British pop chart. "Ben" won a Golden Globe for Best Song. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1973; Jackson performed the song in front of a live audience at the ceremony.
Although Jackson had already become the youngest artist to ever record a number 1, "Ben" made him the third-youngest solo artist, at 14, to score a number 1 hit single. Only Stevie Wonder, who was 13 when "Fingertips" went to number 1, and Osmond, who was months shy of his 14th birthday when "Go Away Little Girl" hit number 1 in 1971, were younger. The song is one of Jackson's most re-released, having appeared on The Jackson 5 Anthology, The Best of Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson Anthology, ', The Essential Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection, ', The Definitive Collection, the North American version of Number Ones, some versions of King of Pop and Icon.
A live recorded version was released on the 1981 album The Jacksons Live! and remixed versions have appeared on The Remix Suite, The Stripped Mixes and some versions of Immortal. After Jackson's death, singer Akon released a remix of the song with his own background vocals and Jackson's original vocal solo.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Rank
Australia12

Covers

Marti Webb version (1985)

In 1985, the song became a top 10 hit again in the U.K. when covered by Marti Webb as a tribute to Ben Hardwick, a young liver transplant patient. This version reached #5 in the U.K. Singles Chart and was one of the singer's biggest hits. The song's lyricist, Don Black, was at the time Webb's manager.

Crispin Glover version (2003)

re-recorded a version of the song for the soundtrack of the 2003 remake of Willard. A music video for the song was produced, which also featured Glover.

Critical reception

editor Lindsay Planer wrote about the success of the song: "Like much of the Motown empire at the time, the title track's multimedia exposure, coupled with strong crossover appeal, ensured that "Ben" scored the artist his first Pop Singles' chart-topper" and he highlighted the track. Rolling Stone editor Vince Aletti was not satisfied: "The title song is lovely, no doubt, and Michael packs it with a surprising amount of feeling but it's all a little too thick for my tastes."