The Jackson 5 – ABC

• The Jackson 5 open the book of love in this Motown classic, where Michael Jackson sings about giving a young lady private lessons. He’s confident she’ll see it’s as simple as ABC, do re mi and 1-2-3… they should be together. The schoolyard theme was a good fit, as Michael was just 11 years old when it was released.

About This Song

• This song is packed with hooks that put Michael Jackson’s talents to good use. It opens with the call-and-response “buh buh buh buh buh buh” and has lots of little vocal interjections throughout (“Get up, girl!”). These vocal bits became one of Michael Jackson’s hallmarks, both The Jackson 5 and as a solo artist.
• In 1991, the rap group Naughty by Nature sampled “ABC” into “O.P.P.,” giving them a huge hit. What’s striking about it is how the sample forms the basis for the entire track – it’s essentially a loop with the raps built on top of it. Over the next few years, more rappers started lifting huge chunks of hits to craft their tracks – Puff Daddy was especially brazen.
• This song closes out the 2006 movie Clerks II in a scene where Rosario Dawson dances to it, then the who cast gets their groove on to the song

Video

Lyric

You went to school to learn girl
Things you never knew before
Like “I” before “E” except after “C”
And why 2 plus 2 makes 4
Now, now, now
I’m gonna teach you, teach you, teach you
All about love girl, all about love
Sit yourself down, take a seat
All you gotta do is repeat after me

A B C, It’s easy as
1 2 3, as simple as
Do re mi, A B C, 1 2 3
Baby you and me girl

Come on and love me just a little bit
I’m gonna teach you how to sing it out
Come on, come on, come on
Let me tell you what it’s all about
Reading, writing, arithmatic
Are the branches of the learning tree
But without the roots of love everyday girl
Your education ain’t complete
Teacher’s gonna show you (she’s gonna show you)
How to get an “A” (na, na, na, na, na, na)
How to spell “me”, “you”, add the two
Listen to me baby thats all you got to do

Oh,

A B C, It’s easy as
1 2 3, as simple as
Do re mi, A B C, 1 2 3
Baby you and me girl
A B C it’s easy, it’s like counting up to 3
Singing simple melodies
That’s how easy love can be
Singing simple melodies
1 2 3 baby you and me

Sit down girl, I think I love ya’
No, get up girl, show me what you can do
Shake it, shake it baby, come on now
Shake it, shake it baby, oooh, oooh
Shake it, shake it baby, yeah
1 2 3 baby, oooh oooh
A B C baby, ah, ah
Do re mi baby, wow
Thats how easy love can be
A B C it’s easy, it’s like counting up to 3
Singing simple melodies
That’s how easy love can be
Teacher’s gonna teach you how to
Sing it out, sing it out, sing it out baby