Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

Album

Off the Wall

Label

Epic records

Genre

Funk

Composer(s)

Michael Jackson

Entered Chart

Jul 28, 1979

Peak Date

Oct 13, 1979

Released

July 10, 1979

Recorded

December 1978 – June 1979 Studio Allen Zentz Recording Studios, Westlake Recording Studios and Chero

Catalog #

Epic 50742

B-Side

I Can't Help It

The chorus contains one of the most misheard vocals ever. The line is: "Keep up with the force... don't stop 'til you get enough." Jackson may have been inspired by the 1977 movie Star Wars, which popularized the concept of "The Force." To this point, Michael Jackson had recorded four #1 hits with The Jackson 5, and one as a solo artist ("Ben," a 1972 song about a pet rat). But this was the first chart-topper he wrote himself. Quincy Jones, who produced the album, encouraged Jackson to write his own songs, and the young singer quickly developed a talent for composition. Jackson wrote or co-wrote nine more #1 hits in his career, including "We Are The World." Jackson and Jones first worked together on music for the 1978 film The Wiz (Jackson played the Scarecrow); Off The Wall was the first album Jones produced for him. Jackson wrote this for an extremely high vocal range. Since his voice could not carry this alone, he was overdubbed a few times to create a harmony and fill out the vocals. The video was very advanced for its time. It showed Jackson dancing in front of various funky backgrounds, with three images of Michael on the screen for a while. Director Nick Saxton, who was a production assistant on George Lucas's pre-Star Wars film THX-1138, was brought in to helm the clip. According to Bruce Swedien, who was the engineer on the session, Jackson, his brother Randy and sister Janet tapped soda bottles with drumsticks to form some of the percussion at the beginning of this song. Swedien recorded this part using old ribbon microphones. Janet told Ryan Seacrest: "He [Michael] had all these ideas and he needed someone to help him out. We were just kids, we were just babies, and so we're up there playing all kinds of percussion to help him create that to give to Quincy so they could put the real thing down." Report this ad This was the first Michael Jackson song where he made lots of screams and squeals throughout the vocals. He had tremendous success with the same technique on much of the Thriller album. Musicians on this track include David Williams and Marlo Henderson on guitars, Louis Johnson on bass and John Robinson on drums. Greg Phillinganes, a keyboard player who worked on most of Jackson's solo albums beginning with Off The Wall, made significant contributions to the track. He's credited for "rhythm arrangement" along with Jackson, but Quincy Jones thinks he deserved a songwriting credit as well. "Greg Phillinganes wrote the C section," Jones said in an interview with Vulture. "Michael should've given him 10 percent of the song. Wouldn't do it." Chris Tucker sings Karaoke to this song in the movie Rush Hour 2. Tucker and Jackson were good friends, and after he saw the film, Jackson called to let Tucker know he was doing the dance incorrectly: he was kicking with the wrong leg. Jackson won his first Grammy Award for this song, taking home the trophy for Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male. It was nominated that year for Best Disco Recording (the only year that category was offered) but lost to "I Will Survive." Off The Wall was the first album Jackson recorded for Epic Records. All of his previous solo work was with Motown.

Lovely is the feelin' now
Fever, temperatures risin' now
Power (oh power) is the force the vow
That makes it happen
It asks no questions why (ooh)
So get closer (closer now) to my body now
Just love me 'til you don't know how (ooh)

Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough

Touch me and I feel on fire
Ain't nothin' like a love desire (ooh)
I'm melting (I'm melting) like hot candle wax
Sensation (ah sensation) lovely where we're at (ooh)
So let love take us through the hours
I won't be complainin' (ooh)
'Cause this is love power (ooh)

Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough

Lovely is the feeling now
I won't be complainin' (ooh ooh)
The force is love power

Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop (don't stop, darlin')
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop (go crazy, baby)
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop (keep on, now)
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop (keep on, darlin')
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop (love power, yeah)
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop (keep on, darlin')
Don't stop 'til you get enough
Keep on, with the force, don't stop (don't, no, no)
Don't stop 'til you get enough (keep up the power, yeah, ooh)
Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough ('til you get enough, now)
Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough (ooh)
Keep on, with the force, don't stop (yeah)
Don't stop 'til you get enough (ohh, no)
Keep on, with the force, don't stop (yeah)
Don't stop 'til you get enough (keep on, baby)
Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough (oh, 'til you get enough)
Keep on, with the force, don't stop
Don't stop 'til you get enough