Most of Off the Wall made people want to dance.
Then Michael Jackson suddenly stopped everything and sang one of the most vulnerable songs of his career.
“She’s Out of My Life” was written by songwriter Tom Bahler and produced by Quincy Jones. Instead of the funk and disco energy of “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough,” “Rock With You” and “Off the Wall,” this was a slow, stripped-down heartbreak ballad.
And recording it became unexpectedly emotional for Michael.
Quincy Jones later recalled that Michael cried during every take.
Jones had originally wanted Michael to explore the emotion of a real romantic relationship through the song. But once Michael began singing it, the performance apparently hit something much deeper than Quincy expected.
Michael simply could not reach the ending without becoming emotional.
Songwriter Tom Bahler remembered the same thing. According to his account, Michael was tearful at the end repeatedly as Quincy kept asking for additional takes. Eventually, rather than trying to remove that emotion, they accepted it as part of the performance.
Michael Jackson – “She’s Out of My Life”
The official video is almost shockingly simple. Michael sits alone on a stool against a black background while the camera slowly moves closer.
There are no dancers.
No elaborate sets.
No special effects.
Director Bruce Gowers, who filmed it on the same day as the “Rock With You” video, later remembered worrying that Michael might actually break down during the performance because he appeared so emotional.
That vulnerability did not hurt the song commercially.
Released as the fourth single from Off the Wall, “She’s Out of My Life” reached No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100. That gave Michael four Top 10 singles from the same album, something no solo artist had previously achieved.
The other three were “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough,” “Rock With You” and “Off the Wall.”
In Britain, the ballad climbed even higher, reaching No. 3 on the Official Singles Chart.
Years later, Michael explained that the song’s words had suddenly affected him intensely while he was recording it. The official Michael Jackson channel notes that the emotion heard near the end was genuine, not something staged for dramatic effect.
That may be why the recording still feels different from almost everything around it on Off the Wall.
Michael Jackson was becoming one of the most polished performers in the world.
But on “She’s Out of My Life,” the moment people remembered most was the one he apparently could not control.