When was blame it on the boogie made

There was an equal balance of interest from the media about both releases — A good example is that my version came out first on Top of the Pops … The Jacksons had the second week… Radio One played the Jacksons version and Capital Radio only played mine — It was fair. He got caught up in litigation with his publisher and subsequently never received royalties from the song. Jermaine had left the band and been replaced with Randy.

Little Michael was now Good times! The accompanying video clip featured the Jacksons dancing in front of a black background with electronic trail effects created by computer equipment. Yorkshire-born Mick had had some minor chart success, but Blame It On The Boogie was poised to be his big breakthrough. Unbeknown to him, though, his publisher sold the rights to the song to Joe Jackson, who was in search of edgier material for his boys. The two versions were released a week apart, dividing press and radio; London's Capital sided with Mick, Radio 1 with Jacko; Tony Blackburn ungallantly says Mick looked "like one of the Wurzels'" as the film cuts to a clip of a hirsute Mick bopping about with a sad tambourine on Top Of The Pops.

And when we're played Mick's version — the absolute embodiment of the lates "honky does disco" genre; Leo Sayer by way of the Muppets' Rowlf The Dog — it's clearly no match for the Jacksons' masterful take. Anyone who's watched VH1's Behind The Music will be familiar with the next part of the tale; Mick never saw any royalties despite the track's success. He was caught up in litigation with his publisher for two years while the Jacksons rode the disco boom. Today he's seemingly regret-free, writing songs that are "big in Russia, China and Japan", which he says with a laugh, bless him.

He's "fortunate to not have had any family tragedies or health problems" which, he concedes, is a bigger deal than any "silly pop song". Clearly he's reached a level of contentment that his one-time chart rival never could, which is some sort of victory in itself.

Just as there are portions of society that seem too delicate to function in a tough world, there are just as many sections that are callous and narrow-minded. I have only two reasons for writing about this: 1.

The boogie made me, and 2. I want my words to spark something in you to love a little harder and make the world a better place. The second one is the only reason I ever write or speak about anything. Unfortunately, the fringe on both sides seems to get all the airtime. Blame it on the Boogie I was driving down the interstate recently listening to one of my favorite SiriusXm channels — The Groove.