"She's Out of My Life"
Side A label of US vinyl single
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Off the Wall
B-side
ReleasedApril 19, 1980
RecordedDecember 1978 – June 1979
GenreSoft rock
Length3:37
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Tom Bahler
Producer(s)Quincy Jones
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Off the Wall"
(1979)		 "She's Out of My Life"
(1980)		 "Girlfriend"
(1980)
Music video
"She's Out of My Life" on YouTube

"She's Out of My Life" is a song written by American songwriter Tom Bahler and performed by American singer Michael Jackson. The song was released as the fourth single from Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall released on April 19, 1980. In 2004, the song appeared in The Ultimate Collection. It peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time any solo artist had ever achieved four Top 10 hits from one album. In America, it earned a million-selling Platinum certification.

The demo version of the song, which features Jackson singing with a guitar, was released on the second disc of the 2009 album Michael Jackson's This Is It. The song has also been covered by a variety of artists, including Patti LaBelle, Shirley Bassey, Ginuwine, 98°, S Club 7, Barbara Mandrell, Daniel Evans, Nina, Willie Nelson, Josh Groban, Gloria Lynne, and Karel Gott.

Background

Unlike the album's previous singles, which are all uptempo dance-oriented funk and disco songs, "She's Out of My Life" is an emotional ballad. The song has a tempo of 66 beats per minute, making it one of Jackson's slowest songs.[1]

The song is about a painful breakup. It has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about Karen Carpenter, whom Bahler had briefly dated. However, he has stated, "The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera... Rhonda and I had been together for two years, and it was after we broke up that I started dating Karen."[2]

Production

Producer Quincy Jones originally intended to save the song for Frank Sinatra. However, he wanted Jackson to record material with more mature themes and "feel the full range of his voice," so he decided to bring the song to Jackson's attention.[3]

A poignant moment in the song occurs near the end when Jackson begins to break down in tears as he sings the final line. Although he had attempted to record the song's last few moments with emotional restraint, after numerous tries he continued to end the rendition the same—by breaking down in tears. Jones subsequently let Jackson's tearful recording stand:

"She's Out of My Life", I'd been carrying around for about three years—you can feel the pain in it, you know. And I held on to it and finally something said 'this is the right moment to give it to Michael'.

And when we recorded it with Michael, I know it was an experience he'd never even thought about to sing in a song, 'cause it's a very mature emotion. And he cried at the end of every take, you know. We recorded about—I don't know—8–11 takes, and every one at the end, he just cried, and I said 'hey—that's supposed to be, leave it on there.'

—Quincy Jones, Off the Wall 2001 Special Edition, Quincy Jones Interview 3

Jackson apologized to Jones and Bruce Swedien following the emotional recording, but they said that there was "no need to".[4]

In Jackson's autobiography, Moonwalk, he wrote that the song is about knowing that barriers separating him from others are seemingly easy to overcome, yet they cause him to miss out on what he really desires.[4] He said that he cried from the sudden effect of the words because "I had been letting so much build up inside me."[4] Particularly it reminded him of his feeling of being "so rich in some experiences while being poor in moments of true joy."[4] He worried about this feeling showing up on the song, but also felt "if it touched people's heartstrings, knowing that would make me feel less lonely."[4] He described making Off the Wall as "one of the most difficult periods of my life... I had very few close friends at the time and felt very isolated."[4] He would walk through his neighborhood, hoping to meet people who didn't know who he was, so he could meet "somebody who would be my friend because they liked me and needed a friend too, not because I was who I am."[4]

Release and reception

The song peaked at #10 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100.[5] The single was even more successful in the UK and peaked at number 3 on the charts (the equivalent position reached by Off the Wall's debut single "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough").

Given the popular response to his emotional rendition, the song remained in Jackson's live set for many years.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the song an "overwrought ballad" but praised Jackson's "blindingly gifted" singing on the track.[6] Rolling Stone editor Stephen Holden praised: "The singer's ultradramatic phrasing, which takes huge emotional risks and wins every time, wrings the last drop of pathos from Tom Bahler's tear-jerker, "She's Out of My Life."[7] Cash Box said it has a "feathery, symphonic opening, muted keyboard work and tearful vocal reading."[8]

Music video

A music video was produced to promote the song, which showed Michael in a blue-green shirt, dark pants, and sitting on a barstool with a spotlight shining behind him.[9] The video uses a split screen technique to simultaneously show Jackson from two different angles during the second and third verses. It was directed by Bruce Gowers, who also directed a similar video for Jackson's previous single "Rock with You". The video is shown far less frequently than Jackson's later videos, but it is included on the DVD box set Michael Jackson's Vision, marking its first DVD release.

Live performances

The song was performed during the Jacksons' Triumph Tour and Victory Tour. It was also performed on Jackson's Bad tour, the Dangerous World Tour, and the Royal Brunei concert, which also turned out to be the final live performance of the song, as whilst it was rehearsed for the HIStory World Tour, it was removed from the setlist just before the tour began.[10] The song was also rehearsed as a duet with a female backup vocalist for the first "Michael Jackson & Friends" charity concert in Seoul, South Korea, but cancelled for the final performance, which took place ten years to the day before Jackson's death.

Usually during these performances, Jackson would replace the line "it's out of my hands" with "it's...can I come down there?" He would then bring a female audience member up on stage with him while performing the song. Before concluding the song by singing the final word "life", he would often pause briefly to physically display distress, which he amplified by shielding his face and acting as if he were crying.

The live performances of the song were featured on the Live at Wembley July 16, 1988, Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour, and Michael Jackson: Live at Wembley July 16, 1988 DVDs. Live audio is available in the Live at Wembley July 16, 1988 CD, included as a bonus on Bad 25, and the 1981 live album, The Jacksons Live!

Track listing

US single

  1. "She's Out of My Life" – 3:38
  2. "Get on the Floor" – 4:40

Personnel

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[29] Platinum 1,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke version

"He's Out of My Life"
Single by Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke
from the album Nice 'n' Easy
B-side"Loving Arms"
ReleasedAugust 1980 (1980-08)
RecordedMay 1980 (1980-05)
StudioColumbia Studio
GenreCountry
Length3:14
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Tom Bahler
Producer(s)Billy Sherrill
Johnny Duncan singles chronology
"I'm Gonna Love You Tonight (In My Dreams)"
(1980)		 "He's Out of My Life"
(1980)		 "Acapulco"
(1980)
Janie Fricke singles chronology
"Pass Me By (If You're Only Passing Through)"
(1980)		 "He's Out of My Life"
(1980)		 "Down to My Last Broken Heart"
(1980)

Background and recording

"She's Out of My Life" was notably covered as a duet by American country music artists Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke. For the duet, the song was re-titled to "He's Out of My Life".[30] The pair began recording together when Fricke appeared as a background vocalist on several of Duncan's late 1970s country hits. Her uncredited background vocals led to her own contract with Duncan's label (Columbia Records).[31] In 1980, Duncan and Fricke went into the studio to record their first studio album as a duet pair. Their sessions that year also included "He's Out of My Life". It was recorded at the Columbia Studio, located in Nashville, Tennessee. The session took place in May 1980 and was produced by Billy Sherrill.[32]

Release and chart performance

In August 1980, "She's My Out of My Life" was released as a single on Columbia Records, crediting both Duncan and Fricke.[30] The single spent 14 weeks on the American Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number 17 in September 1980.[33] The track also reached Canada's RPM Country Songs chart where it also reached the top 20, peaking at number 20 in 1980.[34] "He's Out of My Life" was later released on Duncan and Fricke's album Nice 'n' Easy. The album was released in October 1980.[32]

Track listing

7" vinyl single[30]

Charts

Chart performance for "He's Out of My Life"
Chart (1980) Peak
position
Canada Country Songs (RPM)[34] 20
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[35] 17

Other recorded covers

Live covers

Parodies and references

References

  1. ↑ The Complete Michael Jackson, International Music Publications Ltd, 1997, ISBN 1859094473, p77
  2. ↑ Randy Schmidt (2012). Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1780381497.
  3. ↑ "Special Commemorative Edition:Michael Jackson 1958-2009". TIME Magazine. July 2009. p. 32.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jackson, Michael (2009) [First published 1988]. Moonwalk. Random House. pp. 163–164. ISBN 978-0-307-71698-9.
  5. ↑ Billboard.com - Search Results - She's out of My Life (Singles chart). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Retrieved on 2008-08-15.
  6. ↑ Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "Off the Wall - Michael Jackson | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
  7. ↑ "Michael Jackson: Off The Wall : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone". 1979-11-01. Archived from the original on June 29, 2009. Retrieved 2015-05-31.
  8. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. April 12, 1980. p. 11. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  9. ↑ "Michael Jackson - She's Out of My Life" (Youtube video). michaeljacksonVEVO. 2009-10-02. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  10. ↑ Beats, M. J. (20 June 2018). "A inédita lista de músicas Michael Jackson e o show HIStory Tour". Mjbeats.com.br. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  11. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  12. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0209a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  13. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – She's Out of My Life". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  14. 1 2 "Michael Jackson – She's Out of My Life" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  15. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 36, 1980" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  16. ↑ "Michael Jackson – She's Out of My Life". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  17. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  18. ↑ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. 30 September 2021. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  19. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 118.
  20. ↑ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending JUNE 28, 1980". Cash Box magazine. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
  21. ↑ "Michael Jackson". Gghunt.utasites.cloud. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  22. ↑ "Michael Jackson – She's Out of My Life". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  23. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  24. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  25. ↑ "Official New Zealand Music Chart - End of Year Charts 1980". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  26. ↑ "Top 100 1980 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  27. ↑ "Top 100 Hits for 1980". longboredsurfer.com. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  28. ↑ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1980". Cash Box magazine. Archived from the original on September 15, 2012. Retrieved 2013-12-13.
  29. ↑ "American single certifications – Michael Jackson – She's Out of My Life". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 19 May 2022.
  30. 1 2 3 Duncan, Johnny; Fricke, Janie (August 1980). ""He's Out of My Life"/"Loving Arms" (7" vinyl single sleeve insert)". Columbia Records. 1-11312.
  31. ↑ Deming, Mark. "Janie Fricke Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 30 December 2021.
  32. 1 2 Duncan, Johnny; Fricke, Janie (October 1980). "Nice 'n' Easy (LP Liner Notes and Album Information)". Columbia Records. JC-36780/PCT-36780.
  33. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 112.
  34. 1 2 "Search results for "Janie Fricke" under Country Singles". RPM. Retrieved 26 November 2012.
  35. ↑ "Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Miguel Covers Michael Jackson's 'She's Out Of My Life' At The Grammy Awards". SPIN.com. 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  37. ↑ Joe Lynch (2016-02-15). "2016 Grammys: Miguel Sings 'She's Out of My Life' in Honor of Michael Jackson". Billboard. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  38. ↑ C. G. Matera (2016-02-15). "Grammys 2016: Miguel Sings Michael Jackson's "She's Out of My Life"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2016-10-17.
  39. ↑ Wright, Joshua K. (2022). "Wake Up, Mr. West": Kanye West and the Double Consciousness of Black Celebrity. McFarland & Company. p. 72. ISBN 978-1476686486.
  40. ↑ Rooney, David (January 24, 2016). "'Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall': Sundance Review". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
  41. ↑ Vincent, Brittany (August 13, 2018). "This 'Monsters, Inc.' meme has people digging deep for their favorite songs". The Daily Dot. Retrieved December 20, 2022.
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