The Jackson 5

Released: May 15, 1975

Songwriter: Jerry Marcellino Mel Larson

Producer: Jerry Marcellino Mel Larson

[Intro: Jackson 5]
Call of the wild
Call of the wild
Call of the wild

[Verse 1: Jermaine + Michael]
People tell me this
And people that me that
Ooh, everybody thinks they know
Where it's at
And life is getting harder
And it's tearing me down
It's time to pack my bags
I'm gonna leave this town

[Chorus: Jackson 5]
The call of the wild is calling me
The wilderness is beckoning me
The call of the wild is calling me
Where nature moves over the free

[Refrain: Jackson 5]
Call of the wild
Call of the wild
Call of the wild

[Verse 2: Jermaine + Michael]
And people quibbling this
And people quibbling that
Ooh, the ones with the money
Just keep on getting fat
There ain't no solitude
The quiet's getting loud
Any place you want to go
Gotta fight right through the crowd

[Chorus: Jackson 5]
The call of the wild is calling me
The wilderness is beckoning me
The call of the wild is calling me
Where nature moves over the free
The earth and the sky and the sea
The valleys of signs you can see
The call of the wild is calling me
The call of the wild is calling me
The wilderness is beckoning me
The call of the wild is calling me
Where nature moves over the free
The earth and the sky and the sea
The valleys of signs you can see...

The Jackson 5 were originally formed in 1963 under the name, The Jackson Brothers. The founding members were Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon. Michael would join the group as the lead singer a year later, a move which pushed Jermaine to sing the backing vocals and play the lead guitar.

After participating in a series of talent shows, they entered the professional music scene in 1967, signing with Steeltown Records and releasing ten singles. In 1969, they left Steeltown Records in order to sign with Motown.

In 1975, most of the Jacksons had opted out of recording any more music for Motown, expressing desires to have creative control over their songs, as well as royalties. Learning that they were earning only 2.8% of royalties from Motown, Joe Jackson, the father and manager of the group, began to negotiate a lucrative contract with Epic records, which offered a royalty rate of 20% per record. The deal was completed in June 1975. As Motown owned the name The Jackson 5, the group simply renamed themselves The Jacksons.

more tracks from the album

Moving Violation

From the album

Moving Violation (1975)

The Jackson 5 popular songs

Call of the WildThe Jackson 5

The Jackson 5

Moving Violation