When the Supremes' Diana Ross introduced the world to five singing siblings from Gary, Ind., she lit the fuse on what would become one of America's defining and most enduring musical families. Since 1969, we've known the Jackson 5 for a series of impeccable Motown Records singles spearheaded by an inchoate, irrepressible Michael Jackson: there's the grandiose introduction ("I Want You Back"), the wistful ballad ("Never Can Say Goodbye"), the uptempo burner ("The Love You Save"), and then there's "ABC" - the crown jewel among the group's number one hits. More than any of their songs, "ABC" captures everything that made the Jackson 5 such a unique force in pop: its pace is flawless, its energy is irresistible, and its narrative hinges on a creative twist that only an 11-year-old virtuoso frontman could have pulled off.
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