Note: If viewing Michael Jackson Ultimate Archive on archive.org (Wayback Machine), please view the latest snapshot of this page for the most up-to-date information and media.
Somebody’s Watching Me
Date range assessed by the fact that Rockwell’s album containing this song was released on January 30, 1984
Rockwell (Kennedy William Gordy), songwriter/singer, Craig Halstead’s “MJ the Solo Years”
‘He (Michael) heard I was working on some music and wanted to hear what I was doing,' Kennedy recalls, 'so I played him a tape and the single stuck out in his mind, and he asked if he and Jermaine could do the backing vocals. Michael really wanted to do the song because he identified so much with its message. He often feels like a fish in a bowl - always being watched by people wanting a piece of him.
Rolling Stone article, 2016
Enlisting Jackson to sing the hook sounds like classic label maneuvering, a way to help out the unknown artist with a heavyweight co-sign. But the truth is more organic: Jackson was six years older than Rockwell, with the latter often spending his childhood days at the Jacksons' home. The fledgling songwriter went to the Jackson residence to show the family what he'd been recording. After bringing in a boombox with a demo cassette of the song, the nervous singer performed over the music.
"I performed it about eight or nine times," he recalls. "Michael says, 'Hey Rebbie! Hey Janet! You gotta hear this song Kennedy did.' Every time we stopped the song, Michael called three more people down. Afterwards, Michael pulled me to the side and says, 'Kennedy, I gotta talk to you for a second. Who are you going to get to sing background vocals?' I said, 'Why don't you do it?' It worked just like that." Jermaine Jackson would also end up contributing to the final track.
St. Louis Post (May 11, 1984)
It’s Michael Jackson who sings the infectious chorus. Rockwell claims that the guest appearance was Jackson's idea. "Michael and I are friends, we spend time together," he explains. "He heard the song one day and said, ‘That's great. Wait a minute. LaToya!' Next thing I knew, the whole family was there, listening. Then he's asking me who's going to be singing on the record." The lyrics, Rockwell admits, are a bit autobiographical. When he went places with his father, he says, "People would know, and there'd be a big concern. I couldn't just walk away. There'd be a lot of security around. It's always been, 'Be very careful who your friends are. Don't bring anybody you don't think is really cool to the house. And when you go out places, don't try to show off who you are. Don't flash money. You don't want unnecessary attention on you.' It was very hard for me to go out."
Putting it another way, what was it like working with Michael and Jermaine Jackson? "Well, we're really good friends--I've known them since I was very young. We've stayed friends through the years whatever. We decided to get together one day, Michael had heard I was working on some music and he wanted to hear what I was doing. I played him a tape and one of the songs that seemed to stick out was "Somebody's Watching Me"--it was actually the last song I played him. He was really excited about it--he loved it, you know. He called down just about every member of his family to come and hear this song, one after the other.
"Before I knew what was happening, I must have played that song about ten times, because their family is really big, you know.
"He wanted to know if I had anybody in mind for background vocals. I said I'd probably do it. That's when Michael says, "Look, I'll do it!". And then the next thing I know, Jermaine is saying, "I'll do it!", and then Randy's saying "I'll do it!", and then Randy's saying, "I'll do it!". It was really amazing, man."
Sounds unbearably saccharine--the Wonderful World of Motown; picture the happy troupe hip-hopping their way down to Hitsville with gay abandon. "Gee Rock, your song's so great, and together, we'll make the world a better place", says Michael. "Awww shucks", replies Rock.
Chris Cadman, author, “Michael Jackson the Maestro”
Michael missed the first recording session – he was at a theme park with one-time teen rival, Donny Osmond. The following evening, Michael recorded his vocals in just over an hour.
Also at Frager’s Mars studio was brother Randy Jackson.