Off the Wall

"Off the Wall" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, from his fifth album of the same name (1979). It was written by English songwriter Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones, and released by Epic Records as the album's third single on November 17, 1979, in the UK and on February 2, 1980, in the U.S. The song was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down. Lyrically, the song is about getting over troubles. The song was well received by music critics, and became Jackson's third top 10 single from Off the Wall, which eventually spawned four top 10 singles; Jackson was the first person to accomplish this. It was performed by Jackson in five of his concert tours. Reception AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine highlighted the song on its studio album. The song became Jackson's third top 10 single from Off the Wall. It peaked at number ten on the Pop Singles Chart and at number five on the Billboard Soul Singles Chart. Cash Box called it "another killer" after "Rock With You" and "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough," saying that "a fluid, sashaying dance beat rocks the cut."