Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
July 10, 1979

Written & Composed by Michael Jackson
Produced by Quincy Jones for Quincy Jones Productions
Co-Produced by Michael Jackson for MJJ Productions, Inc.
From the album Off the Wall, released August 10, 1979
Released as a single July 10, 1979

THE SHORT FILM
Director: Nick Saxon

Although all of Michael Jackson’s music videos are referred to as short films, the short films for Off the Wall, Michael’s first solo album for Epic Records, are more classic “music videos,” as they are performance clips rather than scripted stories. Michael’s short film for “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” was the first of the three short films produced for recordings from that album. The single reached No. 1 in eight countries in 1979, topping Billboard’s Hot 100, Hot Soul Singles and Hot Disco Singles charts as well as the Cash Box Top 100.

“Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on November 29, 1979, and Platinum on February 14, 1989. The song won Michael his first solo Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance in 1980, as well as his first American Music Award for Favorite Single (Soul/R&B). “Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough” was ranked No. 9 on the 100 Best Songs of the ‘70s by NME and No. 16 on VH1’s list of 100 Greatest Dance Songs.

“That song means a lot to me because it was the first song I wrote as a whole,” Michael wrote in his 1988 memoir Moonwalk. “‘Don’t Stop ’Til You Get Enough’ was my first big chance, and it went straight to Number One. It was the song that won me my first Grammy. Quincy had the confidence in me to encourage me to go into the studio by myself, which I appreciated.”

The short film featured Michael in performance against a dazzling background of geometric shapes and patterns. Wearing a tuxedo similar to his outfit on the Off the Wall album cover, Jackson sings and dances to the song, at one point even dancing with two other clones of himself, achieved through the magic of special effects. This was Michael’s first experience creating a music video and was the jumping off point for the elaborate and groundbreaking “short films” Michael would go on to create throughout his career.

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