E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (album)
Encyclopedia
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is an audiobook and soundtrack album
narrated by Michael Jackson
for the 1982 Steven Spielberg
-directed blockbuster film of the same name
. Produced by Quincy Jones
and distributed under MCA Records
, the album's production brought Jackson together with several former collaborators and acquaintances such as Rod Temperton
, Freddy DeMann
and Bruce Swedien
.
The album was released in November 1982, the same month as Jackson's sixth studio album Thriller
(1982). Court action taken by the pop star's record label (Epic Records
), subsequently forced the album to be withdrawn. During its limited release, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial reached number 82 on the UK Albums Chart
. It was well received critically and earned Jackson a Grammy Award
for Best Recording for Children
.
Prior to the recording of the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial album, Jackson had released four solo studio albums with Motown Records
(Got to Be There, Ben
, Music & Me
and Forever, Michael
), as well as several with his brothers The Jackson 5
. Following a move to Epic Records
, Jackson released Off the Wall
(1979). The album was a critical success and received favorable reviews. It was also a commercial success and eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
In June 1982, the Steven Spielberg
-directed science fiction film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
was released. It starred actors such as Henry Thomas
, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton
, Drew Barrymore
and Peter Coyote
. The film tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends a friendly extraterrestrial called E.T. who is stranded on Earth . Upon its release, the film became a blockbuster
and surpassed Star Wars
to become the most financially successful film released to that point. Critics acclaimed it as a timeless story of friendship, and it ranks as the best science fiction film ever made in a Rotten Tomatoes
survey.
According to the biography Michael Jackson – The Magic and the Madness, written by journalist J. Randy Taraborrelli
, the pop singer had shown an attachment to the story of E.T. After a publicity photo shoot in which an animatronic robot of the extraterrestrial character hugged Jackson, the singer stated with alleged wonderment, "He was so real that I was talking to him. I kissed him before I left. The next day, I missed him." Jackson would later reveal in an interview with Ebony
magazine that he felt that the creature's story was similar to his own.
" from the Off the Wall album.
Aside from producer and narrative writer Quincy Jones, several of the other contributors to the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook album had previously worked with Jackson on his solo projects in the past. Rod Temperton
wrote the music for "Someone in the Dark", and had written several songs featured on Off the Wall and Thriller. The former managers of Jackson and The Jacksons, Freddy DeMann
and Ron Weisner, served as the production coordinators for the album. Bruce Swedien
engineered E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, a task he had performed on Off the Wall and Thriller and would go on to perform for the albums Bad
(1987) and Dangerous (1991). Dick Zimmerman photographed Jackson for the Thriller album cover, before again visually capturing the singer for the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial accompanying poster.
on two conditions:
Both of the conditions were breached by MCA Records; they released the storybook in November 1982 and gave promo copies of "Someone In the Dark" to radio stations. MCA Records were forced to withdraw the album and were prohibited from releasing "Someone In the Dark" as a single after court action was taken by Epic against them in a $2 million lawsuit. The copies of the Jackson song have become one of the singer's rarest and most sought after promo singles as a result of the legal restriction; some have changed hands for over £1000. The song was later released as a bonus track on the 2001 special edition of Thriller (album)
.
, which was considered high for a storybook album. The audiobook earned Jackson a Grammy Award
in 1984 for Best Recording for Children
. Upon collecting the award, and taking home a record eight Grammys from an unprecedented twelve nominations, the singer stated that of all the awards had gotten that night, he was "most proud of this one".
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was well received critically. The magazine Ebony described it as an "extraordinary album". Mark Bego of the Toledo Blade asserted that the song "Someone in the Dark" was "one of the most beautiful ballads" that Jackson had ever performed. He further commented that the combination of Jones' production, dialogue from the film, Jackson's "effective and emotional" reading of the narrative and John Williams' "grand soaring orchestration" made the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial album elicit as many tears as the film did. The Lexington Herald-Leader
concluded that it was a "delightful" storybook album.
The song "Someone In The Dark" also appeared as a bonus track for the 2001 Special Edition of Thriller as well as the box set, The Ultimate Collection of Michael Jackson. The song has also been covered by Lani Misalucha
.
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
narrated by Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
for the 1982 Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
-directed blockbuster film of the same name
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
. Produced by Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
and distributed under MCA Records
MCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
, the album's production brought Jackson together with several former collaborators and acquaintances such as Rod Temperton
Rod Temperton
Rodney Lynn "Rod" Temperton is an English songwriter, record producer and musician most famous for writing a number of songs performed by Michael Jackson, including the title track of Jackson's Thriller, the biggest-selling album of all time.-Biography:As Temperton remembers music was in his bones...
, Freddy DeMann
Freddy DeMann
Frederick "Freddy" DeMann is a film producer, music executive, and co-founder of Maverick Records. During his music career, he managed two of the century's biggest stars: Michael Jackson and Madonna. During DeMann's tenure, two of...
and Bruce Swedien
Bruce Swedien
Bruce Swedien is a Grammy Award-winning audio engineer and music producer. He is known for his work with Quincy Jones.Swedien is a five-time Grammy winner and has been nominated 13 times. He recorded, mixed, and assisted in producing the best-sold album in the world, Thriller by Michael Jackson...
.
The album was released in November 1982, the same month as Jackson's sixth studio album Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
(1982). Court action taken by the pop star's record label (Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
), subsequently forced the album to be withdrawn. During its limited release, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial reached number 82 on the UK Albums Chart
UK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
. It was well received critically and earned Jackson a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Recording for Children
Grammy Award for Best Album for Children
The Grammy Award for Best Album for Children has been awarded since 1959. Prior to 1992, the award was known as Best Recording for Children and was therefore open to any audio recording, whether it was an album, a single song, a recording of a book, or the audio from a television show or movie...
.
Content
The E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial album package contains a storybook, allowing listeners to read along with Jackson as he narrates the tale of E.T. and his time on planet earth. The book contains a picture of E.T. placing his hands on Jackson's shoulders, with one of his fingers illuminating. The picture is further included as a large full-color poster within the package. Within the 20-page storybook are stills from the movie and the lyrics to the song "Someone in the Dark". The album recording features sound effects from the accompanying movie, as well as the voice of E.T. in the background.Background
Motown Records
Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit...
(Got to Be There, Ben
Ben (album)
Ben is the second studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 4, 1972, while Jackson was still a member of The Jackson 5. The album received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Ben was more successful on music charts than Jackson's previous...
, Music & Me
Music & Me
-Compilation album:Music & Me is sometimes confused with a Michael Jackson compilation album of the same name that Motown Records released in 1993...
and Forever, Michael
Forever, Michael
-Personnel:*Michael Jackson – lead and background vocals*David Blumberg - arranger*Jim Britt – photography*Hal Davis – producer*L.T. Horn – engineer, mixing*Eddy Manson – arranger, producer*Freddie Perren – arranger, producer...
), as well as several with his brothers The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
. Following a move to Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
, Jackson released Off the Wall
Off the Wall (album)
Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American recording artist Michael Jackson, released August 10, 1979 on Epic Records, after Jackson's critically well received film performance in The Wiz. While working on that project, Jackson and Quincy Jones had become friends, and Jones agreed to...
(1979). The album was a critical success and received favorable reviews. It was also a commercial success and eventually sold over 20 million copies worldwide.
In June 1982, the Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
-directed science fiction film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
was released. It starred actors such as Henry Thomas
Henry Thomas
Henry Jackson Thomas, Jr. is an American actor and musician. He has appeared in more than 40 films and is best known for his role as Elliott in the 1982 Steven Spielberg film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.-Early life:...
, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton
Robert MacNaughton
Robert MacNaughton is an American actor, best known for his role as Elliott's brother Michael in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, for which he won a 1983 Young Artist Award as Best Young Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture...
, Drew Barrymore
Drew Barrymore
Drew Blyth Barrymore is an American actress, film director, screenwriter, producer and model. She is a member of the Barrymore family of American actors and granddaughter of John Barrymore. She first appeared in an advertisement when she was 11 months old. Barrymore made her film debut in Altered...
and Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote
Peter Coyote is an American actor, author, director, screenwriter and narrator of films, theatre, television and audio books. His voice work includes narrating the opening ceremony of the 2002 Winter Olympics and Apple's iPad campaign. He has also served as on-camera co-host of the 2000 Oscar...
. The film tells the story of Elliott, a boy who befriends a friendly extraterrestrial called E.T. who is stranded on Earth . Upon its release, the film became a blockbuster
Blockbuster (entertainment)
Blockbuster, as applied to film or theatre, denotes a very popular or successful production. The entertainment industry use was originally theatrical slang referring to a particularly successful play but is now used primarily by the film industry...
and surpassed Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
to become the most financially successful film released to that point. Critics acclaimed it as a timeless story of friendship, and it ranks as the best science fiction film ever made in a Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
survey.
According to the biography Michael Jackson – The Magic and the Madness, written by journalist J. Randy Taraborrelli
J. Randy Taraborrelli
John Randall Taraborrelli is an American journalist and biographer.Taraborrelli is an author known for biographies of contemporary entertainers and political figures. He is a featured writer in several entertainment magazines in Canada, England, and Australia...
, the pop singer had shown an attachment to the story of E.T. After a publicity photo shoot in which an animatronic robot of the extraterrestrial character hugged Jackson, the singer stated with alleged wonderment, "He was so real that I was talking to him. I kissed him before I left. The next day, I missed him." Jackson would later reveal in an interview with Ebony
Ebony (magazine)
Ebony, a monthly magazine for the African-American market, was founded by John H. Johnson and has published continuously since the autumn of 1945...
magazine that he felt that the creature's story was similar to his own.
"He's in a strange place and wants to be accepted – which is a situation that I have found myself in many times when travelling from city to city all over the world. He's most comfortable with children, and I have a great love for kids. He gives love and wants love in return, which is me. And he has that super power which lets him lift off and fly whenever he wants to get away from things on Earth, and I can identify with that. He and I are alike in many ways"
Production
Jackson began work on the audiobook of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in June 1981, with Quincy Jones serving as the producer. During the recording of the narration, Jackson became so emotional when E.T. died that he cried. Jones and Spielberg felt that trying to record the part again would not lessen the pop star's emotions, and decided to leave it in. Jackson biographer Lisa D. Campbell wrote that Jones had learned this during the recording of "She's Out of My LifeShe's Out of My Life
"She's Out of My Life" is a song written by musical artist Tom Bahler. Although it has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about Karen Carpenter, Bahler stated, "The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera...
" from the Off the Wall album.
Aside from producer and narrative writer Quincy Jones, several of the other contributors to the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook album had previously worked with Jackson on his solo projects in the past. Rod Temperton
Rod Temperton
Rodney Lynn "Rod" Temperton is an English songwriter, record producer and musician most famous for writing a number of songs performed by Michael Jackson, including the title track of Jackson's Thriller, the biggest-selling album of all time.-Biography:As Temperton remembers music was in his bones...
wrote the music for "Someone in the Dark", and had written several songs featured on Off the Wall and Thriller. The former managers of Jackson and The Jacksons, Freddy DeMann
Freddy DeMann
Frederick "Freddy" DeMann is a film producer, music executive, and co-founder of Maverick Records. During his music career, he managed two of the century's biggest stars: Michael Jackson and Madonna. During DeMann's tenure, two of...
and Ron Weisner, served as the production coordinators for the album. Bruce Swedien
Bruce Swedien
Bruce Swedien is a Grammy Award-winning audio engineer and music producer. He is known for his work with Quincy Jones.Swedien is a five-time Grammy winner and has been nominated 13 times. He recorded, mixed, and assisted in producing the best-sold album in the world, Thriller by Michael Jackson...
engineered E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, a task he had performed on Off the Wall and Thriller and would go on to perform for the albums Bad
Bad (album)
Bad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album...
(1987) and Dangerous (1991). Dick Zimmerman photographed Jackson for the Thriller album cover, before again visually capturing the singer for the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial accompanying poster.
Release and legal issues
Epic Records allowed Jackson to record the album for MCA RecordsMCA Records
MCA Records was an American-based record company owned by MCA Inc., which later gave way to the larger MCA Music Entertainment Group , of which MCA Records was still part. MCA Records was absorbed by Geffen Records in 2003...
on two conditions:
- E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was not to be released until after Christmas 1982. (This was to avoid the audiobook competing with Jackson's new album, Thriller.)
- The song "Someone In the Dark" was not to be released as a single.
Both of the conditions were breached by MCA Records; they released the storybook in November 1982 and gave promo copies of "Someone In the Dark" to radio stations. MCA Records were forced to withdraw the album and were prohibited from releasing "Someone In the Dark" as a single after court action was taken by Epic against them in a $2 million lawsuit. The copies of the Jackson song have become one of the singer's rarest and most sought after promo singles as a result of the legal restriction; some have changed hands for over £1000. The song was later released as a bonus track on the 2001 special edition of Thriller (album)
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
.
Reception
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was a commercial success; it reached number 82 on the UK Albums ChartUK Albums Chart
The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...
, which was considered high for a storybook album. The audiobook earned Jackson a Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
in 1984 for Best Recording for Children
Grammy Award for Best Album for Children
The Grammy Award for Best Album for Children has been awarded since 1959. Prior to 1992, the award was known as Best Recording for Children and was therefore open to any audio recording, whether it was an album, a single song, a recording of a book, or the audio from a television show or movie...
. Upon collecting the award, and taking home a record eight Grammys from an unprecedented twelve nominations, the singer stated that of all the awards had gotten that night, he was "most proud of this one".
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was well received critically. The magazine Ebony described it as an "extraordinary album". Mark Bego of the Toledo Blade asserted that the song "Someone in the Dark" was "one of the most beautiful ballads" that Jackson had ever performed. He further commented that the combination of Jones' production, dialogue from the film, Jackson's "effective and emotional" reading of the narrative and John Williams' "grand soaring orchestration" made the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial album elicit as many tears as the film did. The Lexington Herald-Leader
Lexington Herald-Leader
The Lexington Herald-Leader is a newspaper owned by The McClatchy Company and based in the U.S. city of Lexington, Kentucky. According to the 1999 Editor & Publisher International Yearbook, the Herald-Leaders paid circulation is the second largest in the Commonwealth of Kentucky...
concluded that it was a "delightful" storybook album.
The song "Someone In The Dark" also appeared as a bonus track for the 2001 Special Edition of Thriller as well as the box set, The Ultimate Collection of Michael Jackson. The song has also been covered by Lani Misalucha
Lani Misalucha
Lani Misalucha is a singer from the Philippines currently performing in the United States where she also resides. She holds shows at the Flamingo Las Vegas with the Hawaiian variety troupe Society of Seven - SOS...
.
Track listing
Charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
82 |
Credits
- Narration, vocals by Michael Jackson
- Produced by Quincy Jones for Quincy Jones Productions
- Original music for E.T. composed and conducted by John Williams
- Narrative written by William KotzwinkleWilliam KotzwinkleWilliam Kotzwinkle is an American novelist, children's writer, and screenwriter. He was born in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He has won the World Fantasy Award for Best Novel for Doctor Rat in 1977, and has also won the National Magazine Award for fiction. Kotzwinkle wrote the novelization of the...
, Steven Spielberg, Quincy Jones and Peggy Lipton Jones - Lyrics to "Someone in the Dark" written by Alan and Marilyn Bergman
- Music to "Someone in the Dark" written by Rod Temperton
- Arranged and conducted by Jeremy Lubbock
- Album concept: Kathy "Leen" Carey
- Executive producers: Steven Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy
- Assistant to executive producers: Kate Barker
- Production coordinators: Freddy DeMann and Ron Weisner
- Editor: Bruce Cannon
- Production assistants: Pam Crocetti, Madeline Randolph, Corinne Alicia and Bonnie Sachs
- Supervising sound editor: Charles L. Campbell
- Sound effects editors: David A. Pettijohn, Louis L. Edemann, Richard C. Franklin, Jr. and Samuel C. Crutcher
- Re-recording mixers: Buzz Knudson, Robert Glass and Don Digirolamo
- Storybook album engineer: Bruce Swedien
- Assistant engineer: Matt Forger
- Project coordinator: Nancy Cushing-Jones
- Designer: Michael Brock
- Photographers: Bruce McBroom and Terry Chostner
- Photographer for poster of Michael Jackson and E.T.: Dick Zimmerman
- Cover illustration of booklet: Drew StruzanDrew StruzanDrew Struzan is an American artist known for his more than 150 movie posters, which include all the films in the Indiana Jones, Back to the Future and Star Wars film series. He has also painted album covers, collectibles, and book covers.- Early life and education :Drew Struzan was born in Oregon...
- Art direction: George Osaki