1979 No. 1, Featured In A Credit Card Commercial Years Later, Topped The Charts 47 Years Ago Today

By the late 1970s, Michael Jackson was already an established star, having risen to fame with the family band the Jackson 5 over the course of a decade. He already made an impact as a solo artist while still a teenager, topping the charts with the ballad "Ben" in 1972. But Jackson finally asserted himself as a fully grown star with his breakthrough 1979 solo album "Off the Wall," featuring among its hit singles "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough."

The infectious, disco-influenced track was produced by Quincy Jones, who would remain a vital collaborator for Jackson throughout much of his career. The instrumental receives its riotous energy thanks to vivacious strings that kick in shortly after Jackson's spoken-word intro, along with a funk guitar part, an array of non-stop percussion, and warm punches of brass.

"Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" was obviously influenced by the disco scene, which had ballooned in popularity during the 1970s, but has come to be one of its defining tracks, a bona fide dance floor-filler whose popularity has never waned. The song was important for Jackson in other ways, too, and remained such a timeless track in its discography that it rose to prominence again nearly 40 years later through its use in a famous credit card ad.

"Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" is a key track in the Michael Jackson story for many reasons, but two stand out. To begin with, it was the first track that Jackson wrote entirely alone, representing him reaching maturity as an artist. Still just 20 years old, he repeated the melody of the song to himself over and over until the song came together in his mind, and recorded a home demo with his brother Randy playing piano and other siblings reportedly adding an array of percussion that Jackson and Quincy Jones would eventually replicate in the studio.  

Another reason why "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" is important in Jackson's discography is his voice. For the first time in Jackson's discography, he gave prominence to his pristine falsetto, beginning with the soaring inflection that comes milliseconds after he concludes his spoken-word intro. It's a spine-tingling moment, heralding the incredible vocal dexterity that would define much of Jackson's work from then on.

"Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" sat at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 47 years ago, on October 8, 1979, and spent 26 weeks on the chart. It was the first opportunity Jackson had to exhibit greater control as a songwriter, and he took it in his stride. From here on out, he was a fully-fledged songwriter and hitmaker. It set the tone for his follow-up, the silky smooth "Rock With You," which spent four weeks at the top of the chart. The two singles would set him up for the chart dominance he enjoyed in the 1980s, when he had more No. 1 hits than any other artist. 

Both danceable and optimistic, "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" has remained a popular pick for DJs at events such as weddings and birthday parties, appealing to both hardcore Jackson fans and casual listeners alike. The song's broad, lasting appeal and upbeat sound explain why, in 2018, it was chosen to soundtrack an ad for the credit card provider Capital One, showing go-karting and bowling in exuberant style.