This Place Hotel

Last updated
"This Place Hotel"
Heartbreak Hotel - Jacksons UK Sleeve.jpg
Original artwork for UK vinyl release
Single by The Jacksons
from the album Triumph
ReleasedNovember 1980
Recorded1980
Length5:44(album version)
4:52 (single version)
Label Epic
Songwriter(s) Michael Jackson
Producer(s) The Jacksons
The Jacksons singles chronology
"Lovely One"
(1980)
"This Place Hotel"
(1980)
"Can You Feel It"
(1981)

"This Place Hotel" (originally named "Heartbreak Hotel") is a 1980 song by the Jacksons, written by Michael Jackson. While his brothers did not sing background vocals, they were credited with playing percussion on the album while brother Tito contributed a guitar solo. The song has a tempo of 98 beats per minute, making it notably slower than many of the other disco-based songs on the album. In the song, the protagonist speaks of a time when ten years ago, he took his girlfriend to a hotel for a romantic night—only to find out that it was designed specifically to break couples up. The staff at the hotel gave the girl the impression that he had cheated on her with someone else, something he did not do, which caused her to break up with him in the hotel.

Contents

Record World praised Michael Jackson's lead vocal, the "hypnotic chorus backing" and the horn / string arrangement. [1]

Chart success

The song reached No. 22 on the Billboard pop singles chart and No. 2 on the R&B singles chart. [2] "This Place Hotel" was the group's second biggest single off their Triumph album, behind "Lovely One". The song, in turn, became a popular concert performance for the group's next two tours into Michael's own Bad tour. The song, like "Can You Feel It", was sampled fairly often in hip hop.

Name change

The song's title was changed to "This Place Hotel" to avoid confusion with the 1956 Elvis Presley hit, "Heartbreak Hotel". Michael said he was unaware of the Presley song and the fact that the title was changed. He also denied being influenced by Presley in his autobiography Moonwalk , but acknowledged Presley's importance to both black and white music. [3]

The original title of "Heartbreak Hotel" was used and released commercially on 7" vinyl in many countries, though a 2-track 12" maxi single was produced and promotional-only copies, given to radio stations and reviewers and a limited 2-track Japanese mini CD single was commercially released in November 1988 (using the newly chosen title), to coincide with the Michael Jackson Bad tour.

Performances

The song was performed on the Jacksons' Triumph Tour (thus appears on The Jacksons Live album) and was subsequently used on the Jacksons' Victory Tour. When Michael Jackson first toured as a solo act, "This Place Hotel" was the only Jacksons song to be used in both legs of the Bad World Tour, whereas the other songs by the group (with the exception of a medley of early Jackson 5 hits) were retired during the second leg. A spoken word and synth recording preceded the song on the first leg of the Bad tour, but for the second leg of the tour (and on the subsequent Dangerous World Tour) that recording was used as an intro to Jackson's hit "Smooth Criminal" instead.

Releases

The song was included on Michael Jackson's The Ultimate Collection and it has been remixed on the Immortal album in 2011 and was performed live during the Immortal World Tour (Cirque de Soleil) as well as Michael Jackson: One . It was also part of Jackson's Halloween-themed collection, Scream (2017). A live version of the song is available on the 2012 DVD Live at Wembley July 16, 1988 . On March 23, 2014, a video clip of a live performance of the song from the Victory Tour was uploaded to the Jacksons' official YouTube account.

Track listing

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "This Place Hotel" (previously "Heartbreak Hotel").

7" vinyl single - US (Epic – 19-50959) [4]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heartbreak Hotel" Michael Jackson 4:49
2."Things I Do For You" T. Jackson, J. Jackson, M. Jackson, M. Jackson, R. Jackson,4:05
7" vinyl single - UK (Epic – S EPC 9391) [5]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heartbreak Hotel"Michael Jackson4:47
2."Different Kind Of Lady" The Jacksons 3:36
CD single - Japan [6]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."This Place Hotel"Michael Jackson5:45
2."Lovely One"Michael Jackson, Randy Jackson3:45
CD single 1989 - Austria (Epc 654555 3) [7]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heartbreak Hotel"Michael Jackson5:42
2."Blame It on the Boogie"Mick Jackson, Dave Jackson, Elmar Krohn6:56

Personnel

Charts

Chart (1980–81)Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [8] 22
U.S. Billboard Hot Soul Singles [9] 2

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heartbreak Hotel</span> Song recorded by Elvis Presley

"Heartbreak Hotel" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley. It was released as a single on January 27, 1956, Presley's first on his new record label RCA Victor. It was written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden, with credit being given also to Presley. A newspaper article about the suicide of a lonely man who jumped from a hotel window inspired the song. Axton presented the song to Presley in November 1955 at a country music convention in Nashville. Presley recorded it on January 10, 1956, in a session with his band, the Blue Moon Boys, the guitarist Chet Atkins and the pianist Floyd Cramer. "Heartbreak Hotel" comprises an eight-bar blues progression, with heavy reverberation throughout the track, to imitate the character of Presley's Sun recordings.

<i>August</i> (album) 1986 studio album by Eric Clapton

August is the tenth solo studio album by Eric Clapton, released in 1986 by Duck Records/Warner Bros. Records. Described as a "hard R&B" album, it was primarily produced by Phil Collins, in association with longtime Clapton associate Tom Dowd.

<i>HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I</i> 1995 album by Michael Jackson

HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is the ninth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on June 20, 1995. It was Jackson's fifth album released through Epic Records, and the first on his label MJJ Productions. It comprises two discs: HIStory Begins, a greatest hits compilation, and HIStory Continues, comprising new material written and produced by Jackson and collaborators. The album includes appearances by Janet Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal, Slash, and the Notorious B.I.G. The genres span R&B, pop, and hip hop, with elements of hard rock and funk rock. The themes include environmental awareness, isolation, greed, suicide, injustice, and Jackson's conflicts with the media.

<i>Triumph</i> (The Jacksons album) 1980 studio album by The Jacksons

Triumph is the fourteenth studio album by the Jacksons, released in October 1980 by Epic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough</span> 1979 single by Michael Jackson

"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is a single written and recorded by American singer Michael Jackson. Released under Epic Records on July 10, 1979, the song is the first track on Jackson's fifth studio album Off the Wall (1979). It was the first solo recording over which Jackson had creative control.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Can You Feel It (The Jacksons song)</span> 1981 single by The Jacksons

"Can You Feel It" is a song by American group the Jacksons, recorded in March 1980 and released as the third single from their album Triumph in February 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)</span> 1979 single by The Jacksons

"Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" is a song recorded by The Jacksons for their 1978 album Destiny, and released as a single the same year. It peaked at No. 7 in the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1979.

<i>The Jacksons Live!</i> 1981 live album by The Jacksons

The Jacksons Live! is a live album by The Jacksons. It was released on November 11, 1981 by Epic Records. The album was recorded during the band's North American concert tour in fall 1981, known as the Triumph Tour. The live double album was culled from recordings made on the tour's stops in Buffalo, Providence, Atlanta, and New York City. The live album would go on to sell over two million copies worldwide.

<i>Goin Places</i> (The Jacksons album) 1977 studio album by the Jacksons

Goin' Places is the twelfth studio album by the Jacksons. It would be the last Jacksons' album released as a joint venture between Epic Records and Philadelphia International Records. Goin' Places peaked at No. 63 on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States, and at No. 11 on the US Soul Albums chart. The album sold over half a million copies worldwide. A concert tour to promote the album, named the Goin' Places Tour, ran from January to May 1978.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maybe Tomorrow (The Jackson 5 song)</span> 1971 single by the Jackson 5

"Maybe Tomorrow" is a hit single recorded by American soul family quintet the Jackson 5, in 1971. "Maybe Tomorrow" was included on the Jackson 5's album of the same title, and was also featured on Goin' Back to Indiana. The song was released again in 2009 via a Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers' remix, with an orchestral arrangement by Rob Mounsey, from a compilation album The Remix Suite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She's Out of My Life</span> 1980 single by Michael Jackson

"She's Out of My Life" is a song written by American songwriter Tom Bahler and performed by American singer Michael Jackson. The song was released as the fourth single from Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall released on April 19, 1980. In 2004, the song appeared in The Ultimate Collection. It peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking the first time any solo artist had ever achieved four Top 10 hits from one album. In America, it earned a million-selling Platinum certification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Off the Wall (Michael Jackson song)</span> 1979 single by Michael Jackson

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Man in the Mirror</span> 1988 song by Michael Jackson

"Man in the Mirror" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It was released on February 6, 1988, as the fourth single from Jackson's seventh solo album, Bad (1987).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)</span> 1983 single by Michael Jackson

"P.Y.T. " is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson. It is the sixth single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller (1982). The song was written by James Ingram and Quincy Jones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Got to Be There (song)</span> 1971 single by Michael Jackson

"Got to Be There" is the debut solo single by the American recording artist Michael Jackson, written by Elliot Willensky and released as a single on October 7, 1971, on Motown Records. The song was produced by Hal Davis and recorded at Motown's Hitsville West studios in Hollywood.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wrap Her Up</span> 1985 single by Elton John

"Wrap Her Up" is a song by English musician Elton John, released as the second single from his 1985 album, Ice on Fire. George Michael provides backing vocals on the song. The single had limited success worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walk Right Now</span> 1981 single by the Jacksons

"Walk Right Now" is a 1981 song written, produced and performed by the Jacksons and issued as the fourth and final single from the group's album, Triumph.

"Lovely One" is a funk single released by American family group the Jacksons on September 27, 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Jackson 5</span> American pop music family group

The Jackson 5 is an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was founded in 1964 in Gary, Indiana, and for most of their career consisted of brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Michael. They were managed by their father Joe Jackson. The group were among the first African American performers to attain a crossover following.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Behind the Mask (song)</span> 1980 single by Yellow Magic Orchestra

"Behind the Mask" is a 1979 song by the Japanese synth-pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra. The band member Ryuichi Sakamoto wrote the first version of for a television commercial. This was expanded with the band and the British lyricist Chris Mosdell for inclusion on the Yellow Magic Orchestra album Solid State Survivor the following year. In the US and the UK, it was released as a single from the album X∞Multiplies in 1980.

References

  1. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. November 29, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-22.
  2. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 287.
  3. "Michael Jackson denied being influenced by Elvis Presley". 22 July 2021.
  4. Popoff, Martin (2010). Goldmine Standard Catalog of American Records 1948–1991 (8th ed.). Krause. p. 603. ISBN   978-0-89689-958-2.
  5. The Sound Of The Crowd - a Discography of the '80s (Third Edition) By Steve Binnie - The Jacksons – Heartbreak Hotel], UK 7" vinyl single Epic – S EPC 9391
  6. suruga-ya.jp - The Jacksons - This Place Hotel] - Japan Mini CD single, JANコード: 4988010603953, 管理番号: 250029520, 発売日:1988/10/26, 定価: 956円メーカー:型番: 108P-3048
  7. The Sound Of The Crowd - a Discography of the '80s (Third Edition) By Steve Binnie - Heartbreak Hotel 3"CD single 1989
  8. "The Jacksons 5 Chart History: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard . Retrieved 2019-11-09.
  9. "The Jackson 5 Chart History: Dance Singles Sales". Billboard . Retrieved 2019-11-09.