The Love You Save by The Jackson Five

The Love You Save

1970

The Jackson Five

This one put 'The Jackson Five' in the record books. While paying tribute to a quartet of very famous gentlemen from our past. At the same time passing the 'Motown's Top Group' title from 'The Supremes' to 'The Jackson Five'. All in the name of warning a 'fast' girl to slow down.

Like 'ABC', 'The Love You Save' was released while the hit preceding it was still on the charts, and like both previous J-5 singles it made it to The Billboard Hot 100's top spot, making the Jackson 5 the first Black male group, ever, to have all three of their first singles make it to that exalted spot....they would, of course, do that record one better very shortly.

'The Love You Save' debuted on The Billboard Hot 100 at #45 on May 30^th, 1970, and pretty much mirrored ABC's chart performance when it shot up the charts like the oft-noted homesick angel. It cracked the Top 20 it's second week in (#15), and just made it into the top 10, at #10, a week later. They were at #2 on their 4^th week in, and on the 27th day of June, 1970, 'The Love You Save' snagged the Hot 100's top spot, where it would stay for two weeks...also becoming the second J-5 song to knock a Beatles song (The Long And Winding Road) out of #1. It hung around the Top 10 for five more weeks before dropping to #17, then to #31 for it's final week...staying in the Top 10 for nine of it's thirteen weeks on the chart, and never dropping out of the Top 40 after it's second week. Oh...as an interesting little factoid, chartwise, the two Beatles songs kicked out of the Hot 100's Top Spot by ABC and The Love You Save were also the last two singles that iconic group released before they broke up.

 The song also featured a little nod to history that a lot of people tend to overlook. While trying to convince the girl that she needs to change her ways, the song reminds her what some of the guys she's flirted with say about her...

Isaac said he kissed you
Beneath the apple tree
When Benjie held your hand he felt
E-lec-tri-ci-tee!
When Alexander called you
He said he rang your chimes.
Christopher discovered
You're way ahead of your times!

And in doing so, the lyrics hark back to some guys who were pretty famous, as well as the events that brought them fame. Isaac refers to Issac Newton, with the apple tree, of course, referring to the incident that allowed him to discover the concept of gravity. Benjie alludes to Ben Franklin and his storm-busting kite. Alexander refers to Alexander Graham Bell, and the telephone. And finally, Christopher refers to Chris Columbus himself, as well as his discovery of The New World.

“The Love You Save' also threw some props to the Diana Ross And The Supremes hit 'Stop! In The Name Of Love'...That exuberantly exclaimed 'Stop!' at the beginning of the song, and the foot-stomps to the rhythm towards the end? They were inspired by the 'Supremes' hit. (While we're at it, Diana Ross is also credited by many people for discovering The Jackson Five, though others credit Bobby Taylor, of 'Bobby Taylor and the Vancouvers' fame with discovering them. Bobby Taylor also produced their first album, which, BTW was entitled 'Diana Ross Presents The Jackson Five'. Hmmmmmm....)

While you can argue that the subject behind 'The Love You Save' was a bit more serious than that of the J-5's first two hits, and it's message and advice to young girls was just as valid 45 years ago as it would be today, the song was still meant to be basically a quick, fun, Bubblegum Rock tune. In that vein, it hit it's mark just about perfectly.

I (As well as a lot of other people ) remember the melody of this one more so than the intro...like all of The J-5's hits it was peppy, light, and fun to listen to, and the melody and sound was particularly liked by the younger fans even if they really didn't entirely understand the lyrics.

An interesting side note...Michael met his very first minor bit of controversy when the J-5 scored those first four #1s because here he was, singing about love and, in The Love You Save, what was apparently a loose woman at only eleven or so...an age when most boys still assumed girls had cooties. Nothing at all really came of it, but it should be noted that Berry Gordy took note, kind of agreed, and made a few changes, before  'The Love You Save'... which was arguably more mature, lyrically, than ABC if not 'I Want You Back'...was written. Again, this mini-controversy didn't affect record sales nor did it keep the hits from coming.

'The Love You Save's fondly remembered, as are all of the Jackson Fives hits, especially those iconic first four...they hark back to a simpler time for us Seventies Kids, literally to a time before even the stresses of high school for a lot of us. That's more than enough of a reason for us to wax nostalgic when we hear a very young Michael Jackson proclaim 'Stop!' when The Jackson Five's third #1 in a row shows up on an Oldies Station playlist...and it will. Maybe not as often as some of either the J-5's or Michael Jackson's early hits, definitely not as often as, say, some America, Eagles, or Skynrd tracks, but if you're listening at just the right time you'll still hear it once in a while.

And this is a good thing! So enjoy. 'The Love You Save' by The Jackson Five.