Ben
Ben, the two of us need look no more
We both found what we were looking for
With a friend to call my own
I'll never be alone
And you, my friend, will see
You've got a friend in me
(you've got a friend in me)
Ben, you're always running here and there
You feel you're not wanted anywhere
If you ever look behind
And don't like what you find
There's something you should know
You've got a place to go
(you've got a place to go)
I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
I used to say "I" and "me"
Now it's "us", now it's "we"
Ben, most people would turn you away
I don't listen to a word they say
They don't see you as I do
I wish they would try to
I'm sure they'd think again
If they had a friend like Ben
(a friend) Like Ben
(like Ben) Like Ben
Co-written by Don Black and Walter Scharf , “Ben” is the theme song of the 1972 film of the same name (the sequel to the 1971 killer rat movie Willard). While “Willard” was a huge success, “Ben” was a huge flop but certainly not the song. Recorded then by fourteen year-old Michael Jackson, the song was a number-one single pop hit. It spent one week at the top of the U.S. charts and a total of eight weeks in Australia. It became the first of thirteen number-one pop hits for Jackson in the United States and his first number-one as a solo artist. "Ben" won a Golden Globe for Best Song and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song.
I wouldn’t have got the opportunity to know all these hadn’t I heard my dad crooning the song in one of our videoke sprees; I wouldn’t have realized that it ever has existed. It was even a startling discovery he could actually give justice to songs other than the Beatles’. (Shhhhh. It’s just between us. Well, he’s cyberphobic anyway. LOL.) But what surprised me more was that I suddenly got smitten with it, and the next thing I knew was that I already caught myself humming and literally enjoying its beat. Unlike other songs that usually just come and go, “Ben” came and would definitely stay with me for good because it has become one of my all-time favorites.
The song has got it all – a profound and catchy lyrics, a superb classic beat, a legendary artist. What more can you ask for? No wonder Shaggy considers it as his most wanted Michael Jackson song as revealed in an interview: “I like the fast records of M. J.; they’re all great. But I love the balanced one. It’s just the way he sings “Ben” that is a bang to me.” I couldn’t agree more. Sounding more like a mellow music, it’s definitely a rare deviation to Jackson’s trademark fast song beats accompanied by pulsating dance moves. But it’s that pleasantly smooth sound that makes it a better variation.
Without any background of the song, one would surely get freaked out if he learns that it is actually dedicated to a rat. Waaah! A romantic song for a rat? That has to be an outright joke! But one has got to believe it since the movie’s plot revolves around a loner mama’s boy who befriends a rat, a swarm leader, that keeps his spirits up in the face of bullying and to some extent kills those who mistreat him. The story is kind of weird; however, in a cluster of kids, there has to be at least one who’s a recluse, the object of bullying, or the outcast of the group. And usually, this child finds refuge in whatever pet he/she has. With this in mind, the lyrics therefore leave a message that some children could readily relate to. It gives them hope that no matter how rejected they’d seem to be, there must be this ‘someone’ that he can always turn to, a friend that he can always count on. Moreover, it could also be simply relevant to ordinary friends; it’s a celebration of the sense of satisfaction and delight that one finds in friendship.
Perhaps, the best thing about the song is that it is sung by no other than the legend himself, Michael Jackson. When asked about why she is fascinated by M. J., singer-poet Jill Scott said, “The choice that he makes is glorious. When singing the song, he emotes; that’s a gift.” I could really attest to everybody's remark that every time he performs, one could really spot parallel emotions from his visage as found in the song. When he does his craft, it seems the stage is his, without appearing arrogant like most singers do. In this particular song, he’s utterly at his best; not many singers could put over a love song to a rat. With his first-class moves, excellent voice, and terrific charm, he’s the prodigy that everyone is envious of. But in spite of this, he ostensibly does not feel any satisfaction. He seemed to have a body-dysmorphic disorder that he had undergone all those ridiculous plastic surgeries that, in fact, only made him look hideous. It’s a shame that we can no longer see the captivating charm that Michael Jackson used to have as apparent in the video. One comment reads “He used to be so pleasant to look at. Now, he totally freaks me out.” Again, human inanity is at work here. How could he do those mutations to such a fine appearance! Not only did he engage in that idiocy, he also has been involved in dreadful scandals with his being a pedophile on top of the list. But somehow, I think the best thing we could do as fans (past or present) is to sympathize him as he fell prey to his own father when he was just a little kid. “Bubi” comments “This goes to show what abuse can do to the mind of a child. He has always blamed his dad for what he has become today.”
Despite everything that he's been going through today, he still deserves all the credit. No one can ever match his genuis; he still is the king of pop!
