She'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 . . . Rhonda and I had been together for two years, and it was after we broke up that I started dating Karen."[1]  The song has been recorded by a variety of artists, including: Michael Jackson, Patti LaBelle, Ginuwine, 98°, S Club 7, Barbara Mandrell, Nina, Willie Nelson, Josh Groban and Karel Gott (Czech Album: I Love You For Sentimental Reasons, performed in English).

The song became famous as the fourth single to be released by singer Michael Jackson from his fifth album, Off the Wall, in 1979. It was the first time a solo artist had achieved four top ten hits from one album. Unlike the album's previous singles (which were all dance-oriented funk/disco songs), the "She's Out of My Life" song was an emotional ballad. The song has a tempo of 66 beats per minute, making it one of Jackson's slowest songs.[2] Jackson's vocals on the record were considered by critics to be some of his best.

The demo version of the song, which features Jackson singing with a guitar, was released in the second disc of the album This Is It (2009). ==Background == A poignant moment in the song occurs near the end when Jackson begins to break down in tears as he sings the word "life". Given the popular response to his emotional rendition, the song remained in Jackson's live set for many years. Although he had attempted to record the song's last few moments with emotional restraint, after numerous tries he continued to end the rendition the same - by breaking down in tears. Producer Quincy Jones subsequently let Jackson's tearful recording stand: She's Out of My Life, I'd been carrying around for about three years—you can feel the pain in it, you know. And I held on to it and finally something said 'this is the right moment to give it to Michael'.

And when we recorded it with Michael, I know it was an experience he'd never even thought about to sing in a song, 'cause it's a very mature emotion. And he cried at the end of every take, you know. We recorded about—I don't know—8-11 takes, and every one at the end, he just cried, and I said 'hey - that's supposed to be, leave it on there.'

—Quincy Jones, Off the Wall 2001 Special Edition, Quincy Jones Interview 3 According to Jackson in Moonwalk, the song is about knowing that barriers separating him from others are seemingly easy to overcome, yet they cause him to miss out on what he really desires.[3]  He said that he cried from the sudden effect of the words because "I had been letting so much build up inside me."[3]  Particularly it reminded him of his feeling of being "so rich in some experiences while being poor in moments of true joy."[3]  He worried about this feeling showing up on the song, but also felt "if it touched people's heartstrings, knowing that would make me feel less lonely."[3]  He described making Off the Wall as "one of the most difficult periods of my life...I had very few close friends at the time and felt very isolated."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mj_mw_3-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[3]  He would walk through his neighborhood, hoping to meet people who didn't know who he was, so he could meet "somebody who would be my friend because they liked me and needed a friend too, not because I was who I am."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-mj_mw_3-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[3]

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Jones wanted Jackson to record material with more mature themes and "feel the full range of his voice," so he brought the song to Jackson's attention, whereas he had originally intended to save the song for Frank Sinatra.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-4" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[4] Subsequently, the song peaked at #10 in the United States on the Billboard Hot 100.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-5" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[5]  The single was even more successful in the UK and peaked at number 3 on the charts (the equivalent position reached by Off the Wall's debut single "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough"). A music video was also produced to promote the song, which showed Michael in a blue-green shirt, dark pants, and sitting on a barstool with a spotlight shining behind him.<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-6" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[6] ==Critical reception<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> == <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">Allmusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine highlighted it and called it "overwrought ballad."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-7" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[7]  Rolling Stone editor Stephen Holden praised: "The singer's ultradramatic phrasing, which takes huge emotional risks and wins every time, wrings the last drop of pathos from Tom Bahler's tear-jerker, "She's Out of My Life."<sup class="reference" id="cite_ref-8" style="line-height:1em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;">[8] ==Music video<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);">  == <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The music video for the song features Michael sitting on a stool singing the song. It was directed by Bruce Gowers, who also directed Jackson's video "Rock with You," to which the video is similar. The video is one of Jackson's videos that are rarely shown. It is featured on the DVD box set Michael Jackson's Vision, which is the first time it is shown on DVD. ==Live performances<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> == <p style="line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The song was performed during The Jacksons' Triumph Tour and Victory Tour. It was also performed on Jackson's Bad World Tour, the Dangerous World Tour, and the Royal Brunei concert, which also turned out to be the final live performance of the song. The song was also rehearsed as a duet with a female backup vocalist for the first "Michael Jackson & Friends" charity concert in Seoul, South Korea, but cancelled for the final performance, which took place ten years to the day of Jackson's death.

<p style="margin-top:0.4em;margin-bottom:0.5em;line-height:19.1875px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:sans-serif;">The live performances, of the song, were featured on the Live at Wembley July 16, 1988, Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour, and Michael Jackson: Live in Japan DVDs. Live audio is available in the Live at Wembley July 16, 1988CD, included as a bonus on Bad 25, and the 1981 live album, ''[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jacksons_Live! The Jacksons Live!]'' ==Track listing<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> == ===UK single<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> === ===U.S. single<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> === ==Charts<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> == ==Personnel<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> == ==Covers<span class="mw-editsection mw-editsection-expanded" style="-webkit-user-select:none;font-size:small;margin-left:1em;line-height:1em;display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;padding-right:0.25em;unicode-bidi:-webkit-isolate;direction:ltr;"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket" style="margin-left:-0.25em;margin-right:0.25em;color:rgb(85,85,85);"> ==
 * 1) "She's Out of My Life" – 3:38
 * 2) "Push Me Away" (with The Jacksons)
 * 1) "She's Out of My Life" – 3:38
 * 2) "Get on the Floor" – 4:40
 * Written and composed by Tom Bahler
 * Produced by Quincy Jones
 * Lead vocal by Michael Jackson
 * Bass: Louis Johnson
 * Guitar: Larry Carlton
 * Electric piano: Greg Phillinganes
 * String arrangement by Johnny Mandel
 * Concert master: Gerald Vinci
 * Johnny Duncan and Janie Fricke recorded a duet version, and in 1980 their version reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart.
 * Shirley Bassey covered this song, retitled "He's Out of My Life", on her album All by Myself in 1982.
 * Willie Nelson covered this song on his album City of New Orleans in 1984.
 * Michael Pedicin Jr. covered this song in jazz mood on "City Song" album in 1987 by Optimism record.
 * Elaine Paige performed a version, retitled "He's Out of My Life", on her 1991 album Love Can Do That, which was also later released on her 1997 compilation album, From a Distance.
 * 98 Degrees covered this song as a cappella on their 1998 album 98 Degrees and Rising.
 * Ginuwine included a cover of "She's out of My Life" as the final track on his 1999 album 100% Ginuwine.
 * S Club 7 performed the song on their S Club Party Live Tour in 2001.
 * Josh Groban covered this song as a bonus track on his album Closer in 2003.
 * Asia's Soul Siren, Nina, recorded the song on her 2009 album, Renditions of the Soul.
 * Patti LaBelle recorded the song (as "He's Out of My Life") for her 2005 album, Classic Moments.
 * Scott Bruton performed the song on The X Factor (UK) during the Michael Jackson theme week in 2008, as well as Joe McElderry who performed it in 2009.
 * Comedian Eddie Murphy sang a few bars from "She's Out of My Life" while imitating Jackson during his Delirious concert. After the mock tears, he closed it by saying "Tito, give me some tissue."
 * Dave Lister (Craig Charles) sang the first few bars as a lament to Kristine Kochanski during the Red Dwarf episode Marooned. He claims it to be the first song he learnt how to play on the guitar.
 * Ringmasters, a Swedish Barbershop Quartet, did a David Harrington arrangement as part of their 2010 BHS International competition show.
 * Ben Forster, winner of Andrew Lloyd Webber's search for Jesus Christ Superstar, on his 2012 Acoustic Covers Album.