Every once in a while, a gem of an old performance starts trending online, and you wonder, how have I never seen that before? Michael Jackson is one of the most popular entertainers ever to live, and Roberta Flack is one of the most prominent singers of the ‘70s, so where has their magical performance together in 1974 on the Free to Be…You and Me TV special been hiding all this time?
The TV special was based on a popular 1972 album put together by the actress Marlo Thomas, fresh off her hit show That Girl, and was sponsored by Ms., a popular feminist magazine. The goal of the project, which would become a gold album, a television special, and a foundation, was to show the younger generation that they can be whoever they want to be.
The video gained attention recently after being shared on X by Melodies and Masterpieces. Michael Jackson and Roberta Flack sing ‘When We Grow Up’ Diana Ross originally sang “When We Grow Up” on the album, but Jackson and Flack sang it as a duet on the TV show, dressed as kids hanging out in an attic.
The song is all about self-acceptance. Well, I don't care if you're pretty at all And I don't care if you never get tall. I like what you look like... and you're nice small.
We don't have to change at all. - YouTube www.youtube.com During the performance, there were a few slight nods to The Marx Brothers, with Jackson shaking his fake microphone like Groucho did with his cigar.
The pair also pretend to be mirror images of one another, a famous bit from the 1933 Marx Brothers' film Duck Soup. Both children hope for a future when they can visit the moon, a big topic just five years after the Apollo 11 mission. The pair also pretends to walk on the moon, a nice bit of foreshadowing for Jackson’s dance move that would propel him to superstardom. Roberta Flack on working with Michael Jackson Years later, in 2017, Flack talked about working with Jackson, noting that he didn’t need to prepare much for the performance.
"I always felt that Michael Jackson was one of the people who didn't have to prepare that much, even from the time he was a very little kid,” she told The Huffington Post. “I mean, I think I'm sweeter than he is in the video with my ponytails. (laughs) But I'll tell you, it was such a joy to work with him because he was so bright and sharp. We didn't have to do it a bunch of times.
We did it a few times, and it was a lot of fun. When you have that sort of innate and instinctive gift, you can sort of relax and let it flow. But sometimes, you have to be truly inspired. Even Michael had to be truly inspired.” In the same year, Jackson and his brothers, The Jackson 5, covered Flack’s mammoth hit, “Killing Me Softly” on The Tonight Show.
The performance was a medley that also featured “By The Time I Get To Phoenix,” sung by Jermaine, and “Danny Boy,” by Jackie. - YouTube www.youtube.com
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