On this day in 1988: Michael Jackson went to #1 on the U.S. singles chart with ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’. It was the third single released from Jackson’s seventh studio album ‘Bad’ for which Jackson had written over sixty songs, with plans of releasing a three disc album, but producer Quincy Jones convinced Jackson to make ‘Bad’ a one disc LP. ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’, as well as ten other songs were selected for the album. It would spend one week at #1.
‘The Way You Make Me Feel’ became Bad’s third consecutive single to peak at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and charted mainly within the top ten and twenty internationally. A music video for “The Way You Make Me Feel” was released at the time showing Jackson pursuing and dancing with former model Tatiana Thumbtzen.
The music video for “The Way You Make Me Feel” was directed by Joe Pytka and was filmed in June 1987 at Skid Row, Los Angeles. It was choreographed by Jackson and Vincent Paterson. The video begins with a group of men trying to pick up women, but failing. One of the men (Michael Jackson) is told to go home and not to hang around with the other guys anymore. When the man walks home, an elderly man (played by Joe Seneca), who is sitting on the steps of his house, tells him to just be himself. The man notices a woman, played by model/dancer Tatiana Thumbtzen, walking down the streets alone.
Shortly after the man walks out of an alley and stands in front of the woman while she’s walking down the street, although she ignores him and keeps walking. He gets her attention by shouting, and then begins singing “The Way You Make Me Feel” to her while also dancing. Uninterested, she walks away. He follows her, having been cheered on by his friends to ‘pursue’ her. Another dance routine begins, involving the man’s friends, which leads to the man ‘pursuing’ the woman throughout the neighborhood. The video ends with the man eventually ‘winning the woman over’, and embracing her, while a fire hydrant sprays out water. The videoclip also features an appearance by his sister La Toya as one of Thumbtzen’s friends.
Here’s a look at the complete Top 20 on the U.S. singles chart from this day back in 1988:
1 3 THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL –•– Michael Jackson – 10 (1)
2 4 NEED YOU TONIGHT –•– INXS – 14 (2)
3 5 COULD’VE BEEN –•– Tiffany – 9 (3)
4 1 GOT MY MIND SET ON YOU –•– George Harrison – 14 (1)
5 6 HAZY SHADE OF WINTER –•– The Bangles – 11 (5)
6 7 CANDLE IN THE WIND –•– Elton John – 12 (6)
7 8 TELL IT TO MY HEART –•– Taylor Dayne – 16 (7)
8 11 SEASONS CHANGE –•– Expose – 9 (8)
9 2 SO EMOTIONAL –•– Whitney Houston – 13 (1)
10 15 I WANT TO BE YOUR MAN –•– Roger – 11 (10)
11 17 HUNGRY EYES –•– Eric Carmen – 12 (11)
12 14 THERE’S THE GIRL –•– Heart – 12 (12)
13 16 I COULD NEVER TAKE THE PLACE OF YOUR MAN –•– Prince – 11 (13)
14 18 CRAZY –•– Icehouse – 15 (14)
15 21 TUNNEL OF LOVE –•– Bruce Springsteen – 8 (15)
16 9 FAITH –•– George Michael – 14 (1)
17 22 SAY YOU WILL –•– Foreigner – 8 (17)
18 24 WHAT HAVE I DONE TO DESERVE THIS? –•– Pet Shop Boys & Dusty Springfield – 7 (18)
19 10 IS THIS LOVE –•– Whitesnake – 14 (2)
20 23 I LIVE FOR YOUR LOVE –•– Natalie Cole – 12 (20)
