1972 Ballad, Originally Written for a Horror Sequel, Became a No. 1 Friendship Anthem
One of the biggest music icons to ever exist started his solo career in the early 1970s. Michael Jackson embarked on his own with a track intended for another singer and became the theme song to a 1972 horror film.
"Ben", also known as "Ben's Song", was never expected to be the hit that would skyrocket Jackson's career and become his first No. 1 hit as a solo artist. Its backstory is even more bizarre when knowing the emotional ballad was written as the theme for the horror film of the same name, which was the sequel to Willard in 1971.
Ben, the film, follows a lonely boy named Danny Garrison (Lee Harcourt Montgomery) who befriends the leading rat from the prior film named Ben. The rodent becomes Danny's best friend and protector against bullies, as Danny also suffers from a heart condition. Things get complicated when Ben forms an army of deadly rodents.
The track is performed by Montgomery in the film, with Jackson's version heard during the finale scene and ending credits. "Ben" smooth and mellow sound contradicts the movie's horror element, and it's exactly what Don Black and Walter Scharf wanted.
According to American Songwriter, the two songwriters wanted an emotional ballad and steered clear of using any rodent-related language. They instead focused the track on being about a loyal and misunderstood friend. "Ben" was initially intended to be performed by Donny Osmond, but he was unavailable due to his touring schedule and passed on it. The track was instead passed on to Jackson, who was only 13 at the time.
Recorded by Motown studio in October 1971, "Ben" climbed the charts to land at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100 for a solid week. It marked Jackson's first-ever No. 1 hit as a solo artist in the U.S. and served as the title track to his second solo album. The ballad also landed at No. 3 on the Adult Contemporary chart and No. 2 on Cash Box.
At the same time, Osmond released the song "Puppy Love" and recalls him and Jackson having talked about their hit tracks being about animals. He told the Huffington Post, "It's funny because we eventually ended up laughing at this one. I will never forget. We stayed up to like two in the morning, laughing about the fact that I had a hit about a puppy and he had a hit about a rat."
"Ben" gained further popularity when it was nominated for Best Original Song at the 1973 Oscars. It lost that year to "The Morning After" by Maureen McGovern from The Poseidon Adventure. The ballad became one of Jackson's most re-released tracks in his career.
Related: 1972 Hit Track, Inspired by a Forbidden Crush, Became One of Soft Rock's Signature Ballads
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This story was originally published June 14, 2026 at 7:13 AM.