Come into My Life

by Ed Hogan Jermaine Jackson has never gotten his props. During the Jackson 5 days, Michael's high pitched and fantastically precocious, soulful vocals were anchored by Jermaine's throaty, raspy tenor that somehow conveyed a kind of world-weariness from this teenager. Take a look at just one single. The sweet, candy soul of "The Love You Save" was balanced by the aching, testifying of Jermaine's lead on the radio-aired B-side "I Found That Girl." Let's not forget Jermaine's solo successes. His 1973 million-selling remake of Shep and the Limelights' "Daddy's Home" remains a classic. Another release from around the same time, the LP Come Into My Life, was one of the best Motown albums from that era. The opening track, "Sittin' on the Edge of My Mind," is a steppers' classic. The LP's only charting single was "You're in Good Hands Now" with the B-side, a sweet cover of the Bobby Taylor and The Vancouvers hit, "Does Your Mama Know About Me," made it to #35 on the R&B charts and #73 on pop in Billboard during the fall of 1973. In the same vein is the gentle, appreciative ballad, "I Need You More Now Than Ever." Other standout tracks are the funky, electric piano/wah-wah guitar-laced title track, the mid-tempo "If You Don't Love Me," the wise, snappy "The Bigger You Love the Harder You Fall," and the heart-tugging "So in Love," which has vocals by an unaccredited Jackson 5. In the summer of 1973, Come Into My Life hit #30 on R&B and #152 on the pop charts.