Recording She's Out of My Life

(Talking about the recording session of Off the Wall)
How Michael could do such a sincere interpretation of the lyrics has always puzzled me, because I know it was an experience he had never even thought about. When we were recording Michael's vocal for She is Out of My Life, he broke down and cried at the end of every take. We recorded about six or seven takes. At the end of each take, Michaerl was sobbing, actually crying. I know he was sincere, because when we finished the last take, Michael was too embarrassed to come out of the control room. He just tippy-toed out the back door of the studio, got in his car and left the studio building! Quincy said to me, "Hey- that sob at the end, that's supposed to be. Leave it on there". Of course, I left it there. We didn't see Michael untill a day or two later!

We were recording the basic rythm for She is out of My Life at Cherokee Studios... At that time Michael absolutely did not curse or say a bad word. He is still pretty much this way (Although in teh past few years I have seen him get mad and say something nasty. I think he's entitled). It was the day that we were to record the music track for She's Out of My Life. It was about 1.00 p.m. .. We were rehearsing in the studio... Michael was seated at the drums., singing his heart out! Everytime we came to the third verse, and the line "Damned indecision and cursed pride" Michael couldn't say the word "damned"! He just couldnt bring himself to do it! He would stop singing and with his foot, hit the bass drum foot pedal as loud as possible!! He just couldn't curse! When the rehearsal ended, Quincy quitely told Michael that he would absolutely have to sing the word "damned" for the recording. Michael nodded and said to Q, "I know".
He did.

From "In the Studio with Michael Jackson" by Bruce Swedien


Source: In The Studio with Michael Jackson by Bruce Swedien