Somebody's Watching Me is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Rockwell, released in 1984 on Motown. It features the title track (with Michael Jackson on vocals in the chorus), as well as the US top 40 hit "Obscene Phone Caller"; however, the next two singles, the power ballad "Knife" and a cover of the Beatles' "Taxman", failed to reach the top 40.
After being kicked out of the house by his father, Motown founder Berry Gordy, Kennedy Gordy moved in with Ray Singleton, Gordy's ex-wife. While living there, the younger Gordy began working on some music. Seeing the youngster's potential, Singleton successfully lobbied to get Kennedy a staff writing job at Jobete.
One night, Singleton overheard Kennedy working on the track, "Somebody's Watching Me" and believed it was a song worthy of recording. When Motown staff producer Curtis Anthony Nolen took an interest in the song, he was hired as the producer on the project. While working on the song in the studio, Kennedy got the idea to get Michael Jackson to sing on the track. Without indicating his plans, Kennedy picked Jackson up and drove him into the studio. Once Jackson was in the studio, Kennedy asked him to record the chorus with him. Jackson agreed.
Once the track was mixed, Singleton could not wait to play it for Berry Gordy, who thought one of the voices sounded familiar, but could not identify it. When Gordy found out it was Michael Jackson, he was elated.
Not wanting the Gordy name to influence the outcome of the song (his half-brother Kerry Gordy, recorded under his own name five years earlier without success), Kennedy decided to use the name Rockwell on the record. The title cut was one of the biggest singles of 1984 and both the album and single were certified Gold. It was easily the most successful record by a Gordy as a recording artist. Rockwell now gained an exalted position among the Gordy offspring.
In mid-2021, the full album was released on iTunes for the first time. A deluxe edition was also released, containing additional extended and instrumental mixes, as well as a new remix of the title track.
Somebody's Watching Me was released to mixed reviews. Rick A. Bueche of AllMusic called the record "an impressive debut set with an emphasis on rock instrumentals". Dennis Hunt of The News Tribune summarized the album as "rather subtle, sophisticated funk." While he noted that it did not break much new ground for pop-R&B, it was still of a quality most artists most artists would take year into their career to emulate. Paul Benedetti of The Hamilton Spectator described most of the album as "low-energy synth pop, that is either stupid, boring, or both," while the title track and "Obscene Phone Caller" are examples of "pop paranoia" done in Rockwell's "annoying English accent."
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An up-tempo version of "Knife" was released by another Motown artist, Monalisa Young. She also appears on this album as a background vocalist.