Let's Get Serious
Studio album by Jermaine Jackson
Released	March 17, 1980 (1980-03-17)
Recorded	1979
Studio	Motown Recording Studios (Hollywood, California) Crystal Sound and Whitney Recording Studios (Los Angeles, California) Kendun Recorders (Burbank, California)
Genre	Funk soul R&B
Length	42:32
Label	Motown
Producer	Stevie Wonder Jermaine Jackson
Jermaine Jackson chronology
Frontiers (1978) Let's Get Serious (1980) Jermaine (1980)
Singles from Let's Get Serious
"Let's Get Serious" Released: March 1980 "You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me" Released: June 1980

Let's Get Serious is the sixth studio album by Jermaine Jackson, released in 1980. It reached #6 on the Billboard album chart and logged five weeks at No. 1 on the Top R&B chart. It achieved sales of 900,000 copies in the United States and it sold 2 million copies worldwide.^[1]

The title track was 1980's biggest soul hit of the year and a top ten pop hit as well. This is the most successful album of Jackson's career. The song hit #9 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1980.

After splitting with his brothers, The Jacksons, in 1975, Jermaine recorded and released three solo albums between 1976 and 1978 that fared poorly. Needing a success, he enlisted the aid of family friend and labelmate Stevie Wonder, who wrote and produced three songs, including the title track and first single, "Let's Get Serious". Jackson would oversee the other tracks on the album. This formula worked, as Jackson finally scored a hit with both the album and single.

It was one of the featured titles in a major Motown 20th Anniversary television, radio and print campaign. This gave the album prominent advertising benefits throughout the entire year.

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[3]
Smash Hits	7½/10[4]

AllMusic critic John Lowe stated, "The best of his Motown albums features Stevie Wonder's brilliant songs and production. For once Jermaine sounded inspired, and that feeling is sustained throughtout [sic]. One of the high points in his career, and the effort was worth it."

Musicians and Vocalists

• Jermaine Jackson – lead vocals, backing vocals, keyboards (3–5, 7), bass (3–5, 7), percussion (3–5, 7)
• Stevie Wonder – Fender Rhodes (1, 2, 6), acoustic piano (1, 2, 6), synthesizers (1, 2, 6), celesta (1, 2, 6), guitars (1, 2, 6), drums (1, 2, 6), backing vocals (1, 2, 6)
• Isaiah Sanders – clavinet (1, 2, 6)
• Kevin Bassinson – keyboards (3–5, 7)
• Greg Phillinganes – keyboards (3–5, 7)
• Joe Sample – keyboards (3–5, 7)
• Gary S. Scott – synth bass (3–5, 7)
• Ben Bridges – guitars (1, 2, 6)
• Rick Zunigar – guitars (1, 2, 6)
• Paul Jackson, Jr. – guitars (3–5, 7), percussion (3–5, 7)
• Tim May – guitars (3–5, 7)
• Nathan Watts – bass (1, 2, 6)
• Scott Edwards – bass (3–5, 7)
• Eddie N. Watkins, Jr. – bass (3–5, 7)
• Dennis Davis – drums (1, 2, 6)
• Ollie E. Brown – drums (3–5, 7)
• Ed Greene – drums (3–5, 7)
• Earl DeRouen – congas (1, 2, 6)
• Gary Coleman – percussion (3–5, 7)
• Gene Estes – percussion (3–5, 7)
• Emil Richards – percussion (3–5, 7)
• Larry Gittens – trumpet (1, 2, 6)
• Alexandra Brown – backing vocals (1, 2, 6)
• Marva Holcolm – backing vocals (1, 2, 6)
• Angela Winbush – backing vocals (1, 2, 6)
• T.K. Carter – backing vocals (3–5)
• Carolyn Cook – backing vocals (3–5)
• Suzee Ikeda – backing vocals (3–5)
• Hazel G. Jackson – backing vocals (3, 5)
• Tina Madison – backing vocals (3, 4)
• Danny Smith – backing vocals (3–5)

Finger snaps and Handclaps (Tracks 1, 2 & 6)

• Earl DeRouen, Keith Harris, Jermaine Jackson (finger snaps), Dick Rudolph, Abdoulaye Soumare, Nathan Watts and Stevie Wonder (finger snaps)

Music arrangements

• Stevie Wonder – arrangements (1, 2, 6)
• Jermaine Jackson – horn, rhythm and string arrangements (3–5, 7)
• Paul Jackson, Jr. – rhythm arrangements (3)
• Don Peake – horn and string arrangements (3–5, 7), rhythm arrangements (4, 5, 7)

• Berry Gordy, Jr. – executive producer
• Hazel G. Jackson – executive producer
• Stevie Wonder – producer (1, 2, 6)
• Jermaine Jackson – producer (3–5, 7)
• Jane Clark – engineer
• Bob Harlan – engineer
• Cal Harris – engineer
• Frank Kramer – engineer
• Steve Miller – engineer
• John Mills – engineer
• Gary Olazabal – engineer
• Ginny Pallante – engineer
• Bob Robitaille – engineer
• Abdoulaye Soumare – engineer
• Russ Terrana – engineer
• Suzee Ikeda – album coordinator
• John Cabalka – art direction
• Ginny Livingston – design
• Claude Mougin – photography

The track "You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me" was originally recorded in 1975, possibly for the aborted Do Unto Others album, and featured Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Jackie Jackson on background vocals. But when Jermaine's brothers left for Epic Records, this original version was shelved. Four years later, Stevie dug it out and remixed/overdubbed the track for Let's Get Serious and removed Michael and Jackie's vocals.

• Jermaine Jackson-Lets Get Serious at Discogs