Somebody's Watching Me

This weekend I am going to my 25-year high school reunion in Darien, CT. Thinking way back to those days of innocence and mousse, I recalled the very odd theme song to my senior prom: “Somebody’s Watching Me.”

Even at the time, paranoia seemed like a very odd theme for a prom. Usually prom songs are more of the “Always and Forever” or “Sweet Dreams are Made of This” or “Moondance” variety.

In the spring of ‘84, “Somebody’s Watching Me” was a top 10 hit for a singer named Rockwell. While the verse was completely forgettable, it had a killer hook in the chorus sung by Michael Jackson, who was at the absolute pinnacle of his fame.


So how does a talentless unknown get the world’s biggest entertainer to sing on his first single? Well it so happens that Rockwell’s real name is Kennedy William Gordy. He is the son of Berry Gordy, the brilliant founder of Motown Records, where the Jackson 5 got their start. And Jacko’s brother Jermaine was married to Rockwell’s sister.

After “Somebody’s Watching Me,” Rockwell went straight to the "Where are they now?" file. However, he is surely getting some nice paychecks these days thanks to insurance company Geico, who use “Somebody’s Watching Me” for their ubiquitous “The Money You Could Be Saving” campaign.


Thinking about it now, maybe “Somebody’s Watching Me” wasn’t such a bad bridge from adolescence to adulthood after all. Because it’s theme isn’t really paranoia. It’s Who You Know.