History AwesomeMusic / MichaelJackson

* [[https://youtu.be/qTUINfx2XbY "Blood on the Dance Floor"]] combines elements of funk and new jack swing to bring a dark, catchy tune that wouldn't sound out-of-place in a ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' game; it helps that the percussion track seems to be the basis for [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Knuckles's theme]] (note that the song was originally supposed to be included on the ''Dangerous'' album).

* From ''Music/{{Dangerous}}'':

* From ''Music/{{Xscape}}'', [[https://youtu.be/oG08ukJPtR8 "Love Never Felt So Good"]]. The duet version with Music/JustinTimberlake gets some bonus points for incorporating some lyrics from [[https://youtu.be/DbW_NYCbrT4 Johnny Mathis's cover]], which predates the Jackson version's official release by 30 years.[[note]]The song was originally recorded as a demo tape in 1983 with the intention of appearing on the ''Music/{{Thriller}}'' album. When this plan fell through, it was given to Mathis with modified lyrics a year later; it was released on Mathis's album ''A Special Part of me''. The demo leaked in 2006, and wasn't given a proper release under Michael Jackson's branding until 5 years after his death.[[/note]]

* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkBS4zUjJZo Blame It on the Boogie]]" with Music/TheJacksonFive (actually [[Music/TheJacksonFive The Jacksons]]), proof that disco can stand the test of time.
* "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2wYZFji0Cs Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)]]". [[EpicRocking Eight minutes]] of pure, concentrated awesome. Listen closely, and you can even hear what must be an early inspiration for "Thriller".

** "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yURRmWtbTbo Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough]]" was his first big solo smash, topping the charts in the USA, Australia, and New Zealand, and at least reaching the top 5 in Canada and many parts of Europe. The video is a fascinating proto-MTV exercise in green screen effects, with three copies of Michael dancing on screen at once in some shots.
** The Rod Temperton-penned "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X-Mrc2l1d0 Rock with You]]" was the album's second ''Billboard'' chart-topper, and is another great disco/post-disco track, with an awesome TruckDriversGearChange after the instrumental break. The video follows the trajectory from PerformanceVideo to ConceptVideo started by "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", with Michael singing and dancing in a sequined suit, lit from behind in bright green.

** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T88J6IzWAFg title track]] is another first rate entry in the disco/funk style that was part of Michael's sound in the late 1970s, and although the LaughingMad intro is a bit hammy, it's hard to resist the song's entreaties to just cut loose on the dance floor.

*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Uj3zitETs4 "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"]] starts with a driving bass and drum beat and adds a first rate horn section in counterpoint to Jackson's angry vocals about rumourmongering for the sake of starting fights. Despite its fast tempo and major key, it is one of the most frightening yet fascinating tracks he ever recorded.
*** The impeccably scored [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG9OzYVSg3c "Baby Be Mine"]] meshes the lyrics of a plaintive love ballad with more outstanding drums, bass, brass, and keyboards. It was one of just two songs on the album not to be released as a single,[[note]] It was, however, released as the B-side to "Human Nature".[[/note]] which is a shame, as it more than holds its own against the album's more famous tracks.

** Side 2 also hits the ground running with the Jackson-penned anti-urban violence anthem [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ym0hZG-zNOk "Beat It"]], anchored by {{Epic Riff}}s and a spectacular guitar solo courtesy of [[Music/VanHalen Eddie Van Halen]]. The video is another classic, featuring yet more top notch group choreography.
** The trifecta of songs inspiring seminal early music videos is completed with the paranoid, paternity-denying [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zi_XLOBDo_Y "Billie Jean",]] which opens with a simple yet memorable syncopated riff and never lets the listener's attention go for a second.
** The dreamlike [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nnhg7uP9wp4 "Human Nature"]] is one of the best love ballads Jackson ever recorded, with an immensely catchy beat and a terrific vocal performance.
** The bouncy, fast-paced funk of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B0itw6rmmI "P.Y.T."]] ups the energy of the album again with still more earwormy goodness in the rhythm track and the refrain.

** The peppy [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzZ_urpj4As "The Way You Make Me Feel"]] shows Michael as a flirtatious smooth talker rather than the streetwise rebel of "Bad" or the lover of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", and its sheer energy really captures the thunderbolt that LoveAtFirstSight can deliver.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZr_1K5oY_k "Speed Demon"]] is pure adrenaline from start to finish, while the Will Vinton-directed claymation music video (used for a sequence in ''Film/{{Moonwalker}}'') is a memorable exercise in late 1980s MTV surrealism.
** [[UsefulNotes/MahatmaGandhi "Be the change that you wish to see in the world"]] is the message of "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PivWY9wn5ps Man in the Mirror]]". A slow buildup leading into perhaps the most glorious TruckDriversGearChange in music history:

** It's SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic as it is, but [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_D3VFfhvs4 the video]] for "Smooth Criminal" is easily one of his best. Especially that anti-gravity lean.
* Two songs recorded with the great Music/FreddieMercury, but never released: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax3FOTiWwz0 State of Shock]] ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Shock later released by The Jacksons with]] Music/MickJagger) and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooKEHgeH884 There Must Be More to Life than This]]. WhatCouldHaveBeen...

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbHI1yI1Ndk "Jam"]], a lesser-known song (at least among people who aren't ''Sonic 3'' fans).
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeiFF0gvqcc "Remember the Time"]] and its great video.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWf-eARnf6U "Heal the World"]] is a heartfelt anti-war message of peace.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2AitTPI5U0 "Black or White"]] and ''its'' great music video.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0P4A1K4lXDo "Scream"]], in the expensive spaceship with Music/JanetJackson. A video that, to this day, is one of the most expensive music videos ever made (topping out at about $7 million). Along with "This Time Around" and "2 Bad," it's also a great song to put on when you're pissed off.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEEMi2j6lYE "Stranger in Moscow"]], which does a great job capturing the emotional devastation of his first child molestation trial. The music almost feels like a proto-downtempo/trip-hop song.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAyKJAtDNCw "You Are Not Alone"]] is a tearful appeal to keep up hope.
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTUINfx2XbY "Blood on the Dance Floor"]] combines elements of funk and new jack swing to bring a dark, catchy tune that wouldn't sound out-of-place in a ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehog'' game; it helps that the percussion track seems to be the basis for [[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Knuckles's theme]] (note that the song was originally supposed to be included on the ''Dangerous'' album).

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g4tpuu-Up90 "You Rock My World"]] is easily the best song on it, and its [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-7ABIM2qjU music video]] is even more awesome, as it co-stars Chris Tucker and even '''Marlon Brando'''.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOdZy0mO9Vs "Best of Joy"]] especially since it was reportedly the final song that Michael recorded before his death. A BittersweetEnding indeed.

* From ''Music/{{Xscape}}'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oG08ukJPtR8 "Love Never Felt So Good"]]. The duet version with Music/JustinTimberlake gets some bonus points for incorporating some lyrics from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbW_NYCbrT4 Johnny Mathis's cover]], which predates the Jackson version's official release by 30 years.[[note]]The song was originally recorded as a demo tape in 1983 with the intention of appearing on the ''Music/{{Thriller}}'' album. When this plan fell through, it was given to Mathis with modified lyrics a year later; it was released on Mathis's album ''A Special Part of me''. The demo leaked in 2006, and wasn't given a proper release under Michael Jackson's branding until 5 years after his death.[[/note]]
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnrZ19nYgwY "This Is It"]]. The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ZOPoFGHXYc Orchestra Version]] is even better.
* The lost single, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vp7K7zXt6_A Cheater.]] There is no 'not dancing' to this one. It's impossible.

** The Rod Temperton-penned late night horror film-inspired title track may be somewhat camp, but Jackson's performance on it is superb, outdone only by the hammy yet deliciously sinister narration by Creator/VincentPrice over the song's second half. And then there's the epic-length [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA video]] directed by Creator/JohnLandis that pushed back the boundaries of what a ConceptVideo could do. Who knew the hordes of a ZombieApocalypse were such [[TheDeadCanDance incredible dancers]]?

Jackson's music pretty much WAS the music of the late '70s and '80s if you weren't into [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] or HairMetal, and its enduring popularity into the '90s and '00s most likely helped inspire or kickstart a few new musical genres on its own.

** "Unbreakable," which is not only a killer "fuck the haters" song but has one of the most ''insanely'' catchy ear worms of any MJ song. A perfect start for the album.
*** Plus, it features [[Music/TheNotoriousBIG Biggie Smalls]].

Jackson's music pretty much WAS the music of the late '70s, '80s, '90s and the '00s if you weren't into [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] or HairMetal, and most likely helped inspire or kickstart a few new musical genres on its own.

Jackson's music pretty much WAS the music of the late '70s, '80s and '90s (and even the '00s) if you weren't into [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] or HairMetal, and most likely helped inspire or kickstart a few new musical genres on its own.

** Imposter or not, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgzdLoSjOZg "Monster"]] is a pretty damn catchy song. And features a rap solo from Music/FiftyCent.

** Even critics at the time who dismissed the album called "2000 Wats" an exceptional dance track. It's also one of the few where MJ sings in his normal, deeper voice[[note]]That high-pitched, feminine voice of his was a put on, the result of his infamous fear of aging. His real voice was more bassy and masculine.[[/note]] and it is ''awesome''. Not to mention that rhythm could rival even the hottest Music/{{Nsync}} tracks from the time.

Jackson's music pretty much WAS the music of the late 70s, '80s and '90s (and even the '00s) if you weren't into [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] or HairMetal, and most likely helped inspire or kickstart a few new musical genres on its own.

Jackson's music pretty much WAS the music of the '80s if you weren't into [[NewWaveMusic New Wave]] or HairMetal, and most likely helped inspire or kickstart a few new musical genres on its own.

** "Who Is It", a brooding yet effectively dark song that tells the tale of a man left in complete despair after losing his love to someone else. It's also got a ''sick'' beat, courtesy of MJ beat-boxing.

** The bouncy, fast-paced funk of [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5B0itw6rmmI "P.Y.T."]] ups the energy of the album again with still more {{Earworm}}y goodness in the rhythm track and the refrain.

** "Unbreakable," which is not only a killer "fuck the haters" song but has one of the most ''insanely'' catchy {{ear worm}}s of any MJ song. A perfect start for the album.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2AitTPI5U0 "Black or White"]] and its great music video.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeiFF0gvqcc Remember the Time]] and ''its'' great video.

** "Give In To Me", a lesser-known but awesome song, is the same rock type as "Beat It" and "Dirty Diana" and is incredibly passionate.

* Heal the World [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWf-eARnf6U heard here]] is a heartfelt anti-war message of peace.
* You Are Not Alone [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pAyKJAtDNCw heard here]] is a tearful appeal to keep up hope.