Line #46 AwesomeMusic/MichaelJackson


1	Jackson's music pretty much WAS the music of the late '70s, '80s and early '90s 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.
2	----
3	* "Ben," one of Young Michael's solo songs, from the film of the same name. Beautiful ballad, and even more beautifully sung.
4	* "[[https://youtu.be/mkBS4zUjJZo Blame It on the Boogie]]" with Music/TheJacksonFive (actually [[Music/TheJacksonFive The Jacksons]]), proof that disco can stand the test of time.
5	* "[[https://youtu.be/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".
6	* ''Music/OffTheWall'' was the first of the triptych of Michael Jackson albums (along with ''Music/{{Thriller}}'' and ''Music/{{Bad}}'') produced by jazz legend Music/QuincyJones, and marks the point where his solo career really took off; it spawned four singles - "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Rock with You", "Off the Wall", and "She's Out of My Life" - and every one reached the top 10 in the US.[[note]] Though only just in the latter two cases.[[/note]]
7	** "[[https://youtu.be/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.
8	** The Rod Temperton-penned "[[https://youtu.be/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.
9	** "Get on the Floor", featuring absolutely furious slap-bass from Louis Johnson, who co-wrote the song with Michael and later played the famous bassline on "Billie Jean".
10	** The [[https://youtu.be/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.
11	--->Tonight, gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf\
12	And just enjoy yourself\
13	Groove, let the madness and the music get to you\
14	Life ain't so bad at all\
15	When you're livin' [[TitleDrop off the wall]]
16	* Not for nothing is ''Music/{{Thriller}}'' by far the best-selling album of all time by any artist, ever. Jackson wanted to assemble an album with no filler tracks, resulting in nine songs of which ''seven'' were released as singles, with every one reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard charts.[[note]] "Beat It" and "Billie Jean" were both #1 hits, "The Girl is Mine" reached #2, "Thriller" topped out at #4, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" made it to #5, "Human Nature" peaked at #7, and "P.Y.T." managed to sneak in at #10.[[/note]] "Thriller", "Beat It", and "Billie Jean" were also matched to videos which collectively revolutionised the medium of the music video.
17	** The album hits the ground running full speed with two songs in the same disco/funk style as most of ''Music/OffTheWall'', but even more so:
18	*** [[https://youtu.be/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.
19	*** The impeccably scored [[https://youtu.be/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.
20	** Having already dueted with Music/PaulMcCartney on the former Beatle's single "Say Say Say", Michael teamed up with him again to record his own "The Girl is Mine", the first single from ''Thriller'' to be released.[[note]] In fact, "Say Say Say" was held back from release for so long that "The Girl is Mine" came out first.[[/note]] The two superstars' voices are a perfect match for each other on the album's first slow ballad.
21	** 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 [[Music/MichaelJacksonsThriller the epic-length 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]]?
22	** Side 2 also hits the ground running with the Jackson-penned anti-urban violence anthem [[https://youtu.be/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.
23	** The trifecta of songs inspiring seminal early music videos is completed with the paranoid, paternity-denying [[https://youtu.be/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.
24	** The dreamlike [[https://youtu.be/Nnhg7uP9wp4 "Human Nature"]] is one of the best love ballads Jackson ever recorded, with an immensely catchy beat and a terrific vocal performance.
25	** The bouncy, fast-paced funk of [[https://youtu.be/5B0itw6rmmI "P.Y.T."]] ups the energy of the album again with still more earwormy goodness in the rhythm track and the refrain.
26	** And the album closer, "The Lady in My Life", may not have been released as a single (not even a B-side) or enjoy the popularity of most of the other tracks on the album, but it still ranks as one of the best slow ballads from Jackson's post-Motown years.
27	* ''Music/{{Bad}}'' was one of the most hotly anticipated albums in pop history when it was released in 1987. Like ''Music/{{Thriller}}'' before it, it spawned seven hit singles (only "Speed Demon", "Liberian Girl", and "Just Good Friends" were not released as singles[[note]] In the United States, at least; "Liberian Girl" was released as a single in Europe and Australia.[[/note]]), with ''five'' - "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", and "Dirty Diana" - reaching #1.[[note]] However, it didn't quite match ''Thriller''[='=]s feat of seven Top 10 singles; "Smooth Criminal" made it to #7, but "Another Part of Me" just missed the Top 10, peaking at #11.[[/note]] It would be 23 years before another album duplicated this feat (Music/KatyPerry's ''Teenage Dream''), and it has never been surpassed.
28	** The peppy [[https://youtu.be/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.
29	** [[https://youtu.be/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.
30	** [[UsefulNotes/MahatmaGandhi "Be the change that you wish to see in the world"]] is the message of "[[https://youtu.be/PivWY9wn5ps Man in the Mirror]]". A slow buildup leading into perhaps the most glorious TruckDriversGearChange in music history:
31	--->'''Michael:''' If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make that...\
32	'''Choir:''' ''(out of flipping nowhere)'' CHANGE!
33	** It's SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic as it is, but [[https://youtu.be/h_D3VFfhvs4 the video]] for "Smooth Criminal" is easily one of his best. Especially that anti-gravity lean.
34	* Two songs recorded with the great Music/FreddieMercury, but never released: [[https://youtu.be/ax3FOTiWwz0 State of Shock]] ([[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_Shock later released by The Jacksons with]] Music/MickJagger) and [[https://youtu.be/ooKEHgeH884 There Must Be More to Life than This]]. WhatCouldHaveBeen...
35	* From ''Music/{{Dangerous\|Album}}'':
36	** [[https://youtu.be/JbHI1yI1Ndk "Jam"]], a lesser-known song (at least among people who aren't ''Sonic 3'' fans).
37	** [[https://youtu.be/LeiFF0gvqcc "Remember the Time"]] and its great video.
38	** [[https://youtu.be/BWf-eARnf6U "Heal the World"]] is a heartfelt anti-war message of peace.
39	** [[https://youtu.be/F2AitTPI5U0 "Black or White"]] and ''its'' great music video.
40	** "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.
41	** "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.
42	* From ''Music/HistoryPastPresentAndFutureBookI'':
43	** [[https://youtu.be/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.
44	** [[https://youtu.be/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.
45	** [[https://youtu.be/pAyKJAtDNCw "You Are Not Alone"]] is a tearful appeal to keep up hope.
46	* [[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 ''Franchise/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).
47	* Even his last album, ''Music/{{Invincible}}'' -- while easily not his best at the time -- has several superb songs on it that we only ''wish'' others could adequately perform, let alone his larger than life 1980s songs.
48	** [[https://youtu.be/g4tpuu-Up90 "You Rock My World"]] is easily the best song on it, and its [[https://youtu.be/1-7ABIM2qjU music video]] is even more awesome, as it co-stars Chris Tucker and even '''Marlon Brando'''.
49	** "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]].
50	** "Break of Dawn" and "Heaven Can Wait," the closest MJ ever came to a straight-up sex jam after "I Just Can't Stop Lovin' You." Both of them just ooze sex appeal.
51	** 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 him wanting the singing pitch perfect. 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.
52	* From ''Music/{{Michael}}'':
53	** [[https://youtu.be/WOdZy0mO9Vs "Best of Joy"]] especially since it was reportedly the final song that Michael recorded before his death. A BittersweetEnding indeed.
54	** "Hold My Hand," a gorgeous {{silly love song\|s}} performed with then-[=R&B=] superstar (and close friend of MJ's) Akon.
55	* From ''[[Music/XscapeMichaelJacksonAlbum 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]]
56	* [[https://youtu.be/OnrZ19nYgwY "This Is It"]]. The [[https://youtu.be/5ZOPoFGHXYc Orchestra Version]] is even better.
57	* The lost single, [[https://youtu.be/vp7K7zXt6_A Cheater.]] There is no 'not dancing' to this one. It's impossible.

Context AwesomeMusic / MichaelJackson