Born Michael Joseph Jackson, August 29, 1958 is the date that welcomed the future King of Pop into the world. If he were still with us, he would be turning 62 years old today. A true Virgo in every sense, he demanded perfection of himself and those he worked with. There had never been an artist like him before, and will never be another like him again…period. This is simply because he was a true artist in every context. Take his unique vocal style and songwriting, for instance. I know it’s easy to automatically associate him with his innate ability to entertain through his one of a kind live performances and dancing, but I feel like that often unfairly overshadows his wonderful voice. His voice is the foremost reason why I’m such a fan. Other than Marvin Gaye, who clearly influenced him in several ways, I consider Michael a master of layering background vocals. Seriously…I could do an entry solely on that, and you’re going to see that phrase a lot in this entry. His songwriting and production are often overlooked as well. It’s like people have forgotten or either just didn’t know that he composed most of his biggest hits: Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, Billie Jean, Beat It, Bad, and The Way You Make Me Feel,(which he wrote after his mother, Katherine, suggested he write a song with a “shuffle” beat), among others. Not to mention the songwriting and producing he did with his brothers and for other artists, as well as his poetry and drawings. Art just poured out of him, and he left it all in his work.
Michael(or MJ or MJJ, the latter being what I typically refer to him as) has always been my favorite artist. On his death anniversary back in June, I published an in-depth tribute to him that focused on his earlier years and featured my favorite songs from his Jackson 5 and Jacksons days, including the first song he wrote and produced. So this entry will feature my favorites by him starting with his first adult solo album, Off The Wall, and going through at least the early 90s. His catalog is so vast, not including live recordings, that I’ll have to do multiple entries to cover everything.
So here we go…12(I tried my best to keep it at 10, but oh well!) of my favorite MJ songs from Off The Wall through Dangerous.
P.S. I purposely didn’t include demos and unreleased songs because then the entry would be even longer.
P.P.S. A lot of my faves by him aren’t necessarily the big hit singles. I love them, sure, but he was much more than Thriller.
P.P.P.S. This MJJ Birthday playlist includes more than just the 12 songs highlighted in this post. Enjoy!
The Songs
One of the first times we heard his beatboxing! (The very first time, I believe, was on Blues Away from the 1976 album The Jacksons, which I covered in his earlier entry.) This song will always be a fave… the lyrics, percussion, and horns though! The horn parts made it a popular song for HBCU bands over the years. And if the breakdown doesn’t make you wanna dance, are you even human?! Another fave of mine to dance to from Off The Wall is “Get On The Floor” which was highlighted here.
The song that officially launched his adult solo career. The falsetto, the strings, the percussion…YES! I especially love the last couple minutes or so because of everything going on musically and his ad libs on top of it. I get lost in it all.
My fave! Always and forever. Michael and Stevie(Wonder, who co-wrote this song) are the perfect combination.
The lyrics and message behind this song, as well as Michael’s vocals, make it what it is for me. The entire last minute of the song, I’m in layered background vocal heaven.
The second Rod Temperton-penned song on this list(Off The Wall was the first), I will ALWAYS love me some The Lady In My Life. It’s easily one of Michael’s BEST vocal performances. Get into those adlibs and layered background vocals.
Iconic for many reasons. The unique beat, the horns, the fact that it opens the biggest album of all time… all of it! I remember being on vacation as a teen when this song came on in the car. When it got to the ma ma se ma ma sa ma ma coo sa breakdown in the middle with the claps, we happened to be at a red light, so my sister Jamie and I got out of the car and danced. Hey, we were young and carefree. Honestly, that part always gets me hype, even to this very day. Out of all of its greatness though, I love the lyrics that precede the chant the most: Lift your head up high and scream out to the world, I know I am someone and let the truth unfurl. No one can hurt you now, because you know it’s true. Yes I believe in me, so you believe in you. #Bars
Just a gem from Thriller that I’ve loved since I was a kid. Vocals! That key change and those harmonies towards the end though! Also, shoutout to the late Rod Temperton again.
Another underappreciated gem that happens to be a favorite of mine. My earliest memories of it are watching the video in “Moonwalker”, but the older I got, I really appreciated it for the funk of it all. The bass line, the horns, and of course, VOCALS! Michael’s voice was truly something, and somewhere along the way, I think people forgot that. On just this one song, he sings in his lower register on the verses, the chorus is layered, the bridge is in falsetto, and then of course there are his trademark grunts throughout. I also love how it fades into Liberian Girl on the album(another song with phno.
P.S. Listen to this song with headphones on and you’ll swear someone is trying to whisper in your left ear first, then your right, and back again…but no, it’s just Michael’s beatboxing in the background. #Genius
Another one with childhood memories because of the video and “Moonwalker”, I love it so much for the beat and vocals, mainly the chorus and of course, layered backgrounds. Just listen to the chorus because no words can do it justice.
Listen! Easily in my top 10 MJ songs. This was Michael’s brand of New Jack Swing and he killed it. That beat! The horns! The harmonies on the bridge! The Teddy Riley-produced songs on Dangerous are among my favorites out of Michael’s entire catalog, tbh.
Iconic song and video. The magnitude of ancient Egypt being accurately portrayed on such a large platform still isn’t fully appreciated. Back to the song though… melody and AGAIN, layered background vocals, for the win! The entire last minute of the song is heavenly.
The beat though! The deep lyrics! There are several iconic performances of this song; if only there would’ve been a video for it.
For the sake of keeping this entry from getting too lengthy, I will cap it there. I think 12 songs is a good cutoff, plus it perfectly stops with 1991’s Dangerous. I will pick up with HIStory in my next MJ entry.
Happy 62nd Birthday once again to my forever fave!
2 thoughts on “Happy Birthday to The King of Pop, Michael Jackson!”
Great entry and tribute to the ” King of Pop”, Michael Jackson. He was truly a magnificent artist in every respect. It’s too bad and sad that he is not with us now during these turbulent times. I am sure that Michael would have a lot to say through his music and songs. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY to the “KING OF POP”. I read this entry earlier, but did not get a chance to comment. I love your writing and your knowledge of music. What a gift!!!
Yes! I completely agree with all of that, especially about him still having a lot to say about the current state of the world through his songs. And thanks as always for the compliment. Love you!
Great entry and tribute to the ” King of Pop”, Michael Jackson. He was truly a magnificent artist in every respect. It’s too bad and sad that he is not with us now during these turbulent times. I am sure that Michael would have a lot to say through his music and songs. HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY to the “KING OF POP”. I read this entry earlier, but did not get a chance to comment. I love your writing and your knowledge of music. What a gift!!!
Yes! I completely agree with all of that, especially about him still having a lot to say about the current state of the world through his songs. And thanks as always for the compliment. Love you!