Top 10 Michael Jackson Songs
February 9th 2009 22:00
Beat it bad
Last weeks Top Ten featured the undisputed king of 80s record sales Michael Jackson and his smash hit Billy Jean.
The dude broke all the records there were to break in the music industry and opened up the whole thing to R&B and black people...this was all of course before he became white.
Before Jacko was wacko, he was just...well; he was always a bit wacko... anyway, here are some of his best songs he ever did, a few big ones and a few album tracks...
MICHAEL JACKSON SONGS
Don’t Stop ‘Til you get enough – Off The Wall
This was Jacko’s breakthrough solo single from his Off The Wall album. Its a cool little upbeat song and has been featured in a stack of movies, most famously when Chris Tucker sang it in Rush Hour 2 or from the classic sequence in the final Seinfeld clip show.
Bad – Bad
This was like a cross between Beat It and Billie Jean. The video had the famous dance showdown in an underground car park or subway or something. One of the most classic things about the song was Weird Al Yankovic’s cover – Fat.
Beat It – Thriller
This was Jacko’s first hard rockin’ number, thanks to Steve Lukather’s smokin’ hot riff and Eddie Van Halen’s historic guitar solo. It set the trend for him to include a hard rock song on each album with a famous guitarist handling the axe duties. It also got the Weird Al treatment with eat It.
Smooth Criminal – Bad
This song was the centrepiece to his movie Moonwalker and debuted his also-famous Anti-gravity Lean move. It has this cool fast-paced riff and was covered by Alien Any Farm a few years back which was pretty cool too.
Billie Jean – Thriller
This was the biggest song of 1983 (see Top 10 Songs of 1983 post) and came from the highest selling alum of all time – Thriller.
They Don’t Care About Us – HIStory
This was probably one of his last cool songs. Had some dynamic and controversial lyrics, a sweet beat and some tasty guitar licks to boot. Spike Lee even made the video
Black & White – Dangerous
This song was so freakin’ big when I was young, you could barely go a day without hearing it (a bit like Kings of Leon right now...) It was unbelievably ironic and the music video starred the then huge-as-all-hell child actor Macaulay Culkin.
Jam – Dangerous
This was his try at a bit of a hard and funky rap thang. Heavy D from Heavy D and the Boys (Now that We’ve Found Love...) took the solo rap section and coolest thing about it was that Michael Jordan was in the video and anything to do with basketball at this time was instantly huge. Jackson tries to show Jordan how to Moonwalk and Jordan shows Jacko how to play ball. Kriss Kross (!) also make a cameo appearance.
The Way You Make Me Feel – Bad
This was his little upbeat shuffle from Bad and the video was the first time he’d ever been seen kissing someone in public.
Give in to Me – Dangerous
This is my favourite MJ song of all time and probably one of his most underrated. I still remember when it came out and the video had Slash in a blue flannel shirt blazing a solo out with the dry ice and fans going full-blast. Absolute classic. For some reason it wasn’t released as a single in the U.S. but it topped the charts everywhere else.
Other notable mentions:
Dirty Diana, Thriller, Ben, Rock With You, Off The Wall, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', Remember the Time, Blood on the Dance Floor, You Rock My World
"Don't want no Captain Crunch, don't want no Raisin Bran"
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Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
The first album I ever bought was Off the Wall when I was 11.
I'd have to rate several tracks of that album as his very best; Quincy Jones' production and the session playing is second to none: Don't Stop Til You Get Enough (which also rates as my fave song of all time), Get On The Floor, Working Day And Night, Rock With You, I Can't Help It and Off the Wall.
My other four faves would be: The Way You Make Me Feel, Billie Jean, Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' and Baby Be Mine.
Other close contenders would be You Rock My World (the only late MJ song I like), Bad, Thriller, and Dirty Diana
Comment by Mr Nice Guy
Pop Culturist
Pop Rock Factory
That said - I think some of his earlier work with the Jackson 5 including ABC and I'll Be There are also note worthy inclusions.
Comment by greatestsparrow
Simick's Thoughts
Comment by gex
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Sony
In the closet-MJ looks very sexy in the video and the song is cool....Dangerous is his best album...
MJ will always be there in my heart..He is the best....RIP...Love you!!!!
Comment by Biggest MJ Fan
Why the hell did you say,
"R&B and black people...this was all of course before he became white.
Before Jacko was wacko, he was just...well; he was always a bit wacko..."
Michael was NEVER a 'wacko!
He's a Jackson not 'jacko'!
& he had a skin diease called Vitiligo! Go Google it dumb ass!!!!