T3#4: My 10 Best Michael Jackson Songs
No, I refuse to be part of a worldwide requiem for the King Of Pop. But when I think about my own personal musical journey, I can’t help but go back to how much Michael Jackson has influenced my sound & musical preference. So instead of speaking about how much he’s influenced my life (and run the risk of sounding like a wanna-be-fan or a wanna-be-someone-pa-close-sa-kanya), I will allow his legacy – his work – to speak for himself. After all, after all this hype has died down, and the reality of the recession starts creeping back in, it is his music that will linger on and prove to one and all that he will live forever.
Here’s my list. Feel free to comment, add, violently react, and enjoy. And please, if you find something you’d like to own, buy his CD or purchase his music online. God knows he needs the cash.
1.) Got To Be There – with the Jackson 5; it’s probably one of Motown’s greatest songs.
2.) I Can’t Help It – from “Off The Wall;” a secret only a true Michael Jackson fan can appreciate.
3.) P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) – from “Thriller;” still sounds as current as any Akon single.
4.) Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough – again from “Off The Wall;” who could forget how John loved Marsha with this song!?
5.) Human Nature – from “Thriller;” I swear, even with the multiple covers on this song, I can still hear MJ in every version.
6.) Brand New Day – from “The Wiz: Music From The Motion Picture;” for those who don’t know, Michael played the Scarecrow in this Diana Ross starer
7.) I’ll Be There – with the Jackson 5; yes, without Michael, there wouldn’t be any Mariah hit. And probably no Mariah at all.
8.) You Wanna Be Starting Something – the first track from “Thriller;” yup, if you’re a keen listener, it is not just the track that Rihanna picked up her famous “mamase-mamasa-mamakusa” for “Don’t Stop The Music;” it is also still the formula to which most R&B songs still copy their music from: the repetitive chorus rift and the simple chord progression, from Ne-yo to Beyonçé.
9.) Black Or White – from “Dangerous;” who could forget that “global” music video where he stitched a majority of world cultures into one MTV; also, this is where he last looked “normal” and quite good-looking at that.
10.) Remember The Time – also from “Dangerous;” who could forget that Soul Train Awards performance, nor that Egyptian-inspired music video with Iman!?