Say what you will about the man, he sure knows how to make good music. I mean, Elvis Presley was a fat-ass who beat his wife and died via drug overdose while taking a dump, but all that doesn't make "Jailhouse Rock" a bad song. There isn't one rock star today who isn't at least a borderline scumbag, yet people seem willing to give their music an independent appraisal. Jack the Knife deserves the same courtesy.
Like Jay-Z said, "This is America, people. We're supposed to be innocent until proven guilty. What happened?"
In tribute to the long, illustrious solo career of the Gloved One, I mounted a full-on review of his musical legacy and selected the creme de la creme. These eleven songs represent Michael Jackson at his move-bustin', body-rockin' creative best.
Some choices are obvious, some are rather obscure, but they're all entirely my own. Any disagreements will be entirely ignored.
10a. "You Rock My World."
Okay, so the "new, improved" Jacko sounds a whole lot like the "same-old" Jacko. Yes, we've probably heard it just a few too many times on the radio. But this song really isn't about the song.
This one sneaks in on the edge of the list just for the short intro, featuring Chris Tucker and MJ debating just how "bangin'" a certain hot mama is. You take Mike's oh-so-awkward commentary, combine it with Tucker's spot-on mimicry and suddenly the music just seems secondary.
10. That song from Free Willy.
You know the one. Admit it. You're probably humming it right now.
I don't quite remember the song's name (like every other Jacko song, it had "world" in the title), but it managed to sneak off of the Dangerous LP and onto the Free Willy soundtrack without much notice at the time.
It's a decent enough song, really, but hardly up to MJ's lofty standards. What landed it (just barely) on this list was a memory from a Super Bowl not long after the movie made its splash (har!).
I distinctly remember a half-time show featuring Jackson on a lofted platform in the middle of the friggin' Rose Bowl, singing the Free Willy song at the top of his lungs. The kicker was, he was surrounded by a sea of children. Knowing Mikey's past, you wonder what genius put this one together.
Too bad for the kids, too funny to me. It gets this song on the list.
9. "Stranger in Moscow."
An underappreciated tune from Jackson's last effort, Blood on the Dance Floor, this one's got a weird techno flavor that's rather unlike MJ's earlier efforts. Like U2's Pop and the Pumpkins' Machina, Dance Floor represents a foray into electronica that went largely unnoticed upon first appearance but deserves a definite second look.
"Stranger in Moscow"is probably the best original work off of the disc, composed mostly of dance remixes of earlier Jacko B-sides. It's not initially recognizable as a Jacko tune, except in that it makes you want to get up and throw a couple of kicks high into the air. After this one, you'll understand why the man grabs his balls so often.
Don't ask me what it's about. I think it concerns the Cold War or something. Then again, it might not.
8. "Rock with You."
Some of Jacko's followers have long held Off the Wall, not Thriller, as his best LP. Though debateable, the album definitely offered some high-quality, if underappreciated, grooves. "Rock with You" is no exception.
Maybe it's the ear-catching hook. Maybe it's the shoulder-bouncing melody. Heck, maybe it's just the shock that this awesome jam emerged from the depths of the Disco Era. Either way, "Rock With You" is that rare R&B tribute to l'amore that actually improves upon repeated listening. (As opposed to, let's say, K-Ci & Jo-Jo's "All My Life.") It's so easy to get distracted by the smooth sounds that you'll miss just how lollypop-sweet the lyrics are.
It probably would've been higher up on the list, but an Allnighters' rendition of it two years back basically ruined the song for me. Let this be a lesson to all aspiring male singers out there: Just because you can sing to a high-pitched squeal doesn't mean you can top the "King of Pop."
7. "Black or White."
The debut single off of 1992's Dangerous, "Black or White" was Mikey's first attempt at social activism through song since 1985's blockbuster "We Are the World." Its lyrics are, compared to his usual oeuvre, rather deep, though singing about interracial romance is hardly groundbreaking these days.
Its repetitive guitar riffs threaten to become tedious, but are catchy and light enough to remain pleasing through multiple listens.
It gets mad props for not simply acknowledging its "poppiness," but indeed embracing it. The cheese rises to whole new levels on this one, yet you'll always find yourself waiting for more.
6. "Man in the Mirror."
The peak of Big Mike's attempts to address all the world's troubles through chipper melodies and slick production. Finally, gloriously, it works out for him.
Courtesy of 1987's Bad, "Mirror" is a no-holds-barred call to action against the world's injustices. Sort of like a light-hearted "We Shall Overcome" for the new millennium. It's no wonder they love this guy in the Third World.
In "Man in the Mirror," Mike's telling us to stand up and take some personal responsibility for taking care of all the bad things going on around us. In the cynical days of the late 1980s, it was a rare message, especially from someone who loomed so large in the public eye.
Mad props for the effort. Unfortunately, by the time the song hit the airwaves, most fans were too busy cracking up at Weird Al's "Eat It" to notice.
5. "Thriller."
The highest-selling single of all time. For most, that says it all. Indeed, "Thriller" lies at the heart of the Michael Jackson phenomenon. I am not entirely sold on it.
This song's popularity, I'm afraid, stems mostly from a wonderful video. From a purely musical standpoint, it's not even the best song on the album. In fact, it comes in third.
The song's a little too Halloween-y for my taste, but I won't deny its effectiveness. There's no real deep meaning to "Thriller," but when a song is so imminently danceable, there's no need for it to be.
4. "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough."
This jam was a major dance-club hit from Off the Wall nearly 25 years ago and remains, in various remixed forms, extremely popular to this day.
With good reason, I might add. "Don't Stop" is easily the most dance-friendly tune Jackson has put together. From the master of dance music, that's no small distinction.
Its contribution to Jacko lore: "Don't Stop" contains the first recorded instance of MJ's famous "woo hoo," a bellow that has since become legendary. Not until the "Black or White" video did we find out it gave him the power to shatter glass.
3. "Billie Jean."
So, apparently, the kid is not his son. Back in the days when Mr. Jackson's sexuality wasn't so much in question, this must've been a terribly relevant issue. These days, it seems just a bit odd.
Still, you can't let that take away from what is otherwise a masterpiece. As with most of the songs off of Thriller, Quincy Jones' production efforts were as close to perfect as they've ever been. Each song had a unique sound, distinctly Michael, and years ahead of anything else the music industry had to offer.
What makes "Billie Jean" stand out is the sense of anger and frustration Michael just emotes into the words. When he tells you Billie Jean isn't his lover, by George, you can't help but believe him.
Rare among his works, this song grabs you not simply by the strength of the music, but by the real depth of the vocals. The shame is, we haven't heard that from MJ since.
2. "Smooth Criminal."
The reason Alien Ant Farm has had so much success with their cover (besides their brilliant parody of a video) is that it accentuates the best element from the original: its hard-driving, incredibly gripping lead guitar.
I had the misfortune of waking up to it on the clock radio a few weeks back. The rest of the day, I was humming that damned beat to myself all day. "Dat dat da da dat dat. da da dat dat." and so on. The Backstreet Boys have never been so damned addictive.
Is Annie okay? Does it matter? Just hit repeat.
1. "Beat It."
On the greatest selling album of all time, this song stands tall above the rest. The Gloved One's paean to nonviolence (seriously. listen to the words) represents the combined virtuoso efforts of three brilliant musicians. Jacko's vocals, Jones' steady hands at the mixing board and Eddie Van Halen's rapid-fire guitar resulted in something indeed greater than the sum of its parts.
What "Kashmir" was to Zeppelin, "Beat It" is to Michael Jackson. It's the rare example of a master at his peak.
