# Best Michael Jackson Song **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 25, 2009, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992 "2009-06-25T22:32:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![vertizontal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ad7895/32.png) [@vertizontal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vertizontal)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/41 "2009-06-26T14:21:02Z")
I was in my dorm room in college, maybe it was a Saturday evening around 7:30. I was taking a break from stuff, so I turned on the stereo, turned off the lights, and lied down for a while. It was dusk, so there was some ambient light in the room, the window was open, and there was a nice breeze of comfortable fresh air coming in. I was just relaxing, listening to the local college station. They had the usual commercials, then probably some Journey song, and then I heard a song I’d never heard before. It started with this hypnotic, quiet yet pulsating bass line. Strings and other orchestrations came in, and this singer started singing about this girl, Bille Jean, and the time he danced with her, and the after effects. The tone, mood, emotional direction, pervasive background, and overall sound of this song really took me to an altered state of consciousness. As I was listening to this for the first time, it didn’t register in my mind that I was listening to Michael Jackson, and this was a huge hit from a huge album from a rich and famous celebrity – I just heard the song for what it was. It was a rare experience of being enthralled and swept away by a song. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/42 "2009-06-26T14:26:00Z")
So many I absolutely love. I guess ‘Wanna Be Starting something’ is right up there, but it’s a really hard call. His music will never die. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/43 "2009-06-26T14:30:19Z")
There’s a pretty good argument to be made that “Billie Jean” is not just Michael Jackson’s best song, but _ **anyone’s** _ best song. He had a lot of terrific songs, almost all of them already named; “Beat It,” “Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough,” “Smooth Criminal,” “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Rock With You,” so on and so forth. But IMHO, “Billie Jean” is the perfect popular music song. It’s fricking genius from the first beat to the last. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/44 "2009-06-26T14:49:52Z")
> [@RickJay](#): > > There’s a pretty good argument to be made that “Billie Jean” is not just Michael Jackson’s best song, but anyone’s best song. Oh, horse puckey. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/45 "2009-06-26T15:13:31Z")
His best song is almost certainly “Billie Jean.” My favorite is probably “Rock With You.” I could still listen to every track of “Off the Wall” and “Thriller” and enjoy every second. Crap, now I have “Off the Wall” in my head. “We’re the party people night and day…” ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/46 "2009-06-26T15:19:21Z")
Lest we forget, Jackson was free to be me. [Or you](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSNwxeY09bE). ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/47 "2009-06-26T15:56:19Z")
> [@vertizontal](#): > > I was in my dorm room in college, maybe it was a Saturday evening around 7:30. I was taking a break from stuff, so I turned on the stereo, turned off the lights, and lied down for a while. It was dusk, so there was some ambient light in the room, the window was open, and there was a nice breeze of comfortable fresh air coming in. I was just relaxing, listening to the local college station. They had the usual commercials, then probably some Journey song, and then I heard a song I’d never heard before. It started with this hypnotic, quiet yet pulsating bass line. Strings and other orchestrations came in, and this singer started singing about this girl, Bille Jean, and the time he danced with her, and the after effects. The tone, mood, emotional direction, pervasive background, and overall sound of this song really took me to an altered state of consciousness. As I was listening to this for the first time, it didn’t register in my mind that I was listening to Michael Jackson, and this was a huge hit from a huge album from a rich and famous celebrity – I just heard the song for what it was. It was a rare experience of being enthralled and swept away by a song. That sounds like the exact same experience I had. I think “The Girl is Mine” was already released in the UK, and it was a Michael Jackson/McCartney collabo, so it got attention… but it was pretty twee. And I think I had Radio 2 on one night, and Billie Jean came on. The drums first, with the echo. And that bass line, then the synths. Chills up my fucking spine, no hyperbole. This is a very distant second, but the only thing even close to that was the first time I heard… don’t laugh… “Wham! Rap.” I knew that the guy singing that song was going to be huge. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/48 "2009-06-26T16:06:25Z")
I would go with the Jackson 5’s version of “Never Can Say Goodbye.” ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/49 "2009-06-26T16:16:52Z")
[Slacker Radio](http://www.slacker.com/) has a streaming tribute station for MJ - playing stuff from the J5 era to today. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/50 "2009-06-26T16:47:53Z")
For some reason, whenever I try to realize _Want to be Starting Something_ in my head, it keeps fading in and out with Lionel Richie’s _All Night Long_. “…got to be starting something. Woah jambo jambo!..” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Scrivener](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@The\_Scrivener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Scrivener)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/51 "2009-06-26T22:19:55Z")
On reflection, I really think he peaked with “Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough,” although my earworm for the past 24 hours has been “P.Y.T.”. ---
**Author:** ![Baal\_Houtham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baal_houtham/32/13604_2.png) [@Baal\_Houtham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baal_Houtham)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/52 "2009-06-26T22:48:35Z")
Well, MJ didn’t have much to do with it, but “I Want You Back” is the best song he’s performed. It’s got a rhythm track that can grab your spine and knot it around your shoulder blades …which may not sound like a good thing, but very definitely is. It’s my favorite rhythm track of any pop song. There’s nothing I know that even comes close. ---
**Author:** ![Yeticus\_Rex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a698b9/32.png) [@Yeticus\_Rex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeticus_Rex)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/53 "2009-06-26T22:51:14Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > MJ was never really my cup of tea. But this March 1983 performance of [Billie Jean](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8VASYhabHkM) (from the Motown 25th anniversary celebration) has to rank as impressive. Among other distinctions, it’s said to be his first “moonwalk” performance. Same here, not a my cup of tea either, but he was definitely one of the most talented entertainers of the era, and the video you presented was pretty much the ideal iconic version of the entertainer, singing and dancing to one of his best songs that he created. Fifty years from now, it will be probably one of the most popular excerpts of his career, just like this [this guy](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo9GzRZ0c3k) 50+ years ago. The crowd reactions were pretty much identical. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/54 "2009-06-26T22:57:44Z")
There’s an awful lot to choose from, but I’ve got to say that _Billie Jean_ is just one of the most perfect pop songs\*, IMO. It’s danceable, sexy, slightly dark-edged, has an amazing hook and bassline, and MJ’s vocal performance is at its height. And I can’t separate the song from its video, which was so simple it’s almost laughable by today’s standards, but goddamn if it wasn’t hypnotic. The song that makes me happiest to listen to is _Don’t Stop Till you Get Enough_. I cannot hear that without smiling and moving. It’s aural elation. - The Beatles made many of the others. _A Day in the Life_ and _She’s Leaving Home_ among them. Not surprising that McCarney and Jackson teamed up a couple of times – they both knew how to put joy in a bottle. ---
**Author:** ![HoboStew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/f17d59/32.png) [@HoboStew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HoboStew)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/55 "2009-06-26T23:02:36Z")
There really isn’t much debate here. _Billie Jean_ is the best MJ song, hands down. Personally, I always had a soft spot for _The Way You Make Me Feel_ but its not in the same league. I read the wikipedia article on it today and it was interesting. It was mixed 91 times, because Quincy didn’t like it. The way the drum sounds were crafted is interesting as well. [Billie Jean - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billie_Jean) ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/56 "2009-06-27T03:59:18Z")
You’re welcome **Shirley Ujest** and **NinetyWt**. Yeah, Janet is adorable on that Carol Burnett show. And isn’t Randy the little firecracker?? That was a surprise! > [@Shirley\_Ujest](#): > > With the version of Young Michael singing acapella, it makes me wonder if he would have done (if not won) on an American Idol. > > Such raw talent. I’ve been fascinated listening to the acapella versions. This one of [“Rockin’ Robin”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v8c_Gm1ZvGU) has a cute little stifled laugh at about 50 seconds, he was having a lot of fun. Edit to add, yeah, with or without Randy as a judge, Michael would do very well on AI. While I wouldn’t quibble that [“Billie Jean”](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_fHoDWc22B0) is his best song (I don’t know enough of his later music to give an opinion), and I do like the song and video, I found I didn’t particularly like the [acapella version](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qp05PsoKeMU). For me it really needed the beat and the backing vocals and surrounding music. It was fascinating reading the Wikipedia page about the song, regarding the music: > [@](#): > > “Billie Jean” is considered a dance-pop R&B song. It opens with a drum beat: kick, snare and hi-hat, containing hardly any reverberation. The pattern continues unchanged throughout the entire song. After four bars, a repetitive bass line enters. It never rests for more than an eighth note and centers on a seventh. Each time it passes through the tonic the note is doubled by a distorted synth bass, played in unison with a shaker. This accompaniment followed by a repetitive four-note synth, played staccato with a deep reverb. The defining chord progression is then established. Jackson’s quiet vocals enter, accompanied by a finger-snap, which comes and goes during the verses, as the rhythm and chord progression What got me to listen was this: > [@](#): > > Greg Phillinganes was also drafted in; he played the keyboard. He later said of the song, “‘Billie Jean’ is hot on every level. It’s hot rhythmically. **It’s hot sonically, because the instrumentation is so minimal, you can really hear everything.** It’s hot melodically. It’s hot lyrically. It’s hot vocally. It affects you physically, emotionally, even spiritually.”[8] And it’s true, I could hear everything, even the finger snaps, once it was pointed out to me. I was listening on headphones btw. I’m not generally that kind of music listener, listening for each instrument/sound effect/whatever, unless it’s something like Kate Bush’s The Dreaming, which is so sonically dense, everytime you listen you can hear something different (and I’ve heard it thousands of times). I never would have thought to listen to “Billie Jean” in this way if not for this thread and the Wikipedia page. Fascinating stuff. So to me, his vocals alone don’t do much for me _on this particular song_. It’s the whole package put together. ---
**Author:** ![I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/i_love_me_vol.i/32/521_2.png) [@I\_Love\_Me\_Vol.I](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Love_Me_Vol.I)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/57 "2009-06-27T05:09:58Z")
Maybe Tomorrow Who’s Loving You? Ben The Love You Save I Want You Back Are some of favorite J5 songs. And although I kind of like Beat It Wanna Be Starting Something The only post-J5 song of his I ever really liked was She’s Out Of My Life Great chord changes, great haunting electric piano sound and more emotion in his voice than in any other of his solo hits. Probably his best singing as an adult. ---
**Author:** ![BigBertha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d78d45/32.png) [@BigBertha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigBertha)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2009, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992/58 "2009-06-27T07:50:16Z")
Ben. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/best-michael-jackson-song/500992.md?page=2)