Remembering Michael Jackson - The Essential Playlist
Michael Jackson passed on to glory on June 29th, 2009. As an unapologetic and unrepentant Michael Jackson fan, this blog dedicates this month to highlighting his bounteous musical offerings to the world. MJ was a charismatic, magnetic and multi-talented icon- singer, songwriter, producer, director, dancer, choreopgrapher and actor. He was also a lesson in ambiguity developed out of self-preservation. He was vulnerable and delicate, but had a serious demeanour, gentlemanly, but gangsterish; soft-spoken, but assertive; flamboyant, but simple; high-pitched public voice, but deep voice in private spaces.
Many theories have been propounded to rationalize his public vocal presentation. Some say he was medically castrated under the directive of his father to preserve the youthful voice of the Jackson 5 era. Others claim his soft-spokenness was a construct weaponized to mask his black masculinity and present an unthreatening persona to white audiences. His authentic voice, according to family and close associates, was deeper and authoritative. It was displayed based on extenuating circumstances within private spaces.
Regardless, from the cosmopolitan cities of New York and Berlin to remote villages in Uyo, Bali and Tulum, his face was known and his songs were legendary, memorable and celebrated. He is the only artist in history with a avid fanbase emerging from unborn children, children born after his demise in 2009, who relish and savour his musical legacy which attests to his divinity, humanity, purity, benevolence, musical supremacy and excellence.
Since the 1980s, his private life would be assailed by media warfare and subjected to episodic speculations often coming under scrutiny with persistent allegations of paedophilic activities with children, during his lifetime and even years after his passage. During the height of his media trials, MJ would appear on television in 1993 to say “If I am guilty of anything, it is of giving all that I have to give to help children all over the world. It is of loving children of all ages and races. It is of gaining sheer joy from seeing children with their innocent and smiling faces. It is of enjoying, through them, the childhood that I missed myself”.
Till date, there has been no substantial evidence apart from pictures taken with misogynistic fellows like Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein. Despite the calculated and resolute smear campaigns to tarnish his legacy, MJ remains irreplaceable. He remains loved by children who were born years after his demise. That is an attestation to his innocence, as children through their pure and incorruptible spirits are often the quickest detectors of evil in their environment.
MJ began his solo career in 1972 which ran concurrently alongside The Jackson 5’s at Berry Gordy’s Motown. In 1979, he would transition to Epic Records where his music collaboration with Quincy Jones began and his future megastardom trajectory would be shaped.
In this post, I share a playlist of 65 MJ songs (1972 - 2001). * and *** signify my favourites, while***** signify most favourite.
“I Wanna Be Where You Are” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu_TUrTsyPkGot To Be There (1972). *
“In Our Small Way” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1N2mgf89kwGot To Be There (1972).
“Got To Be There” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4_w1L_sfcUGot To Be There (1972).
“You’ve Got A Friend” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQF1HMwk1dMGot To Be There (1972).
“Ben” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7TTSzfs2kwBen (1972).
“Greatest Show On Earth” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3oP7pJQEewBen (1972). *
“People Make The World Go Round” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=854EUp0t9kgBen (1972). *
“We’ve Got A Good Thing Going” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e63CbvVrby8 Ben (1972).*
“Everybody Is Somebody’s Fool” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CRf5JPAkOUBen (1972).*
“What Goes Around Comes Around” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU_xhdij6mABen (1972).
“Up Again” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=414dWsr0qg8Music And Me (1973).
“All The Things You Are” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdZ58AUs4FcMusic And Me (1973).*
“Happy” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s8U620ovLDEMusic And Me (1973).*
“We’re Almost There” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaWUm4GS3acForever, Michael (1975).
“Take Me Back” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SFf4jv_uaI Forever, Michael (1975).*
“One Day In Your Life” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXX6TB6S6J8Forever, Michael (1975).*
“Just A Little Bit of You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ypY8hhSealsForever, Michael (1975).*
“Dear Michael” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoJ5WssnQwo Forever, Michael (1975).
“I’ll Come Home To You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVkgWSzZWLUForever, Michael (1975).
“Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3qQtSRmHxoOff The Wall (1979).*
“Rock With You” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvzJZTkWYoYOff The Wall (1979).*
“Workin’ Day and Night” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWnyCxva6bAOff The Wall (1979).*
“Off The Wall” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0ViBH7m4XA Off The Wall (1979).*
“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XMvPTFzgVUThriller (1982).*
“Billie Jean” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kr4EQDVETuA Thriller (1982).
“The Girl Is Mine” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8GB9BULxZ8cThriller (1982).***
“Beat It” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kOn-HdEg6AQThriller (1982).*
“Human Nature” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElN_4vUvTPsThriller (1982).*****
“P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZZQuj6htF4Thriller (1982).***
“Bad” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-DlMoJ2V6ukBad (1987).***
“Liberian Girl” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UoONw5ABpEBad (1987).****
“Just Good Friends” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt27N-_3HjsBad (1987).****
“Another Part Of Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeAlVg5uehcBad (1987).*
“Man In The Mirror” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gqMRlN6mAABad (1987).****
“Dirty Diana” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUD0juRwb3IBad (1987).***
“Smooth Criminal” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mMyPJSx8RUBad (1987).*
“Jam” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGT_9ah_YFoDangerous (1991).*
“Why You Wanna Trip On Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VL3oj6aYbrA Dangerous (1991).*
“In The Closet” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D6pELkXYt6YDangerous (1991).***
“She Drives Me Wild” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRp_FqCmsVA Dangerous (1991).***
“Remember The Time” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM19eRgOK1Q Dangerous (1991).***
“Heal The World” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyCMuCFCkdkDangerous (1991).***
“Black Or White” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YP3W-E0OamU Dangerous (1991).***
“Who Is It” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMsQhR07fsQ Dangerous (1991).***
“Give In To Me” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqjP5rTOQFc Dangerous (1991).***
“Will You Be There” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIuPDFw9dRU Dangerous (1991).*****
“Keep The Faith” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIEiP7kzGjI Dangerous (1991).*****
“Dangerous” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jTq2FXKr0g Dangerous (1991).***
“They Don’t Care About Us” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsHZBisKwxg HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995).*****
“Stranger In Moscow” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afi78zv0QHk HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995).***
“This Time Around” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXFSjcjK73M HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995).
“Earth Song” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbAd62jzrNI HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995). *****
“Come Together” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp_iORAu5q4 HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995).*****
“D.S” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SHWpLfZzGU0 HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995). *****
“Money” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3XRCfet0Lc HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995).
“You Are Not Alone” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02dMNQxwy48 HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995).*****
“HIStory” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_dznlX3EAA HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995).
“Smile” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQTHBlf-TvwHIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995).
“Break of Dawn” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8ELJ_Eh8A0Invincible (2001).
“You Rock My World” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiE1inuK5tE Invincible (2001).***
“Speechless” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csARzcsjark Invincible (2001).*****
“The Lost Children” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UoPNNzWUjk Invincible (2001).*****
“Cry” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rpwVKcOC3kE Invincible (2001).*****
“Whatever Happens” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rn_pCKFeC8 Invincible (2001).*****
“Butterflies” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csvNBRZfFpo Invincible (2001).
“You Are My Life” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KE0YkNusew Invincible (2001).
