Okay so you knew this was coming. I want you to note that I capitalized “most played” for a reason. It is excedingly difficult to pick my FAVORITE MJ songs. So much so that I wanted to make that qualification. Is it a cop out, sure. I just know that some of you are sticklers for certain things and will think it’s sacriligious that I don’t include certain songs, thinking me some type of idiot. This is not the case, I assure you, I’m as much of an MJ fan as you’d expect from a music scholar such as myself. Also note that I excluded Jackson 5 songs from this list (ABC and Never Can Say Goodbye are the songs in question in case you are wondering). You’d also be curious to know that MJ along with Stevie Wonder, Anita Baker, and Teedra Moses has one of the highest aggregated ratings among artists on my lists (meaning I have a ton of their songs and most of the songs are rated 4 star or higher) to me this makes up for the lack of plays (because I listen to a TON of his songs).
Anyway enough with the pre(r)amble, in order from fewer to most plays:
25. PYT (Pretty Young Thing) - This might be my favorite song to hear a Black Colleg Band perform. Usually because Mahogany In Motion (or whatever the analogous group for your school is called) is showcased prominently. It’s one of MJ’s better upbeat songs as well.
24. Why You Wanna Trip On Me - Okay you are definitely going to notice a bias toward the Dangerous album on my list. Why? My dad used to play it ALOT. It’s my favorite MJ album (and yes I know I’m in the minority) because I think it was the truest album to his personality. It’s before he got completely disgruntled with society’s fixation on him (that’d be the HIStory album) and after he was no longer obligated to completely cater to the pop charts (Bad). This song in particular is a PERFECT song for that album.
23. In The Closet - I saw this video last night during the tribute and it made me realize how much I LOVED Naomi Campbell at the time. Man was she bad!! Anyway, this song was just so unique at the time with the glass crashing and the driving beat. And it was so risque for MJ at the time! He really was very daring on the Dangerous album!!
22. Liberian Girl - I’m a sucker for songs that feature women speaking foreign languages no matter what they are saying (even if it’s probably made up). For a hot second I wanted a Liberian girl because of this song…
21. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ - In hindsight this song was amazing in it’s ability to remain relevant about MJ’s personal life. I really think if the media had left him alone, he would still be around. They contributed to whatever happened to him.
20. Got To Be There - I love the harpsichord on this song. I love young Michael’s voice. I love how this song makes me feel about my life right now!
19. Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough - I was telling someone this morning how this song reminds me of all of those “Make Your Own Video” videos at Six Flags! Anyone remember those? If you’ve seen this video and seen one of those videos you know exactly what I’m talking about!
18. Will You Be There - I was telling the above mentioned person about how when me and my sisters were kids we’d drive around with my dad looking for the best decorated houses around Christmas time. We had this one house we called, “The House With A Thousand Lights” and that house was the perennial winner of our best decorated homes…until one year we discovered “The House With A Million Lights” it just so happened that when the choral intro to this song was reaching it’s climax we rolled up on it (it was at the top of a hill). I’ll forever associate that song with that moment!
17. Stranger In Moscow - A really beautiful song. I was honestly surprised that so many people mentioned it in comments to my status update the other day, because I thought that with it not being a major hit that folks wouldn’t be as up on it. I was impressed by those who mentioned it!
16. Scream - You know how you anticipate a collaboration for years and when it comes out it excedes your expectations so much you remember exactly where you were when you heard it. Well we were in Mrs. Dennard’s driveway waiting on her to return home so we could visit her one day when I heard Scream for the first time. It was on V-103. I was amazed that Mike cursed! I wish MJ and Janet had done more songs together!
15. I Wanna Be Where You Are - Another young Mike song with a harpsichord featured! Young MJ and Harpsichords go together like Peas and Carrots or Forrest and Jenny! How many artists could have pulled off the kind of career that MJ did? From a MAJOR child star to adult superstar to worldwide phenom? There will never be another MJ! EVER!!!
14. Man In The Mirror - Another thing MJ could do was be socially concious without being a dick about it (*cough*Bono*cough*). You never felt like you were less of a person listening to MJ sing songs like this, instead you were inspired to do better. He never guilt tripped you! Even with Earth Song!!!
13. Break Of Dawn - MJ is so bad he can sample himself and make a beautiful song out of it. He’s so bad he can sample a song that was sample and had the same title and make it better than the sampled song (no offense to De La Soul).
12. The Way You Make Me Feel - This is my absolute favorite MJ song and yet there are 11 of his songs I’ve listened to more often! That’s amazing, but a testiment to how great and listenable his songs are! This song is EXACTLY how I feel about the girl I like. And yes, I’d follow you down the street like that!!
11. Heaven Can Wait - “Tell The Angels No…I don’t wanna leave my baby alone…I don’t want nobody else to hold you…that’s the chance I’ll wait…Baby I’ll stay…heaven can wait!” MJ sure knew how to compliment a woman! I don’t know a better way to say it….
10. You Are Not Alone - Okay so I HATED this video and the whole Lisa Marie thing….it was just wrong and I want to pretend it never happened okay. In the meanwhile this is the VERY BEST song R. Kelly ever wrote. Better than “For You” on the 12 Play album which is the best song he ever wrote for himself. This song deserves better memories than to be thought of with R. Smelly and Lisa Marie Presley though…just saying!
9. Earth Song - I have a confession. For the longest I slept on this song. I didn’t even want to listen to it. I don’t have a good reason either. I just avoided it. But when I gave it a chance I was blown away by it. MAN WHAT A SONG!
8. Human Nature - Another absolutely beautiful song by MJ. IF MJ songs were paintings, this would be his Mona Lisa…it’s so easy to listen to…if I had to define the easy listening genre to someone I’d use this song as the example. Halle Berry is to the eyes as Human Nature is to the ears!
7. The Lady In My Life - Okay my listening preferences are coming out now, because I’m a quiet storm type of guy. I love MJ’s ballads. It’s also the song sampled on my favorite “song that sampled MJ” “Hey Lover” by LL Cool J and Boyz II Men.
6. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You - I’ll just “retweet” what I wrote on Twitter about this song: “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” is not only one of my favorite MJ songs…it’s one of the best duets I’ve ever heard!
5. Dirty Diana - Okay some people have it twisted. They think I don’t love this song. I do. I listened to it SO MUCH as a kid that I had to temper the amount I listen to it now. It’s the BEST song about scandalous women possible. NO ONE will ever create a song like Dirty Diana again…it’s a wrap. That said, if I had to pick 5 MJ songs (and I did earlier) it wouldn’t quite make the cut….that’s more a testiment to how great MJ is than an indictment of the song…trust me!
4. She’s Out Of My Life - “..and it cuts like a knife”…that’s what this song does. It’s a heartbreaking song…and well…I’ve listened to it alot…so…well….yeah let’s just move on…
3. Butterflies - The first time I heard Butterflies I stopped what I was doing and put it on repeat. It took me a day to listen to the rest of Invincible because of that song. It was just that awesome. Easily Floetry’s best contribution to society!
2. I Can’t Help It - This song is about the romantic in me. Also it was sampled very well by De La Soul (the aforementioned Breakadawn) and Mary J. Blige (Sexy). Matter of fact this is one of the many songs about her….
1. Give In To Me - This song is the best song on my favorite MJ album. Even though I no longer relate to the song on a personal level, it still remains my favorite song to listen to. Maybe it’s the guitar solo, maybe it’s the passion he sings with, maybe it’s the vulnerability of the bridge (you and your friends were laughing at me in town, but it’s okay, said it’s okay…you won’t be laughing girl when I’m not around…I’ll be okay)….this is the piece of vulnerable Cal I still hold on to.
I’m going to miss Michael….no one created music for SO MANY people…not even Stevie Wonder….MJ appealed to EVERYONE….we’ll never be able to say that again! To paraphrase the words that Seth Gecko had for his brother Richie right before he had to kill him in From Dusk Til’ Dawn, I hope MJ finds the peace in death that he couldn’t find in life!
