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Detailed list of unreleased songs that could be released

Slave To The Rhythm

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Here we want to collect everything we know about unreleased songs. We want to find out which of them could possibly be released in the future and which of them not.

I made a list in 2016 in another thread and to bring new life to this topic I decided to open up a new one.



Lovley Way
According to Mark Ronson he produced the song for the "Michael" album but it didn't make the final cut. He also said that Lovely Way is in the Vein of “Good Bye Yellow Brick Road” (Elton John) and “Imagine” (John Lennon). A few seconds of a song called Lovely Way leaked. It is unknown if this is the song that Mark Ronson talked about.

Chicago 1945
Writer/Producer didn't want it to be remixed for Xscape.

I'm Dreamin’
One of the songs he worked on with will.i.am. In an interview in september of 2013 Will said that he wanted to put it on his album #willpower but the estate didn't allow that. Maybe they want to save it for a future Michael album?
Watch the interview: http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4046216
Information about the other will.i.am songs: http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4032573

Throwing Your Life Away
Another song that was considered for "Michael" (produced for Xscape by Neff-U). The track has complete vocals and Michael worked several times on it from 1988 to his death.

Can't Get Your Weight Off Of Me
Rodney Jerkins who produced the song was also part of the Xscape project. Several parts of the song have leaked.

Man In Black/Men In Black
A part of the song leaked and it is unknown if there is a more finished version with additional vocals. I guess that Michael has never finished the song and there is no way it will ever be officially released. What do you think?
Another interesting information: http://www.mjjcommunity.com/forum/showthread.php?p=4039160

Hot Fun In The Summertime
The song failed to make the Xscape album as a posthumous duet with D'Angelo, Mary J Blige and Questlove.

Shut Up And Dance
A great dance track Jackson and Buxer worked on with Michael Prince and Eric Kirkland with echoes of Stevie Wonder and MJ circa Bad.
Joe Vogel: “I don’t think we’ll get “Shut Up and Dance” as an official release. The music is perfect, but sadly, it was one of those tracks Michael and others just figured they could lay down vocals for once the new album was closer to completion. The vocals aren’t even as complete as “Hollywood.” Too bad…it’s a killer dance track. Would have likely been the lead single on Invincible.”
http://www.joevogel.net/exclusive-inside-michael-jacksons-hollywood#comment-7
Are the vocals at least as complete at the ones on “In The Back”?
Joe Vogel: “Unfortunately, no, it’s not as complete. “In the Back” had at least scatting through every part of the song.”
http://www.joevogel.net/exclusive-inside-michael-jacksons-hollywood#comment-12

Joy
Teddy Riley went through 700 tapes to find the song so that we all can hear it. Here's his post: http://instagram.com/p/wFWydXGHg9/?modal=true . Sadly that was a long time ago and we've never heard something about the song again.

Other unreleased finished leaked songs
Seeing Voices, If You Don't Love Me, Serious Effect, I Am A Loser

Other unreleased unfinished leaked songs
People Of The World, Jane Is A Groupie, Rampage



Please help me to expand the list. Sources would be awesome.
 
Off the top of my head!

===============

"Buffalo Bill" (1983-84) (Jackson)
State of Completion: Vocally Finished
Based on the death of American soldier William Frederick "Buffalo Bill" Cody (1846-1917). Originally written and recorded for Victory, but withheld for consideration for Bad. One of the first songs John Barnes completed with/for Michael (though he has emphasized that the track is not formally complete, likely requiring finishing touches). Later worked on with Bill Bottrell. Said to be an uptempo track featuring a "big symphonic opening" and extensive vocal contributions from the Jackson brothers. Chorus lyrics include: "Who shot Buffalo Bill?/They say he shot a lot/Did he ever get killed?"

"Make a Wish" (1983-84) (Jackson/Kohan)
State of Completion: Likely Finished
One of at least four songs written for an unfulfilled Peter Pan feature film. Stephen Spielberg (the project's intended director) is said to have regularly put his son to bed with a cassette of the song.

"Neverland Landing" (1983-84) (Jackson/Kohan)
State of Completion: Finished
One of at least four songs written for an unfulfilled Peter Pan feature film. Said to be nearly complete.

"Chicago 1945" (c. spring 1984) (Jackson/Porcaro)
State of Completion: Finished
Narrates the disappearance of three women ("Three girls disappeared on a cold, windy night/Never to be found again, never to be found again") and features numerous citations and references to Chicago landmarks (e.g., the World's Fair, Al Capone, The Chicago Tribune). Written and recorded shortly before the Victory tour, based on an instrumental groove submitted by Steve Porcaro. Chorus lyrics include: "Who solved the mystery late Chicago night/You can't hide the truth, so won't you turn on the light?" Frequently revisited over the years, including during the Invincible sessions and during the selection process for The Ultimate Collection. Considered for inclusion on Xscape, but withheld due to Porcaro's aversion to remixes/contemporizations.

"Changes" (1985; July 1995) (Jackson)
State of Completion: Incomplete
Originally demoed for Bad. Reworked shortly after the release of HIStory with vocals from the Andrae Crouch Choir. Said to feature a rough guide vocal with occasional ad-libs.

"Throwin' Your Life Away" (September 1988) (Jackson)
State of Completion: Finished
Recorded at Westlake Studios during a brief three-week sabbatical during the Bad tour. Frequently revisited over the years, including in mid-2008 with Neff-U. Addresses an unnamed protagonist who leads a questionable lifestyle.

"Joy" (1991) (Jackson/Riley/Lucas)
State of Completion: Finished
Covered by Riley's vocal group Blackstreet in 1994. Michael's solo demo confirmed to exist by both Riley and recording engineer Jean-Marie Horvat. Said to have been considered for inclusion on Xscape.

"Get Your Weight Off of Me" (1999-2001) (Jackson/Jerkins)
State of Completion: Finished
Produced by Rodney Jerkins. Said to feature melodic, production, and lyrical similarities to "Privacy." Considered for inclusion on Xscape.

"I Am a Loser/I Was the Loser" (c. January 2003; late October 2008) (Jackson/Buxer)
State of Completion: Finished
Inspired by the dissolution of co-writer Brad Buxer's relationship. Originally written and recorded as "I Am a Loser," before being adjusted due to Michael's discomfort with referring to himself as a "loser." Considered for inclusion on Xscape.

"World of Candy" (summer 2003) (Jackson)
State of Completion: Finished
Duet with Canadian vocalist Nisha Kataria. Recorded at Neverland Ranch in the summer of 2003. Cited by Joseph Jackson as a "beautiful" duet that he hoped to see released.

"I Have This Dream" (c. summer/fall/winter 2005) (Jackson)
State of Completion: Finished
Planned as an all-star charity anthem meant to benefit victims of 2005's Hurricane Katrina. Solo version believed to exist. Status of the all-star recording is ambiguous, as only two recording sessions are known to have taken place: (1) on November 1, 2005 in Los Angeles, with James Ingram, Shirley Caesar, the O'Jays, and Ciara in attendance; and (2) at an unknown time and place, for Snoop Dogg. As recently as early 2006, vocals from several noteworthy vocalists (e.g., James Brown, R. Kelly) were missing. Said to feature a heavy gospel influence. Features extensive contributions from John Barnes, who would later cite the track as the one he would most like to see released from Michael's vault.

"Bottom of My Heart" (2006-09) (Jackson)
State of Completion: Incomplete
Updated/reworked version of "I Have This Dream." Said to feature, at best, an unusable guide vocal.

"Lovely Way" (?) (?)
State of Completion: Finished
Origins unknown. Re-produced by Mark Ronson in 2010 as a contender for Michael, but ultimately withheld when Ronson backed out of the project over personal discomfort. Said to bear sonic similarities to Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and John Lennon's "Imagine." Runs 4:35, with three verses.

"Shut Up and Dance" (?) (?)
State of Completion: Never Recorded
Debuted by Michael Prince at a French fan event in 2016, where he allegedly confirmed that Michael never recorded vocals.
 
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I'd love to hear the original version of "Throwing Your Life Away". Can't believe it didn't make the 'Michael' record.
 
"Toy"
Recorded in 1982 for a Richard Pryor movie. Early version of Best Of Joy.

"Alright Now"
Recorded in 1985 with John Barnes and later given to Ralph Tresvant for his debut album in 1990.

" Victory"
Duet with Freddie Mercury.

" Groove Of Midnight"
Recorded for the Bad album and failed to make the final tracklist.

"Michael Mckeller"
It is unknown when the song was recorded. Somewhere between 78 - 93. Mentioned in 1993 deposition and described by Frank Cascio as a "pretty song"

"Turning Me Off"
Failed to make the Dangerous album, could have first been recorded for Bad.
 
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''??????''
Recorded: 1985/86
Failed to make the 'Bad' album. Worked on with John Barnes.


''???? ??? ?? ?? ??''
Recorded: 1985/86
Failed to make the 'Bad' album.
Reworked in 1998 for 'Invincible'


''????? ????? (??. ??? ?.?.?) ''
Recorded: 1986
Lead vocals recorded according to Joseph Vogel. Vogel was apparently shocked that it didn't come out on 'Bad 25'.


''???? ?? ?????''
Recorded: 1985/86
Worked on with John Barnes.
John has stated that Michael really liked this song and felt it should have been on 'Bad'.


''? ??????''
Recorded: 1989/90
Worked on during the early 'Dangerous' sessions with Bryan Loren.
Lead vocals recorded


''???'? ??????? ??''
Recorded: 1989/90
Worked on during the early 'Dangerous' sessions with Bryan Loren.
Lead vocals recorded


This is all that comes to mind at the moment. I might add some more later on.
 
dethorro said:
''????????????''
Recorded: 1985/86
Failed to make the 'Bad' album. Worked on with John Barnes.


''???????? ?????? ???? ???? ????''
Recorded: 1985/86
Failed to make the 'Bad' album.
Reworked in 1998 for 'Invincible'


''?????????? ?????????? (????. ?????? ??.??.??) ''
Recorded: 1986
Lead vocals recorded according to Joseph Vogel. Vogel was apparently shocked that it didn't come out on 'Bad 25'.


''???????? ???? ??????????''
Recorded: 1985/86
Worked on with John Barnes.
John has stated that Michael really liked this song and felt it should have been on 'Bad'.


''?? ????????????''
Recorded: 1989/90
Worked on during the early 'Dangerous' sessions with Bryan Loren.
Lead vocals recorded


''??????'?? ?????????????? ????''
Recorded: 1989/90
Worked on during the early 'Dangerous' sessions with Bryan Loren.
Lead vocals recorded


This is all that comes to mind at the moment. I might add some more later on.
Click to expand...

Don't forget Truth About Youth, second song recorded with rapper LL Cool J
 
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Thank you for everyone sharing knowledge and information on this. Hopefully this year will end our nearly 6 year wait for some form of new material from Mike
 
I remember reading on this Forum a while ago that a song called „Jungle“ is vocally complete and was considered for Xscape.
 
AlwaysThere said:
Off the top of my head!

===============
"Lovely Way" (?) (?)
State of Completion: Finished
Origins unknown. Re-produced by Mark Ronson in 2010 as a contender for Michael, but ultimately withheld when Ronson backed out of the project over personal discomfort. Said to bear sonic similarities to Elton John's "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and John Lennon's "Imagine."
Click to expand...

Not sure if you want to add that it's 4:35 in length and has 3 verses.
 
I wanna know wth is Michael mckellar! He mentioned to the guy in the court..."how do you know about Michael mckellar" i bet it sounds glorious
 
wonderouzmj;4281147 said:
I wanna know wth is Michael mckellar! He mentioned to the guy in the court..."how do you know about Michael mckellar" i bet it sounds glorious
Click to expand...

Judging by the handwritten lyrics sheets that we have, ‘Michael McKellar’ is a song about child neglect.......in the same vein as ‘Little Susie’.
To me, it seems like the song was partially inspired by The Beatles song ‘Eleanor Rigby’.
What do you guys think?

Michael McKellar:

Michael McKellar,
Lives in a different world,
Oh what a different,
Nobody seems to care,
Waits at the window,
Look how he’s lying there,
Pretends he’s dying there,
Nobody seems to care.


Eleanor Rigby:

Eleanor Rigby,
Picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been,
Lives in a dream,
Waits at the window,
Wearing the face that she keeps in a jar by the door,
Who is it for?
 
‘MJ Melody’ is also a finished, unreleased song that Michael Jackson wrote in 1982.

‘The Nightmare Of Edgar Allan Poe’ is another finished song that Michael Jackson co-wrote with Walter Afanasieff in early 2000 for the ill-fated film with the same title.

‘Nymphette Lover’ is another unreleased song that Michael Jackson wrote (in 1981), but the exact stage of its completion remains unknown.

‘Ode To Sorrow’ is another finished, unreleased song that Michael Jackson wrote (in 1977).

‘Neverland Landing’ is another finished, unreleased song written by Michael Jackson.

About the ‘Can't Get Your Weight Off Of Me’ outtake, people who heard it they have described it as musically very similar to the first three songs of the ‘Invincible’ album (this seems to explain why that song did not make that album eventually).

About ‘Michael McKellar’, Michael Jackson recorded a finished version of it during the ‘HIStory’ album sessions with a view to including it on the ‘HIStory’ album, but ‘Michael McKellar’ was eventually replaced by Little Suzie’ on the 'HIStory' album.
 
I'm so pissed off because all this music & they gave us fake tracks & previous leaked music. Can they not find the music or what's the issue?
 
wonderouzmj said:
I'm so pissed off because all this music & they gave us fake tracks & previous leaked music. Can they not find the music or what's the issue?
Click to expand...

They can find the music, but apparently they believe that most of that music is not good enough to guarantee these days a successful, commercial release.

After all, most of those unreleased songs were shelved and remained unreleased even by Michael Jackson himself because he did not find them good enough for official releases.
 
mj_frenzy said:
After all, most of those unreleased songs were shelved and remained unreleased even by Michael Jackson himself because he did not find them good enough for official releases.
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But I think that's missing the point.

It'd be like uncovering sketches by Renoir or Van Gogh or something and hiding them away because they were never meant to be seen by the artist to begin with. This is a great artist at work, everything this artist left behind unreleased gives us a fascinating insight into how they worked and should be appreciated in this context.

But then lets also consider that Michael Jackson cast offs are often better than A material of other artists.

And lets also remember the likes of Much Too Soon. It was revisited several times, and it just didn't fit thematically with the overall vision Michael had for the albums he was making at those various times in his life. It was no reflection on the quality of the song. And again, it is often what an artist leaves out that gives us deeper insight into how they worked.
 
mj_frenzy;4281155 said:
‘MJ Melody’ is also a finished, unreleased song that Michael Jackson wrote in 1982.

‘The Nightmare Of Edgar Allan Poe’ is another finished song that Michael Jackson co-wrote with Walter Afanasieff in early 2000 for the ill-fated film with the same title.

‘Ode To Sorrow’ is another finished, unreleased song that Michael Jackson wrote (in 1977).

About ‘Michael McKellar’, Michael Jackson recorded a finished version of it during the ‘HIStory’ album sessions with a view to including it on the ‘HIStory’ album, but ‘Michael McKellar’ was eventually replaced by Little Suzie’ on the 'HIStory' album.
Click to expand...

Mind if I ask for a source here? I recognize all the titles, but the levels of completion have thus far been unknown to me (other than "Michael McKellar").

mj_frenzy;4281157 said:
After all, most of those unreleased songs were shelved and remained unreleased even by Michael Jackson himself because he did not find them good enough for official releases.
Click to expand...

I never understood/liked this angle. It's not a blanket statement; there were many songs that Michael thought were more than good enough for release, but just weren't ready from a production/lyrical standpoint. Certainly some were withheld because he didn't find them worthy, but just because a song is unreleased doesn't immediately mean Michael didn't want us to hear it.
 
AlwaysThere;4281189 said:
Mind if I ask for a source here? I recognize all the titles, but the levels of completion have thus far been unknown to me (other than "Michael McKellar").
Click to expand...

‘MJ Melody’ is a fully written and recorded instrumental track by Michael Jackson (registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984).

‘The Nightmare Of Edgar Allan Poe’ was fully recorded by Michael Jackson in order to accompany the film in which he was about to star as the 19th-century American writer (the song also exists as simply ‘Edgar Allan Poe’).

Michael Jackson was so enthusiastic about that project in general (song, film) that he had already recorded ‘The Nightmare Of Edgar Allan Poe’ even some time before the production of that film was about to begin.

‘Ode To Sorrow’ was written and recorded by Michael Jackson (registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984).
 
I just wonder what on earth could be "mj melody" like is it a mix of songs....is it a new song,like i need some details about it...im literally crying inside because im looking at all these titles & cant hear 1....i can only imagine by title what they might sound like.
 
mj_frenzy said:
They can find the music, but apparently they believe that most of that music is not good enough to guarantee these days a successful, commercial release.

After all, most of those unreleased songs were shelved and remained unreleased even by Michael Jackson himself because he did not find them good enough for official releases.
Click to expand...

Exactly.

My own interest in most of these unreleased, unfinished tracks is kind of low, considering what has been posthumously released, to date.
 
Mikky Dee said:
Exactly.

My own interest in most of these unreleased, unfinished tracks is kind of low, considering what has been posthumously released, to date.
Click to expand...

I must say I am very happy - and positively surprised - about the songs released posthumously.

Much Too Soon
Behind the mask
Hollywood Tonight
Best of Joy

- all the songs from Xscape actually - I like all the songs, some I prefer MJ's original some I prefer the temporized version.

But..

Chicago - great
LNFSG - all 3 versions are great
Loving you - both versions amazing
APWNN - like both versions
Slave to the rhytm - great song and beat
Blue Gangsta - prefer the original - it's great
Xscape - think I prefer the original because of the bridge - don't know why they cut that out, but new version is good too.
DYKWYCA - MJ's version is great - new terrible...

AND - the songs on BAD25!!

Free
I'm so Blue
Price of fame - love this song. Still hope it gets a proper release on a new album!
Don't be messing 'round - a rough demo - but still great.

I think this gives hope... So many great songs MJ left. I can't wait for more to be officially released.
 
Hess said:
I must say I am very happy - and positively surprised - about the songs released posthumously.

Much Too Soon
Behind the mask
Hollywood Tonight
Best of Joy

- all the songs from Xscape actually - I like all the songs, some I prefer MJ's original some I prefer the temporized version.

But..

Chicago - great
LNFSG - all 3 versions are great
Loving you - both versions amazing
APWNN - like both versions
Slave to the rhytm - great song and beat
Blue Gangsta - prefer the original - it's great
Xscape - think I prefer the original because of the bridge - don't know why they cut that out, but new version is good too.
DYKWYCA - MJ's version is great - new terrible...

AND - the songs on BAD25!!

Free
I'm so Blue
Price of fame - love this song. Still hope it gets a proper release on a new album!
Don't be messing 'round - a rough demo - but still great.
Click to expand...

To clarify and elaborate further on my comment, I do like most of the songs that have been released posthumously; however, with each release, it has meant that less and less material remains, that is commercially viable. I'm not sure that there are many producers around that are capable of, or willing to, finish the songs that remain (and they do need to be finished). The Xscape album was a very good effort, but I'm not sure that it can be replicated, with the songs that are still available to the Estate. I have been truly underwhelmed with many of the snippets I've heard in the last two years or so.

My favourites are:

Behind the Mask
Hollywood Tonight
Hold My Hand
Chicago
Slave to the Rhythm
Xscape
LNFSG
Another Day
Don't Be Messin' Round
Abortion Papers
 
I saw a song title on a list of unreleased MJ songs a few years ago and I was intrigued by it.

Does anyone have information on "California Grass" - is it actually a real song, or just an idea for a title or a topic??
 
I'm So Blue alone reinforces my belief that there are still masterpieces to be found in the vault. I'd honestly and truly put it in my top five favorite Michael Jackson songs -- and it's an outtake that was never meant to see the light of day.
 
AlwaysThere said:
I'm So Blue alone reinforces my belief that there are still masterpieces to be found in the vault. I'd honestly and truly put it in my top five favorite Michael Jackson songs -- and it's an outtake that was never meant to see the light of day.
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I totally agree with you. I feel the same about alot of unreleased music that he's got....bad 25 really came with some gems. Smh now that I think about it...I havent been excited for a project since bad 25 new tracks. (Sigh)
 
A finished version (and not just a demo) of ‘Price Of Fame’ exists but only in his vaults.

It was completed and was also properly mixed and mastered during the ‘BAD’ album sessions because ‘Price Of Fame’ was meant to be on the ‘BAD’ album, but it was replaced at the last minute by the ‘BAD’ track on both the album and on the Pepsi Cola commercial.

‘Jungle’ is an almost finished, fast-paced track in which Michael Jackson raps most of his lines (the song is an outtake from the ‘Invincible’ album).

People who heard ‘Jungle’ have described it as very similar to ‘Tabloid Junkie’ and ‘Why You Wanna Trip On Me’ (in terms of vocal delivery and also theme).

‘Seduction’ is an almost complete, mid-tempo track that failed to make the ‘Invincible’ album (the song remains as an outtake from that album).

‘Tubeway’ is a fully finished song that Michael Jackson wrote and recorded in the early sessions of the ‘Invincible’ album sessions (the song remains as an outtake from that album).

‘Vibratonist’ is another fully finished song that Michael Jackson co-wrote with Teddy Riley and he recorded it in the early sessions of the ‘Invincible’ album sessions (the song remains as an outtake from that album).

‘Thank You For Life’ is another fully finished, unreleased song that Michael Jackson wrote and recorded for his ‘Off The Wall’ album.

There is also another finished song called ‘Slipped Away’ that Michael Jackson co-wrote with his brother Marlon Jackson (the song is an outtake from the ‘Triumph’ album).
 
mj_frenzy;4281460 said:
A finished version (and not just a demo) of ‘Price Of Fame’ exists but only in his vaults.

It was completed and was also properly mixed and mastered during the ‘BAD’ album sessions because ‘Price Of Fame’ was meant to be on the ‘BAD’ album, but it was replaced at the last minute by the ‘BAD’ track on both the album and on the Pepsi Cola commercial.

‘Jungle’ is an almost finished, fast-paced track in which Michael Jackson raps most of his lines (the song is an outtake from the ‘Invincible’ album).

People who heard ‘Jungle’ have described it as very similar to ‘Tabloid Junkie’ and ‘Why You Wanna Trip On Me’ (in terms of vocal delivery and also theme).

‘Seduction’ is an almost complete, mid-tempo track that failed to make the ‘Invincible’ album (the song remains as an outtake from that album).

‘Tubeway’ is a fully finished song that Michael Jackson wrote and recorded in the early sessions of the ‘Invincible’ album sessions (the song remains as an outtake from that album).

‘Vibratonist’ is another fully finished song that Michael Jackson co-wrote with Teddy Riley and he recorded it in the early sessions of the ‘Invincible’ album sessions (the song remains as an outtake from that album).

‘Thank You For Life’ is another fully finished, unreleased song that Michael Jackson wrote and recorded for his ‘Off The Wall’ album.

There is also another finished song called ‘Slipped Away’ that Michael Jackson co-wrote with his brother Marlon Jackson (the song is an outtake from the ‘Triumph’ album).
Click to expand...

Thank you so much for this amazing infos. Do you have any infos about Post-Trial tracks? Do you Know if there is any releasable Material From that era? I am so curious about Songs like „Rocker“, „Adore You“ ...
 
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