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In your opinion - What is Michael's Worst Song?

Mister_Jay_Tee said:
I mean, at the end of the day, he don't like the song. That's not a crime. His justification for the "objectively it's bad" is poor but it's still, just his opinion. Maybe one day he'll appreciate the song for what it is and not for what it ain't.
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Yes you’re right actually. Apologies to @Piek if you feel you got caught in the crossfire. I don’t believe your intentions were anything bad. It’s just that I came on here and couldn’t believe the amount of nasty, backhanded condescension aim at the artist the forum is supposed to be celebrating. It was across multiple threads, it was free rain and it appeared as though it seemed to be just allowed. I’m not usually an angry person but I’ll admit I got a bit triggered by a number of comments.
 
MegaMix12” said:
It’s just that I came on here and couldn’t believe the amount of nasty, backhanded condescension aim at the artist the forum is supposed to be celebrating.
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I wouldn't advise you to visit Prince.org then. Some there trash Prince all the time, especially the music he made after becoming a Jehovah's Witness or anything with Tony M or Prince rapping on it. Or when he was alive: suing fans, shutting down fansites & fan magazines, or having his music removed from streaming sites like Youtube & Spotify.
 
DuranDuran said:
I wouldn't advise you to visit Prince.org then. Some there trash Prince all the time, especially the music he made after becoming a Jehovah's Witness or anything with Tony M or Prince rapping on it. Or when he was alive: suing fans, shutting down fansites & fan magazines, or having his music removed from streaming sites like Youtube & Spotify.
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Yup! Can’t stand the place.

Also, I’ve dealt with MJ being trashed on the daily in the real world for the past 35 years. Why would I want to be part of an online fan community that trashes him? I’m a lifelong hardcore fan of Michael’s and I take his art extremely seriously.
 
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MegaMix12” said:
Yes you’re right actually. Apologies to @Piek if you feel you got caught in the crossfire. I don’t believe your intentions were anything bad. It’s just that I came on here and couldn’t believe the amount of nasty, backhanded condescension aim at the artist the forum is supposed to be celebrating. It was across multiple threads, it was free rain and it appeared as though it seemed to be just allowed. I’m not usually an angry person but I’ll admit I got a bit triggered by a number of comments.
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I usually write in a very positive way about MJ on this forum... I am a big fan of him, for years. I am proud to have seen him perform live, and I have to admit MJ is the soundtrack to my life... and I love that. It's just that the song 'Heal The World' didn't do it for me, so I thought this thread was the right place to admit to that. I am not complaining about the quality of the recording or anything – that's all superb. It's just that it is too sweet for me, and personally I would have liked this song to be less center stage in Michaels career. I would have loved to hear him sing Keep The Faith at the Superbowl... I know it was not a single, but it would have fitted the sports theme so well.

It's just a matter of personal preference, I guess.
And sometimes it's hard to understand the opinion of others... I read some people think Little Susie is his worst song, and I don't understand it, becauseI think it's a gorgeous track. I heard someone say Smooth Criminal is his worst song, and that almost feels like blasphemy to me... So I understand my thoughts about Heal the World can be frustrating. But hey, that was what this thread was all about!

@MegaMix12” No worries! I understand... I've had the same feelings here sometimes.
 
Piek said:
I usually write in a very positive way about MJ on this forum... I am a big fan of him, for years. I am proud to have seen him perform live, and I have to admit MJ is the soundtrack to my life... and I love that. It's just that the song 'Heal The World' didn't do it for me, so I thought this thread was the right place to admit to that. [...]
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It's always tricky, imo, this type of conversation. For decades I really disliked SOOML. I found it mawkish and rather annoying. Recently I heard the demo on the radio and now I love it to bits but, even so, it's Michael's vocal performance which I love. I'm not so much tapping into the lyrics or the story he's telling. Just the miracle of his beautiful, vocal brilliance. But I know for other people it's a lot to do with the emotional turmoil of the character in the song. Responses to any song are always so different and so very personal.

I love Invincible (album) so I often avoid convos about that! :D
 
Guccigang girl or whatever. Honey you are something else :|

Here are my corrections to your list. NO JUDGEMENT.

NOT MY FAVORITES but there's a song for everyone and every song has a story and life: the earth song, heal the world, smile, childhood, privacy, you are not alone, will you be there, little susie, cry, you are my life.

I'M A CHRISTIAN, BUT HIS MORE ABYSMAL/SENTIMENTAL BALLADS/ GOSPEL FEEL SONGS, I DON'T LOVE. I NEED TO THINK ON THAT. I THINK BECAUSE I'M AWKWARD AROUND MY FEELINGS AND HURT AND PERFER TO STAY OUT OF TOUCH WITH THEM. THOSE SONGS WOULD MAKE ME EXPERIENCE/CONFRONT MY PAIN. I DON'T WANT TO CRY YK.


NEVER LISTENED TO BEFORE : (I AM ASHAMED): girlfriend, its the falling in love, somebody's watching me,
the lost children, burn this disco out, fly away, gone too soon, got to be there, HIStory, hold my hand, much too soon, price of fame, slave to the rhythm, someone put your hand out, speechless, superbly sister, they don't care about us, this is it, scream, people of the world, a place with no name, just good friends, keep the faith, this time around, 2 BAD, don't walk away & probably 100s of other songs

I HAVE BEEN LIVING UNDER A ROCK. I APOLOGIZE IN ADVANCE. I HAVE A LOT OF LISTENING TO DO TONIGHT.

IT'S BEEN A MINUTE/MAJOR LOVE: ghosts, break of dawn, butterflies :)

FAVORITES & MAJOR LOVE: one more chance, do you know where your children are, Chicago, 2000 watts, in the closet, unbreakable heaven can wait, whatever happens, the way you make me feel, PYT, invincible, rock with you, lady in my life, jam, off the wall, blood on the dance floor, wanna be startin something, remember the time, beat it, thriller, wanna be startin something, black or white, man in the mirror, smooth criminal, streetwalker, liberan girl, stranger in Moscow, I can't help it, baby be mine, dirty Diana, don't stop till you get enough, bad, dangerous, money, d.s., can't let her get away, leave me alone, heartbreaker, who is it, tabloid junkie, another part of me, give into me, human nature, come together, you rock my world, speed demon, she drive me wild, billie jean, I just can't stop loving you, monkey business, say say say, the girl is mine, whatzupwitu, why (3t)

DANGEROUSLY BAD ALBUM LOL :)

- can't let her get away
- in the closet
- heaven can wait
- she drives me wild
- streetwalker
- why (3t)
- billie jean
- who is it
- butterflies
- you rock my world
- come together/d.s.
- heartbreaker
- give into me
- dirty diana
- money business (hmmm)
- I just can't stop loving you

NOW I GET WHY SOME ALBUMS WERE LONG THERE'S SUCH GOOD CONTENT.
 
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Piek said:
I usually write in a very positive way about MJ on this forum... I am a big fan of him, for years. I am proud to have seen him perform live, and I have to admit MJ is the soundtrack to my life... and I love that. It's just that the song 'Heal The World' didn't do it for me, so I thought this thread was the right place to admit to that. I am not complaining about the quality of the recording or anything – that's all superb. It's just that it is too sweet for me, and personally I would have liked this song to be less center stage in Michaels career. I would have loved to hear him sing Keep The Faith at the Superbowl... I know it was not a single, but it would have fitted the sports theme so well.

It's just a matter of personal preference, I guess.
And sometimes it's hard to understand the opinion of others... I read some people think Little Susie is his worst song, and I don't understand it, becauseI think it's a gorgeous track. I heard someone say Smooth Criminal is his worst song, and that almost feels like blasphemy to me... So I understand my thoughts about Heal the World can be frustrating. But hey, that was what this thread was all about!

@MegaMix12” No worries! I understand... I've had the same feelings here sometimes.
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Thanks for understanding. Usually, at most in regards to these types of threads I don’t take things too personally and usually enjoy the discussion and points people make, and you do make some fair points which I appreciate.

I love Keep The Faith! Absolutely love it. When I first heard the album it was an absolute standout for me despite peoples pointing out it’s likeness to Man In The Mirror. Sure, it’s reminiscent of Man In The Mirror but it works all on it own for me. Stunning song and performance from MJ. Sure he had to drop it down a from the original key but what a great song!
 
filmandmusic said:
I guess the song’s purpose and meaning didn’t get across well 🤔
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It happens, and that’s okay I guess. I think for me, with Heal The World I was 11 or 12 when it was released and I immediately loved it and remember seeing MJ at the time talking about his Heal The World Foundation and about the plight of children. You could see what it meant to him and how hurt he was by his own childhood. I grew up and perhaps distanced myself from the song but then when he passed away it brought up a lot of those kinds of memories and since then I sort of embraced it again and felt it a part of all of the good things MJ wanted to do to help the planet. But hey, I get that it’s a bit too much for people as well.
 
MegaMix12” said:
It happens, and that’s okay I guess. I think for me, with Heal The World I was 11 or 12 when it was released and I immediately loved it and remember seeing MJ at the time talking about his Heal The World Foundation and about the plight of children. You could see what it meant to him and how hurt he was by his own childhood. I grew up and perhaps distanced myself from the song but then when he passed away it brought up a lot of those kinds of memories and since then I sort of embraced it again and felt it a part of all of the good things MJ wanted to do to help the planet. But hey, I get that it’s a bit too much for people as well.
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That'a quite an interesting point... I didn't realize you heard this song for the first time at such a young age. I first heard it when I was 17. I guess at that age, I was more of a rebel, and a protest song like Black Or White worked much better for me than a song that is all about harmony.

Personal memories can be essential to your appreciation of a song...
 
Piek said:
That'a quite an interesting point... I didn't realize you heard this song for the first time at such a young age. I first heard it when I was 17. I guess at that age, I was more of a rebel, and a protest song like Black Or White worked much better for me than a song that is all about harmony.

Personal memories can be essential to your appreciation of a song...
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I hated Black or White. Straight up, for ages. Always thought it was kooky and simple.

Only know do I realize how incredibly catchy and actually likable as a song is it. Just tons of fun.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
I hated Black or White. Straight up, for ages. Always thought it was kooky and simple.

Only know do I realize how incredibly catchy and actually likable as a song is it. Just tons of fun.
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It screamed mega hit from the opening notes. My only complaint is that it should have had a harder edge. Like the bridge which is MJ’s most metal moment in his career.
 
filmandmusic said:
It screamed mega hit from the opening notes. My only complaint is that it should have had a harder edge. Like the bridge which is MJ’s most metal moment in his career.
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It is significantly better with the long intro cut. But that's the thing, it a fun dance pop song, not They Don't Care About Us Prequel. That is what made me come around to it


threatened2020 said:
Heaven Can Wait feels bland, as his vocals seem off.
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The songs ambiance along with its hook is the best part and I like that he doesn't overpower the song. It really is the composition you gotta focus on, he seemed to be trying that.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
It is significantly better with the long intro cut. But that's the thing, it a fun dance pop song, not They Don't Care About Us Prequel. That is what made me come around to it
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The intro is ridiculous and should have been kept for the video only. The opening guitar sound should have been held a bit longer before the drums kick in and then the riff should have been amplified BUT it’s a pop song and not a hard rock song so it probably was not even considered, like with beat It.

It‘s a good song nonetheless because it gets stuck in your head and that is why it became his biggest ever hit chart wise.
 
filmandmusic said:
The intro is ridiculous and should have been kept for the video only. The opening guitar sound should have been held a bit longer before the drums kick in and then the riff should have been amplified BUT it’s a pop song and not a hard rock song so it probably was not even considered, like with beat It.

It‘s a good song nonetheless because it gets stuck in your head and that is why it became his biggest ever hit chart wise.
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The 'Black Or White' intro (which has rock, musical elements) serves a specific purpose in the song.

By keeping that intro also in the song, Michael Jackson (who was a black artist) wanted to show that he was now becoming a crossover artist with his music having now an appeal also to a white, young audience of rock music.

Also, note that the big, chart success of the 'Black Or White' song was also because of its larger than life music video, and also because of the controversy triggered by his panther dance segment (smashing windows, simulating masturbation, etc).
 
mj_frenzy said:
The 'Black Or White' intro (which has rock, musical elements) serves a specific purpose in the song.

By keeping that intro also in the song, Michael Jackson (who was a black artist) wanted to show that he was now becoming a crossover artist with his music having now an appeal also to a white, young audience of rock music.
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'Now becoming'? Really?

Dirty Diana is a rock song. So is Beat It. Michael's cred as a rock artist was done and done by the time BoW came out.
 
mj_frenzy said:
By keeping that intro also in the song, Michael Jackson (who was a black artist) wanted to show that he was now becoming a crossover artist with his music having now an appeal also to a white, young audience of rock music.
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You mean the audience who mostly ignored actual Black rock acts (not named Jimi Hendrix) such as The Bus Boys, Living Colour, Fishbone, Jon Butcher Axis, etc. They got little if any airplay on rock radio, so did most female rock artists. Some have said they didn't even know Prince played guitar until they saw that George Harrison tribute. Even Hendrix had to go over to Europe to first get an audience.
 
mj_frenzy said:
The 'Black Or White' intro (which has rock, musical elements) serves a specific purpose in the song.

By keeping that intro also in the song, Michael Jackson (who was a black artist) wanted to show that he was now becoming a crossover artist with his music having now an appeal also to a white, young audience of rock music.

Also, note that the big, chart success of the 'Black Or White' song was also because of its larger than life music video, and also because of the controversy triggered by his panther dance segment (smashing windows, simulating masturbation, etc).
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Your comments are worse than my bronchitis.
 
filmandmusic said:
I guess the song’s purpose and meaning didn’t get across well 🤔
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MJ could be very contrarian and unconventional. I think that’s what drew the type of person that became/becomes a fan of his. When making an absolutely perfect pop song with the broadest appeal, he was the absolute best, but then he’ll go completely left field and juxtapose a Remember The Time or a Black Or White with a Heal The World. The contrast is fascinating. And he’ll do it with complete and utter confidence and conviction. He’ll stand by a Heal The World, We Are The World, The Lost Children as much as a Billie Jean, Beat It or Smooth Criminal and that takes a very unique personality in such a cynical world.

I listened to the Dangerous album again yesterday and it’s just incredible. I’m not sure there’s another album in popular music that has such diversity in terms of the different sounds it incorporates (I could be wrong). Even the songs that many disregard contain a vast array of sounds collected specifically for the album. The way She Drives Me Wild incorporates all those car sounds within the rhythm is incredible. The album contains a catalog of sounds all of its own.
 
Piek said:
That'a quite an interesting point... I didn't realize you heard this song for the first time at such a young age. I first heard it when I was 17. I guess at that age, I was more of a rebel, and a protest song like Black Or White worked much better for me than a song that is all about harmony.

Personal memories can be essential to your appreciation of a song...
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Definitely. I’m absolutely convinced that hearing it when it was released when I was 11 plays into my biase towards Heal The World. Don’t get me wrong, I love many of the other tracks on Dangerous just as much. Black Or White is absolute pop perfection for me along with the short film. My mind was absolutely blown when the Black Or White shot film premiered. It was a rejuvenated fresh looking MJ with a brand new image. It’s such an ear worm and the short film tied pretty much everything in that I loved at the time; Michael Jackson, The Simpsons, Home Alone. A song about racism done in such a universal all inclusive way until MJ got to the heart of the matter in the panther dance section, of which caused outrage within the media.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
I hated Black or White. Straight up, for ages. Always thought it was kooky and simple.

Only know do I realize how incredibly catchy and actually likable as a song is it. Just tons of fun.
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mj_frenzy said:
The 'Black Or White' intro (which has rock, musical elements) serves a specific purpose in the song.

By keeping that intro also in the song, Michael Jackson (who was a black artist) wanted to show that he was now becoming a crossover artist with his music having now an appeal also to a white, young audience of rock music.

Also, note that the big, chart success of the 'Black Or White' song was also because of its larger than life music video, and also because of the controversy triggered by his panther dance segment (smashing windows, simulating masturbation, etc).
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Great post. You make some really good points.
 
zinniabooklover said:
'Now becoming'? Really?

Dirty Diana is a rock song. So is Beat It. Michael's cred as a rock artist was done and done by the time BoW came out.
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Perhaps “Now becoming” is the wrong phrasing. More, juxtaposing white mainstream rock against black hiphop and/or r&b. It’s definitely placed there as a deliberate opposite to its black extreme; rap music, or even as a set-up. The entire song is an infusion of both cultures and is antidotal in its approach to the subject matter.
 
MegaMix12” said:
Perhaps “Now becoming” is the wrong phrasing. More, juxtaposing white mainstream rock against black hiphop and/or r&b.
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I really think Michael already did this with Beat It. Obviously the actual rap section in BoW is new (if we're talking rock songs). Tbh, I'm not very good at talking about music. I don't want to sound as though I'm being dismissive of what Michael did on the Dangerous album or with BoW specifically. But, y'know, he had the Bloods in his Beat It video (red jacket), he had the Crips in TWYMMF (blue shirt). So BoW just kinda feels like a logical progression. I'm not saying anyone else would have done this. I mean that it's a logical progression for Michael.

MegaMix12” said:
It’s definitely placed there as a deliberate opposite to its black extreme; rap music, or even as a set-up. The entire song is an infusion of both cultures and is antidotal in its approach to the subject matter.
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I don't disagree with this but Michael has always been all about fusion, for me. Plus, fusion ... Faith No More inserted a section of '911 Is A Joke' into 'The Real Thing' in all of their shows in 1990. Fusion was a fluid and ever-evolving thing.

Crossover appeal - again, I think Michael had already nailed this in 1983 and then put a candle on top with the Bad album in 1987.

I might be misunderstanding your point, though. I do that sometimes, lol. :ROFLMAO:
 
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