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Keys of Michael's songs?

Remington Steele

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Recently I wondered after having heard mixes again that merge so many different MJ songs: Which key of musical scale do most of Michael's songs have? I now there's a typical key I think most pop songs in general use, but music in school is quite some time ago ^^.

Also I wonder: "Who is it" and "Hollywood Tonight" seem to use seldom chosen keys, do you know which they are? Thanks a lot...
 
aren't there any musicians here? I mean, given the basic musical teaching in school even I should know myself ^^...
 
I'll take this one. Well hardly any of them are in the same key, although the majority are in minor keys. For example Billie Jean (F#minor) Thriller (C#minor) Beat It (Eminor) Smooth Criminal (Aminor) Who is it (Dminor) Dirty Diana (Gminor) Liberian Girl (Minor) Earth Song (G#minor) You Rock My World (Eminor). He also uses the Major keys in variety, for example Heal The World (Amajor) Childhood (Amajor) The Way You Make Me Feel (Dmajor) Black Or White (Emajor). So in short, all his songs arn't in the same key, he uses most of the keys available throughout his catalogue. Typical MJ style chords and Minor 7ths though, Bminor7 is a classic MJ chord, it's used in Billie Jean, You Rock My World, One More Chance, Heal The World to name a few.

Sorry that was very technical aha, Who Is It and Hollywood Tonight are both basslines based around the Dminor and Aminor chords, which is why they will go together so well.
 
Wow, very interesting - thank you. How do you know all those keys of his songs - can you determine by hearing? Does HT have the same key (Dminor) as WII?
 
Remington Steele said:
Wow, very interesting - thank you. How do you know all those keys of his songs - can you determine by hearing? Does HT have the same key (Dminor) as WII?
Click to expand...

Hollywood Tonight is in Aminor, but the chorus is in Dminor, A minor and Dminor are very similar keys, there is only 1 note that is differen't in their whole scale. I know the keys because i play along with the records on the piano :)
 
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