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Self Written tracks vs Co-written tracks vs tracks written by other people

What is MJ's best songs

  • The songs he writes on his own

    Votes: 102 91.9%

  • The songs he co-writes with other people

    Votes: 7 6.3%

  • The songs that other people write for him

    Votes: 2 1.8%
  • Total voters
    111

analogue

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I think that MJ's best songs are the one's he writes 100% on his own. He's given us some great classics such as Billie Jean, Smooth Criminal, Who Is It, Will You Be There etc
 
there are equally great songs from all three categories.
 
The one's he writes on his own are always his best. He's a musical genius, and that genius manifests itself in his compositions, and those compositions stay pure when nobody else tampers with it. It's kind of like, you wouldn't want someone coming along and painting something extra on to a Rembrant which he didn't himself want or invision there, etc... When Michael writes all the parts, and it's left as is with those parts, those are his best songs.
 
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Paintings and music are different things. Lots of music are collaborations. Elton John always writes the music, and Bernie Taupin does the lyrics. A lot of Stevie Wonder's early 70s songs were written with Syreeta Wright. There's partners like Goffin & King, Bell & Creed, Rodgers & Hammerstein, Lennon & McCartney, Holland Dozier Holland, Jam & Lewis, Isley's & Jasper, etc.
 
Doesn't change the fact that Michael's best songs are the ones he writes on his own. Most people think so, and his biggest hits have always been his own compositions.
 
^ hardly a fact considering everyone's tastes are so different!

collaboration in music can be just as creative and inspired (and usually more so) than one person's sole efforts. i'm sure Mike would tell you that himself, considering the overwhelming collaborative work he's done throughout his career.

plus, Michael's job encompasses many roles including a true performing vocalist who can do wonders with just about any material thrown at him. i don't see much logic behind the "purity" argument of one person's work alone. that's musical xenophobia lol j/k

but if you concentrate objectively at the song/final product instead of one highlight of it (e.g. just the singer, or producer or writer etc.), then you'd appreciate the talents of everyone involved that bring something different to the table and couldn't have been created elsewhere or otherwise.

but again, whatever anyone thinks to be the best is all subjective.

also think about the engineers and arrangers involved (two of the most overlooked and underrated jobs ever). to take an example, Swedien was a very important part of Michael's career and i really don't see Michael living up to his job - but that really isn't (and shouldn't be) the point at all; it's like when people say Prince is better than Mike because he "does everything himself" - dumb comparisons that overshadow the fact that every talent is different and exist for that very reason.
 
Well, I can't say it factually, true, but factually his biggest hits have been his own compositions. Which would speak to a general overall appeal his own songs have versus others. Not that that speaks to artistic credibility. But I think his most melodic, most complex, most percussively and vocally well arranged songs, and most rhythmic have always been his own. There's a brilliance in Michael's own songs that it lacking in other song's either written by others or co-written. Like if you listen to "Smooth Criminal", for example, it's scary how he's able to take what on the surface seems to be disjointed cords, or stacatto cords, and make them flow so well, etc... One other thing is how atmospheric and vivid his own songs are. They set a mood that other songs just don't, like "Who Is It", "Billie Jean", "Will You Be There", "Childhood", "Little Susie", etc... His own songs are just rich visually and emotively.
 
The average radio or music listener doesn't know or care who wrote a particular song. They either like it or don't by if the tune appeals to them or not. Some don't care about the lyrics or whether the song is complex or simple, only is it catchy or whatever. Like they used to say on American Bandstand, "It has a nice beat and I can dance to it", lol.
 
come on, wb, since when did we ever give a toss about the masses?! how many of Mike's biggest no.1s are in your own top 5?
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but i understand and appreciate your own tastes of his songs however i don't agree with a specific lack of "brilliance' in tunes that he didn't fully write himself. with your description of these songs above, Man In The Mirror and I Can't Help It immediately sprung to mind, out of an impressive handful of others.
 
I didn't say all. But a lot of songs which, with any other singer would be average, Michael makes great through his sheer brilliance as a vocalist. His own compositions, however, strike me as brilliant with or without his vocal's added. Most songs, not all, but most of his songs he writes on his own are his most emotive and atmospheric, in my view. A lot of people think so as well.

Just look at the poll, lol.
 
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I personally went with the songs he writes himself because of the sheer number there are which I love. Of course, some of my favorites like "I Can't Help It", "Rock With You" and "Baby Be Mine" I put on par with songs he does himself, so I'm not saying that I think his songs are better, but I voted based on the sheer volume of great tracks he's done himself.

I don't want people to wrongly interpret that as I think all MJ's self-written songs are better than the ones written for him or collaborated on with others.
 
arXter said:
please don't get me started on fan polls. or any bloody polls at that
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but we'll have to agree to disagree on the lack of brilliance, purity, and tampering issues.
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lol
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Hey, I'm just saying, the people bothering to vote on this here poll are voting for Mike's self-penned tracks, lol.

I mean, who writes songs like "Liberian Girl", like Quincy said? Michael's got the gift, you have to admit that. I think in fact he's underrated as a song writer because not that many people are actually aware that he writes so many of his own classics himself, outside of his fan base. They see him as more of a song and dance man, but he's just as much of a musical composer. He's a musical genius and the stuff he creates is just killer.
 
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i have to admit that?! damn girl when have i ever underestimated Mike's talents? i know exactly what he's capable of. all i'm doing is defending the non-mj talent that you brush off as lacking a certain brilliance LOL seriously, it's xenophobic!
 
It's elitist, I'll admit that, lol. But I've always admitted I'm an elitist. I know you don't underestimate Michael, lol. It's not that I think Michael's tracks penned by other song writers suck. I don't think that at all. And some of my favorite tracks of his were written by others. Like "Someone in the Dark" I LOVE. But the songwriting team who did that is amazing and have done some brilliant work. I just think Michael's songs are always the most melodically strong and have incredible percussive and vocal arrangements, and he's able to organize the sound in a way that is amazingly expressive and full of life. I get that feeling off of his own tracks more then I do off of others. Even though, like I said, I really do love his songs written by others. "Lady in my Life" is one of my favorite songs. But it's another case of it being a good song, made great by Michael's mind blowing vocal dilevery. At least, to me. That song wouldn't be special as it is if sung by a lesser vocalist. It would come across as must another typical love ballad.
 
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well we're of the few privileged fan bases who have every right to be elitists
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and i'm serious
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but for the second time, we'll have to agree to disagree (don't you hate this sodding phrase) on this particular topic
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!!
 
We do have that right, lol. Michael's a freak of talent, so he automatically makes your standards reach an unfair and ungodly level!

I despise the phrase, you're right, lol. Okay, agree to disagree, even though it's against my basic nature, haha.
 
i think MJ is a really Good Songwriter but I don't consider him Great in that area when I think of other songwriters. He is a Great,Great all around artist but I don't feel that way as a songwriter.

Rock with you, the Lady in My Life, Human Nature, Man in the Mirror, she's out of my life, i can't help it, IMO can hang with any MJ Self-contained track not named Billie jean or Don't stop till you get enough IMO.

and I ain't even talking about I wanna be where you are, got to be there, i want you back, I'll be there, never can say goodbye.

the co written songs I'd get hyped about mainly where between him and His Brother Randy for destiny and triumph.
 
I think a lot of MJ's best songs have been written/co-written by him, as well as other people so I really can't choose. I vote for both.
 
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the 1s he writes n the 1s others write..man n the mirror = my number1 love
 
I would initially say the ones he wrties on his own, then I think of the ones he's co-written, and theeeen I start to think about the ones he didn't write!!!!!
I can't choose :no:
 
The songs he writes himself point blank. Like someone said, MJ has good songs from all three of those categories BUT most of the best songs that he has made are the ones he writes his self. Thats why I don't understand why in the hell he has all these people working with him on this new album when he can do it his self AT LEAST when it comes to writing the hits.
 
to me it's easy to pick

dirty diana
dstyge
beat it
billie jean
bad
smooth criminal
black or white
who is it
earth song
will you be there

or

rock with you
thriller
you are not alone
she out of my life
i can't help
p.y.t
baby be mine
gone to soon
just good friends
man in the mirrior

i'll go with the ones he wrote
 
What I did was compose my ultimate top 10 of MJ songs from his solo albums and then check which ones he wrote alone and which were co-written or by someone else. 50% were his, 30% written by other people and 20% co-written, so I guess I have to vote for self-written tracks. ;)
 
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