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Surprising Lead Singles

Fayik

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I'm surprised from some of Michael's lead singles for some albums.

Thriller - "The Girl Is Mine"

What? I would've never thought this would be released a single, but as LEAD single? That shocked me...

Bad - "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"

WHAT?! Out of all the songs he could've chose as lead he picked this? The thing that really surprises me is that I always thought the lead singles should be the most hard-hitting song on the album, basically the best on the album. I don't know, it just shocked me to learn that these were picked for lead singles... and both had no video? How does that even make any sense? So not only did he choose one of the least best songs on the album for lead, he makes no video for it? Lord Jaysus!

Just wanted to share my surprise...LOL!
 
well it was basicly to build up the tention for the always strong 2nd singels, bad and billie jean
 
"The Girl is Mine" was seen as the "safe" choice. The record label knew that there would be guaranteed interest in it as it had Paul McCartney, who was still a hot item at the time.
 
IJCSLY is a good song, and if i listened to BAD and had to pick one song that would be a hit single off that album that would be it.

The best song isn't always the best single.

IJCSLY appeals to a larger audience then a song like Bad or smooth criminal etc.
 
They both did very good on the charts though :)

It is sad that neither of them have videos, does anyone know the reason for why he didn't make any?
 
Fayik said:
I'm surprised from some of Michael's lead singles for some albums.

Thriller - "The Girl Is Mine"

What? I would've never thought this would be released a single, but as LEAD single? That shocked me...

Bad - "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"

WHAT?! Out of all the songs he could've chose as lead he picked this? The thing that really surprises me is that I always thought the lead singles should be the most hard-hitting song on the album, basically the best on the album. I don't know, it just shocked me to learn that these were picked for lead singles... and both had no video? How does that even make any sense? So not only did he choose one of the least best songs on the album for lead, he makes no video for it? Lord Jaysus!

Just wanted to share my surprise...LOL!
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Because they were both duets. They were trying to copy the success of Thriller with Bad, so they released singles in a similar fashion. Having IJCSLY as lead single from Bad was a very deliberate choice, so was the decision not to have a video for it. It created hype for when Bad was later released as a single.
 
I was surprised about this too. But this must be for the fact that I was born in the late 80's and I got used to smashes like Black or White for a lead single.
 
Yeh, I never understood 'The Girl Is Mine' being a lead either. Personally, I don't like that song. Michael sounds good on it, but Paul bores me on it.
 
Naytobes said:
Yeh, I never understood 'The Girl Is Mine' being a lead either. Personally, I don't like that song. Michael sounds good on it, but Paul bores me on it.
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As I explained in another thread, Paul McCartney was needed to get Michael on pop radio in the USA. After the "Disco Sucks" campaign, black artists were rarely played on Top 40 stations as they were considered "disco". Paul was still a hot record seller at the time and white. If Mike did "The Girl Is Mine" with another R&B singer like Teddy Pendergrass or Peabo Bryson, Mike was unlikely to get any play on mainstream pop radio. At the time Mike was just another R&B singer. R&B didn't cross over much during that period. It's like Mike couldn't get on MTV until CBS Records threatened to take all of their other acts off like Journey who were one of MTV's hottest acts.
 
DuranDuran said:
As I explained in another thread, Paul McCartney was needed to get Michael on pop radio in the USA. After the "Disco Sucks" campaign, black artists were rarely played on Top 40 stations as they were considered "disco". Paul was still a hot record seller at the time and white. If Mike did "The Girl Is Mine" with another R&B singer like Teddy Pendergrass or Peabo Bryson, Mike was unlikely to get any play on mainstream pop radio. At the time Mike was just another R&B singer. R&B didn't cross over much during that period. It's like Mike couldn't get on MTV until CBS Records threatened to take all of their other acts off like Journey who were one of MTV's hottest acts.
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Thanks for this information.
 
I always skip 'The Girl Is mines' I do not hate it but it is not a song I would listen to. It sounds soft..
 
The Girl Is Mine is no wonder. Think about Paulie boy. He was and he still is the one of the most successful artists in music industry ever. There were fans of Beatles still back in the 80s and other Paul's fans, so of course they wanna listen if their idol sings duet with some new star. And that was very good choise. Without that song, I'd say there wouldn't be Thriller. And anything after that, there wouldn't be.

Oh well DuranDuran had better explanation for that. :D

But I Just Can't Stop Loving You is a little bit a surprise. Awesome song, of course but I'd say something like Bad or Smooth Criminal would be more understandable. Or maybe just Bad... oh well.
 
The girls is mine has really been growing on me lately. When he says "I think I told ya, I'm a lover, not a fighter" - swooooon. And also "She said it - you keep dreaming!" I just love the way he says those two sentences. I sometimes play them (isolated) over and over again for minutes straight :p
 
parli123 said:
I always skip 'The Girl Is mines' I do not hate it but it is not a song I would listen to. It sounds soft..
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That was the point, lol. At the time soft rock acts like Christopher Cross & Air Supply were really popular, so it fit in with the pop format during that time. Something like "Billie Jean" couldn't have been released 1st, as it is too R&B or funky for pop radio. Epic Records was going for crossover, (as that's where the big sales occur), not just selling to the R&B market.
 
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