List of songs recorded by Michael Jackson

American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson recorded songs for ten studio albums, two posthumous studio albums, seventy two compilation albums, three soundtrack albums, one live album and seven remix albums. He has provided background vocals for songs recorded by other artists, as well as featured on duets.

Jackson debuted on the professional music scene at age five as a member of the Jackson 5. The group set a chart record when its first four singles—"I Want You Back" (1969), "ABC" (1970), "The Love You Save" (1970), and "I'll Be There" (1970)—peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. As Jackson began to emerge as a solo performer in the early 1970s, he maintained ties to the Jackson 5 and Motown. Between 1972 and 1975, Michael released four solo studio albums with Motown: Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973), and Forever, Michael (1975).^[1] "Got to Be There" and "Ben", the title tracks from his first two solo albums, became successful singles, as did a cover of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin".^[2] In June 1975, the Jackson 5 signed with Epic Records, a subsidiary of CBS Records, and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the group's lead songwriter during this time, wrote hits such as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" (1979), "This Place Hotel" (1980), and "Can You Feel It" (1980). Jackson's fifth solo album, Off the Wall (1979), co-produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. Songwriters for the album included Jackson, Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney. Off the Wall was the first solo album to generate four top 10 hits in the United States: "Off the Wall", "She's Out of My Life", and the chart-topping singles "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".^[3]^[4] This album helped Jackson win three awards at the American Music Awards and a Grammy Award for his solo efforts.^[5]^[6]^[7] Jackson recorded with Queen singer Freddie Mercury from 1981 to 1983, including a demo of "State of Shock", "Victory", and "There Must Be More to Life Than This".^[8] Jackson went on to record the single "State of Shock" with Mick Jagger for the Jacksons' album Victory (1984).^[9] In 1982, Jackson combined his interests in songwriting and film when he contributed the song "Someone in the Dark" to the storybook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. The song, with Jones as its producer, won a Grammy for Best Recording for Children in 1983.^[10]

Jackson's sixth album, Thriller, was released in late 1982. The album earned Jackson seven Grammys^[10] and eight American Music Awards.^[11] Thriller was the first album to have seven Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles, including "Billie Jean", "Beat It", and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".^[12] Jackson's seventh album Bad (1987) produced nine singles with seven charting in the United States. Five of these singles ("I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana") reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, a record for most number-one Hot 100 singles from any one album.^[13]^[14] In 1991, he released his eighth album, Dangerous, co-produced with Teddy Riley. The album produced four top ten singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including one number-one hit "Black or White", "Remember the Time", "In the Closet" and "Will You Be There" which produced and performed by Jackson the theme for the film Free Willy.^[15] In June 1995, Jackson released his ninth album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, a double album. The first disc, HIStory Begins, is a 15-track greatest hits album. The second disc, HIStory Continues, contains 13 original songs and two cover versions. The album features hits like "Scream", a duet with Jackson's youngest sister Janet Jackson, "Earth Song", "They Don't Care About Us", and "You Are Not Alone". "You Are Not Alone" holds the Guinness World Record for the first song ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[16]^[17] Jackson worked with collaborators including Teddy Riley and Rodney Jerkins to produce his tenth solo album, Invincible (2001). Invincible spawned three singles, "You Rock My World", "Cry", and "Butterflies".

Michael Jackson's recorded music also encompasses providing background vocals for other artists like Diana Ross, Stevie Wonder, La Toya Jackson, Rebbie Jackson, Janet Jackson, Barry Gibb, and 3T. He collaborated with singers and musicians including the Jackson 5, Paul McCartney, and Freddie Mercury.

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Title	Year	Album	Writer(s)	Notes	Ref.
"All Eyez on Me"	2002	All Eyez on Me	Monica Arnold LaShawn Daniels James Ingram Quincy Jones	Monica with Jackson's background vocals from "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" with ad-libs taken from the Invincible recording sessions	^[75]
"All I Do"	1980	Hotter than July	Stevie Wonder Clarence Paul Morris Broadnax	Wonder with backing vocals by Jackson	^[76]
"Alright Now"	1990	Ralph Tresvant	Michael Jackson John Barnes	Ralph Tresvant with backing vocals by Jackson
"Children's Holiday"	1998	Ashita ga Kikoeru / Children's Holiday single	Michael Jackson	J-Friends with backing vocals by Jackson
"Do the Bartman"	1990	The Simpsons Sing the Blues	Bryan Loren Michael Jackson	The Simpsons featuring background vocals by Jackson	^[77]
"Don't Let a Woman (Make a Fool Out of You)"	1982	Synapse Gap (Mundo Total)	Joe King Carrasco Johnny Perez	Joe King Carrasco and the Crowns featuring background vocals by Jackson	^[78]
"Don't Stand Another Chance"	1984	Dream Street	Janet Jackson Marlon Jackson John Barnes	Janet Jackson with backing vocals by Michael Jackson, Marlon Jackson, Tito Jackson and Jackie Jackson	^[79]
"Girls, Girls, Girls, Pt. 2"	2001	The Blueprint	Tom Brock Shawn Carter Justin Smith	Jay-Z with backing vocals by Jackson and Chante Moore
"Goin' Back to Alabama"	1981	Share Your Love	Lionel Richie	Kenny Rogers with backing vocals by Jackson and Richie
"I Need You"	1995	Brotherhood	Eric Carmen	Eric Carmen cover 3T with Jackson on backing vocals
"It's Not Worth It"	2002	Full Moon	LaShawn Daniels Fred Jerkins III Rodney Jerkins	Brandy with backing vocals of Jackson from "Ride with Me"
"Joy"	1994	Blackstreet	Teddy Riley Tammy Lucas Michael Jackson	Blackstreet with backing vocals by Jackson
"Low"	2018	Raise Vibration	Lenny Kravitz	Kravitz with backing vocals by Jackson
"Muscles"	1982	Silk Electric	Michael Jackson	Diana Ross with Jackson on backing vocals
"Papa Was a Rollin' Stone"	1982	Wolf	Norman Whitfield Barrett Strong	Bill Wolfer with backing vocals by Jackson The Temptations cover Live version by the Jackson 5 released on The Jackson 5 in Japan (1973)
"People of the World"	1999	People of the World single	Michael Jackson	J-Friends with backing vocals by Jackson
"Ride with Me"	2006	Versatility	Rodney Jerkins	Instrumental, Jerkins with backing vocals by Jackson
"So Why"	1982	Wolf	John Gibson	Bill Wolfer with backing vocals by Jackson
"State of Independence"	1982	Donna Summer	Jon Anderson Vangelis	Donna Summer featuring background vocals by Jackson, Brenda Russell, James Ingram, Dionne Warwick, Kenny Loggins, Lionel Richie, Stevie Wonder and various artists
"The Dude"	1981	The Dude	Rod Temperton Patti Austin	Quincy Jones featuring James Ingram and Jackson
"This Had to Be"	1980	Light Up the Night	Michael Jackson Louis Johnson George Johnson	The Brothers Johnson with backing vocals by Jackson
"To Satisfy You"	1992	Music for the New World	Bryan Loren Michael Jackson	Loren with backing vocals by Jackson
"What's Your Game?"	1974	What's Your Game? single	Jackson 5	M-D-L-T- Willis with backing vocals and instrumentation by Jackson and his brothers Drums played by Jackson Also produced by the Jackson 5
"Who's Right, Who's Wrong"	1979	Keep the Fire	Kenny Loggins Richard Page	Loggins with backing vocals by Jackson
"Yeah"	1993	Love's Alright	Eddie Murphy	Murphy with backing vocals by Jackson and various artists
"You're the One"	1985	Say You Love Me	Michael Jackson	Jennifer Holliday with backing vocals by Jackson

List of songs recorded by Michael Jackson

Songs

Songs with background vocals contributions

See also

References

Wikiwand - on

List of songs, showing title, year of release, originating album, writer(s), notes and references.
Title	Year	Album	Writer(s)	Notes	Ref.
"2 Bad"	1995	HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I	Michael Jackson Bruce Swedien René Moore Dallas Austin Shaquille O'Neal	Rap by Shaquille O'Neal Featured in the film Michael Jackson's Ghosts (1996)	^[18]
"2000 Watts"	2001	Invincible	Michael Jackson Teddy Riley Tyrese Gibson Jaron Henson	Backing vocals by Riley	^[19]
"2300 Jackson Street"	1989	2300 Jackson Street	Jermaine Jackson Jackie Jackson Tito Jackson Randy Jackson Gene Griffin Aaron Hall	The Jacksons with Michael, Marlon, Rebbie and Janet	^[20]
"A Brand New Day"	1978	The Wiz	Luther Vandross	Diana Ross, Jackson, Nipsey Russell and Ted Ross	^[21]
"A Place with No Name"	2014	Xscape	Michael Jackson Elliot "Dr. Freeze" Straite Dewey Bunnell	Written and recorded in 1998 Based on "A Horse with No Name", a hit song by rock band America Failed to make Invincible album. A 24-second snippet leaked online on July 16, 2009 and full version leaked online on December 18, 2013	^[22]
"Ain't No Sunshine"	1972	Got to Be There	Bill Withers	Bill Withers cover	^[23]
"Al Capone"	2012	Bad 25	Michael Jackson	Recorded at Hayvenhurst during 1985–1986 Evolved into "Smooth Criminal"	^[24]
"All in Your Name"	2011		Barry Gibb Michael Jackson	Barry Gibb duet with Michael Jackson Recorded in 2002 Released by Gibb on June 25, 2011, the second anniversary of Michael Jackson's death, as a standalone single	^[25]
"All the Things You Are"	1973	Music & Me	Oscar Hammerstein II Jerome Kern	Hiram Sherman cover	^[26]
"Another Part of Me"	1987	Bad	Michael Jackson	Featured in the film Captain EO (1986)	^[27]
"Baby Be Mine"	1982	Thriller	Rod Temperton		^[28]
"Bad"	1987	Bad	Michael Jackson	Originally intended as a duet with Prince Remix with Afrojack, DJ Buddha and Pitbull released on Bad 25 (2012)	^[29]
"Be a Lion"	1978	The Wiz	Charlie Smalls	Diana Ross, Jackson, Nipsey Russell and Ted Ross	^[30]
"Beat It"	1982	Thriller	Michael Jackson	Guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen Demo released on This Is It (2009) and the deluxe edition of Thriller 40 (2022) Remix with Fergie, titled "Beat It 2008", released on Thriller 25 (2008)	^[31]
"Beautiful Girl"	2004	The Ultimate Collection	Michael Jackson	Previously unreleased demo recorded between 1998 and 2004 during the Invincible sessions	^[32]
"Behind the Mask"	2010	Michael	Michael Jackson Chris Mosdell Ryuichi Sakamoto	Featuring additional background vocals by Shanice Greg Philinganes recorded this song on the album Pulse (1984) with the contribution of Michael's background vocals An agreement to share the royalties equally between Jackson, Chris Mosdell and Ryuichi Sakamoto broke down when the management of Yellow Magic Orchestra disagreed which prevented the song to be released on Jackson's sixth studio album, Thriller (1982) Demo released on Thriller 40 (2022)	^[33]
"Ben"	1972	Ben	Walter Scharf Don Black	Theme from Ben (1972)	^[34]
"Best of Joy"	2010	Michael	Michael Jackson	Evolved from "The Toy" and reworked in 1991 One of the last songs that Jackson recorded during his lifetime, having recorded it in November 2008 in Los Angeles, California, the year before his death Was slated to premiere during the final This Is It concert	^[35]
"Billie Jean"	1982	Thriller	Michael Jackson	1981 demo released on Thriller (Special Edition) (2001) and deluxe editions of the Thriller 25 (2008) and Thriller 40 (2022) albums Remix with Kanye West, titled "Billie Jean 2008", released on Thriller 25	^[36]
"Black or White"	1991	Dangerous	Michael Jackson Bill Bottrell	Rap by L.T.B.	^[37]
"Blood on the Dance Floor"	1997	Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix	Michael Jackson Teddy Riley	Originally recorded for the Dangerous album	^[38]
"Blue Gangsta"	2014	Xscape	Michael Jackson Elliot "Dr. Freeze" Straite	Recorded in 1998	^[39]
"Break of Dawn"	2001	Invincible	Michael Jackson Elliot "Dr. Freeze" Straite	Background vocals by Elliot Straite (Dr. Freeze)	^[40]
"Burn This Disco Out"	1979	Off the Wall	Rod Temperton	Recorded in June 1979	^[41]
"Butterflies"	2001	Invincible	Andre Harris Marsha Ambrosius	Remix with Eve	^[42]
"Call on Me"	1984	Farewell My Summer Love	Fonce Mizell Larry Mizell	Original version released on Anthology (1995) Working title "Fussin' and Fightin'"	^[43]
"Can't Get Outta the Rain"	1982	B-side of "The Girl Is Mine"	Michael Jackson Quincy Jones	B-side of "The Girl Is Mine" (1982) An overdubbed version of The Wiz song "You Can't Win" (1978) Later released on The Essential Michael Jackson 3.0 (2008), several editions of King of Pop (2008),The Ultimate Fan Extras Collection (2013) and Thriller 40 (2022)	^[44]
"Can't Let Her Get Away"	1991	Dangerous	Michael Jackson Teddy Riley	Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien and Riley in 1991. Sometimes incorrectly referred to as "I Can't Let Her Get Away".	^[45]
"Carousel"	2001	Thriller (Special Edition)	Michael Sembello Don Freeman	Also known as "Circus Girl" Short version released on Thriller (Special Edition) (2001) and the deluxe edition of Thriller 25 (2008) Full version released on several editions of King of Pop (2008), The Ultimate Fan Extras Collection (2013) and Thriller 40 (2022)	^[46]
"Centipede"	1984	Centipede	Michael Jackson	Rebbie Jackson featuring background vocals by Michael Jackson, La Toya Jackson and the Weather Girls	^[47]
"Cheater"	2004	The Ultimate Collection	Michael Jackson Greg Phillinganes	Recorded in 1987	^[48]
"Chicago"	2014	Xscape	Cory Rooney	Recorded in 1999 under the title "She Was Lovin' Me"	^[49]
"Childhood"	1995	HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I	Michael Jackson	Theme from Free Willy 2 (1995)	^[50]
"Cinderella Stay Awhile"	1975	Forever, Michael	Michael Burnett Sutton Mack David	Recorded in December 1974 and produced by Hal Davis	^[51]
"Come Together"	1995	HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I	John Lennon Paul McCartney	The Beatles cover Recorded in 1988 for the film Moonwalker (1988) Full version released on the single "Remember the Time" (1992) Edited version released on HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995)	^[52]
"Cry"	2001	Invincible	R. Kelly	Recorded in 2000	^[53]
"D.S."	1995	HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I	Michael Jackson	Guitar by Slash	^[54]
"Dangerous"	1991	Dangerous	Michael Jackson Bill Bottrell Teddy Riley	Evolved from "Streetwalker" Early version released on The Ultimate Collection (2004)	^[55]
"Dapper-Dan"	1975	Forever, Michael	Don Fletcher		^[56]
"Dear Michael"	1975	Forever, Michael	Hal Davis Elliot Willensky	Recorded in December 1974	^[57]