Mega Music Talent

“Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin” – What a brilliant way to start this album. It’s a totally over the top song stuffed with so many beats, riffs, and unexpected surprises (“yee haw”) that it still sounds ridiculously fresh 27 years after it was first released. I think it’s worth noting that Jackson as a sole songwriting credit on this song. Not enough people give him credit as a songwriter. They want to write him off simply as an “entertainer” or as someone who just sang and danced but didn’t have any real creative input on his music. While he was an excellent singer and dancer, he was also an extremely creative songwriter.

“Baby Be Mine” – One of just two songs not released as a single which goes to show how great this album really is because this is an excellent song that I think could
have been a hit.

“The Girl Is Mine” – Most would agree this is one of the lesser songs on the album yet it was actually released as the lead single. That’s probably partly because MJ was so thrilled to have done a duet with Paul McCartney. Over the years this song has actually really grown on me and I enjoy it more today than I ever have in the past. Once you accept it for what it is, it’s really quite enjoyable.

“Thriller” – The music video for this song is so famous that I think the song itself actually doesn’t get enough attention. While Jackson didn’t actually write “Thriller,” it’s hard to imagine it being anything close to what it is in the hands of anyone else.

“Beat It” – Michael wrote this classic song himself. The inclusion of the blistering guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen gives this song a lot of crossover appeal to rock fans who may otherwise dismiss MJ’s music. Including such a guitar solo in this song is a great example of Jackson’s creativity and desire to push the boundries.

“Billie Jean” – Probably Jackson’s all time most popular song. It’s the song that he first moonwalked to (at the 1983 Motown awards.) And yes Jackson wrote this brilliant track himself. I’m not sure there’s any other song in the world that makes me want to dance more than “Billie Jean.”

“Human Nature” – This part of the album is probably what I enjoy most at this point because these songs haven’t been quite as “overplayed” as most of the rest of the album. I love this song. It was written by Steve Porcoro and John Bettis. Steve Porcoro was a member of the band Toto.

“P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” – This song just absolutely rocks. It’s somewhat lesser known because it’s never included on Jackson’s “Greatest Hits” albums but to me it ranks among his best songs.

“The Lady In My Life” – This one has grown on me over time but I’d still probably rank it as my least favorite song on the album. I think it starts off pretty weakly but I do really dig where it goes once it gets going.

Jake Topp recommends Singorama singing lessons if you want to improve your vocal abilities: http://www.MusicByDay.com/singinglessons.html