Top 50 Michael Jackson Singles, by KevinScream [#1 REVEALED]

[biscuits]

I love In The Closet. One of his most underrated definitely.

[LonelyDreamer]

24. Is It Scary (1997)

* PROMO SINGLE *

SHORT-FILM (from 'Ghosts'): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYtEuoPpP6k

Such underrated song! Many people don't notice, but there's a perfect combination here: Michael Jackson's voice + beatboxing + piano.

Initially intended for 'Addams Family Values' film, it ended out of its soundtrack due to contractual conflicts. Four years later, it was included in Blood On The Dance Floor and 'Ghosts' short-fim.

It's one of his dark songs, which I love! Besides that, my current favourite remix is IS IT SCARY (DJ GREEK SCARY REMIX).

23. Heal The World (1992)

US: #27 / UK: #2

SHORT-FILM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWf-eARnf6U
LIVE PERFORMANCE (SUPERBOWL): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Drc6gARRBT8

One of the most delicate songs of all time... It's like 'We Are The World', but in a whole new level of beautifulness! I love it since the very first time: 'Heal The World' is the kind of ballad only MJ could wrote, I can easily notice his 'mark' in this.

>> This single was released in the same week I was born.

[Andreita2994]

now that you mention is it scary- i totally agree with you. it is so underrated. right now i'm so obsessed with that song. every time i listened there are sounds i've never noticed before. every layer it's so perfectly put together
i love mj dark songs. it's autobiographical too.
it used to be in my top 50 , it has grow so much on me. that i'd put it inside my top 20.

heal the world...what can i say. it's wonderful, don' see any cheesiness on it, . one of the first songs i listened along with earth song. i remember my cousin and i had a debate on it. she liked heal the world and i liked earth song more. but i understand her point. it's a very easy song to listen to,and captures you with the beautiful harmony and melody. that's song helped realized mj true nature. literally someone who wanted to heal the world... when i was a casual fan, it was my fav song. my other cousin and i made a lame choreography for it lol. i used to listened it all the time. just to hear mj sweet and soft voice
nice choices, loving your chart so far

[NothingFails]

Is It Scary was great, very underrated

Never been fussed much on Heal The World, always preferred Man In The Mirror and We Are The World when it came to his epic "change the world" ballads

[Wardo]

I find Heal the World boring to be honest. However, in the Memorial Concert the performance was really moving.

Is it Scary is a great choice for the #24! Even unexpected! And the single cover is iconic

[Andreita2994]

i listen to heal the world more than man in the mirror and we are the world. i got sort of bored of those mention. but i never get bored of heal the world. i just love his voice and the arrangement of the song

[CrazyCrazy]

"Heal The World" is good, lovely vocals although it is a little corny to be honest. "In The Closet" is very hot.

[biscuits]

'Heal The World' is nice when you want to go to sleep. I mean that in a nice way, it is very relaxing.

[LonelyDreamer]

22. Leave Me Alone (1989)

US: -- / UK: #2

SHORT-FILM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crbFmpezO4A&ob=av2e

Originally just a bonus track of Bad, it's one of the catchiest songs of 80's! I love everything about 'Leave Me Alone', specially its instrumental and the 'Stop it! Just stop doggin' me around' part.

Not sure why, but I remember that one of the first times I listened to this song (an a cappella version, to be exact), it made me cry - I felt so emotional.

>> Its music video, an explicit response for all rumours about him that decade, won the Grammy Award in 1990 for Best Short Form Music Video.

>> 'Leave Me Alone' was never performed live.

21. Remember The Time (1992)

US: #3 / UK: #3

SHORT-FILM: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LeiFF0gvqcc&ob=av2n
LIVE PERFORMANCE (Soul Train Music Awards 1993): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf159QDgBZQ
Dangerous Tour Rehearsals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evl42SwZDPo

Another all-time fave! 'Remember The Time' is definitely a jam and a never-skip track. Its music video is my 2nd favourite ever, and I love the Egypt thematic (for some time I wanted to be an Egyptologist, and that used to be my favourite subject for years).

>> 'Remember The Time' was never performed live in tour... however, it was performed once, during the Soul Train Awards 1993, but he was sick that time, so he sits during all performance - although the 3min27s-31s worths it!

[NothingFails]

Leave Me Alone was such a great video, very ahead of its time and it was great to see a more humorous side of Michael showing through in that video. A shame the media never took heed to the lyrics.

Remember The Time of course is a classic too, and a phenomenal video with Eddie Murphy and Mrs. Bowie to boot.

[Wardo]

Remember the time is HOT!

I love the chorus, btw. And the video is indeed phenomenal

[Neymar]

Good job, Kevin.

Waiting for Tabloid Junkie (one of my favorites) and Stranger in Moscow, of course.

Liberian Girl - gotta admit I just really discovered this after JLo sampled it (I believe it was her ) ...great tune but would rank lower at mine

I didn't know that!

Well, how many MJ songs she sampled? "I Wanna Be Where You Are", "Liberian Girl"...

I love Liberian Girl too.

2Pac:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyBjzRrEdE0

[JSparksFan]

"Heal The World" is a nice song but it's never been an MJ fave of mine.

"Leave Me Alone" is actually a great track. It's a shame that it's so frequently overlooked. I'm shocked that he never performed it live!

"Remember The Time" is just fantastic, easily the best of the last two batches. The film-like music video is phenomenal too.

[GoodBoyGoneBad]

Is It Scary sounds epic, but it's very underrated unfortunately.

[LonelyDreamer]

WE NEED SOME STARLIGHT, STARLIGHT SUN!

20. Thriller (1984)

US: #4 / UK: #10

SHORT-FILM (Full Version): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOnqjkJTMaA

Many people would rank this song among their Top 10, and will complain this time... but don't get me wrong: it's an amazing song, with the most phenomenal music video in history (although it's not my favourite one), and I deeply love it.

'Thriller' is the final single off the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, as you all know, but curiously didn't make the Top 3 in USA and just peaked at #10 in UK.

>> The documentary 'Making Michael Jackson's Thriller', about its music video, has became the top-selling home-video release of all time (+9,000,000 units).

P.S.: 'Thriller' had originally been titled 'Starlight', but MJ wanted a horror song, so Rod Temperton rewrote its lyrics to fit the theme.

>> LISTEN TO THE DEMO VERSION - 'STARLIGHT' <<

19. You Rock My World (2001)

US: #10 / UK: #2

SHORT-FILM (Extended Version): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-7ABIM2qjU

'You Rock My World' was not meant to be the first single off Invincible (MJ wanted 'Unbreakable'), but it leaked several weeks before the album release (and got a huge radio airplay), so everything changed.

Its music video is one of the most expensive ones of all time, and features appearances of MJ's friends Marlon Brando and Chris Tucker, plus Michael Madsen, Billy Drago and Britney Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline (lol). There are some references to 'Smooth Criminal' there.

It's not my favourite song of Invincible, but I think it was a good choice for single. Although I love its instrumental, I must say the a capella version is way better, and his vocals... well, they're breathtaking!

>> 'You Rock My World' was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance in 2002.

[CrazyCrazy]

You Rock My World above Thriller!? Just no, I like both however. I did not know that Thriller only peaked at #10 in the UK!!!!!?

[Play]

I can't tell you how much I love Leave Me Alone! That song is one of a kind gem.

Also great to see You Rock My World charting alonside a legend like Thriller... to me it means you're on something different here, not a usual MJ chart

[CrazyCrazy]

Leave Me Alone & Remember The Time would both be in my Top 10.

[BeeFan]

Healt The World - epic

Leave Me Alone and Remember The Time - both are Michael classics, but I got tired of them to be honest

Thriller - grown on me, and great start to your top 20

You Rock My World - glad to see this that high... love it... makes me wanna move

[LonelyDreamer]

Good job, Kevin.

Waiting for Tabloid Junkie (one of my favorites) and Stranger in Moscow, of course.

2Pac:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SyBjzRrEdE0

Thanks, Neymar! Unfortunately, 'Tabloid Junkie' won't make my list, since it wasn't released as single. It's one of my favourite songs from 'HIStory' too!

****

I did not know that Thriller only peaked at #10 in the UK!!!!!?

So low! =\ And then 'Thriller' made the #12 in 2009.

****

Also great to see You Rock My World charting alonside a legend like Thriller... to me it means you're on something different here, not a usual MJ chart

Thanks, Play!

****

You Rock My World - glad to see this that high... love it... makes me wanna move

'Invincible' had so much potential! Glad you like it... there's another Vinci single coming soon.

[NothingFails]

A little shocked to see YRMW over Thriller, but at the same time, Thriller has been so saturated through the decades while You Rock Me World never really got its due and should've been a much bigger hit than it was.

[NothingFails]

I did not know that Thriller only peaked at #10 in the UK!!!!!?

Everybody had the album by then

It also "only" peaked at #4 in the US for the same reason. By that point, the album had already sold 15-20 million in the US alone so the single only sold to the ten people who didn't own a copy yet and those who collected everything MJ-related.

[CrazyCrazy]

I did not know that Thriller only peaked at #10 in the UK!!!!!?

Everybody had the album by then

Yes I guess, it's just the song is a complete classic and the video premier was such an enormous event, I just thought...

[NothingFails]

I did not know that Thriller only peaked at #10 in the UK!!!!!?

Everybody had the album by then

Yes I guess, it's just the song is a complete classic and the video premier was such an enormous event, I just thought...

The video pushed the album to 1 million/week sales if reports from 1984 are to be believed, so it definitely served its purpose . The album reportedly was at 10 million in the US in November 1983 right before the video premiered, it was at 20 million in June 1984. So that video almost singlehandedly doubled its sales.

"Thriller" and Yoko's "It's Alright (I See Rainbows)" were released the same date in 1982, I think YokoDiva might try to argue that there was UPC-swapping between them

[biscuits]

Leave Me Alone - hmmm, not a big fan of it.

Remember The Time - I like it, especially the video.

Thriller - good video, average song.

You Rock My World - kinda boring.