By the late ’70s, Michael Jackson began taking reign over his songwriting and penned a majority of the tracks on his 1979 solo debut Off the Wall. Under the tutelage of producer Quincy Jones—who also worked on his next albums Thriller and Bad—Jackson continued writing and eventually producing other artists by the late 1980s.
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Jackson wrote and produced for Diana Ross, Paul McCartney, Jennifer Holliday, and sisters Janet, Rebbie, and LaToya, and more. Throughout his career, he also wrote more than 150 songs, including Thriller hits “Beat It,” Billie Jean,” “The Girl is Mine” (featuring McCartney), and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’.”
[RELATED: 7 Songs You Didn’t Know Michael Jackson Wrote for Other Artists]
After penning the charitable U.S.A. For Africa single “We Are the World” with Lionel Richie, Jackson continued on with his Bad-era “Smooth Criminal,” “Dirty Diana,” and the title track with the help of Jones. Entering the 1990s with Dangerous, Jackson penned more hits with “Black or White,” “Remember the Time” and later Invincible track “You Rock My World.”
Though Jackson added plenty to the songbook of pop, many of the songs he wrote following his trifecta of albums with Jones delivered some of his most affecting and socially conscious lyrics. Here’s a look at just five of some of the most moving lyrics Jackson wrote during the ’90s.
1. “Keep the Faith” (1991)
Written by Michael Jackson, Glen Ballard, and Siedah Garrett
I told my brother how to do the thing right
Lift up your head and show the world you got pride
Go for what you want, don’t let ’em get in your way
You can be a winner,
But you got to keep the faith
Gon’ keep it brother
You got it
I know that keepin’ the faith
Means never givin’ up on love
But the power that love has
To make it right
Co-written with Glen Ballard—who also penned Jackson’s “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” and “Man In The Mirror,” along with Alanis Morissette‘s 1995 breakout Jagged Little Pill—”Keep the Faith” is a song of perseverance and hope. Jackson sings of keeping the faith, despite societal pressures, self-doubt, and other hardships.
Released on Dangerous, Jackson’s first solo album without Quincy Jones, “Keep the Fatih” features late gospel singer Andraé Crouch. Though it was never released as a single, it still left behind a powerful enough message.
2. “Black or White” (1991)
Written by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell
I am tired of this devil
I am tired of this stuff
I am tired of this business
Sew when the going gets rough
I ain’t scared of your brother
I ain’t scared of no sheets
I ain’t scared of nobody
Girl, when the going gets mean
Protection
For gangs, clubs, and nations
Causing grief in human relations
It’s a turf war on a global scale
I’d rather hear both sides of the tale
See, it’s not about races
Just places, faces
Where your blood comes from
Is were your space is
I’ve seen the bright get duller
I’m not going to spend my life being a color
Co-written with Dangerous co-producer Bill Bottrell, “Black or White” was a call for acceptance and racial equality and went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
3. “They Don’t Care About Us” (1995)
Written by Michael Jackson
Tell me what has become of my life
I have a wife and two children who love me
I’m a victim of police brutality, now (Mhhm)
I’m tired of bein’ the victim of hate
Your rapin’ me of my pride
Oh, for God’s sake
I look to heaven to fulfill its prophecy
Off Jackson’s ninth album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, “They Don’t Care About Us” faced some controversy at first for its alleged antisemitic verses. Jackson apologized and said he never intended for the lyrics to offend the Jewish community.
“The song is in fact about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems,” said Jackson. “I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the Black Man, I am the White Man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them.”
Two music videos directed by Spike Lee were filmed for the single, including one featuring Jackson featuring handcuffed Jackson in prison along with real footage of human rights abuses, and police attacking African Americans. A second video was shot in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and helped contribute to the transformation within some favelas, or shantytowns, within the region.
After Jackson and Lee filmed the video in Brazil, there was renewed pride in the favelas, including Santa Marta, which launched the Favela Painting Art Project, prompting locals to paint their homes brighter colors. There’s even a Michael Jackson statue in Santa Marta.
4. “Earth Song” (1995)
Written by Michael Jackson
What about sunrise?
What about rain?
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain?
What about killing fields?
Is there a time?
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine?
Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we’ve shed before?
Did you ever stop to notice
This crying Earth, these weeping shores?
Also released on HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, “Earth Song” is centered specifically around animal welfare and the environment. Released as a single, the song was accompanied by a music video that was shot in four geographical regions.
The video, directed by Nick Brandt, picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Music Video, Short Form, and won the Doris Day Music Award at the Genesis Awards. Awarded annually by Humane Society of the United States, past Genesis honorees include Peter Gabriel, Paul McCartney, and Prince, among others.
5. “The Lost Children” (2001)
Written and produced by Michael Jackson
We pray for our fathers, pray for our mothers
Wishing our families well
We sing songs for the wishing, of those who are kissing
But not for the missing
So this one’s for all the lost children
This one’s for all the lost children
This one’s for all the lost children, wishing them well
And wishing them home
When you sit there addressing, counting your blessings
Biding your time
When you lay me down sleeping and my heart is weeping
Because I’m keeping a place
Never released as a single, the 14th track on Jackson’s final album, “The Lost Children” was written for children who were kidnapped, and for their parents. Jackson’s then 4-year-old song Price makes a brief appearance on the track.
Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage
