Of the rare breed of musicians that seem to have virtually no competition, existing in leagues entirely their own in terms of both talent and cultural influence, Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury are certainly two of the most notable. Two powerhouse vocalists, two innovators in their respective genres, two men gone too soon: the parallels between the Queen frontman and former Jackson 5 wünderkind are almost uncanny. And for a brief moment in the early 1980s, they were about to join their mutual starpower for a lightning bolt of a rock duet.
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Jackson planned on having Mercury sing on “State of Shock”, which the “Rock with You” singer would then release on Thriller, his seminal 1983 album. These musicians’ voices together must have made for an electric time in the studio, albeit with some oddities for which Mercury wasn’t quite ready. During one eccentric session, Jackson brought a llama into the studio. According to Queen’s then-manager, Jim ‘Miami’ Beach, Mercury called him and said, “Miami, dear, can you get over here? You have to get me out of here. I’m recording with a llama.”
Llamas in the studio aside, the ultimate undoer of what would have been an incredible mash-up of pop power was time. (Isn’t it always?) With Mercury working with Queen in Münich and Jackson thousands of miles away in Los Angeles, they simply couldn’t align their schedules. With Mercury’s approval, Jackson started looking elsewhere for a suitable duet partner.
What Mercury’s replacement lacked in vocal range, he certainly made up for in bravado.
The Rockstar Who Replaced Freddie Mercury on Michael Jackson’s Duet
Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury started working on “State of Shock” in the fall of 1981. Jackson’s sixth studio album, Thriller, came out one year later in 1982. By the time Jackson found a replacement for Mercury—Rolling Stones frontman, Mick Jagger—the deadline to include the track on Thriller was passed. Instead, Jackson used the new version with Jagger on The Jacksons’ 15th album, Victory.
Although Mercury didn’t end up on the final version of “State of Shock”, there were no hard feelings about it. Still, Mercury knew that those choices meant the loss of an incredible opportunity. “I think one of the tracks would have been on the Thriller album if I finished it, but I missed out,” the Queen frontman later said, per Express. “I was initially gonna be on Thriller. Can you imagine that? I blew it.”
But as the old adage goes, when one door closes, another opens, and Jagger was the man behind that second door. On the precipice of embarking on his own solo career, Jagger became “obsessed” with Jackson, according to Rolling Stones Records’ then-president Arthur Collins. “He wanted to know every detail about Jackson’s life, his contract with Columbia, how the Thriller singles were selling, who was pulling the strings.”
As much as it was a learning experience for Jagger, it was also a full-circle moment for Jackson, who adopted many of his stage moves from The Stones’ singer. Jackson admired that Mick “could wear lipstick, sashay around, and still be thought of as a macho rocker. Michael wanted to find out Mick’s secret,” Collins said. “State of Shock” was a Top 10 hit around the world, but in the end, what each musician learned from the other was infinitely more valuable.
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