Michael Jackson is considered “The King of Pop” for a reason. The guy knew how to craft a dance-worthy, sing-along-able hit. In the 80s, Jackson came through with projects like Thriller and Bad. Even today, some of these staples make me think that his reign on the pop throne isn’t quite over.
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“The Way You Make Me Feel”
One of the five No. 1 hits from the Bad album, “The Way You Make Me Feel” is a classic. Michael got to work on this song after his mother requested that he write something with “a shuffling kind of rhythm,” according to Jacksons Number Ones. The song was also accompanied by a music video in which Jackson attempts to seduce a girl. The girl being dancer Tatiana Thumbtzen, and the “seducing” being just a whole lot of dancing.
Thumbtzen would later publish a book titled The Way He Made Me Feel in 2004, which explores the lore surrounding their alleged relationship.
“P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”
“P.Y.T” is a staple from Jackson’s catalog, written by James Ingram and Quincy Jones. Since long after its release, the song has been sampled and remixed by several artists, including Monica, Justin Guarini, Kanye West, and will.i.am. There’s nothing quite as catchy as Michael’s voice, backed by that hooky synth and bass.
Apparently, the idea for the song actually came about when Jones’ wife at the time, Peggy Lipton, brought some spicy lingerie home. They had the words “pretty young thing” written on them, and Jones thought it would make a great idea for a song title.
“Bad”
The title track of Jackson’s 1987 album, “Bad” was written solely by Jackson himself. According to Slate, Prince was actually offered a duet with him on the song, but didn’t want to be the one to sing “your butt is mine” to Jackson. I mean, a duet would’ve been iconic. But fair enough, I guess.
With “all the turmoil in [Jackson’s life] going on at the time, his collaborator, Jones, felt it was time for the singer to make “a very honest album.” Jackson had written some on previous projects, but it was with 1987’s Bad that he wrote around sixty songs. When it came down to making the final project, all the songs on Bad, except for “Man In The Mirror” and “Just Good Friends” Jackson had a hand in writing.
Photo by: Kevin Mazur/WireImage
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