Michael Jackson stands unchallenged as the greatest pop artist to ever live. His career was lifelong, his influence monumental. But which of his creations stand out among the best? Below we recount the Ten Best Michael Jackson Songs of All Time.
Thriller
The title track of the best-selling album of all time was actually written by Rod Temperton, featuring Vincent Price’s iconic cackling laugh cameo. Jackson’s now-iconic zombie video sealed the song’s permanent placement in the pop culture hall of fame.
Beat It
Somehow Jackson found a way to make a corny premise seem downright dangerous, thanks in no small part to Eddie Van Halen’s guitar work. The dancefloor hit reached No. 14 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart.
Billie Jean
On a total fire run from three back-to-back number one singles, Jackson took his stardom to an entirely new level with “Billie Jean”. The track spent seven weeks at number one, in part due to its dramatic curveball in Jackson’s otherwise dance-driven songs.
Rock With You
British songwriter Rod Temperton wrote Jackson’s third number one, a deeply chill, romantic dancefloor slow jam which spent four weeks at the top of the charts.
Bad
Few people know that a tragic true story drives the lyrical narrative: a boy went off to a private boarding school, and was murdered out of jealousy when he returned back home. The title track and second single from the “Bad” album peaked at No. 1 on the Hot 100, where it lasted two weeks. But it also helped establish a new era of aggressive, rock-driven sound for the icon.
Black or White
The anthemic racial-harmony celebration led the charge on 1991’s Dangerous album, lasting seven weeks at number one on the Hot 100 – matching “Billie Jean” for the longest chart-topping run. The accompanying video is now legendary, featuring a Home Alone era Macauley Culkin as well as innovative new facial morphing technology.
The Way You Make Me Feel
The third single from “Bad” was a sexually charged sidestep for the newly aggressive singer, and outlined a strange cocksman side to Jackson’s persona.
Smooth Criminal
While the song itself is packed with enough mental hooks to permanently lodge in your head, it’s the video that remains an iconic haiku of badass. The apex of his film “Moonwalker,” “Smooth Criminal” was the seventh and final single from Jackson’s “Bad” album, setting a badass high-water mark for music in1989.
Man In The Mirror
The fourth number one single from his album Bad – a record – was a Rorschach test for suburban privilege guilt that resonated powerfully with 1987’s pre-internet culture. It was a slow-burn passion jam about introspection and a call to action for self-betterment.
Dirty Diana
Is it about Diana Ross? Is it a fictitious creepy obsessor woman? Whatever the case, “Dirty Diana” became the Bad”album’s fifth number one on the Hot 100 in 1988.
