Underrated

5. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
"Ma Ma Se, Ma Ma Sa, Ma Ma Coo Sa" - Sing along, you know you want to. Okay, maybe not, but there's no denying the irresistible dance beat of the first cut off "Thriller". A herky-jerky beat that wonderfully accents Jackson's hiccupy vocal gymnastics as this song explodes off the vinyl and through the listener's limbs. So why does nobody seem to remember it exists? Maybe because they were in too much of a funkified dance trance to notice what song was playing.

4. "Will You Be There"
Sure it's a little cheesy (It was on the "Free Willy" soundtrack after all) but there's no denying the swell of inspiration brought on by that closing fade out as Michael Jackson unchains his voice as a choir that sounds like it contains 17,000 voices backs him up. Somewhere, this fine song got lost in the shuffle despite the prowess of its singer and the soaring reach of its melody. It could be because the movie is a bit of a pop culture joke, or that R. Kelly's inferior "I Believe I Can Fly" mined similar musical territory a few years later to more popularity. Whatever the case, this song is very underrated.




3. "The Girl is Mine"
One of Michael Jackson's collaborations with Paul McCartney seemed to still get airplay and fond remembrances even before the King of Pop's demise. That song was the annoying "Say, Say, Say". Far superior is this soul ballad with a gentle melody that offsets many of the harder-edged stuff of the "Thriller" album. Surprisingly, this song was panned by critics upon its release and, despite reaching number 2 on the pop charts, remained largely forgotten, especially in the sea of number ones that followed. It's a shame, because this song's soothing melody is something that should carry through with the best soul.

2. "Black or White"
That opening riff. That opening riff. It's like breezily gliding over a rainforest in a hot air balloon that riff. From there, we're treated to a windswept pop ballad with a fine message. Even if that message is a bit overwrought, obvious, and is sung by a man whose skin color is neither black nor white.




It's Jackson's bleached skin that forms the reason for this tune's' being so underrated. It's just an easy target for most people to mock due to the way its lyrics related to the King of Pop's obsession with plastic surgery. Therefore it was dismissed as a joke as quickly as it could have been even though the song is a jubilant pop delight. Weird rap break in the middle notwithstanding.

1. "The Way You Make Me Feel"
This is the one. This is what I'm talkin' about. Michael Jackson's best music was always the Motown of his youth recorded with his brothers, and of all the singles he recorded throughout his career, this one came closest to emulating the sound of those earlier tunes. Just an easygoing love song filled with the delightful soul beats of the Motor City on which Jackson cut his teeth.




So why does nobody ever mention this among Jackson's best songs? Most lists feature "Billie Jean" or "Beat It" at the top. Both excellent songs, but this one stands above them. This is one of the few songs ever recorded that could be released by any artist, on any label, at any point in history and soar to the top of the charts. Its poppy and rhythmic melody, its love story lyrics, and its overall joy make "The Way You Make Me Feel" the one Jackson song that is truly timeless. Despite this, ask somebody to simply start listing Michael Jackson songs and they may get to twenty, thirty before this tune climbs from the depths of their memory.

Now that's underrated.


Story by Andrew Payne

Starpulse contributing writer