Michael Jackson left behind an incredible amount of music, a lot of it not really known by the masses.
Here are some of our favorite unreleased MJ tunes, obscure collaborations, and other goodies!
LaToya Jackson “Night Time Lover”
Michael wrote, produced, and sings background vocals on this song that from LaToya’s 1980 self-titled debut album. The song was originally written for Donna Summer.
Michael Jackson “Starlight”
I won’t give it away, but this unreleased song went through a few changes before it became one of Michael’s most well-known songs…
Michael Jackson “Carousel”
The full version of this song is kinda difficult to come by… legally. A snippet was included on the 2001 remaster of Thriller (the song was intended for the album, but ultimately replaced by “Human Nature”). However, the full version was eventually released only on a special edition of the French version of his 2008 King Of Pop compilation. The King Of Pop compilation received diffeent tracklists in each country it was released in, and fans in each country voted for the tracklist. Only the French were smart enough to ask for the full version of this gem.
Michael Jackson & Freddie Mercury “State Of Shock”
Michael Jackson worked with Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, off and on from 1981 to 1983. One of the songs they recorded together was an early version of “State Of Shock.” The song was eventually reworked in 1984 for The Jacksons’ Victory album and Mercury was replaced by Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones.
Dave Mason “Save Me”
In 1980, rocker Dave Mason teamed up with Michael for this duet from his Old Crest On A New Wave album. The Jackson 5 frequently covered Mason’s composition “Feelin’ Alright” in concert.
Michael Jackson “Love Never Felt So Good”
Michael Jackson wrote this song with Paul Anka and Kathy Wakefield and recorded this sparse vocal and piano demo. The song was eventually recorded and released by Johnny Mathis on his 1984 album, A Special Part Of Me.
Michael Jackson & LL Cool J “Serious Effect”
This song, recorded for the Dangerous album features a guest verse from LL Cool J. The song was almost released as part of the deluxe edition of Dangerous in 2001.
Kenny Loggins “Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong”
Michael only sings background vocals on this song, but it’s still a great tune!
The Jacksons “Surprise Song”
This improvised song by The Jacksons was sent out to members of their fan club in the early 1980s.
Bryan Loren “Satisfy You”
Michael and songwriter Bryan Loren collaborated on many songs throughout the years (including Michael’s uncredited contributions to Bart Simpson’s “Do The Bartman”). One of the songs they worked on together was “Satisfy You” which received some notoriety in the early 90s after being recorded by Chanté Moore and Damion Hall of the group Guy.
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