Michael Jackson’s Five Best Songs

Last year, fans all over the world celebrated what would have been the King of Pop’s 58th birthday. Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009, and fans are still mourning seven years later.

Let’s take some time to celebrate Jackson’s best songs. It’s a difficult list to make since Michael had so many amazing songs. Some of his best work actually came out in the 1990s, after he was declared “over with” because of the child molestation scandals.

5. Ben (1972)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1dAQN5QcZU

“Ben” was the title track from the 1972 film of the same name, which was about a boy who befriends a rat. The childlike lyrics and Michael Jackson’s vulnerable vocal performance propelled this song to No. 1 in 1972. In 1973, it was nominated for an Academy Award.

According to Songfacts, Jackson was only 14 when he recorded this. Michael became the youngest artist to hit No. 1 on the U.S. charts both as a solo artist and as a member of a group (The Jackson 5).

4. Earth Song (1995)

“Earth Song,” taken from Jackson’s 1995 album HIStory, never received an official U.S. release, but was No. 1 on MTV’s request countdown for several weeks. The song is about the destruction of our planet through selfishness and ignorance. It came out years before the global warming debates became mainstream.

“I remember writing ‘Earth Song’ when I was in Austria, in a hotel. And I was feeling so much pain and so much suffering of the plight of the Planet Earth. And for me, this is Earth’s Song, because I think nature is trying so hard to compensate for man’s mismanagement of the Earth,” Jackson is quoted as saying by Songfacts.

3. Thriller (1984)

“Thriller” was the title track from Michael Jackson’s album that was released in 1982. It was the final single and would end up peaking at No. 4 on Billboard‘s charts. It is arguably his most popular song in 2016, and it gets a boost every Halloween.

The video for “Thriller,” which was the most popular video of its time, is where music video meets cinema. Record companies didn’t think of spending over $500,00 for a video, but Michael Jackson proved it could be profitable.

2. You Are Not Alone (1995)

“You Are Not Alone” was helped to No. 1 when Sony released the song for 99 cents, which was about a third of the cost for a regular single. However, nobody can deny how effective this song is. This late Summer of 1995 hit shows Michael’s voice at its most touching.

Ironically, the song was written and produced with R. Kelly, who, like Michael Jackson, was accused of sexually assaulting teenagers. Like R. Kelly, Michael Jackson was never convicted, but it still remains a controversial issue in his career years after his death.

1. Man In The Mirror (1988)

If you want a song that makes you cry, smile, and cheer at the same time, “Man In The Mirror” is it. The song is not only the best Michael Jackson record ever made, it’s one of the best records period. It was the fourth single from Bad and hit No. 1 in the Spring of 1988, just as Jackson hit the United States for his world tour supporting the album.

According to Yahoo, Siedah Garrett, who co-wrote “Man In The Mirror,” still clearly remembers the day she wrote the lyrics to the song.

“I called Quincy [Jones] and said, ‘Dude, Glen [Ballard] and I have written a great song.’ He said, ‘Great, great. So turn it into the publishing office, and I’ll hear it on Monday.’ I said, ‘Nope. No. Quincy. Let me just drop off the cassette [now]’,” Garrett, who would go on to work with other superstars like Madonna and Jennifer Hudson, was quoted as explaining.

Do you agree with this list of Michael Jackson’s best songs? Let us know your favorites in the comments section.

[Photo by Dave Allocca/AP Images]