Quincy Jones born: March 14, 1933 / His Top 40 Songs

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In honor of producer Quincy Jones’ 80th birthday, the March 16, 2013 issue of Billboard did an extensive cover story on him. Among the features was a list of his top 40 songs. Here they are (numbers in parentheses indicate peak position and year of peak on the Billboard Hot 100):

1. “Billie Jean”…Michael Jackson (#1 – 1983)
2. “We Are the World”…U.S.A. for Africa (#1 – 1985)
3. “Beat It”…Michael Jackson (#1 – 1983)
4. “Rock with You”…Michael Jackson (#1 – 1980)
5. “Baby, Come to Me”…Patti Austin with James Ingram (#1 – 1983)

6. “Man in the Mirror”…Michael Jackson (#1 – 1988)
7. “The Girl Is Mine”…Michael Jackson with Paul McCartney (#2 – 1983)
8. “The Way You Make Me Feel”…Michael Jackson (#1 – 1988)
9. “It’s My Party”…Lesley Gore (#1 – 1963)
10. “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You”…Michael Jackson with Siedah Garrett (#1 – 1987)

11. “I’ll Be Good to You”…The Brothers Johnson (#3 – 1976)
12. “Bad”…Michael Jackson (#1 – 1987)
13. “Dirty Diana”…Michael Jackson (#1 – 1988)
14. “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” (#1 – 1979)
15. “Give Me the Night”…George Benson (#4 – 1980)

16. “You Don’t Own Me”…Lesley Gore (#2 – 1964)
17. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’…Michael Jackson (#5 – 1983)
18. “Strawberry Letter 23”…The Brothers Johnson (#5 – 1977)
19. “Thriller”…Michael Jackson (#4 – 1984)
20. “She’s a Fool”…Lesley Gore (#5 – 1963)

21. “Judy’s Turn to Cry”…Lesley Gore (#5 – 1963)
22. “Smooth Criminal”…Michael Jackson (#7 – 1989)
23. “Human Nature”…Michael Jackson (#7 – 1983)
24. “Stomp!”…The Brothers Johnson (#7 – 1980)
25. “She’s Out of My Life”…Michael Jakcson (#10 – 1980)

26. “Love Is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)”…Donna Summer (#10 – 1982)
27. “Off the Wall”…Michael Jackson (#10 – 1980)
28. “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”…Michael Jackson (#10 – 1983)
29. “Just Once”…Quincy Jones with James Ingram (#17 – 1981)
30. “Another Part of Me”…Michael Jackson (#11 – 1988)

31. “One Hundred Ways”…Quincy Jones with James Ingram (#14 – 1982)
32. “Angel”…Aretha Franklin (#20 – 1973)
33. “I’ll Be Good to You”…Quincy Jones with Ray Charles & Chaka Khan (#18 – 1990)
34. “Yah Mo B There”…James Ingram with Michael McDonald (#19 – 1984)
35. “That’s the Way Boys Are”…Lesley Gore (#12 – 1964)

36. “Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows”…Lesley Gore (#13 – 1965)
37. “Maybe I Know”…Lesley Gore (#14 – 1964)
38. “Stuff Like That”…Quincy Jones (#21 – 1978)
39. “Get the Funk Out Ma Face”…The Brothers Johnson (#30 – 1976)
40. “We Are the World 25: For Haiti”…Artists for Haiti (#2 – 2010)

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