Michael Jackson's Top 100 Songs

Michael Jackson Top 100 Songs

R&B/pop singer/songwriter and dancer born 8/29/1958 in Gary, Indiana. Died 6/25/2009. The 7th of 9 children, he was born into one of history’s most musical families. Achieved fame at 11 years old with his brothers in the Jackson 5 (69-76); the group later became The Jacksons (76-84). Launched a solo career (72-09) while simultaneously working in The Jackson 5. His 1979 Off the Wall album became only the second in history to score 4 top 10 hits. His 1982 Thriller album, with an estimated 60+ million sales worldwide, became the best-selling album in history; it was the first album to score 7 top 10 hits, fueled in part by breaking down the racial barrier on MTV with some of the most iconic videos of all time. His 1987 Bad album was the 1st to score 5 #1 songs. Two of his songs (“Billie Jean” and “Beat It”) are featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Songs of the Rock Era 1954-1999. Thriller is featured in the DMDB book The Top 100 Albums of All Time. For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards:

Top 100 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. * Jackson 5, ** The Jacksons. Noted below are songs which hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 (US), Cashbox (CB), R&B chart (RB), adult contemporary chart (AC), UK chart (UK), Canadian chart (CN), and Australian chart (AU). DMDB Top 1%: 1. Billie Jean (1982) #1 US,CB,RB,UK, CN,AU 2. Beat It (1982) #1 US,CB,RB,CN 3. We Are the World (U.S.A. for Africa, 1985) #1 US,CB,AC,UK,CN,AU 4. I Want You Back * (1969) #1 US,CB,RB 5. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (1979) #1 US,CB,RB,AU 6. I’ll Be There * (1970) #1 US,CB,RB 7. Thriller (1982) 8. ABC * (1970) #1 US,CB,RB 9. Say, Say, Say (with Paul McCartney, 1983) #1 US,CB,CN 10. Black or White (1991) #1 US,CB,UK,CN,AU 11. Rock with You (1979) #1 US,CB,RB DMDB Top 2%: 12. Remember the Time (1991) #1 CB,RB 13. The Way You Make Me Feel (1987) #1 US,CB,RB DMDB Top 5%: 14. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) (1982) 15. Man in the Mirror (1987) #1 US,CB,RB 16. Bad (1987) #1 US,CB,RB 17. Ben (1972) #1 US,AU 18. Somebody’s Watching Me (Rockwell w/ Michael Jackson, 1984) #1 RB 19. You Are Not Alone (1995) #1 US,CB,RB,UK 20. The Love You Save * (1970) #1 US,CB,RB 21. Shake Your Body Down to the Ground ** (1978) 22. Smooth Criminal (1987) 23. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (with Siedah Garrett, 1987) #1 US,CB,RB,AC,UK 24. Got to Be There (1971) #1 CB 25. The Girl Is Mine (with Paul McCartney, 1982) #1 RB,AC 26. Rockin’ Robin (1971) #1 CB 27. Dancing Machine * (1973) #1 CB,RB 28. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (1982) #1 CN DMDB Top 10%: 29. Scream (with Janet Jackson, 1995) 30. Earth Song (1995) #1 UK 31. State of Shock ** (with Mick Jagger, (1984) 32. She’s Out of My Life (1979) 33. Heal the World (1991) 34. Dirty Diana (1987) #1 US,CB 35. Human Nature (1982) 36. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town * (1970) 37. Will You Be There? (1991) 38. Off the Wall (1979) 39. Never Can Say Goodbye * (1971) 40. Love Never Felt So Good (w/ Justin Timberlake, 2014) 41. Enjoy Yourself ** (1976) 42. In the Closet (1991) #1 CB,RB 43. Farewell My Summer Love (1973) 44. Jam (1991) DMDB Top 20%: 45. You Rock My World (2001) 46. They Don’t Care About Us (1995) 47. Another Part of Me (1987) #1 RB 48. Eat It (Weird Al Yankovic parody of “Beat It,” 1984) 49. Torture ** (1984) 50. Ease on Down the Road (with Diana Ross, 1978) 51. Can You Feel It ** (1980) 52. Who Is It (1991) 53. Mama’s Pearl * (1970) #1 CB 54. Come Together (1988) 55. One Day in Your Life (1975) #1 UK 56. Heartbreak Hotel (This Place Hotel) ** (1980) 57. Blame It on the Boogie ** (1978) 58. Blood on the Dance Floor (1997) #1 UK 59. Stranger in Moscow (1995) 60. Lovely One ** (1980) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 61. Lookin’ Through the Window * (1972) 62. I Wanna Be Where You Are (1971) 63. With a Child’s Heart (1973) 64. We’re Almost There (1975) 65. Little Bitty Pretty One * (1972) 66. Show You the Way to Go ** (1976) #1 UK 67. Who’s Lovin’ You * (1969) 68. Hold My Hand (with Akon, 2010) 69. Tell Me I’m Not Dreaming (w/ Jermaine Jackson, 1984) 70. Childhood (1995) 71. I Am Love * (1974) 72. Ain’t No Sunshine (1971) 73. Don’t Matter to Me (w/ Drake, 2018) 74. Sugar Daddy * (1971) 75. Maybe Tomorrow * (1971) 76. Corner of the Sky * (1972) 77. Hallelujah Day * (1973) 78. Just a Little Bit of You (1975) 79. Walk Right Now ** (1980) 80. Leave Me Alone (1987) 81. Eaten Alive (w/ Diana Ross, 1985) 82. Goin’ Places ** (1977) 83. Get It (with Stevie Wonder, 1987) 84. Body ** (1984) 85. Whatever You Got, I Want * (1974) 86. Forever Came Today * (1975) 87. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus * (1970) 88. The Girl Is Mine 2008 (with will.i.am., 2008) 89. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ 2008 (with Akon, 2008) 90. Fat (Weird Al Yankovic parody of “Bad,” 1988) 91. Give in to Me (1991) 92. Smile (1995) 93. Get It Together * (1973) 94. Butterflies (2001) 95. The Man (with Paul McCartney, 1983) 96. This Is It (with the Jacksons, 2009) 97. You Can’t Win (1978) 98. One More Chance (2003) 99. Gone Too Soon (1991) 100. Happy (1973) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Michael Jackson DMDB Encyclopedia entry for The Jackson 5/The Jacksons Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 8/29/2013; last updated 11/28/2022.

The Jackson 5 “ABC” hit #1

ABC The Jackson 5

Writer(s): Berry Gordy, Freddie Perren, Deke Richards, Fonce Mizell (see lyrics here) Released: February 24, 1970 First Charted: March 6, 1970 Peak: 12 US, 11 CB, 11 GR, 12 HR, 14 RB, 8 UK, 14 AU, 2 DF (Click for codes to singles charts.) Sales (in millions): -- US, 0.6 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 78.4 video, 328.97 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The Jackson 5, fronted by a pre-teen Michael Jackson, burst onto the scene in 1969 with their #1 hit “I Want You Back,” “a perfect song.” SG It was the group’s first Motown single with chief Berry Gordy actively involved in writing the song. It “was a Motown tradition for a follow-up to resemble the song it succeeded” FB so when it came to putting together a follow-up, “his brainstrust pretty much just rewrote ‘I Want You Back’ as closely as possible.” SG That would seemingly be “an artistically bankrupt move” SG but Gordy knew “how well formulaic pop music could work.” SG The resulting “ABC” mastered the formula, giving the group its second of four consecutive #1 hits. The song was “based around the goofy idea that learning about love is like learning the alphabet.” SG Freddie Perren, one of the songwriters, was a former school teacher. He said they wrote roughly ten verses before landing on the two “that conveyed just the right amount of energy and innocence.” SF “Pop history really would be much the poorer without ‘ABC,’ as it personifies all that is exciting about pop.” LW Like its predecessor, the song is “fast and jittery and joyous” SG and driven by “the way that Michael and his brothers would euphorically bounce their voices off of each other.” SG “It’s a ridiculously funky confection, with fuzzed-out guitars and berserker bongos and a nagging piano riff that keeps the song airborne throughout.” SG Michael “spends the whole song sounding like the teenage Superman at the precise moment that he figured out that he could fly.” SG Rapper 50 Cent says it was the first song he remembered hearing. WK In 1991, Naughty by Nature sampled the song in its hit “O.P.P.” Rosario Dawson dances to “ABC” in the 2006 movie Clerks II. Resources: FB Fred Bronson (2003). The Billboard Book of Number One Hits (5th edition). Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 272. LW Alan Lewens (2001). Popular Song – Soundtrack of the Century. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Page 131. SF Songfacts SG Stereogum (12/20/2018). “The Number Ones” by Tom Breihan WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 11/21/2022.