Ready for another entry :D

Those sweet memories will always be dear to me

15. Remember The Time | 8.159 Highest Scores: 10: (Qween, ready for it, Jester, Adelita, bluemonday, HausofArgento), Lowest Scores: 4: (Feel The Fever)


At #15 is the highest ranking song not to receive any 11's - Remember The Time, released in January 1992 as the 2nd single from his 8th studio album Dangerous & was written and composed by Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle & Michael himself, as well as being produced by Riley & MJ. Co-writer Teddy Riley stated that he was inspired to write this song after hearing Michael describe how he had fallen in love in with his soon to be wife Debbie Rowe, however he later denied this, while others noted that MJ had dedicated to Diana Ross. A nine minute music video directed by John Singleton, marketed as a short film was released for the song & features celebrities such as Eddie Murphy, Iman, Tommy "Tiny" Lister & Magic Johnson. Upon release the song was critically well received & became a commercial success by topping the charts in Belgium & New Zealand, and top 5 peaks in Canada, Poland, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, UK, Denmark, Switzerland, France & Greece, then top 10/20 peaks everywhere else.

During the first half of the rate, this was much lower in the top 25 region, but slowly climbed as the scores progressed, before finally settling for a rather respectable 15th position. This is a good solid track that hits a decent grooves, soothing sounds with effective beats & catchy hooks. The vocal arrangements are also solid which makes this a great single choice from what has to be one of his greatest albums. However personally I don't think I'd have it this high, but its a great light-hearted breezy little number nonetheless.

not a fan of Remember the Time or Dangerous in general, so this is definitely too high imho

I do like 'Remember the Time' but it's really inferior compared to other Dangerous singles 'Give in to Me' and 'Will You Be There' which have left already.

I do like 'Remember the Time' but it's really inferior compared to other Dangerous singles 'Give in to Me' and 'Will You Be There' which have left already.

Yeah, basically this. Great video though!

Really like Human Nature, so glad that's quite high without being a UK single.

 

Remember the Time is also pretty good, but it wasn't up there with Black or White, which is was the follow-up to. Good video though... but it's MJ, so why wouldn't it be.

 

My score looks harsh for Rock With You, but I'm really not into anything much of MJ prior to Thriller.

I'm tired of being the victim of hate

14. They Don't Care About Us | 8.181 Highest Scores: 11: (dandy), 10: (gog lad84, Nina West, Chapman, vibe, Adelita, Mango, Tafty), Lowest Scores: 3: (Jester)


At #14 is one of Michael Jackson's most controversial pieces of music - They Don't Care About Us, released in April 1996 as the 5th single from his 9th studio album HIStory. It is a protest song that caused quite a stir due to its allegations of antisemitic lyrics were the catalyst for Jackson issuing multiple clarifications, an apology, defence from director Spike Lee and re-releasing the song with a new vocal featuring altered lyrics. The song was accompanied by 2 music videos, both of which were shot by Spike Lee. The first was shot in Brazil, where the state authorities had tried to ban all production over fears the video would damage their image. The second video was shot in a prison & contained footage of multiple references to human rights abuses, & was almost never played on TV. Upon release the song was a success particularly in Europe where it top 10 in almost all countries, including the UK where it peaked at #4, as well as topping the charts in Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary & Italy. However in the US the lyrical controversy surrounding it, caused it to stall at #30, falling short of the record breaking success of the previous 2 singles.

I'm so glad that this got mostly positive scores on here as this has to be one of Michael's most important songs of his career with its message that resounds well with the oppressed and those who are aware of it, but the greatness of the track also rests with the delivery of the message. The simple yet effective two note melody allows the song to create a clear path for listeners to understand its simplistic yet complex narrative. The production is also top notch with synths placed carefully over the snares, as the beat begins to build through the verses & chorus, before Michael lets out his aggression & growing despair, before giving way to an awesome guitar solo. All of which makes this song an almighty event & its bittersweet to understand just what he put into this song, & yet this later became an anthem for movements, such as 'Black Lives Matter', where this often overlooked gem got another chance to shine.

'Remember The Time' is FANTASTIC. The video is an experience too. I love how frantic the song is and how all over the place it becomes - a real sense of desperation to remember the past! :wub:

I've just watched the Remember The Time video for the first time in decades and I'd forgotten how much fun it is - love it!

 

 

They Don't Care About Us out, I think that's all my 11s gone now :( I'm a sucker for production on MJ songs and the rhythm on that one is amazing, the way it builds is amazing. It's only just struck me that it's quite similar to Who Is It? in its construction with the strong beat, synths and 'choral oooooos', it's clearly something I love

'They Don't Care About Us' irritates the hell out of me.

Human Nature is decent... although I must admit that I prefer the SVW track that samples it, one of my favourite mid 90s rnb tracks

 

I love both Rock With You & Human Nature, but I also prefer SWV's sampling track, it works so well :heart:

 

 

for the next 2 tracks, Remember The Time is somewhat flattered - it's a very pleasant track but it's not top 20 by any stretch. They Don't Really Care About Us is a goodie, but again I'm surprised it's so high in comparison to Rock With You, say, which I thought would be much higher before the rundown results started showing some trends in the way things were going.

love the drums on They don't care about us

Every musician's fan after the curtain comes down

13. Dirty Diana | 8.431 Highest Scores: 11: (ready for it, Bjork, Mango, Tafty), 10: (Dexton), Lowest Scores: 5: (Tawdry Hepburn, Mullo)


At #13 is Dirty Diana, released in April 1988 as the 5th single from his 7th studio album Bad & presents a harder rock sound similar to "Beat It" from his previous album "Thriller". The song's lyrics pertain to groupies. Michael hired Billy Idol's guitarist Steve Stevens to back him on the track. Initial reports at the time suggested the song was a poke at his close friend Diana Ross; however, it was later denied. In fact Diana started using the song as an overture at her concerts before appearing on stage. In a later interview with Barbara Walters the song was scheduled for a live 1988 performance at Wembley Stadium during the 'Bad World Tour', however he felt the song would be an insult to Princess Diana who was in attendance & had it removed from the set-list, but after she stated that it was one of her favourite songs of his, he re-added it to the setlist. Upon release the song received mixed reviews from critics, but like the album's previous singles it was a commercial success worldwide by topping the US charts, making this the album's 5th #1 hit, a record at the time. Elsewhere it attained top 10 peaks in Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, UK, Canada, New Zealand & France.

It's very hard not to compare this to 'Beat It' or even the glam metal rock that was very in during this time & that's not a bad thing, as this song is pretty great. I love how the song opens with an echoing synth sounds then delving into some cool cold steel grooves & awesome guitar growls, before the chorus ratches things up with Michael's vocals getting louder, and the riff gets louder & then there's the wonderful string arrangements that brings everything together beautifully. While the song itself does have a very messed up sentiment, and turns its title character into a figure of confusion. But that is what makes this so effective with props to Michael's intense vocal performance which not only made this an instant standout on the album, but a firm highlight in his ever amazing discography.

Oh diaappointed Dirty Diana is gone :/ one of his very best

And thought it would be top 5/10 for sure

How is BAD still in?

What have we done to the world?

12. Earth Song | 8.454 Highest Scores: 11: (Nina West, Qween, popchartfreak, gavindeejay, Adelita), 10: (gog lad84, Chapman, Feel The Fever, Jester, Mango), Lowest Scores: -1: (Tafty)


A huge SHOCK now in at #12 is Earth Song, this was originally much higher, but due to the last minute -1, it sunk to this position, despite scoring the 2nd highest amount of 11's. Released in November 1995 as the 3rd single from his 9th studio album HIStory. It is a ballad that that incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Michael has had a long history of releasing socially conscious material, however this was the first that overtly dealt with the environment & animal welfare. The song was originally made for the 'Dangerous' album under the title "What About Us", but failed to make the cut. The track was accompanied by a lavish music video shot in four geographical regions & went onto receive a Grammy nomination in 1997. Upon release the song was a huge commercial success by topping the UK charts for 6 weeks, becoming the country's X-Mas #1 there with sales of over 1.2 Million copies, making this one of his biggest selling hits of his career there. Elsewhere it also managed to top the charts in Iceland, Spain, Sweden & Germany, as well as attaining top 5 peaks in almost every European country. In the USA it was only released to radio & therefore due to Billboard rules at the time, it wasn't eligible to chart there, except for the Dance charts where it reached #15. The song was also subject to a very controversial Brit Awards performance, where he was called to collect a special award for "Best Artist of a Generation", which I won't go into at this moment as it's well documented, so just look it up.

The track is arguably the most enigmatic piece of music in Michael's entire catalogue, while the casual listener may find similarities between this & some of his other tracks such as "Heal The World" or "Man In The Mirror", but the message here is far more powerful & more aggressive. It is virtually a 3-part song that begins with rumbling nature sounds, before the piano melody kicks in which evokes a sense of nostalgia & longing, then complimented by subtle strings & mournful rhythm guitars, & they are glorious, before the 2 minute mark the beat dramatically changes & the bass guitar kicks in that gives way to a fantastic key change, giving the song a sense of guilt & anguish, then of course Michael takes his vocals to places he's never been before, almost throat shattering. Even the gospel choir adds a sense of power to its epic conclusion. This may not be for everyone, but you have to admit that this is a stunning & well crafted piece of work with several elements blended together into a powerful anthemic song that takes multiple deep listens to fully appreciate and understand. It is a powerful display of Jackson’s deep care for Planet Earth and his sensitivity to the world’s problems.

Earth Song is quite a track, eh?

 

It's one of those songs that you feel you should love because it's so epic and "there" and such a point in his career... and yet it's a little bit cringe and the Brit Awards performance always comes to mind.

 

Top 10 MJ though.

I thought 'Earth Song' was actually quite widely hated, so I'm surprised to see it as high!

Thank goodness for that -1!!!! I don't hate the song quite to -1 levels but I'd have hated to see it make the top 10 when he has so many classics. Like Tawdry, I thought the song was quite disliked so was astonished when it attracted so many 10+ scores

Earth Song 🤮