List of unreleased songs recorded by Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson in 1984

Michael Jackson was an American musician and entertainer. He is known to have written, recorded and filmed material that has never been officially released. Many of the pop singer's unreleased songs have been registered—usually by his company Mijac Music—with professional bodies such as the United States Copyright Office, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI), American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) and EMI Music Publishing.^[1] This list, however, only documents the songs explicitly cited as being unreleased and, therefore, does not contain every unreleased Jackson song registered with such bodies.

Jackson—along with Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton and Joseph Jackson—faced a copyright infringement suit in 1993. The lawsuit came after three songwriters alleged that the pop star and his fellow defendants had plagiarized the hits "The Girl Is Mine", "Thriller" and "We Are the World".^[2][3] During a seven-hour deposition, Jackson named numerous unreleased songs that he had written or co-written.^[1][4] Following the testimony, a nine-member jury found the defendants not guilty of plagiarism.^[5]

Many officially unreleased Jackson songs had been scheduled, at one point, for release on records by the singer, including his six solo studio albums with music label Epic Records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995) and Invincible (2001). For varying reasons, the tracks were ultimately rejected and, as of 2016, remain unreleased. The pop singer's unreleased material includes songs recorded by Jackson as a solo artist (including covers of songs released by other artists and The Jackson 5 songs) and demo versions, some featuring established artists such as Freddie Mercury and Barry Gibb.

In 2009, after Jackson's sudden death, La Toya Jackson said that she had discovered two hard disks at her brother's home which contain more than 1,000 songs that were never released and that are even not registered by any bodies (excluding some). It has been said that Jackson, in his lifetime, recorded more than 50,000 songs but many of the songs were not released.

Several of Jackson's songs have been leaked onto the Internet without gaining an official release. One example involved the song "A Place with No Name", a 24-second snippet of which was leaked by website TMZ.com following Jackson's death in 2009.^[6] At the time of the leak, it was claimed that there were "hundreds" of unreleased songs by the musician, and that they could be issued for several years to come. Commenting on the subject, the curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Jim Henke, noted that any future releases would garner significant attention. "I think we are going to see amazing interest in any released Michael Jackson material that will come out in the future or a year from now on."^[7][8][9] On March 16, 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a record-breaking $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017 and release ten posthumous albums—some of which will feature unreleased material—over the next decade.^[10]

Key

†	Denotes songs registered with Broadcast Music Incorporated
‡	Denotes songs registered with EMI Music Publishing
*	Denotes songs cited by the singer in his 1993 deposition
^(Year)	Denotes songs registered with the United States Copyright Office and the year of registration
*^(Year)	Denotes Jackson-written songs cited by the singer in his 1993 deposition and the year they were registered with the United States Copyright Office

Songs

Song	Writer(s)	Notes	Ref(s).
"A Baby Smiles"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in the year 1979. Lyrics to the song were featured as a poem titled "When Babies Smile" in the 1992 book Dancing the Dream	[11]
"A Deeper Love"	Jerkins, RodneyRodney Jerkins Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1999 for Invincible	[12]
"A Pretty Face Is"	Wonder, StevieStevie Wonder	Written c. 1974 The song was originally intended for The Jackson 5 or as a duet between Wonder and Jackson; the two reportedly recorded the song for Wonder's 1987 Characters album	[12]
"Adore You"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson , Bradley BuxerBradley Buxer	Title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael Jackson's This Is It rehearsals.	[13]
"Alright Now"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1983 The song was given to Ralph Tresvant for his eponymous debut solo album	[14]
"Angel"	Edmonds, Kenneth "Babyface"Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds	Recorded by Jackson around 1998 Had been scheduled to feature on a shelved greatest hits compilation	[15]
"Attitude"^‡	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Wakefield, KathyKathy Wakefield Pierre, MichelMichel Pierre		[16]
"Bad Company"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1985 during the Bad sessions.
"Bang Your Head"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Feemster, TheronTheron Feemster	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"Bassouille"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Swedien, BruceBruce Swedien	Written in 1994 but failed to make Michael’s HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I album Also known as "Basszouille" Failed to make the HIStory album	[17]
"Be Me 4 a Day"^†	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Days, Gray CalixGray Calix Days	Written in 1987 Also known as "Be Me for a Day", "Just for One Day Be Michael", "Just for a Day", "Me 4 a Day" and "Be Michael"	[18]
"Beatboy 2010"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Kirkland, ErikErik Kirkland	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"Beautiful Girl"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2005 Included on The Ultimate Collection	[13]
"Belong 2"	, Michael JacksonMichael Jackson Riley, TeddyTeddy Riley	Written in 1999 for Michael’s album Invincible	[19]
"Bottle of Smoke"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1991 Failed to make the Dangerous album.	[20]
"Bottom of My Heart"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"Boy No"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"Brad Loop 3.37"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals. Evolved into "Brad Loop 100" and "Brad Loop 3700."
"Breaking"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2004.
"Breathe"	ChopraMichael Jackson Chopra, DeepakDeepak Chopra	Written in 2009 Vocals have never been recorded. One of the last tracks he was working prior to his death in June 2009. Instrumental version of the track exists. Demo is known to exist under the name "River Ripple" and was planned to be performed with an African choir on his 2009 concert series, This Is It.	[14]
"Broken Chair"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Feemster, TheronTheron Feemster	Written during the Bad sessions. Re-worked version recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"Bubbles"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Possibly written in 1991 for Dangerous.
"Buffalo Bill"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1983 for The Jacksons' Victory album in 1984. The song is about William Cody	[21]
"Butter Funk"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsal.	[22]
"Can't Get Your Weight Off of Me"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Swedien, BruceBruce Swedien	Written in 2000 Failed to make the Invincible album Short snippets are online	[22]
"Can't Stop Me Now"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1988.
"Can You"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson , will.i.amwill.i.am	Written in 2007. The song could be unfinished, but Michael's vocals were recorded.
"Casino Night"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2008 in Las Vegas.
"California Grass"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded during the Dangerous studio sessions. Failed to make the Dangerous album. Completed in 1993.	[23]
"Changes"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Prince, MichaelMichael Prince Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"Cheater"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1986 for the Bad album Reworked in 2001 for "Invincible" Features Fats.
"Color of My Soul"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Michael's brother, Randy Jackson, recorded a demo titled "Color of Love" Written in 2000. Possibly recorded in 2006 with Whitney Houston background vocals.	[24]
"Crack Kills"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Recorded in 1986 Planned to have been recorded with rappers Run–D.M.C. for Jackson's Bad album, but was shelved. Lyrics consisting of two verses put up for auction in November 2005, and again on the Internet auction site eBay a year later. Run–D.M.C.'s verse was released on the remastered version of Tougher Than Leather. DMC claims the song wasn't finished due to an incident where Bubbles accidentally bit Jam Master Jay according to an interview he gave to HipHopStan.com, which is available to watch on YouTube and he also noted the experience they had with Michael Jackson was positive rather than negative as rumored. Run–D.M.C. was thanked on the Bad album regardless.	[25]
"Creepin' In"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 2000.
"Crush"	Unknown	Intended to be recorded in 2004 featuring Drake Bell Written in 2003	[26]
"Cry"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Not to be confused with "Cry", a song written by R. Kelly and featured on the Invincible album. Possibly written in 1991. Failed to make the Dangerous album.
"Coco Butter"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	[13]
"Destruction"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Planned as a sequel to "Scream" Vocals have been recorded in 2005, both by Michael and Janet Jimmy Jam mentioned, it was for Janet's comeback album, Unbreakable, but they weren't allowed to use it in the end Also known as "Self-Destruction"	[27]
"D.I.E."	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Found on a list taped to the wall in Jackson's bedroom on June 25. Written in 2006.	[28]
"Days of the Brokenhearted"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2007. Features Whitney Houston.
"Days in Gloucestershire"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Durham, MichaelMichael Durham Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Also known as "Gloucestershire" Written and recorded in 2004 Was supposed to be completed during his This Is It shows in London 2009–2010. Demo version leaked onto the internet in March 2014	[29]
"Dead or Alive"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2004.	[29]
"Deep in the Night"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1987	[29]
"Do You Love Me"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Edmonds, Kenneth "Babyface"Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds	Written and recorded in 1998	[30]
"Do You Want Me"	Sisqó Hill, DruDru Hill	Written c. 1999 Failed to make the Invincible album	[30]
"Doing Dirty"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Jackson, MarlonMarlon Jackson	Written and recorded in 1983 for The Jacksons' Victory.	[31]
"Don't Be Messin'"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Durham, MichaelMichael Durham Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 1982 for "Thriller" and later reworked for "Bad".
"Don't Make Me Stay"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Durham, MichaelMichael Durham Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It concerts in London.
"Dreams"^†	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Recorded in 1993	[32]
"Easy"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1999 for an album that was shelved due to contract difficulties.	[33]
"Eaten Alive"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Gibb, MauriceMaurice Gibb Gibb, BarryBarry Gibb	Original version of the song written by the Gibb brothers, but was reworked by Jackson Later recorded by Diana Ross and released on the Eaten Alive album in 1985	[34]
"Ekam Satyam (The One Truth)"	Rahman, A.R.A.R. Rahman Parthasarathi, A.R.A.R. Parthasarathi Bharat, Kanika MyerKanika Myer Bharat	Recorded as a duet c. September 1999 with Jackson (singing in English) and Rahman (singing in Sanskrit) Intended to be on the upcoming album in 2003 but cancelled A bootleg version of this song was supposedly discovered in 2008, yet to be leaked.	[35]
"Elizabeth, I Love You"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and performed by Jackson as a tribute to his friend Elizabeth Taylor in 1997	[35]
"Entertainment Tonight"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2000.
"Face"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1993. Failed to make the HIStory album.
"Fanfare Transition"^(1992)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1992 Also known as "Fanfare 1992"	[36]
"Fantasy"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Jackson, JermaineJermaine Jackson	Recorded in 1983	[37]
"Far, Far Away"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Recorded in 1983	[37]
"Fear"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written c. 1993 Failed to make HIStory album	[38]
"Fever"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Loren, BryanBryan Loren	Written and recorded in 1991 during Dangerous sessions One of around 20–25 songs Jackson been working with Bryan Loren	[38]
"For The World"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Feemster, TheronTheron Feemster	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"From the Bottom of My Heart"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 2005 as a charity recording for the victims of Hurricane Katrina	[39]
"Get Around"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Daniels, LaShawnLaShawn Daniels Fred Jerkins III Jerkins, RodneyRodney Jerkins	Written and recorded in 2001 for "Invincible"
"Girl of Another"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Also known as "Girl of Another Love" Written during the "Bad" session	[23]
"Goin' to Rio"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Bayer Sager, CaroleCarole Bayer Sager	Written in 1976. Failed to make Off the Wall	[40]
"Got to Find a Way Somehow"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1979 Failed to make "Off the Wall"	[41]
"Green Hornet Groove"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Durham, MichaelMichael Durham Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It concerts in London.
"Groove of Midnight"	Temperton, RodRod Temperton	Written in 1987 for "Bad" A demo by Jackson surfaced on the Internet in 2003 in low quality	[42]
"H2O"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written around 2008–2009 This song is cited, among others, on a list found taped to the wall in Jackson's bedroom on June 25 Was supposed to be completed during his "This Is It" shows in London 2009–2010	[43]
"Halloween Night"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson		[44]
"Happy Birthday, Lisa"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Also known as "Lisa, It's Your Birthday." The song appeared on the Simpsons episode, "Stark Raving Dad" on September 19, 1991.
"Healing My Feelings"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2004.
"Heaven Is Here"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1991	[23]
"He Who Makes the Sky Grey"	Jackson, JermaineJermaine Jackson Sheik Abdullah of Bahrain	Featured vocals by Jackson Written and recorded in 2005	[45]
"Higher Ground"	Wonder, StevieStevie Wonder	A Stevie Wonder song that musician Donny Osmond confirmed he had been working with Jackson on in a 2003 television interview Recorded in 2003	[44]
"Holiday Inn"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1976 Recorded in 1984	[46]
"Hollywood"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Not to be confused with "Hollywood Tonight" Written and recorded in 2000 Reworked in 2006, 2008 and 2009	[14]
"House of Style"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written c. 2003. Supposed to be on the unreleased 2003 album, "Resurrection."
"Humanity"	Jacksons, TheThe Jacksons	Written in 1995. Recorded for a new Jacksons album that was shelved.
"Hot Fever"^(1985)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1985 Evolved into "The Way You Make Me Feel"	[46]
"Hot Fun In The Summertime"	Stone, SlySly Stone	Recorded in 1993? Cover song of Sly Stone With Mary J Blige and D Angelo	[47]
"Hot Street"	Temperton, RodRod Temperton	Recorded in 1982 Early demo version called "Slapstick" Failed to make the Thriller album In the 1993 deposition Michael is quoted as saying "Yes I like 'Hot Street', but Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton said it wasn't good enough." Full version leaked in 2008	[46]
"I Am a Loser"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Buxer, BradBrad Buxer	Written and recorded in January 2003 Evolved into "I Was the Loser" The full version leaked on the Internet in September 2013 This song is cited, among others, on a list found taped to the wall in Jackson's bedroom on June 25.	[48]
"I Can See A Brighter Day"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson RedOne	Written and recorded in 2008.
"I Can't Get You Off My Mind"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Jackson worked on the song in the early 1970s A demo version/mono acetate is known to exist	[49]
"I Don't Live Here Anymore"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written c. 2001 Also known by the title "I Don't Live Anymore" Was supposed to be a promo for a shelved 2002 album.	[50]
"If You Don't Get It"	Legend, JohnJohn Legend	Recorded in 2006.
"I Forgive You"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2007 possibly with will.i.am.	[51]
"I Have This Dream"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Bayer Sager, CaroleCarole Bayer Sager Foster, DavidDavid Foster	Re-written as "From the Bottom of My Heart" (see above). Also known as "I Have a Dream" An instrumental version leaked online in 2006.	[52]
"I Love You"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2004 According to Jackson, it's the best song about Love	[52]
"I Love You More"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2005 Recorded by Jackson featuring Britney Spears According to Jackson, it's a continuation of the song "I Love You" (see above) Also known as "I Love You Too"	[52]
"I Was The Loser"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Buxer, BradBrad Buxer Prince, MichaelMichael Prince	Written and recorded in 2008 Final version of "I Am a Loser" “He [Michael] was happy with the original ‘I Am A Loser’ demo,” says Prince. “But before we played it for anybody else we had a long talk and Michael said, ‘I don’t want be a loser. I don’t mind if I was the loser but I don’t want to say I’m still a loser.’ So we changed that.” A bootleg version of this song was supposedly discovered This song is cited, among others, on a list found taped to the wall in Jackson's bedroom on June 25	[48]
"I Have This Love of Me"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	May have written in the 2000s	[53]
"If You Don't Love Me"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1991 Failed to make the Dangerous album Had been scheduled for release on a shelved special edition of the Dangerous album. Leaked online in 2006 in low quality	[54]
"I'm Still the King"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson , will.i.amwill.i.am	One of the songs Jackson worked on with will.i.am in 2006 2 instrumental snippets leaked online, one in 2012 and the other in 2015 Also known as "Still the King" Failed to make the Michael album	[14]
"In the Valley"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	May have written in the 1990s	[55]
"Iowa"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	"I have seen him write things which I don't think the public will ever hear," said Janet Jackson. "He has a song called 'Iowa' that he wrote. People will never hear that song. Just before he left to film The Wiz, he put all the songs he had written on to tape in the studio in our parents' house. Not one of them has been heard and those were songs to cry for. There are things that he's written for orchestras that are classical music, I swear to you. Like something by Bach or Beethoven." Recorded in 1977	[56]
"Innocent Man"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Durham, MichaelMichael Durham Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"It Don't Matter To Me"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Anka, PaulPaul Anka	Written in 1984.
"It's All About You"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2007.
"Joy"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Riley, TeddyTeddy Riley	Written in 1991 Failed to make the Dangerous album Riley mentioned "Joy" in a radio interview that Jackson had recorded a solo version of this track and that he would endeavour to hand the tapes over to the Estate. Later released as a single for Blackstreet's 1994 debut album.	[57]
"Jungle"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Prince, MichaelMichael Prince Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"Just Remember"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Prince, MichaelMichael Prince Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"Kick It"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Daniels, LaShawnLaShawn Daniels Jerkins, RodneyRodney Jerkins Jerkins III, FredFred Jerkins III	Written and recorded during the Invincible sessions.	[58]
"King Tutankhamen"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 2004.
"Kentucky"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in the mid-1970s Recorded around 1975	[58]
"Kreeton Overture"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Winding, JaiJai Winding Paich, MartyMarty Paich Leonard, PatrickPatrick Leonard	Written in 1984 for the opening of The Jacksons' Victory Tour	[59]
"Lady of Summer"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Prince, MichaelMichael Prince Feemster, TheronTheron Feemster	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"Learned My Lesson"^(1985)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1981 Two versions of the song were registered with the United States Copyright Office. Alternate recording of "Much Too Soon" featuring either alternate lyrics or music.	[46]
"Legacy"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson will.i.am	Written in 1998. Reworked in 2000, 2005 and 2006.
"Let Him Burn"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson , will.i.amwill.i.am	One of the songs Jackson worked on with will.i.am in 2006 A instrumental snippet leaked online in July 2015 Failed to make the Michael album	[14]
"Light Man"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Intro for Michael's This Is It Tour.
"Light The Way"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Abdullah of Bahrain, SheikSheik Abdullah of Bahrain	Written and recorded in 2005 in Bahrain.
"Little Girls"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Possibly recorded for Dangerous album	[60]
"Llama Lola"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Possibly recorded for Dangerous album	[60]
"Lonely Bird"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Possibly recorded for Dangerous album	[61]
"Lonely Man"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Possibly recorded for Dangerous album	[61]
"Lucy Is in Love with Linus"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Possibly recorded for Dangerous album	[62]
"Maybe We Can Do It"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Jerkins, RodneyRodney Jerkins Combs, SeanSean Combs	Written and recorded in 2000/2001 Features Sean Combs Failed to make the Invincible album	[63]
"Man in Black"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1990 for Dangerous album One of around 20–25 songs that Michael and Bryan Loren worked on	[64]
"Michael's Affirmation"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Prince, MichaelMichael Prince Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"Michael McKellar"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1991 Failed to make the Dangerous album	[65]
"MJ/BB Orchestral"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Prince, MichaelMichael Prince Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals. There are three versions of the song.
"Miss You"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson {{{last}}}, will.i.amwill.i.am {{{last}}}	One of the songs Michael worked on with will.i.am in 2006. This song is written in memory of the "Godfather of Soul", James Brown. Also known as "I'm Gonna Miss You", "Miss You So Much" and "I Will Miss You".
"MJ Melody"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1982 Recorded in 1992	[66]
"Monster"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1998. Reworked the song in 2009 during his This Is It rehearsals. Not to be confused with "Monster", a song featured on the Michael album.
"My Life"^(2009)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded during Michael Jackson's This Is It rehearsal	[66]
"Neverland Landing"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1993 Reworked the song in 2009 during Michael Jackson's This Is It rehearsal	[67]
"Nite Line"	Ballard, GlenGlen Ballard	Written in 1982 Failed to make the Thriller album Full song leaked on the internet As Michael rejected "Nite Line", it was instead recorded by The Pointer Sisters on Break Out the following year.	[68]
"Not Guilty"	Harrison, GeorgeGeorge Harrison	Recorded in 1994 after winning the trials. Failed to make the History album Featured The Notorious B.I.G. Unknown whether this is a cover of George Harrison's Not Guilty	[69]
"Nymphette Lover"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1981 Failed to make the Thriller album	[70]
"Ode to Sorrow"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1977 Recorded in 1984	[71]
"On My Anger"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Riley, TeddyTeddy Riley	Written and recorded in 1999 Failed to make the Invincible album	[72]
"Pajamas"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Prince, MichaelMichael Prince Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009 during Michael's This Is It rehearsals.
"Pictures"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Recorded in 2009 with Lady Gaga. Was slated to open This Is It.
"People Have to Make Some Sort of Joke"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 2000	[73]
"People of the World"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Friends, JJ Friends	Written and produced in 1998 The song was first released by the Japanese band J-FRIENDS Demo version leaked onto the internet in March 2014 in low quality	[73]
"Peter Pan"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Song mentioned by Jackson on the 1993 CD The Michael Jackson Interview Written and recorded in 1983	[74]
"Pressure"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Jerkins, RodneyRodney Jerkins Jerkins, FredFred Jerkins Mason, HarveyHarvey Mason Daniels, LaShawnLaShawn Daniels	Failed to make the Invincible album. Reworked the song in 2003 for an upcoming album.
"Pressure" (2)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Loren, BryanBryan Loren	Not to be confused with "Pressure" (see above) that was written for the Invincible album. Written in 1990 for the Dangerous album. One of around 20-25 songs that Michael and Bryan Loren worked on.
"Pyramid Girl"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1983 for The Jacksons' Victory. Evolved into "Liberian Girl"	[75]
"Red Eye"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1991.
"Revolution"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 2001.
"Rise Above It All"	Freeze, Dr.Dr. Freeze	Composed and produced by Dr. Freeze during the Invincible sessions. Has not been finalized, vocal parts may not have been recorded.
"Rocker"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Prince, MichaelMichael Prince Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009.
"Rock Tonight"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	[13]
"Rolling the Dice"*	Temperton, RodRod Temperton	Written and recorded in 1981 for Thriller In the 1993 deposition Michael is quoted as saying "Yes, 'Rolling the Dice' [...] we did a demo that day we rehearsed but we never released it. We never thought it was strong enough."	[76]
"Satisfy"	Lewis, TerryTerry Lewis Harris III, JamesJames Harris III	Mariah Carey song featuring Jackson on backing vocals	[77]
"Saturday Woman"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1990/1991 for Dangerous Cited in the book My Friend Michael.	[78]
"Saved By the Bell"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Jackson, JermaineJermaine Jackson		[79]
"Secret Passage"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1998-1999. May have failed to make the Invincible album.
"Seduction"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Myrick III, Shelby LeeShelby Lee Myrick III	Written and recorded in 2001 Failed to make the Invincible album	[80]
"Seeing Voices"	Fine, SidneySidney Fine Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1999 from Invincible era Short snippets leaked onto the internet in 2014 and May 2015 Full lyrics leaked in early 2015 Full song leaked onto the internet in May 2015 Song features The Ray Charles Choir	[81]
"Serious Effect"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Riley, TeddyTeddy Riley	Recorded in 1991 for "Dangerous" Features LL Cool J Scheduled for release on a shelved special edition of Dangerous	[81]
"Seven Bright New Stars"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Loren, BryanBryan Loren	Written and recorded in 1991.
"Seven Digits"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Loren, BryanBryan Loren	Also known as "7 Digits" One of the 20 songs the pair worked on together	[82]
"She Got It"	Unknown	Recorded in 1991 for "Dangerous" Scheduled for release on a shelved special edition of the Dangerous album	[83]
"She's My Girl"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2001. Also known as "She's Mine." Recorded with will.i.am.
"She's Not a Girl"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Citied by Jackson at Mexican Depostion in 1993 A demo he did at his home studio at Hayvenhurst Encino.	[84]
"She's Trouble"	Shifrin, SueSue Shifrin Livsey, BillBill Livsey Britten, TerryTerry Britten	Written and recorded in 1981 for "Thriller" Also known as "Trouble"	[85]
"Shut Up and Dance"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Durham, MichaelMichael Durham	Written in 1999, may have not recorded vocals This song is extremely incomplete Found on a list taped to the wall in Jackson's bedroom on June 25	[84]
"Siegfried & Roy"^(1990)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1989 for illusionists Siegfried & Roy Two versions—vocal and instrumental—registered with the United States Copyright Office Thought to be an early version of "Mind Is the Magic"	[86]
"Silent Spring"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	[13]
"Sister Sue"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	—	[87]
"Slapstick"	Temperton, RodRod Temperton	Written and recorded in 1982 for "Thriller" Early version of "Hot Street"	[88]
"Soldier's Entrance"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Worked on by Jackson in 1999 with a view to have it featured on the Invincible album	[89]
"Somewhere in Time"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1980	[90]
"Spice of Life"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Recorded in 1981 for "Thriller"	[81]
"Stand Tall"^(1985)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1981	[91]
"Starlight"*	Temperton, RodRod Temperton	Recorded in 1981 Referred to by Jackson as "Starlight Sun" during his 1993 deposition; he sang, "Starlight ... Starlight Sun ... Gimme some starlight, for a new day has begun" Evolved into "Thriller"	[92]
"Sympathy"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Jackson, RandyRandy Jackson	Recorded in 2003 with his brother Randy. Was supposed to be on an album in 2003 but was later cancelled due to trial. Demo version recorded December 2, 2002 but complete version is unknown when recorded.	[92]
"State of Shock"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Hansen, RandyRandy Hansen	One of three songs Jackson worked on with Queen's Freddie Mercury Demo version by Mercury and Jackson was leaked onto the Internet on July 7, 2002 in high quality Different version later released on Victory with Mick Jagger	[93]
"Stay"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Loren, BryanBryan Loren	Written c. 1988	[94]
"Still Got It"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 2003 for an album but it was never released.
"Stop the War"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Sager, Carole BayerCarole Bayer Sager	Written and recorded in 1999 Failed to make the Invincible album	[95]
"Sunlight"	Michael Jackson Teddy Riley	Written and recorded in 1990 Demo version known to exist Not to be confused with "Starlight" Also known as "You're My Sunlight"
"Susie"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1978 Could have evolved into "Little Susie", a song featured on Jacksons 1995 album HIStory; or "Blood On The Dance Floor", a song featured on Jacksons 1997 album Blood On The Dance Floor: HIStory In The Mix	[96]
"Tender"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written c. 1986.
"Thank Heaven"^(1998)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1998	[94]
"Thank You for Life"*^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1976	[95]
"That"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in November 1998	[95]
"That Kind of Lover"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Ruffin, RayRay Ruffin	Written c. 2001	[95]
"The Children's Hour"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	—	[97]
"The Future"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson {{{last}}}, will.i.am[[will.i.am {{{last}}}|will.i.am {{{last}}}]]	One of the songs Jackson worked on with will.i.am in 2006 Also known as "In The Future" Failed to make the "Michael" album	[98]
"The Gloved One"	Sisqó	Written c. 2001 Also known as "Gloved One"	[99]
"The Nightmare of Edgar Allan Poe"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Afanasieff, WalterWalter Afanasieff	Written c. 2000 Also known as "Edgar Allan Poe" Recorded in 2000 for a canceled indie film of the same name starring Jackson	[78]
"The Pain"	Stockman, ShawnShawn Stockman Mason, Jay HarveyJay Harvey Mason Jerkins, RodneyRodney Jerkins	Written During the "Invincible" Album Sessions.	[100]
"The Sky Is the Limit"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Recorded in 1983	[101]
"The Toy"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1981 for a Richard Pryor movie of the same name. Early version of "Best of Joy"	[102]
"The Truth on Youth"^(1990)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1990 for Dangerous Features LL Cool J	[103]
"The World Is No Church"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1999 Had been scheduled to released as an album/compilation in 1999 One of the unreleased songs from the Invincible sessions	[104]
"This Is Our Time"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Hill, LaurynLauryn Hill Foster, DavidDavid Foster	Written and recorded in 1999 Despite rumours to the contrary, the song was not recorded as a duet with Hill.	[105]
"Throwin' Your Life Away"^(1988)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1988	[106]
"To Satisfy You"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Loren, BryanBryan Loren	Written and recorded in 1990 for "Dangerous"
"Tomboy"*^(1985)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1985 for "Bad" Also known as "Townboy"	[107]
"Tragedy of a Cheer-leader"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1991 during Dangerous sessions	[108]
"Tubeway"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written c. 1999	[104]
"Turning Me Off"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1987 during Bad sessions	[109]
"Under Your Skin"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1979 Also known as "Under My Skin"	[110]
"Unknown"^†	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	It is unclear whether the song is titled "Unknown" or the song title is unknown. Possibly written in 1999 or 1996	[110]
"Verdicts"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Loren, BryanBryan Loren	Written and recorded in 1990 for Dangerous album One of around 20–25 songs that Michael Jackson and Bryan Loren worked on	[107]
"On the Rain"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1998	[111]
"Vibrationist"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Riley, TeddyTeddy Riley	Written c. 1999 Failed to make the "Invincible" album Alternatively titled "The Vibrationist"	[112]
"Vile and Miserable"	Michael Jackson Will.i.am	One of the songs Jackson worked on with will.i.am in 2006 Alternatively titled "Miserable Soul" Snippet leaked online in early November 2015
"Victory"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Mercury, FreddieFreddie Mercury	One of three songs Jackson worked on with Queen's Freddie Mercury in 1983 Demo version known to exist	[112]
"Walk Away"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Durham, MichaelMichael Durham Buxer, BradleyBradley Buxer	Written and recorded in 2009
"We Are the Ones"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1978	[113]
"We Be Ballin'"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1997 Remix of "We Be Clubbin'" featuring Ice Cube and Shaquille O'Neal	[114]
"What a Lonely Way to Go"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1975	[115]
"What About Us"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1988 for Dangerous Scheduled for release on the special edition Dangerous album in 2001. Early version of "Earth Song"	[116]
"What You Do to Me"^(1985, 1998)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1985 First registered with the United States Copyright Office in 1985 Re-registered with the United States Copyright Office in 1998	[117]
"What's a Guy Gotta Do"	Williams, PharrellPharrell Williams	Written in 2000	[118]
"What's It Gonna Be"^†	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	The song is not to be confused with "What's It Gonna Be?!", recorded by Jackson's sister Janet and Busta Rhymes	[117]
"What's Your Life"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson Jackson, JermaineJermaine Jackson		[119]
"Who Is the Girl with Her Hair Down"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	—	[120]
"Why Can't I Be"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1980 for "Triumph"	[121]
"Why Shy"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	—	[121]
"You Ain't Gonna Change Nothin'"*^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1975	[122]
"You Are a Liar"*	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Failed to make the Invincible album Also known as "You're a Liar" and "You're a Liar, Brother"	[122]
"You Are So Beautiful"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Song Jackson began writing in 2005 as a thank you to his fans for their ongoing support	[123]
"You Told Me Your Lovin'"^(1984)	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written in 1979 A second version exists, with words and music by Jackson's brother Randy	[124]
"You Were There"	Jackson, MichaelMichael Jackson	Written and recorded in 1989 for Sammy Davis Jr.	[13]
"You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me"	Wonder, StevieStevie Wonder	Originally recorded in 1975 by Jermaine Jackson, with Wonder, Jackie Jackson and Michael on backing vocals Re-cut solo version by Jermaine featured on his 1980 Let's Get Serious album, replacing the original recording featuring brother Michael	[125]

Posthumous albums

Following the surge in sales of Jackson's catalogue following his death, Sony Music Entertainment, led by its Columbia/Epic Label Group division, signed a new deal with the Jackson estate to extend distribution rights to his back catalogue until 2015, which was later extended to 2017, as well as permission to release ten new albums with previously unreleased material and new collections of released work. The deal is the most expensive music contract to a single artist in history, with Sony Music reportedly paying $250 million for the deal, and the Jackson estate getting the full sum, as well as a share of royalties for all works released.^[126] Here are the albums that have been released as part of the deal:

• Michael (2010) – First album of previously unreleased material.
• Immortal (2011) – Remix album/soundtrack to Cirque du Soleil's show Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour.
• Bad 25 (2012) – 25th anniversary reissue of Bad, featuring new songs, demos and remixes of songs from the Bad era.
• Xscape (2014) – Second album of previously unreleased material.

See also

• List of songs recorded by Michael Jackson

References

Footnotes

1. Halstead 2007, p. 1.
2. Campbell, p. 89
3. Grant, p. 168
4. Collier, Aldore. Michael Jackson tries to keep career from crumbling as he fights addiction to painkiller drugs and charges of child molestation. Jet. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
5. Federal jury rules in favour of Michael Jackson. Jet. January 31, 1994. Retrieved March 10, 2009.
6. Kreps, Daniel (July 20, 2009). "America Respond To Michael Jackson's 'A Place With No Name'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
7. "Michael Jackson's second career really takes off this week". San Jose Mercury News. October 28, 2009. Retrieved November 29, 2009.
8. Montgomery, James (July 20, 2009). "America 'Honored' By Michael Jackson's 'A Place With No Name' Sample". MTV. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
9. Netter, Sarah (July 17, 2009). "Michael Jackson's Unreleased Songs, Continuing the Music Legacy". ABC News. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
10. "Sony Places Big Bet on a Fallen 'King'". The Wall Street Journal. March 16, 2010. Retrieved March 17, 2010.
11. Halstead, p. 6.
12. Halstead, p. 8.
13. "Image: 28-songs-MJ-was-working-on.jpg, (720 × 420 px)". damienshields.com. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
14. Halstead, pp. 309–332
15. Halstead, p. 17.
16. Halstead, p. 20.
17. Halstead, p. 25.
18. Halstead, p. 26.
19. Halstead, p. 32.
20. Halstead, p. 51.
21. Halstead, p. 53.
22. Halstead, p. 388.
23. Halstead, p. 389.
24. Halstead, p. 70.
25. Halstead, p. 73.
26. "Michael Jackson Unreleased Songs and Albums (Updated)". Michael Jackson. Archived from the original on February 16, 2014. Retrieved October 19, 2014.
27. -
28. Halstead, p. 383.
29. Halstead
30. Halstead, p. 88.
31. Halstead, p. 89.
32. Halstead, p. 95.
33. Halstead, p. 387.
34. Halstead, pp. 100–101.
35. Halstead, p. 102.
36. Halstead, p. 107.
37. Halstead, p. 108.
38. Halstead, p. 109.
39. Halstead, p. 114.
40. Halstead, p. 125.
41. Halstead, p. 129.
42. Halstead, p. 130.
43. Halstead, p. 382.
44. Halstead, p. 139.
45. Halstead, p. 133.
46. Halstead, p. 142.
48. Halstead, p. 143.
49. Halstead, p. 147.
50. Halstead, p. 148.
51. Halstead, p. 149.
52. Halstead, p. 150.
53. Halstead, p. 151.
54. Halstead, p. 169.
55. Halstead, p. 178.
56. Q, June 1993
57. Halstead, p. 189.
58. Halstead, p. 194.
59. Halstead, p. 195.
60. Halstead, p. 204.
61. Halstead, p. 205.
62. Halstead, p. 212.
63. Halstead, p. 219.
64. Halstead, p. 220.
65. Halstead, p. 223.
66. Halstead, p. 226.
67. Halstead, p. 238.
68. Halstead, pp. 239.
69. Halstead, pp. 240.
70. Halstead, p. 241.
71. Halstead, p. 242.
72. Halstead, p. 243.
73. Halstead, p. 251.
74. Halstead, p. 252.
75. Halstead, p. 200.
76. Halstead, p. 265.
77. Halstead, p. 267.
78. Halstead, p. 240.
79. Halstead, p. 268.
80. Halstead, p. 278.
81. Halstead, p. 273.
82. In Magazine
83. Halstead, p. 276.
84. Halstead, p. 277.
85. Halstead, p. 279.
86. Halstead, p. 282.
87. Halstead, p. 289.
88. Halstead, p. 286.
89. Halstead, p. 294.
90. Halstead, p. 298-299.
91. Halstead, p. 300.
92. Halstead, pp. 301.
93. Halstead, pp. 306
94. Halstead, p. 309.
95. Halstead, p. 310.
96. Halstead, p. 306.
97. Halstead, p. 67.
98. Halstead, p.390.
99. Halstead, p. 123.
100. Halstead, p. 248.
101. Halstead, p. 285.
102. Halstead, p. 330.
103. YouTube
104. Halstead, p. 331.
105. Halstead, p. 317.
106. Halstead, p. 323.
107. Halstead, p. 332.
108. Halstead, p. 333.
109. Halstead, p. 332.
110. Halstead, p. 334.
111. Halstead 2007, p. 335.
112. Halstead, p. 337.
113. Halstead, p. 342.
114. Halstead, pp. 345–346.
115. Halstead, p. 349.
116. Halstead, p. 350.
117. Halstead, p. 352.
118. Halstead, p. 353.
119. name="Halstead, p. 353.
120. Halstead, p. 359.
121. Halstead, p. 362.
122. Halstead, p. 369.
123. Halstead, p. 373.
124. Halstead, p. 377.
125. Halstead, p. 380.
126. "Estate Of Michael Jackson And Sony Music Renew 30-Year Relationship With landmark Recording Deal". MichaelJackson.com. March 16, 2010. Retrieved March 20, 2010.

Bibliography

• Campbell, Lisa (1995). Michael Jackson: The King of Pop's Darkest Hour. Branden. ISBN 0-8283-2003-9.
• Grant, Adrian (2009). Michael Jackson: The Visual Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84938-261-8.
• Halstead, Craig (2007). Michael Jackson: For the Record. Authors OnLine. ISBN 978-0-7552-0267-6.