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Your favourite beatboxing/vocal percussion moments

SoCav

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One thing that remained consistent throughout Michael's adult solo career is the extensive use of his voice as a percussive instrument. What are some of your favourite beatboxing/vocal percussion moments in his songs and why?

One that comes to mind for me is the intro to Working Day and Night. On one track MJ's voice is mimicking Paulinho da Costa's percussion, on the other he adds a very cool breathing pattern (try doing this yourself, it's hard as hell!). The former slowly fades out as the music kicks in, while he changes the breathing pattern up before it fades out and he does this cool falsetto ad lib ("naah-daah-daaah"). Just an awesome start to the song.

Perhaps my all-time favourite is the beatboxing on Bad (credited to 'How Now Brown Cow', the name Bruce Swedien gave it, on the record). I never really noticed this one, as it is pretty buried in the overall mix, until someone uploaded a rip of one of the channels of the 5.1 mix of the Bad short film here years ago. I came across this old file the other day and was reminded of how awesome this is. I've uploaded it for those interested (thanks to whoever it was that ripped and uploaded it all those years ago!):



He starts beatboxing as the first verse gets going (0.15), adding this really cool rythmic pattern, punctuated with throat-clearing sounds and the odd 'ooh' here and there. There's no beatboxing during the pre-chorus and chorus, but it comes back in after that. You can actually hear it most clearly right after the chorus ends (1.25 and 2.42).
 
Who Is It in the Mexico deposition.

I love this fact about his vocals - that he used his voice as an percussion instrument. So cool.
 
I don't think I could pick just one honestly, but I've been listening to Tabloid Junkie a lot more closely lately after I re-found his interview from the 90's where it was played.
 
Either Smooth Criminal or Who Is It, they're all breath-taking though
Thanks for the upload by the way it's incredible !!!
 
The one that continually makes my jaw drop is the small section of "Tabloid Junkie" during the Diane Sawyer interview. It sounds like he's got four different layers going at once... and he's doing it live. Astounding.
 
AlwaysThere said:
The one that continually makes my jaw drop is the small section of "Tabloid Junkie" during the Diane Sawyer interview. It sounds like he's got four different layers going at once... and he's doing it live. Astounding.
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And music snobs bash him for not being able to play instruments. Why would anyone need to play instruments when they can do that?
 
AlwaysThere said:
The one that continually makes my jaw drop is the small section of "Tabloid Junkie" during the Diane Sawyer interview. It sounds like he's got four different layers going at once... and he's doing it live. Astounding.
Click to expand...
I know, right?? I taped that at the time and played it over and over watching his mouth and to this day it still sounds like multiple tracks.

He does this in demos too and I just don't see how this is humanly possible.
 
Tabloid Junkie is the first thing that comes to mind. Also i'd like to mention Heartbreaker. He really goes off on that on.

Honorable mentions, Can't Let Her Get Away and Hollywood Tonight
 
‘In the Back’ (a rather unknown beatboxing/vocal percussion but an interesting one).
 
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Heartbreaker should deserve more praise, it's very complex, more complex than Who Is It and more catchy than Tabloid Junkie. And it makes me wanna get up and dance.

As for my favorite beatboxing performance of his... it's a tie between the three mentioned above :D
 
The Girl Is Mine Mexico deposition, that's probably why I love that song so much, no matter how corny it is. And the beatboxing Michael does in the Dangerous deposition. Some moments you and I mentioned are in this video.

 
Too many. I still wish we could hear Hollywood Tonight in acapella from the demo version, 'cause his beatboxing was insane at the end where he started spitting on the mic (I hope some of you know what I mean).
 
I could go on and on about this topic for days - it's one of my favorite things about his talent. Introducing people to the fact that not only could he beatbox, but that his skills were superhuman always blows people's minds.

I agree with the comments about Heartbreaker, but I don't know if I could pick just one. I love the Diane Sawyer clip though for the way that he just throws it out there super casually, like something everyone can do. Love it.
 
I didn't want to create a new thread for this, and using the search engine, I think it fits here best.

Couple of days ago my dad drove me home. Out of nowhere I started talking about MJ (haha) and asked him if he knew that on many songs when you hear the beat/drums ect it actually is MJ that you're hearing. He didn't know, gave some nice response, however he also didn't sound much impressed. We arrived at my home, and I played the beginning of Stranger in Moscow, telling him "THAT is Michael you're hearing!"
He gave an appreciate nod, but still not much impressed.
Then I said "And here is the evidence" and played this video
https://youtu.be/LQuKbzWHvIo
I could watch my father staring at the screen, at times even moving closer like he didn't get what what was happening, eyes widening, no kidding! :rofl:
Afterwards he kept saying how MJ was a genious and probably too good for this world. Mind you, those are not words he knows from me (even though I agree). He came up with them himself. He's like the most casual music listener I've ever known. He can't name you one Beatles song, even though it was his youth for example. I will never know how he survives like that, not being into music. But when talent stares him right in the face, he will know it. Just thought it was a nice story to share, because I for sure got a kick out of it seeing him like that :D
 
Dianne said:
I didn't want to create a new thread for this, and using the search engine, I think it fits here best.

Couple of days ago my dad drove me home. Out of nowhere I started talking about MJ (haha) and asked him if he knew that on many songs when you hear the beat/drums ect it actually is MJ that you're hearing. He didn't know, gave some nice response, however he also didn't sound much impressed. We arrived at my home, and I played the beginning of Stranger in Moscow, telling him "THAT is Michael you're hearing!"
He gave an appreciate nod, but still not much impressed.
Then I said "And here is the evidence" and played this video
https://youtu.be/LQuKbzWHvIo
I could watch my father staring at the screen, at times even moving closer like he didn't get what what was happening, eyes widening, no kidding! :rofl:
Afterwards he kept saying how MJ was a genious and probably too good for this world. Mind you, those are not words he knows from me (even though I agree). He came up with them himself. He's like the most casual music listener I've ever known. He can't name you one Beatles song, even though it was his youth for example. I will never know how he survives like that, not being into music. But when talent stares him right in the face, he will know it. Just thought it was a nice story to share, because I for sure got a kick out of it seeing him like that :D
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I love that story, that was great! I LOVE how people that you know, who are not generally fans, discovers something about him, and they are blown away about it. it always makes me feel so proud :D
 
That was a nice story Diane. :D

I found another vocal percussion moment I really loved. When Mike immitates the moog at 3:49 (correct me please if it isn't, it sounds like a moog to me. He even does "wooh, wooh like that instrument) in this WBSS demo. If this demo was done in 1979, it's quite ahead of its time. LOVED IT!

 
^He's singing the guitar lick there. Pretty sure it's being played on a Rhodes here. With the "whoo whoo whoo" he is imitating the three drum hits at that point in the song. Cool moment!
 
There are too many to chose from and all of them are amazing but the ones that stands out are the DS interview and ohhhh dear the end of Billie Jean live... Who is it :bow:
 
I love it how his uses his vocals as a vocal percussion in Get on the Floor.
 
barbee0715 said:
I know, right?? I taped that at the time and played it over and over watching his mouth and to this day it still sounds like multiple tracks.

He does this in demos too and I just don't see how this is humanly possible.
Click to expand...

I've been working on replicating it for years, I'm not super close. But you just have to practice replicating sounds you hear in your head with your mouth, and then you're able to add "layers" I guess.
 
TinnyandOdd said:
I don't think I could pick just one honestly, but I've been listening to Tabloid Junkie a lot more closely lately after I re-found his interview from the 90's where it was played.
Click to expand...

AlwaysThere said:
The one that continually makes my jaw drop is the small section of "Tabloid Junkie" during the Diane Sawyer interview. It sounds like he's got four different layers going at once... and he's doing it live. Astounding.
Click to expand...

Themidwestcowboy said:
Tabloid Junkie is the first thing that comes to mind. Also i'd like to mention Heartbreaker. He really goes off on that on.

Honorable mentions, Can't Let Her Get Away and Hollywood Tonight
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TJ came to my mind too when I read the thread's title.
But all of these that you guys have named are the ones that I thought of and they are great examples. :D
 
two words:

Hollywood tonight.

which is my absolute favorite of his latter work.
why didn't you finish it, mike? such a masterpiece.
 
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