Latest on MJJC

Songs that sound better live

analogue

Proud Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2011
Messages
8,245
Points
113
Rock With You
Working Day And Night
Heartbreak Hotel
Wanna Be Startin Somethin
Human Nature
Another Part Of Me
Smooth Criminal
Man In The Mirror
Blood On The Dance Floor
I Just Can't Stop Loving You
Jam
Things I Do For You

What songs do you think sound better live?
 
I'd for sure say Man in the Mirror and Human Nature sound even better live because of how he stylized it. He could really put his stank on a song that was live! :rofl:
 
1/ Jam
2/ Human Nature
3/ Wanna BSS
4/ Heartnreak Hotel and Wo. Day and Night.
Songs that have not a Video clip but are very good when Michael performs them.
Smooth Criminal I Think that moonwalker version is better.
 
From analogue's list, I just disagree with Smooth Criminal, Moonwalker's version is indeed better. I'd add:

Lovely One
Off The Wall
She's Out Of My Life

And I LOVED how TDCA sounded in TII.
 
wow just thought about this the other day!

Def agree with your list. Another Part Of Me live is unreal!
 
Man In The Mirror. Bad Tour version.
It's odd listening to the studio track, as I'm so used to listening to the Moonwalker, LA 89, or Wembley versions.
 
I'm in love with the live versions of Heartbreak Hotel, Lovely one & Things I do for you - those are the only songs I can truly say sounded better live (specifically Yokohama!) than on the album.

I do really enjoy Shake your body, Rock with you (that intro takes me to church:heart: ) Another part of me & Human nature as sung on the Bad Tour. Oh! and I just can't stop loving you (despite Sheryl, lol) but mostly just for the 'tell me, tell me, tell me!' part, where he gets so into it he forgets to even sing in the mic :D
tumblr_n6o49vY7TT1tcyfj9o3_250.gif


As for Man in the mirror, I understand why he never sang that song fully live, but I wish he had because that little bit at the end of it that was live was really phenomenal!

AtlasAir said:
Man In The Mirror. Bad Tour version.
It's odd listening to the studio track, as I'm so used to listening to the Moonwalker, LA 89, or Wembley versions.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I remember when I first watched the Bad Tour and couldn't make out if he always sang 100% live on MITM, so I looked it up and found this site that went into detail about it, which said
MAN IN THE MIRROR: As in the Dangerous Tour, Brunei Royal concert, Grammy Awards 1988, United we stand 2001, Michael mimed this song and sang the last parts live. Michael never sang this song COMPLETELY live on stage in his career.
Click to expand...
I just went back to listen to LA and he does seem to sing live on that one.. :unsure:.. lol, idk why I always remember MITM as being mostly lip synced then?
 
Last edited:
I don't know how many of these songs Michael actually sang live on. Since I haven't watch a single one of my MJ concerts in nearly 6 years now.:( So I have since forgotten. But I am only going by memory of the songs that he did perform on. And that I had once so totally loved. I so totally envy you fans. That can still handle on watching him. I so totally miss watching my MJ concerts.


Billie Jean
The Way You Make Me Feel
Stranger In Moscow
D.S.
Dirty Diana
Human Nature
Remember The Time
Earth Song
Smooth Criminal
Blood On The Dance Floor
They Don't Care About Us
 
Workin' Day and Night!

Oh! and I just can't stop loving you (despite Sheryl, lol) but mostly just for the 'tell me, tell me, tell me!' part, where he gets so into it he forgets to even sing in the mic
Click to expand...

Hahaha yes! So much second hand embarrassment listening to her, lol

I had to add this, omg


I love Sheryl, for real, but this was not her forte. I'd like to have seen her audition tape, bc wtf was Michael thinking?
 
Last edited:
Another Part Of Me
WBSS
Heartbreak Hotel
Billie Jean (when he makes the hee hee sounds.. Damn!)
Remember The Time (rehearsal but also the live version on Soul Train)
Will You Be There MTV Version. Best. Performance. Evah.
Dangerous

That Dangerous choreography on the MTV awards show in 1995. Nothing but smoothness.
 
1. Another Part of Me
I don't like this song a lot - mainly because it sounds dated as hell and isn't one of his timeless songs - but when it is performed live, in huge arenas with 60 to 70 thousand people watching and screaming, this song is one hell of a spectacle to watch.

2. Man in the Mirror
Goddamn, this is one of THE best songs to sing live. Even the recorded version seems to be sung live. The intro is simply epic and the ad-libs are really powerful. This song was meant to be performed live.

3. Dirty Diana
It has the same vocal/recording style as MITM. Except, sexual energy replaces the spiritual energy. Everything about this song spells danger, the simmering intro, the creeping guitar riffs which seem as if they are contained with deliberate force until the chorus kicks in - and the screaming. The first song where he actually screams. Again, this track was made for the stage.

4. Black or White
I just wish Michael had sung this live - without the lip-sync I mean. It is so damn catchy and one of his most fun songs even though it has a very serious theme. Lyrics that every person in the crowd could sing. Overall, this is a song during which Michael could have a lot of fun on the stage and entertain the audience.

5. Human Nature
Have you seen the live versions of this song? Simply magic. Every note is hit spot on and the falsetto part is enough to melt every fan's heart (irrespective of their gender). There is something about this song which sounds so awesome. Maybe it's because the album version is too flawless that I'd rather hear/see the live one. Can't put my finger on it.

Honorable mentions:
Billie Jean, Wanna Be Starting Something, You Are Not Alone, Smooth Criminal, Earth Song, I'll Be There, Working Day and Night, Will You Be There, The Way You Make Me Feel, Morphine (never been sung live, but has the potential to be one of the best live tracks), Heal the World, Give in to Me (same as Morphine)and Beat It.

(I might look like a Bad fan, but I like Dangerous far more than Bad :p )
 
Heartbreak Hotel! I love how it's faster and rocks out more than the album version.

Human Nature is better live, too. The opening sounds like crystallized raindrops falling from the night sky. :wub:
 
reibish said:
I love Sheryl, for real, but this was not her forte. I'd like to have seen her audition tape, bc wtf was Michael thinking?
Click to expand...

Um, well, firstly, she wouldn't be singing lead on any of the songs, so there's that.
Also, she wasn't putting her own spin on the material, she was adapting her voice to his songs.
 
MAQ said:
4. Black or White
I just wish Michael had sung this live - without the lip-sync I mean. It is so damn catchy and one of his most fun songs even though it has a very serious theme. Lyrics that every person in the crowd could sing. Overall, this is a song during which Michael could have a lot of fun on the stage and entertain the audience.
Click to expand...

Though some of it is understandably half-assed, you still hear him sing it live on This Is It :)
 
AtlasAir said:
.
Also, she wasn't putting her own spin on the material, she was adapting her voice to his songs.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Her voice (on her bigger parts) was not very compatible. Background, yeah, she was good! But she doesn't have the right voice to duet with him. It wasn't a good match.
 
The high notes at the end of IJCSLY during THIS IS IT.
I looove that part
 
I know Judith was nervous with the one take of IJCSTLY we saw from TII - but I have got to say she nailed it for the circumstances.

That song is a Big Freakin' Deal and I can't imagine the pressure she was dealing with to get it just right: 1) that is a truly beautiful ballad and it isn't always easy to sing 2) it had been successful on other tours with other duet partners, so she had big shoes to fill as a relative nobody (Sheryl wasn't either, but Siedah had a leg up since she ****ing wrote Man in the Mirror!) and 3) Judith is more of my generation, i.e. the early Millenial group, which means Michael had much more of an enigma status and he really was her HERO, so not only did she have to perform well and get it right, but she had to keep her boss and mentor happy too.

Lots of pressure for one track!

But for what it was, she did great and it's my favorite live version. I know Siedah did the album vocals with Michael but her live version left a bit to be desired for me.

And his mic test in the intro - god I love it when he does minor phrases like that!
 
I just went back and listened to almost every live performance of MITM on YT lol, and on all of them his vocals sound like the studio version to me - except obviously for the adlibs at the end.. so IS there a version he sang completely live or..?:thinking:

reibish said:
I'd like to have seen her audition tape, bc wtf was Michael thinking?
Click to expand...
:rofl: I seriously say this to myself every time I listen to the live version. Being so talented himself and such a perfectionist, how could he have picked her to sing that duet with him?!
 
Last edited:
I think that “Blood On The Dance Flour” should not be on the list (non-existent live performance).

But even the studio vocals are below par (MJ sounds a little bit suffocated).
 
Lil said:
Hmm, I remember when I first watched the Bad Tour and couldn't make out if he always sang 100% live on MITM, so I looked it up and found this site that went into detail about it, which said

I just went back to listen to LA and he does seem to sing live on that one.. :unsure:.. lol, idk why I always remember MITM as being mostly lip synced then?
Click to expand...
On Bad Tour he started singing live at this point:

Everything before the video starts was lip-synced. On Dangerous Tour he started singing a little bit later.
 
mj_frenzy;4090909 said:
I think that “Blood On The Dance Flour” should not be on the list (non-existent live performance).

But even the studio vocals are below par (MJ sounds a little bit suffocated).
Click to expand...

The live version of BOTDF is more funky than the album version
 
Did Michael prerecord live vocals on the Man In The Mirror Moonwalker version? I know he redid the ending when he's breathing heavily because he wasn't satisfied with the original. That version is the reason I love it more than the album one.

It's true he didn't sing, Michael used vocals from the record but the music is partially live but it sounds better than the album version.

 
Galactus123 said:
On Bad Tour he started singing live at this point:

Everything before the video starts was lip-synced. On Dangerous Tour he started singing a little bit later.
Click to expand...

I know, but seeing so many people list it as a track they thought sounded better live, it made me wonder if he ever sung it fully live. I listened to some L.A. amateur audio that sounded a bit different but turned out to just be the same :p So I guess he never did sing it live, except for those Dangerous Tour rehearsals.
 
Best Live Version Part #1......

11. Can You Feel It



10. Don't Stop Til' You Get Enough



9. Destiny


 
Best Live Version Part #2...

8. Never Can Say Goodbye





7. Man In The Mirror

 
Best Live Version Part 4....
5. Keep On Dancing - Just take a listen to the progression and at how the song evolves every performance!









4. Goin' Back To Indiana

 
Best Live Version Part 5....

3.Walk On/Stop The Love You Save


2.Another Part Of Me


1. Things I Do For You

 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top