Latest on MJJC

The Discussion of MJ's Unreleased Tracks

ChanceToDance said:
There's still plenty I would like to hear from that era honestly, Shut Up And Dance for one is at the top of my list since people who heard it said it's an amazing song even if MJ isn't the one singing it. And I wouldn't mind listening to some of the remaining instrumentals the era has since Photographs is a nice, calming song. I also bet that the Darkchild/LaShawn Daniels demos aren't going to be bad to listen either, the guy had a great singing voice.
Click to expand...
I want to hear children holiday. Children hours .world of candy .
 
ChanceToDance said:
There's still plenty I would like to hear from that era honestly, Shut Up And Dance for one is at the top of my list since people who heard it said it's an amazing song even if MJ isn't the one singing it. And I wouldn't mind listening to some of the remaining instrumentals the era has since Photographs is a nice, calming song. I also bet that the Darkchild/LaShawn Daniels demos aren't going to be bad to listen either, the guy had a great singing voice.
Click to expand...
Shut Up And Dance is THE exception.
 
Sisoqqq said:
It's nothing sure do you understand me ?? Even Loren did not show any version MJ sang verses
Click to expand...
I believe it is you that is misunderstood. We try to provide answers here the best we can, but we don't have them all. Rehashing the same questions like a broken record will NOT change that. Spitting out random titles will NOT change that. Wanting to hear said titles will NOT change that. This nonsense is clogging the thread and very annoying to pretty much everyone here.
 
FlyAway0086 said:
I believe it is you that is misunderstood. We try to provide answers here the best we can, but we don't have them all. Rehashing the same questions like a broken record will NOT change that. Spitting out random titles will NOT change that. Wanting to hear said titles will NOT change that. This nonsense is clogging the thread and very annoying to pretty much everyone here.
Click to expand...
Unless you have 6-7 figures.
 
Tweet Recaps: DAMIEN SHIELDS

GENERAL NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
  • The exact number of unreleased MJ–Jerkins collaborations is unknown, though Fred Jerkins III stated that there were “a few,” including “Escape,” “Get Your Weight Off of Me” and “We’ve Had Enough.”
  • MJ and Rodney Jerkins briefly reunited in 2006 to discuss a future collaboration, but no actual writing or recording took place.
  • At least three Neff-U pieces are sonically reminiscent of Dr. Dre’s “The Watcher,” though their time together ultimately did not yield any releasable songs.
  • MJ met with Rod Temperton “a couple of times” ca. 2008 to obtain his input on several existing demos (listed below). If any work was conducted between the two, it likely wasn’t “anything noteworthy.”

SPECIFIC SONG NOTES
  • “11PM.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “ADORE YOU.” No lead vocals. “Some background vocals which build into a full-blown choir type of thing at the end.”
  • “BEAUTIFUL GIRL.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears five times in miscellaneous handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “BEST OF JOY.” Originally written and recorded as “The Toy” in 1981-82, re-recorded with new lyrics and an updated instrumental in April 1991, and re-recorded again with an as-yet-unreleased third verse in November 2008. The 2008 version understood to be MJ’s “last fully-complete vocal.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears on multiple handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “BOTTOM OF MY HEART.” Alternatively titled “From the Bottom of My Heart.” Produced by MJ and Buxer. No relation to “I Have This Dream,” despite contradictory reports.
  • “BOY NO.” Verses “largely mumbled.” Contains a musical element (“maybe a classical guitar”) reminiscent of “Days in Gloucestershire.” Unfinished lyrics mention “seeing the city lights, being alone, and having nowhere to go.” Overall theme is “a vagabond who isn’t welcome anywhere.” Chorus lyrics: “Boy, no / [We/they] ain’t got a place for [you/me] to stay.”
  • “BROKEN CHAIR” (working title). Instrumental only / no vocals. “Booming digital drums and rock/electric guitar.”
  • “BUTTER FUNK.” Written by MJ & Michael Prince. Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “THE CHILDREN’S HOUR.” “Children’s song.”
  • “CRAZE.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “D.I.E.” Instrumental only / no vocals. “Epic. Hard hitting drums and bass with really strong strings. It also has these moments where the music stops and a haunting choir thing comes in creating an ominous build, then the beat drops again.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “DARK LADY / H2O.” Recorded in 2008. Consists of a single-take scratch lead vocal and supplementary BG vocals. Verses are “totally nonsensical gibberish.” Bass line reminiscent of Queen’s “Under Pressure.” Verse lyrics: “Dark lady will get what she wants every time / Dark lady don’t know what she is.” Pre-chorus lyrics: “She get the right one.” Chorus lyrics (falsetto): “And you should save me from heaven / Save me from [?].” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “DEEP IN THE NIGHT.” Appears on a handwritten “to-do” list ca. 2009.
  • “DON’T BE MESSIN’.” Appears on a handwritten “to-do” list ca. 2009.
  • “DON’T MAKE ME STAY.” Musically complete. Scratch vocal throughout; no coherent lyrics other than the title. Recorded with a room mic (“It sounded very distant — like MJ wasn’t near the mic when it was recorded or something”). Chorus reminiscent of Janet’s “Runaway.”
  • “EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A MOVIE STAR.” Appears in several handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “FOR THE WORLD.” Recorded post-1998. Two minutes long. Vocals “mostly mumbled,” with scattered “alright” and “ooh” ad-libs, and concludes with MJ “stop[ping] the track and giv[ing] notes/instructions.” Opening drum beat and overall “light production” and “breezy vibe” compared to “Free” and “I Was the Loser.” Consists of “[drum] beat, shakers, bass, and strings.” Verse lyrics mostly incoherent other than random utterances of the words “sun” and “trees.” Chorus lyrics: “We do it for the world.” No relation to the spoken word piece circulating online.
  • “GREEN HORNET GROOVE.” Worked on with Brad Buxer. Instrumental only / no vocals. Written as a pitch for the Seth Rogen film The Green Hornet.
  • “HE WHO MAKES THE SKY GRAY.” Vocals exist, though their state of completion is uncertain.
  • “HOLLYWOOD TONIGHT.” Unreleased elements include bridge ad libs (“She’s too young to understand”) and rhythm guitar by David Williams. One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME.” Recorded at Marvin’s Room between 1998 and 2003.
  • “I HAVE THIS DREAM.” Arrangement by John Barnes. All-star charity version complete, featuring Ciara, Snoop Dogg, James Ingram, Jermaine, Shirley Caesar, the O’Jays, and R. Kelly (who MJ sought to remove), among others. MJ intended to the-record his demo vocals. Leaked writer’s demo is authentic.
  • “I LOVE YOU.” Written by Taryll Jackson for an unreleased 3T album. MJ, who helped produce the project, wanted to record a solo version, but “died before he got around to it.”
  • “I LOVE YOU MORE.” Written by MJ, Michael Prince, and Eric Kirkland. Two writers demos recorded; existence of MJ vocals unclear.
  • “I WAS THE LOSER.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears on multiple handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “INNOCENT MAN.” “Super soft” chorus vocals only.
  • “IS SHE COMING BACK.” Written and produced by Dr. Freeze. One of several songs submitted for MJ’s consideration in 2008-9. Appears on several handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “JUNGLE.” Written and produced by Dr. Freeze. Existence of MJ vocals unclear.
  • “KING TUTANKHAMEN.” Recorded in 2008. Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “LADY OF SUMMER.” Classical piece. One of two presented to David Michael Frank in 2009 for a planned classical album.
  • “LIGHT THE WAY.” No lead vocals; “Just music [and a] choral chorus.” Features a “horn section intro.” Chorus lyrics: “Light the way / Let’s pray, pray for peace.”
  • “MICHAEL’S AFFIRMATION.” Spoken word piece, with “Photographs” used as incidental backing music. Dedicated to Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy, who was recovering from an onstage injury in late 2003.
  • “MONSTER.” Recorded in 1998. Strings arranged by Michael Prince based on an MJ voicemail. Chorus vocals only. “Epic production. Lots of layers.” Chorus lyrics: “You created a monster.”
  • “NEVERLAND LANDING.” “Children’s song.”
  • “PAJAMAS.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “PHOTOGRAPHS.” Instrumental only / no vocals. Used as incidental backing music on “Michael’s Affirmation.”
  • “RED EYE” (likely working title). Instrumental only / no vocals. Could be the title of two separate songs; unconfirmed.
  • “REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU.” Alternatively titled “Just Remember.” Recorded in Las Vegas in 2008. 90 seconds. Scratch vocals. Structurally similar to “Speechless”: “Starts off acapella and builds into an epic finale with many [vocal layers].” Consists of a piano and finger snaps. Lyrics: “Remember what I told you, and remember for all time.”
  • “ROCK TONIGHT.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “ROCKER” (working title). Recorded in a Neverland bathroom “sometime before the end of 2004.” Consists of a single-take scratch vocal and supplementary BG vocals. Vocal melody reminiscent of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” while the “aggressive spitting” delivery Is comparable to “They Don’t Care About Us” and “Morphine.” Verses are “complete nonsense,” while the “anthemic” chorus is “close to complete.” Chorus lyrics: “And the world is one big melting pot of life.”
  • “SATURDAY WOMAN.” Appears on a handwritten “to-do” list ca. 2009.
  • “SCARED OF THE MOON.” Appears three times in miscellaneous handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “SHE DON’T LOVE ME.” Recorded in 2008. Chorus vocals only. Sonically similar to the 2014 mix of “Do You Know Where Your Children Are” (“Both sound like computer-generated video game music”). Chorus lyrics: “She don’t love me, she don’t want me / She don’t need me / She doesn’t care, she doesn’t care.”
  • “SHUT UP AND DANCE.” Written by MJ, Michael Prince, and Eric Kirkland. MJ never recorded vocals, though a writers demo by Kirkland exists.
  • “SILENT SPRING.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “STAND TALL.” Sung by a male session singer, in addition to “what sounded like a choir.” Chorus and bridge vocals only. Existence of MJ vocals unclear.
  • “THANK HEAVEN.” MJ delivers a spoken intro dedicating the song to “my son Michael Jackson Jr.”; main demo sung by a female session singer and choir. “Sounds like a lullaby/nursery rhyme.”
  • “THAT” (working title). Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “THINK TWICE.” Instrumental only / no vocals. “Synthesized electric guitars.”
  • “THROWIN’ YOUR LIFE AWAY.” Reworked by Neff-U in 2010 for Michael, but never seriously considered. Strings and guitars were added to an existing mix, as the multitracks were unavailable.
  • “TOMBOY.” Instrumental only / no vocals. “Synth drums, bass, guitar riff, very nice strings, similar sounds to Captain EO at times.” Musical element bears similarity to the vocal melody of “I bet you remember” from “Remember the Time.”
  • “WALK AWAY.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “THE WAY YOU LOVE ME.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears on multiple handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “WHAT MORE CAN I GIVE.” Recorded in 1998.
  • “WHAT YOU DO TO ME” (1985). Vocal completion uncertain, though his notes indicate “there is at least enough there to consider it ‘complete’ by some standards.” Mid-tempo, with a “similar breezy vibe” as “I’m So Blue” and “Free.” Chorus lyrics: “You just don’t know / You just don’t know / You just don’t know what you do to me, do to me, do-do-do to me.”
  • “WHAT YOU DO TO ME” (1998). Early demo of “The Way You Love Me” with “primitive production,” “scratch vocals on the chorus (no verse vocal),” and “MJ scatting/yodeling at the end.”
  • “WORLD OF CANDY.” “Children’s song.”
 
Last edited:
AlwaysThere said:
Tweet Recaps: DAMIEN SHIELDS

Songwriters / producers / vocal completion / music production and sound / lyrics / projects

GENERAL NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
  • The exact number of unreleased MJ–Jerkins collaborations is unknown, though Fred Jerkins III stated that there were “a few,” including “Escape,” “Get Your Weight Off of Me” and “We’ve Has Enough.”
  • MJ and Rodney Jerkins briefly reunited in 2006 to discuss a future collaboration, but no actual work took place.
  • At least three Neff-U pieces are sonically reminiscent of Dr. Dre’s “The Watcher,” though they likely don’t contain vocals.
  • MJ met with Rod Temperton “a couple of times” ca. 2008 to obtain his input on several existing demos. If any work was conducted between the two, it likely wasn’t “anything noteworthy.”

SPECIFIC SONG NOTES
  • “11PM.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “ADORE YOU.” No lead vocals. “Some background vocals which build into a full-blown choir type of thing at the end.”
  • “BEAUTIFUL GIRL.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears five times in miscellaneous handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “BEST OF JOY.” Originally written and recorded as “The Toy” in 1981-82, re-recorded with new lyrics and an updated instrumental in April 1991, and re-recorded again with an as-yet-unreleased third verse in November 2008. The 2008 version understood to be MJ’s “last fully-complete vocal.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears on multiple handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “BOTTOM OF MY HEART.” Alternatively titled “From the Bottom of My Heart.” Produced by MJ and Buxer. No relation to “I Have This Dream,” despite contradictory reports.
  • “BOY NO.” Verses “largely mumbled.” Contains a musical element (“maybe a classical guitar”) reminiscent of “Days in Gloucestershire.” Unfinished lyrics mention “seeing the city lights, being alone, and having nowhere to go.” Overall theme is “a vagabond who isn’t welcome anywhere.” Chorus lyrics: “Boy, no / [We/they] ain’t got a place for [you/me] to stay.”
  • “BROKEN CHAIR” (working title). Instrumental only / no vocals. “Booming digital drums and rock/electric guitar.”
  • “BUTTER FUNK.” Written by MJ & Michael Prince. Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “THE CHILDREN’S HOUR.” “Children’s song.”
  • “CRAZE.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “D.I.E.” Instrumental only / no vocals. “Epic. Hard hitting drums and bass with really strong strings. It also has these moments where the music stops and a haunting choir thing comes in creating an ominous build, then the beat drops again.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “DARK LADY / H2O.” Recorded in 2008. Consists of a single-take scratch lead vocal and supplementary BG vocals. Verses are “totally nonsensical gibberish.” Bass line reminiscent of Queen’s “Under Pressure.” Verse lyrics: “Dark lady will get what she wants every time / Dark lady don’t know what she is.” Pre-chorus lyrics: “She get the right one.” Chorus lyrics (falsetto): “And you should save me from heaven / Save me from [?].” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “DEEP IN THE NIGHT.” Appears on a handwritten “to-do” list ca. 2009.
  • “DON’T BE MESSIN’.” Appears on a handwritten “to-do” list ca. 2009.
  • “DON’T MAKE ME STAY.” Musically complete. Scratch vocal throughout; no coherent lyrics other than the title. Recorded with a room mic (“It sounded very distant — like MJ wasn’t near the mic when it was recorded or something”). Chorus reminiscent of Janet’s “Runaway.”
  • “EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A MOVIE STAR.” Appears in several handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “FOR THE WORLD.” Recorded post-1998. Two minutes long. Vocals “mostly mumbled,” with scattered “alright” and “ooh” ad-libs, and concludes with MJ “stop[ping] the track and giv[ing] notes/instructions.” Opening drum beat and overall “light production” and “breezy vibe” compared to “Free” and “I Was the Loser.” Consists of “[drum] beat, shakers, bass, and strings.” Verse lyrics mostly incoherent other than random utterances of the words “sun” and “trees.” Chorus lyrics: “We do it for the world.” No relation to the spoken word piece circulating online.
  • “GREEN HORNET GROOVE.” Worked on with Brad Buxer. Instrumental only / no vocals. Written as a pitch for the Seth Rogen film The Green Hornet.
  • “HE WHO MAKES THE SKY GRAY.” Vocals exist, though their state of completion is uncertain.
  • “HOLLYWOOD TONIGHT.” Unreleased elements include bridge ad libs (“She’s too young to understand”) and rhythm guitar by David Williams. One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME.” Recorded at Marvin’s Room between 1998 and 2003.
  • “I HAVE THIS DREAM.” Arrangement by John Barnes. All-star charity version complete, featuring Ciara, Snoop Dogg, James Ingram, Jermaine, Shirley Caesar, the O’Jays, and R. Kelly (who MJ sought to remove), among others. MJ intended to the-record his demo vocals. Leaked writer’s demo is authentic.
  • “I LOVE YOU.” Written by Taryll Jackson for an unreleased 3T album. MJ, who helped produce the project, wanted to record a solo version, but “died before he got around to it.”
  • “I LOVE YOU MORE.” Written by MJ, Michael Prince, and Eric Kirkland. Two writers demos recorded; existence of MJ vocals unclear.
  • “I WAS THE LOSER.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears on multiple handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “INNOCENT MAN.” “Super soft” chorus vocals only.
  • “IS SHE COMING BACK.” Written and produced by Dr. Freeze. One of several songs submitted for MJ’s consideration in 2008-9. Appears on several handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “JUNGLE.” Written and produced by Dr. Freeze. Existence of MJ vocals unclear.
  • “KING TUTANKHAMEN.” Recorded in 2008. Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “LADY OF SUMMER.” Classical piece. One of two presented to David Michael Frank in 2009 for a planned classical album.
  • “LIGHT THE WAY.” No lead vocals; “Just music [and a] choral chorus.” Features a “horn section intro.” Chorus lyrics: “Light the way / Let’s pray, pray for peace.”
  • “MICHAEL’S AFFIRMATION.” Spoken word piece, with “Photographs” used as incidental backing music. Dedicated to Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy, who was recovering from an onstage injury in late 2003.
  • “MONSTER.” Recorded in 1998. Strings arranged by Michael Prince based on an MJ voicemail. Chorus vocals only. “Epic production. Lots of layers.” Chorus lyrics: “You created a monster.”
  • “NEVERLAND LANDING.” “Children’s song.”
  • “PAJAMAS.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “PHOTOGRAPHS.” Instrumental only / no vocals. Used as incidental backing music on “Michael’s Affirmation.”
  • “RED EYE” (likely working title). Instrumental only / no vocals. Could be the title of two separate songs; unconfirmed.
  • “REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU.” Alternatively titled “Just Remember.” Recorded in Las Vegas in 2008. 90 seconds. Scratch vocals. Structurally similar to “Speechless”: “Starts off acapella and builds into an epic finale with many [vocal layers].” Consists of a piano and finger snaps. Lyrics: “Remember what I told you, and remember for all time.”
  • “ROCK TONIGHT.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “ROCKER” (working title). Recorded in a Neverland bathroom “sometime before the end of 2004.” Consists of a single-take scratch vocal and supplementary BG vocals. Vocal melody reminiscent of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” while the “aggressive spitting” delivery Is comparable to “They Don’t Care About Us” and “Morphine.” Verses are “complete nonsense,” while the “anthemic” chorus is “close to complete.” Chorus lyrics: “And the world is one big melting pot of life.”
  • “SATURDAY WOMAN.” Appears on a handwritten “to-do” list ca. 2009.
  • “SCARED OF THE MOON.” Appears three times in miscellaneous handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “SHE DON’T LOVE ME.” Recorded in 2008. Chorus vocals only. Sonically similar to the 2014 mix of “Do You Know Where Your Children Are” (“Both sound like computer-generated video game music”). Chorus lyrics: “She don’t love me, she don’t want me / She don’t need me / She doesn’t care, she doesn’t care.”
  • “SHUT UP AND DANCE.” Written by MJ, Michael Prince, and Eric Kirkland. MJ never recorded vocals, though a writers demo by Kirkland exists.
  • “SILENT SPRING.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “STAND TALL.” Sung by a male session singer, in addition to “what sounded like a choir.” Chorus and bridge vocals only. Existence of MJ vocals unclear.
  • “THANK HEAVEN.” MJ delivers a spoken intro dedicating the song to “my son Michael Jackson Jr.”; main demo sung by a female session singer and choir. “Sounds like a lullaby/nursery rhyme.”
  • “THAT” (working title). Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “THINK TWICE.” Instrumental only / no vocals. “Synthesized electric guitars.”
  • “THROWIN’ YOUR LIFE AWAY.” Reworked by Neff-U in 2010 for Michael, but never seriously considered. Strings and guitars were added to an existing mix, as the multitracks were unavailable.
  • “TOMBOY.” Instrumental only / no vocals. “Synth drums, bass, guitar riff, very nice strings, similar sounds to Captain EO at times.” Musical element bears similarity to the vocal melody of “I bet you remember” from “Remember the Time.”
  • “WALK AWAY.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “THE WAY YOU LOVE ME.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears on multiple handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “WHAT MORE CAN I GIVE.” Recorded in 1998.
  • “WHAT YOU DO TO ME” (1985). Vocal completion uncertain, though his notes indicate “there is at least enough there to consider it ‘complete’ by some standards.” Mid-tempo, with a “similar breezy vibe” as “I’m So Blue” and “Free.” Chorus lyrics: “You just don’t know / You just don’t know / You just don’t know what you do to me, do to me, do-do-do to me.”
  • “WHAT YOU DO TO ME” (1998). Early demo of “The Way You Love Me” with “primitive production,” “scratch vocals on the chorus (no verse vocal),” and “MJ scatting/yodeling at the end.”
  • “WORLD OF CANDY.” “Children’s song.”
Click to expand...
I wish the 1993. Deposition songs list to be. Most of them to have verses and chorus
 
AlwaysThere said:
Tweet Recaps: DAMIEN SHIELDS

Songwriters / producers / vocal completion / music production and sound / lyrics / projects

GENERAL NOTES & OBSERVATIONS
  • The exact number of unreleased MJ–Jerkins collaborations is unknown, though Fred Jerkins III stated that there were “a few,” including “Escape,” “Get Your Weight Off of Me” and “We’ve Has Enough.”
  • MJ and Rodney Jerkins briefly reunited in 2006 to discuss a future collaboration, but no actual work took place.
  • At least three Neff-U pieces are sonically reminiscent of Dr. Dre’s “The Watcher,” though they likely don’t contain vocals.
  • MJ met with Rod Temperton “a couple of times” ca. 2008 to obtain his input on several existing demos. If any work was conducted between the two, it likely wasn’t “anything noteworthy.”

SPECIFIC SONG NOTES
  • “11PM.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “ADORE YOU.” No lead vocals. “Some background vocals which build into a full-blown choir type of thing at the end.”
  • “BEAUTIFUL GIRL.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears five times in miscellaneous handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “BEST OF JOY.” Originally written and recorded as “The Toy” in 1981-82, re-recorded with new lyrics and an updated instrumental in April 1991, and re-recorded again with an as-yet-unreleased third verse in November 2008. The 2008 version understood to be MJ’s “last fully-complete vocal.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears on multiple handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “BOTTOM OF MY HEART.” Alternatively titled “From the Bottom of My Heart.” Produced by MJ and Buxer. No relation to “I Have This Dream,” despite contradictory reports.
  • “BOY NO.” Verses “largely mumbled.” Contains a musical element (“maybe a classical guitar”) reminiscent of “Days in Gloucestershire.” Unfinished lyrics mention “seeing the city lights, being alone, and having nowhere to go.” Overall theme is “a vagabond who isn’t welcome anywhere.” Chorus lyrics: “Boy, no / [We/they] ain’t got a place for [you/me] to stay.”
  • “BROKEN CHAIR” (working title). Instrumental only / no vocals. “Booming digital drums and rock/electric guitar.”
  • “BUTTER FUNK.” Written by MJ & Michael Prince. Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “CAN’T STOP LOVING YOU.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “THE CHILDREN’S HOUR.” “Children’s song.”
  • “CRAZE.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “D.I.E.” Instrumental only / no vocals. “Epic. Hard hitting drums and bass with really strong strings. It also has these moments where the music stops and a haunting choir thing comes in creating an ominous build, then the beat drops again.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “DARK LADY / H2O.” Recorded in 2008. Consists of a single-take scratch lead vocal and supplementary BG vocals. Verses are “totally nonsensical gibberish.” Bass line reminiscent of Queen’s “Under Pressure.” Verse lyrics: “Dark lady will get what she wants every time / Dark lady don’t know what she is.” Pre-chorus lyrics: “She get the right one.” Chorus lyrics (falsetto): “And you should save me from heaven / Save me from [?].” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “DEEP IN THE NIGHT.” Appears on a handwritten “to-do” list ca. 2009.
  • “DON’T BE MESSIN’.” Appears on a handwritten “to-do” list ca. 2009.
  • “DON’T MAKE ME STAY.” Musically complete. Scratch vocal throughout; no coherent lyrics other than the title. Recorded with a room mic (“It sounded very distant — like MJ wasn’t near the mic when it was recorded or something”). Chorus reminiscent of Janet’s “Runaway.”
  • “EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE A MOVIE STAR.” Appears in several handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “FOR THE WORLD.” Recorded post-1998. Two minutes long. Vocals “mostly mumbled,” with scattered “alright” and “ooh” ad-libs, and concludes with MJ “stop[ping] the track and giv[ing] notes/instructions.” Opening drum beat and overall “light production” and “breezy vibe” compared to “Free” and “I Was the Loser.” Consists of “[drum] beat, shakers, bass, and strings.” Verse lyrics mostly incoherent other than random utterances of the words “sun” and “trees.” Chorus lyrics: “We do it for the world.” No relation to the spoken word piece circulating online.
  • “GREEN HORNET GROOVE.” Worked on with Brad Buxer. Instrumental only / no vocals. Written as a pitch for the Seth Rogen film The Green Hornet.
  • “HE WHO MAKES THE SKY GRAY.” Vocals exist, though their state of completion is uncertain.
  • “HOLLYWOOD TONIGHT.” Unreleased elements include bridge ad libs (“She’s too young to understand”) and rhythm guitar by David Williams. One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008.
  • “HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME.” Recorded at Marvin’s Room between 1998 and 2003.
  • “I HAVE THIS DREAM.” Arrangement by John Barnes. All-star charity version complete, featuring Ciara, Snoop Dogg, James Ingram, Jermaine, Shirley Caesar, the O’Jays, and R. Kelly (who MJ sought to remove), among others. MJ intended to the-record his demo vocals. Leaked writer’s demo is authentic.
  • “I LOVE YOU.” Written by Taryll Jackson for an unreleased 3T album. MJ, who helped produce the project, wanted to record a solo version, but “died before he got around to it.”
  • “I LOVE YOU MORE.” Written by MJ, Michael Prince, and Eric Kirkland. Two writers demos recorded; existence of MJ vocals unclear.
  • “I WAS THE LOSER.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears on multiple handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “INNOCENT MAN.” “Super soft” chorus vocals only.
  • “IS SHE COMING BACK.” Written and produced by Dr. Freeze. One of several songs submitted for MJ’s consideration in 2008-9. Appears on several handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “JUNGLE.” Written and produced by Dr. Freeze. Existence of MJ vocals unclear.
  • “KING TUTANKHAMEN.” Recorded in 2008. Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “LADY OF SUMMER.” Classical piece. One of two presented to David Michael Frank in 2009 for a planned classical album.
  • “LIGHT THE WAY.” No lead vocals; “Just music [and a] choral chorus.” Features a “horn section intro.” Chorus lyrics: “Light the way / Let’s pray, pray for peace.”
  • “MICHAEL’S AFFIRMATION.” Spoken word piece, with “Photographs” used as incidental backing music. Dedicated to Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy, who was recovering from an onstage injury in late 2003.
  • “MONSTER.” Recorded in 1998. Strings arranged by Michael Prince based on an MJ voicemail. Chorus vocals only. “Epic production. Lots of layers.” Chorus lyrics: “You created a monster.”
  • “NEVERLAND LANDING.” “Children’s song.”
  • “PAJAMAS.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “PHOTOGRAPHS.” Instrumental only / no vocals. Used as incidental backing music on “Michael’s Affirmation.”
  • “RED EYE” (likely working title). Instrumental only / no vocals. Could be the title of two separate songs; unconfirmed.
  • “REMEMBER WHAT I TOLD YOU.” Alternatively titled “Just Remember.” Recorded in Las Vegas in 2008. 90 seconds. Scratch vocals. Structurally similar to “Speechless”: “Starts off acapella and builds into an epic finale with many [vocal layers].” Consists of a piano and finger snaps. Lyrics: “Remember what I told you, and remember for all time.”
  • “ROCK TONIGHT.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “ROCKER” (working title). Recorded in a Neverland bathroom “sometime before the end of 2004.” Consists of a single-take scratch vocal and supplementary BG vocals. Vocal melody reminiscent of Queen’s “We Will Rock You,” while the “aggressive spitting” delivery Is comparable to “They Don’t Care About Us” and “Morphine.” Verses are “complete nonsense,” while the “anthemic” chorus is “close to complete.” Chorus lyrics: “And the world is one big melting pot of life.”
  • “SATURDAY WOMAN.” Appears on a handwritten “to-do” list ca. 2009.
  • “SCARED OF THE MOON.” Appears three times in miscellaneous handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “SHE DON’T LOVE ME.” Recorded in 2008. Chorus vocals only. Sonically similar to the 2014 mix of “Do You Know Where Your Children Are” (“Both sound like computer-generated video game music”). Chorus lyrics: “She don’t love me, she don’t want me / She don’t need me / She doesn’t care, she doesn’t care.”
  • “SHUT UP AND DANCE.” Written by MJ, Michael Prince, and Eric Kirkland. MJ never recorded vocals, though a writers demo by Kirkland exists.
  • “SILENT SPRING.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “STAND TALL.” Sung by a male session singer, in addition to “what sounded like a choir.” Chorus and bridge vocals only. Existence of MJ vocals unclear.
  • “THANK HEAVEN.” MJ delivers a spoken intro dedicating the song to “my son Michael Jackson Jr.”; main demo sung by a female session singer and choir. “Sounds like a lullaby/nursery rhyme.”
  • “THAT” (working title). Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “THINK TWICE.” Instrumental only / no vocals. “Synthesized electric guitars.”
  • “THROWIN’ YOUR LIFE AWAY.” Reworked by Neff-U in 2010 for Michael, but never seriously considered. Strings and guitars were added to an existing mix, as the multitracks were unavailable.
  • “TOMBOY.” Instrumental only / no vocals. “Synth drums, bass, guitar riff, very nice strings, similar sounds to Captain EO at times.” Musical element bears similarity to the vocal melody of “I bet you remember” from “Remember the Time.”
  • “WALK AWAY.” Instrumental only / no vocals.
  • “THE WAY YOU LOVE ME.” One of eight songs presented to Rod Temperton in 2008. Appears on multiple handwritten “to-do” lists ca. 2009.
  • “WHAT MORE CAN I GIVE.” Recorded in 1998.
  • “WHAT YOU DO TO ME” (1985). Vocal completion uncertain, though his notes indicate “there is at least enough there to consider it ‘complete’ by some standards.” Mid-tempo, with a “similar breezy vibe” as “I’m So Blue” and “Free.” Chorus lyrics: “You just don’t know / You just don’t know / You just don’t know what you do to me, do to me, do-do-do to me.”
  • “WHAT YOU DO TO ME” (1998). Early demo of “The Way You Love Me” with “primitive production,” “scratch vocals on the chorus (no verse vocal),” and “MJ scatting/yodeling at the end.”
  • “WORLD OF CANDY.” “Children’s song.”
Click to expand...
Are these all the songs Damien listened to at the Copyright office? It's a long list, but also seems like some missed opportunities. Why not listen to "That Girl", amongst other older songs that are probably more complete.
 
I was DMing Damien a long time ago, before he started tweeting about the unreleased songs and I know a little bit about “Innocent Man”. Damien told me its closest sonic comparison is “Another Day In Paradise” by Phil Collins but the tempo is a bit faster. Given the description and the fact the song is sung “super soft” i believe the song is in the vain of “On The Line” and “Willing and Waiting”. Before lotfi starts spamming me, no I don’t know anything more about it or any other unreleased songs. Dont ask.
 
Inthestudiowithmj said:
I was DMing Damien a long time ago, before he started tweeting about the unreleased songs and I know a little bit about “Innocent Man”. Damien told me its closest sonic comparison is “Another Day In Paradise” by Phil Collins but the tempo is a bit faster. Given the description and the fact the song is sung “super soft” i believe the song is in the vain of “On The Line” and “Willing and Waiting”. Before lotfi starts spamming me, no I don’t know anything more about it or any other unreleased songs. Dont ask.
Click to expand...
I love the vibe of both ADIP and OTL, so this is really cool to hear. Thanks !
 
I was listening to Another Day In Paradise the other day and I thought that the song did sound like a Brad Buxer production lol. The percussions of that song reminds me of the percussions from IJCSLY, maybe Innocent Man is similar to IJCSLY too at least in that aspect?
 
ChanceToDance said:
I was listening to Another Day In Paradise the other day and I thought that the song did sound like a Brad Buxer production lol. The percussions of that song reminds me of the percussions from IJCSLY, maybe Innocent Man is similar to IJCSLY too at least in that aspect?
Click to expand...
maybe! I am just as curious as you are. I hope the biopic has bonus tracks like “This is it” my dream list is;

1. Just Remember (Demo)
2. Dark Lady (Demo)
3. Boy No (Demo)
4. Innocent Man (Demo)
5. Rocker (Demo)
6. Water (Demo)

I’d love them to add it on a separate “bonus track edition” of the soundtrack for the fans. I can only wish!
 
Inthestudiowithmj said:
maybe! I am just as curious as you are. I hope the biopic has bonus tracks like “This is it” my dream list is;

1. Just Remember (Demo)
2. Dark Lady (Demo)
3. Boy No (Demo)
4. Innocent Man (Demo)
5. Rocker (Demo)
6. Water (Demo)

I’d love them to add it on a separate “bonus track edition” of the soundtrack for the fans. I can only wish!
Click to expand...
I'll say it again. "Just Remember" is the perfect unreleased/unleaked song to use in the Biopic. Short enough and sweet for the End Credits.
 
NetflexKing said:
I'll say it again. "Just Remember" is the perfect unreleased/unleaked song to use in the Biopic. Short enough and sweet for the End Credits.
Click to expand...
I’d love that, but I doubt it. They won’t use a mumble demo with a couple lines of actual lyrics for an end credits. It’d be cool for the fans but I just don’t see that working, if they use an unreleased song for credits, they will use one with full vocals.
 
Derek1984 said:
Are these all the songs Damien listened to at the Copyright office? It's a long list, but also seems like some missed opportunities. Why not listen to "That Girl", amongst other older songs that are probably more complete.
Click to expand...
Agreed. I'd rather seek out the demos from earlier sessions. The later sessions don't interest me as much
 
Derek1984 said:
Are these all the songs Damien listened to at the Copyright office? It's a long list, but also seems like some missed opportunities. Why not listen to "That Girl", amongst other older songs that are probably more complete.
Click to expand...
He was at usco to investigate the cascio fraud, hence his focus was mainly on the later material.
 
Derek1984 said:
Are these all the songs Damien listened to at the Copyright office? It's a long list, but also seems like some missed opportunities. Why not listen to "That Girl", amongst other older songs that are probably more complete.
Click to expand...
Some are! He said that he was able to hear other material via private sessions, which I always assumed were with collaborators.

Personally, I think he made the right move. The pre-2001 vault has already been scrounged, analyzed, and dissected to death. MJ’s later-in-life material is still shrouded in mystery. I love his ‘80s and ‘90s work, but if given the chance I would sooner listen to the 2006-09 material.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top