Black or White - Michael's biggest and yet most underrated hit ever?

[MAQ]

Ok so in the "Best Songs" lists of various different websites and magazines and blogs Black or White rarely ever shows up. Of course, it wasn't exactly as deep as say Billie Jean or as clever as Wanna Be Starting Something - however, it was much more joyous and had a much broader theme. It also has the ability to stay relevant for decades to come. Just yesterday my little siblings and I were listening to MJ's songs on the stereo and when Black or White came up - that's when we got crazy! We made up some imaginary guitars and bounced and jumped around like hell ! Neither Billie Jean nor Beat It had the same effect. Ironically, critics say that Michael lost this ability to make joyous music in the 90s.

Another thing which makes the Black or White case even more bizarre is the fact that at the time of its release and for decades Black or White had been MJ's biggest hit (it collectively topped the charts in US, UK, France, Spain and Australia for more weeks than Billie Jean and was the video with the highest viewership - it probably still is as YouTube views are very unreliable in predicting the actual number of viewers) domestically as well as internationally. It is one of the best selling rock songs of the 90s and yet it gets very little recognition.

So is Black or White the most underrated chart topping monster of all time?

 

[HIStoric]

I don't think it's underrated, it's still very well-known and loved. I googled Top Ten Michael Jackson songs and looked at all for the first 2-3 pages and Black or White made almost every list (even found out it was his #10 most downloaded song in the UK). Sometimes it was in the Top Ten, sometimes it was in the Top Twenty, but it was there for most of them. It's also about to crack a collective 42,000,000 plays on Spotify alone!

Certainly that guitar riff that plays during the song is very well known, I remember knowing it as a child before I even knew what the song was called... I accidentally played the track on my parents HIStory CD and was like "OMG I DIDNT KNOW MICHAEL JACKSON MADE THIS SONG!!" ...but this was shortly after I discovered that CD and learnt MJ made Billie Jean so...

 

[HIStory]

I posted a list about MJ's most popular songs on Spotify in the Casual Listeners thread. BoW is #7, so I don't think it's underrated or not known.

1. Billie Jean
2. Love Never Felt So Good (it being a recent release, of course it has an advantage in terms of spins)
3. Beat It
4. Man In The Mirror
5. Thriller
6. Smooth Criminal
7. Black or White
8. Hold My Hand (again, recent release)
9. The Way You Make Me Feel
10. They Don't Care About Us
11. P.Y.T.
12. Dirty Diana
13. Bad
14. Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
15. Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
16. Human Nature
17. Rock With You
18. Earth Song
19. You Are Not Alone
20. You Rock My World


I thinks songs like Who Is It, Will You Be There etc. are a lot more underrated. Although I understand its mainstream popularity, to me BoW is not among the best songs on Dangerous.

 

[MAQ]

I meant that it's underrated when you take its success into account. With songs like Stranger In Moscow and Who Is It and Jam you could say that they didn't have enough chart success (in the US particularly) but for a song like Black or White to not appear in the best songs of the 90s lists - doesn't that feel like they're deliberately doing that?

Btw to suppose that Black or White is less known would be a crime because it's still very popular among the masses all over the world (more than most of the other 90's rock anthems like Smells Like Teen Spirit).

 

[HIStoric]

Btw to suppose that Black or White is less known would be a crime because it's still very popular among the masses all over the world (more than most of the other 90's rock anthems like Smells Like Teen Spirit).

Who's supposing it's less known? And Smells Like Teen Spirit is still very popular and I've heard it at many parties I've been to - it has almost 112 million plays on Spotify as well.

From what I'm seen from other fans, it's not often considered as one of the best songs on Dangerous. If not even the fans rank it highly on the album, why would critics place it among the best songs of the 90s? It seems to rank alright when it comes to MJ lists but it probably helps that it's one of MJ's most famous 90s songs. I'm not worried about what the critics think, it's evidently still well-known and loved even decades on.

I'm not sure where I'd rank BoW on the Dangerous album myself but I (obviously) do like the song.

 

[MAQ]

Who's supposing it's less known? And Smells Like Teen Spirit is still very popular and I've heard it at many parties I've been to - it has almost 112 million plays on Spotify as well.

From what I'm seen from other fans, it's not often considered as one of the best songs on Dangerous. If not even the fans rank it highly on the album, why would critics place it among the best songs of the 90s? It seems to rank alright when it comes to MJ lists but it probably helps that it's one of MJ's most famous 90s songs. I'm not worried about what the critics think, it's evidently still well-known and loved even decades on.

A lot of people use Spotify. But a lot of people don't. And let's not forget how much Black or White was played on the radio. A lot of fans say that they got tired of hearing it again and again - I did too when I completely listened that song to shred. That is probably why it's less played by the fans now.

About why the critics would rate it any higher than the fans. I think if fans are taken into account, Thriller isn't even considered the best song of its own album let alone the one of the best songs of the 80s. And yet it normally ranks higher than Wanna Be Starting Something and Beat It and Human Nature which are the real fan favorites of that album. In fact it ranks higher in critics' lists than the entire Bad album which is considered blasphemous in the fanbase. Fans' opinions rarely ever matter to the critics (and that's how it should be) but it's like critics have a huge bias against Black or White. To not include it in even in the Top 50s, given its global impact, success and the authenticity of the song - it's blatant bias.

 

[Bringing Brighter Days]

The premiered of the Black and White video drew the largest audience with over a half billion people, but to this day, as an adult solo artist, Billie Jean remains Michael's signature song

 

[Psychoniff]

Ok so in the "Best Songs" lists of various different websites and magazines and blogs Black or White rarely ever shows up. Of course, it wasn't exactly as deep as say Billie Jean or as clever as Wanna Be Starting Something - however, it was much more joyous and had a much broader theme. It also has the ability to stay relevant for decades to come. Just yesterday my little siblings and I were listening to MJ's songs on the stereo and when Black or White came up - that's when we got crazy! We made up some imaginary guitars and bounced and jumped around like hell ! Neither Billie Jean nor Beat It had the same effect. Ironically, critics say that Michael lost this ability to make joyous music in the 90s.

Another thing which makes the Black or White case even more bizarre is the fact that at the time of its release and for decades Black or White had been MJ's biggest hit (it collectively topped the charts in US, UK, France, Spain and Australia for more weeks than Billie Jean and was the video with the highest viewership - it probably still is as YouTube views are very unreliable in predicting the actual number of viewers) domestically as well as internationally. It is one of the best selling rock songs of the 90s and yet it gets very little recognition.

So is Black or White the most underrated chart topping monster of all time?

The thing with BoW is that it is kind of cliche and cheesy at the same of being an actually really good pop/rock/hip hop hybrid. It's not the kind of song that I would have on blast in public, too cringey for public listening. I think song's like They Don't Care About Us and Tabloid Junkie do a much better job of bringing awareness to racism/white supremacy, personally speaking. And that rap solo was childish and squeamish.

 

[KOPV]

I like the song my mom for example.. Who loves Mike, says it's the only song she doesn't really care for.. I've heard others say similar things about it!!

 

[Spaceship]

As successful as it was, I don't think "Black Or White" is a great song. To be honest, I think it's cookie-cutter pop. I've seen a lot of people say this is where MJ's music went downhill, and I could certainly see why they would say that.

 

[MAQ]

As successful as it was, I don't think "Black Or White" is a great song. To be honest, I think it's cookie-cutter pop. I've seen a lot of people say this is where MJ's music went downhill, and I could certainly see why they would say that.

If you call this cookie-cutter pop and consider Baby Be Mine and I Just Can't Stop Loving You and The Girl Is Mine artistic highlights of MJ's career, you are unfortunately part of the whole "MJ went down after the 80's" trend. The fact is that while it might not be his maturest track it addresses a very dark topic in a very light way. Imagine going down the street and being told that you can't do this or that just because you're colored - although this is a very literal interpretation which makes it kinda comical but my point is that it isn't exactly some sort of kiddie pop. I understand if you like his 80s stuff more but a lot of his fans come from the Dangerous era - including myself.

As someone has mentioned before, it is much more complex than most people think it is - because it works so damn well you take this for granted. Rock+Pop+Rap; this might have been the first time these genres collided in such a spectacular way so it was a trend setter for a lot of acts at the time. Plus, the music video is I think one of his best short films ever.

The way I see it, Black or White got too overplayed at the time of its release - but it was meant to be overplayed.

Anyway, I think that if songs like PYT (I love that song too) and Thriller get mentioned so much and rank so high - compared to other MJ songs - Black or White deserves some mention as well. Yet it remains absent from most of the lists along with the other songs of Dangerous (5 or 6 being massive hits as well) and HIStory (6 of the singles topped the UK chart a feat even Thriller didn't achieve).

 

[MAQ]

Not quite sure when you got this from but it isn't accurate. HIStory/BOTD-era had three UK number ones (a pretty big achievement unto itself). YANA, Earth Song and BOTD all topped the UK chart. Scream, TDCAU, Stranger In Moscow and History all went top 5 as well, so you are on point about the album and its singles being massive in the UK, but they didn't all top the chart (unfortunately)

My bad! But it still had more UK no. 1s and UK top 10s than Thriller. So my point remains...

 

[HIStory]

As successful as it was, I don't think "Black Or White" is a great song. To be honest, I think it's cookie-cutter pop. I've seen a lot of people say this is where MJ's music went downhill, and I could certainly see why they would say that.

Only if that's the only song they know from Dangerous.

Songs like Who Is It, Will You Be There, Remember The Time, Jam, Dangerous, Give In To Me are definitely not "downhill". I actually consider Who Is It his best song ever.

Black or White is not my favourite from the album either, but it remains a fact that the general public likes it (see the Spotify plays) so I don't understand comments where people say they are too ashamed for it to play it in public. WTH?

 

[Psychoniff]

Only if that's the only song they know from Dangerous.

Songs like Who Is It, Will You Be There, Remember The Time, Jam, Dangerous, Give In To Me are definitely not "downhill". I actually consider Who Is It his best song ever.

Black or White is not my favourite from the album either, but it remains a fact that the general public likes it (see the Spotify plays) so I don't understand comments where people say they are too ashamed for it to play it in public. WTH?

The song was too literal in my opinion. The lyrics could have been a bit more cryptic.

 

[analogue]

Black or White is not my favourite from the album either, but it remains a fact that the general public likes it (see the Spotify plays) so I don't understand comments where people say they are too ashamed for it to play it in public. WTH?

One night I was at a party, and the DJ never showed up, so people were free to put whatever songs they wanted on the jukebox. And throughout the night I put a few MJ tracks on here and there. Black Or White got the most positive reaction out of all the MJ songs I played.

 

[Spaceship]

If you call this cookie-cutter pop and consider Baby Be Mine and I Just Can't Stop Loving You and The Girl Is Mine artistic highlights of MJ's career, you are unfortunately part of the whole "MJ went down after the 80's" trend.

lol, I think "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" and "The Girl Is Mine" are cookie cutter pop, too. "Baby Be Mine" is great, though; it's beautifully reminiscent of "Rock With You". Rod Temperton is great.

The fact is that while it might not be his maturest track it addresses a very dark topic in a very light way. Imagine going down the street and being told that you can't do this or that just because you're colored - although this is a very literal interpretation which makes it kinda comical but my point is that it isn't exactly some sort of kiddie pop. I understand if you like his 80s stuff more but a lot of his fans come from the Dangerous era - including myself.

The music itself in "Black Or White" sounds pretty cookie cutter to me.

As someone has mentioned before, it is much more complex than most people think it is - because it works so damn well you take this for granted. Rock+Pop+Rap; this might have been the first time these genres collided in such a spectacular way so it was a trend setter for a lot of acts at the time.

I don't think it was the first, but idk, i'll have to look that up.

Plus, the music video is I think one of his best short films ever.

I didn't like the music video. I thought it was pretty tacky.

The way I see it, Black or White got too overplayed at the time of its release - but it was meant to be overplayed.

Anyway, I think that if songs like PYT (I love that song too) and Thriller get mentioned so much and rank so high - compared to other MJ songs - Black or White deserves some mention as well. Yet it remains absent from most of the lists along with the other songs of Dangerous (5 or 6 being massive hits as well) and HIStory (6 of the singles topped the UK chart a feat even Thriller didn't achieve).

I think songs like "PYT" and "Thriller" are much better than "Black Or White", so I'd say they deserve more mention than "Black Or White".

 

[mjprince1976]

I like the song a lot and it was a huge hit being #1 around the world and in New Zealand. I even remember buying the cassette single when it came out (A few days before Dangerous dropped). But I still think there's a lot of songs that are better and the 2 or plus minute opening is cute the first time, but gets lugubrious after a while, making me want to skip, which is a shame as the song itself is great and I love the chorus.

It's a simple but pleasing song, I don't think its overlooked though, its just that he released 9 singles (Gone too soon and Dangerous were singles here) off Dangerous and some of those songs are better than Black or white (In the closet, who is it, Give into me, Will you be there). After all many of us agree that Dangerous was Michael's finest album.

It's not downhill either, Give in to me hit #1 in NZ too, in early 1993 well after the album had been released. And I am sure most of the other singles hit the charts around the world. I know Who is it was a flop and thats bizarre as Who is it, was his best single on the album. I think in the states, Black or White was the only #1 hit, with Remember the Time being #3 or something and In the Closet only #6.

 

[MAQ]

I like the song a lot and it was a huge hit being #1 around the world and in New Zealand. I even remember buying the cassette single when it came out (A few days before Dangerous dropped). But I still think there's a lot of songs that are better and the 2 or plus minute opening is cute the first time, but gets lugubrious after a while, making me want to skip, which is a shame as the song itself is great and I love the chorus.

It's a simple but pleasing song, I don't think its overlooked though, its just that he released 9 singles (Gone too soon and Dangerous were singles here) off Dangerous and some of those songs are better than Black or white (In the closet, who is it, Give into me, Will you be there). After all many of us agree that Dangerous was Michael's finest album.

It's not downhill either, Give in to me hit #1 in NZ too, in early 1993 well after the album had been released. And I am sure most of the other singles hit the charts around the world. I know Who is it was a flop and thats bizarre as Who is it, was his best single on the album. I think in the states, Black or White was the only #1 hit, with Remember the Time being #3 or something and In the Closet only #6.

While I agree with most of what you've said, I'd beg to differ with the last part.

Who Is It wasn't exactly a flop as it reached the top ten in around 11 charts and was in the top 20 in almost every territory it charted it.

Remember the Time and In the Closet both stayed more weeks in the top ten compared to Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit which was considered a megahit at #6.

Moreover, Remember the Time was a top ten hit in 17 territories while Smells Like Teen Spirit was top ten in 15 (though you could say it reached number one more than RTT). In the Closet itself was a top ten hit in about 13 territories. Heal the World was top ten in 16 territories.

Of course none of these songs could actually compare with Black or White which was top 3 in 26 or 27 territories (reaching no. 1 in just about every territory), but well, RTT and ITC and HTW were megahits.

Interestingly, Billie Jean didn't chart in the top 10 as frequently as BoW did - it reached the top 10 in 21 territories. So even Billie Jean would pale in comparison to the sheer exposure and fame and chart success of Black or White.

 

[rsggamer123]

here in New Zealand on one of the major radio stations they had a countdown of the best ever songs of the 90s (as voted by public) and guess what was #2? Black or White! Now even though I was pleasantly surprised and happy it scored so high (because it's mj!) i definitely would not say it's the second greatest song of the 90s. So if anything I think it could be overated in terms of the general public. I think without the video the song wouldn't be nearly as big of a hit that it became.

 

[mjprince1976]

Once again MAQ you raise some great points, you are becoming my new favourite poster

I think Billie Jean was not the smash it may have been as it was his first song where he moved from MIchael Jackson, a young man with a hit album and successful career in a group to Michael Jackson, pop music phenomenon. "The girl is mine" was a hit being #2 but was a duet and many more made it a hit because of Macca rather than Jacka. Plus it is a quite forgettable song and easily one of the least on Thriller. I like the song, but in reality Thriller is remembered for other jams besides "The Girl is Mine" and the creepy little sketch he drew in the album!

Billie Jean was the breakthrough being the MTV debut and the beginning of the whole Michael Jackson mania. When it was released in January 1983, it was still barely known, it was not until Feb/Mar when the video was in constant rotation and not until May when he moonwlaked, that Michaelmania was fully realised and of course it would take a few weeks to percolate around the world, hence the slight lack of global success. Beat It would be much bigger as everyone knew who he was by that stage. At the time in early 1983 was the true reunification of Black pop with white pop and rock, after a 3.5 year hiatus after the anti disco backlash. Besides MJ, it was the time people also got heavily into Prince and Lionel Richie.

Plus with Michael Jackson, where the quality control was so present on his albums, especially everything up to and including Dangerous, all of the songs on his album were high quality and had the potential to be singles. Not just single releases, but the potential to be massive hit singles, all at least Top 10. This is different to many of his contemporaries Prince and Madonna, who really only had 4 or 5 potential singles on each album, the rest being experiments, sub par or just too dirty for the radio. With Michael, you don't have to worry about it, as Michael was never sexually dirty or cursing in his music (Apart from one song on History!!!). So as great as Black or White was as a single, there were 13 other songs on Dnagerous that could have been released as first single and also hit #1.

I may be Prince as my first artist, but no one compared to Michael in the quality control department, every song on his albums to Dangerous was great and could be a potential hit. Even on the later albums, a full 75% of the songs were still potential hit fodder. Who else has this, could you put every track on a Prince album or a Madonna album as a radio friendly hit? Godno, and definitely not with most of todays stars and rappers, where the average shit hopper has only one song per album that is not loaded with swearwords, sexism, drug references, crass materialism, sexual explictness and violence in the lyrix. Even then most of their hits have beeps and changed lyrics in them. Never had that problem with MJ, yet I am not really a chart devotee either. Sometimes charts have no taste. I was annoyed that Who is it and In the closet were not number 1 multi week smashes, because they are that great.

 

[Themidwestcowboy]

Seriously I love Black Or White! This song is the greatest song to play in a party or just out in public! There is just something with this song that made it resonate with fans, non fans, rock fans, pop fans and rap fans all over the world. The song also has depth and a very important message but MJ did what he did best, he masked the songs serious and in your face content with a pulsating, energetic and elating beat.

Ain't scared of you're brother, I ain't scared of no sheets, I ain't scared of nobody
And I Told About Equality, And It's True Either You're Wrong Or You're Right
If You're thinking of being my brother it don't matter if you're black or white
Don't Tell Me You Agree With Me, When I Saw You Kicking Dirt In My Eye (Beautiful metaphor)

What is cookie cuttery about this song? Certainly not the content in the song or the video. Look past the catchy beat and you'll see real depth there. You also have a video of him traveling all around the world and adapting to other cultures as a euphemism that we all are one and we all can get along together cause it doesn't matter if you're Black Or White And then we have him smashing bottles and cars, destroying KKK signs and turning into a "Black Panther". Yeah, Cookie cutter..

Just look at the audience wilding out to this song! This song is universal. It's unfortunate that many fans, myself included, never got to see him perform this song live. Another thing that is so beautiful, just look at that front row.. People of all color and ages and races and genders just coming together and being one and sharing that experience. That is truly what the song is about.

[youtube]jByCGSr61zI[/youtube]

 

[Psychoniff]

^And it also didn't have the typical verse-chorus structure like most pop songs.

 

[barbee0715]

There is just something with this song that made it resonate with fans, non fans, rock fans, pop fans and rap fans all over the world. The song also has depth and a very important message but MJ did what he did best, he masked the songs serious and in your face content with a pulsating, energetic and elating beat.

What is cookie cuttery about this song? Certainly not the content in the song or the video. Look past the catchy beat and you'll see real depth there. You also have a video of him traveling all around the world and adapting to other cultures as a euphemism that we all are one and we all can get along together cause it doesn't matter if you're Black Or White And then we have him smashing bottles and cars, destroying KKK signs and turning into a "Black Panther". Yeah, Cookie cutter..

Just look at the audience wilding out to this song! This song is universal. It's unfortunate that many fans, myself included, never got to see him perform this song live. Another thing that is so beautiful, just look at that front row.. People of all color and ages and races and genders just coming together and being one and sharing that experience. That is truly what the song is about.

FINALLY!!!! Absolutely correct and fantastic post. You nailed it on the head about Black or White.

Was starting to think I had been reading reviews from the New York Times or Rolling Stone, where critics deliberately misunderstood a catchy, melodic, sing-along song about important social issues and called it saccharine drivel.

 

[analogue]

That's part of the genius of Michael Jackson. He made a song, where musically it was catchy and radio friendly. But lyrically it had a deeper, more serious message behind it.

 

[MAQ]

Once again MAQ you raise some great points, you are becoming my new favourite poster

I think Billie Jean was not the smash it may have been as it was his first song where he moved from MIchael Jackson, a young man with a hit album and successful career in a group to Michael Jackson, pop music phenomenon. "The girl is mine" was a hit being #2 but was a duet and many more made it a hit because of Macca rather than Jacka. Plus it is a quite forgettable song and easily one of the least on Thriller. I like the song, but in reality Thriller is remembered for other jams besides "The Girl is Mine" and the creepy little sketch he drew in the album!

Billie Jean was the breakthrough being the MTV debut and the beginning of the whole Michael Jackson mania. When it was released in January 1983, it was still barely known, it was not until Feb/Mar when the video was in constant rotation and not until May when he moonwlaked, that Michaelmania was fully realised and of course it would take a few weeks to percolate around the world, hence the slight lack of global success. Beat It would be much bigger as everyone knew who he was by that stage. At the time in early 1983 was the true reunification of Black pop with white pop and rock, after a 3.5 year hiatus after the anti disco backlash. Besides MJ, it was the time people also got heavily into Prince and Lionel Richie.

Plus with Michael Jackson, where the quality control was so present on his albums, especially everything up to and including Dangerous, all of the songs on his album were high quality and had the potential to be singles. Not just single releases, but the potential to be massive hit singles, all at least Top 10. This is different to many of his contemporaries Prince and Madonna, who really only had 4 or 5 potential singles on each album, the rest being experiments, sub par or just too dirty for the radio. With Michael, you don't have to worry about it, as Michael was never sexually dirty or cursing in his music (Apart from one song on History!!!). So as great as Black or White was as a single, there were 13 other songs on Dnagerous that could have been released as first single and also hit #1.

I may be Prince as my first artist, but no one compared to Michael in the quality control department, every song on his albums to Dangerous was great and could be a potential hit. Even on the later albums, a full 75% of the songs were still potential hit fodder. Who else has this, could you put every track on a Prince album or a Madonna album as a radio friendly hit? Godno, and definitely not with most of todays stars and rappers, where the average shit hopper has only one song per album that is not loaded with swearwords, sexism, drug references, crass materialism, sexual explictness and violence in the lyrix. Even then most of their hits have beeps and changed lyrics in them. Never had that problem with MJ, yet I am not really a chart devotee either. Sometimes charts have no taste. I was annoyed that Who is it and In the closet were not number 1 multi week smashes, because they are that great.

Lol thanks mjprince! You're one of the more interesting members on this forum as well. Having a Prince fan helps add a little spice .

Anyway, while I agree that Michael's songs had extreme commercial value with hooks that lodged into your mind for weeks Michael also had a knack for making songs about some serious stuff and layoring them with catchy music. Take Smooth Criminal as an example - he's actually giving the description of a serial killer's crime scene. It's pretty odd and kinda creepy when you hear kids singing "He left the bloodstains on the carpet" or "She was struck down it was her droom".

Dangerous had some really dark stuff too. Although Michael rarely cursed, he wrote and sang about sex (In the Closet), predatory women (Dangerous), his "scandals" (Why You Wanna Trip On Me), how it might be too late to recover from the damage we've inflicted on our society (Jam), his loneliness (Who Is It), misogyny (Give Into Me), an adolescent AIDs victim (Gone Too Soon), lust and desire (She Drives Me Wild and Can't Let Her Get away), racial discrimination and harmony (Black or White). Only three songs out of that album could be considered Thriller or Off the Wall type material - even Heal the World has references to war (if you take the video into account).

 

[Psychoniff]

FINALLY!!!! Absolutely correct and fantastic post. You nailed it on the head about Black or White.

Was starting to think I had been reading reviews from the New York Times or Rolling Stone, where critics deliberately misunderstood a catchy, melodic, sing-along song about important social issues and called it saccharine drivel.

"They Don't Care About Us" and "Tabloid Junkie" sum up the topic of racism/white supremacy better, IMHO.

 

[Psychoniff]

That's part of the genius of Michael Jackson. He made a song, where musically it was catchy and radio friendly. But lyrically it had a deeper, more serious message behind it.

Lyrical Dissonance is the term: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LyricalDissonance

 

[Psychoniff]

Lol thanks mjprince! You're one of the more interesting members on this forum as well. Having a Prince fan helps add a little spice .

Anyway, while I agree that Michael's songs had extreme commercial value with hooks that lodged into your mind for weeks Michael also had a knack for making songs about some serious stuff and layoring them with catchy music. Take Smooth Criminal as an example - he's actually giving the description of a serial killer's crime scene. It's pretty odd and kinda creepy when you hear kids singing "He left the bloodstains on the carpet" or "She was struck down it was her droom".

Dangerous had some really dark stuff too. Although Michael rarely cursed, he wrote and sang about sex (In the Closet), predatory women (Dangerous), his "scandals" (Why You Wanna Trip On Me), how it might be too late to recover from the damage we've inflicted on our society (Jam), his loneliness (Who Is It), misogyny (Give Into Me), an adolescent AIDs victim (Gone Too Soon), lust and desire (She Drives Me Wild and Can't Let Her Get away), racial discrimination and harmony (Black or White). Only three songs out of that album could be considered Thriller or Off the Wall type material - even Heal the World has references to war (if you take the video into account).

That's Lyrical Dissonance: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/LyricalDissonance