MJ songs the world/radio should love but somehow don't

[filmandmusic]

There have been a handful of singles that were obviously hits to some extent upon release. Songs that many people born around 2000 most likely never heard but possibly love if they get to know it. Those songs were also critically acclaimed which means they initially got recognition beyond just the fan base.
Yet have been completely neglected by radio programmers ever since and I am puzzled why`
I think the following singles deserve some much needed recognition

Stranger In Moscow: some reviewers called it his best song since Billie Jean
Who Is It: Got compared to Billie Jean and Michael's impromptu performance at Oprah awed many people, it was called by one critic as a haunting masterpiece
Liberian Girl: Made Q Magazines list of the greatest 1001 songs of all time in 2003
Give In To Me: was rightly called Michael's best attempt at creating a hard rock by critics who loved it
Leave Me Alone: was called one of Michael's most monumental songs by Rolling Stone in 2009

Please note that I talk about singles as album tracks are by default almost never picked up by radio anyway so they will always stay hidden.

 

[R1chard]

It's amazing that most of Dangerous has ended up that way. It's got a long list of great singles that were all successful. But for some reason they're all overlooked now.

Also, I rarely hear Bad or Scream, which were both massive.

However, I am not puzzled why. It's not a radio DJ's job to cater to my every whim. MJ had more than his fair share of airplay. He doesn't need to be rammed down people's throats more than he has been. I own those songs - if I want to listen to them then I'll listen to them. And I couldn't care less what somebody else likes or doesn't like.

 

[mj_frenzy]

Certain Michael Jackson singles have been rejected by radio programmers because of a very simple reason: they are not radio-friendly songs mainly due to their long duration.

A radio-friendly song should be around 3 to 3 and a half minutes long.

Note that:

- 'Stranger In Moscow' is 5:44 minutes long
- 'Who Is It' is 6:35 minutes long
- 'Liberian Girl' is 3:54 minutes long
- 'Give In To Me' is 5:30 minutes long
- 'Leave Me Alone' is 4:40 minutes long

Also, a radio-friendly song should be simple in terms of melody and chord progression/arrangements because the average radio listeners are ordinary people.

So, for example, 'Stranger In Moscow' or 'Who Is It' are also not radio-friendly songs in this regard.

 

[83magic]

Certain Michael Jackson singles have been rejected by radio programmers because of a very simple reason: they are not radio-friendly songs mainly due to their long duration.

A radio-friendly song should be around 3 to 3 and a half minutes long.

Note that:

- 'Stranger In Moscow' is 5:44 minutes long
- 'Who Is It' is 6:35 minutes long
- 'Liberian Girl' is 3:54 minutes long
- 'Give In To Me' is 5:30 minutes long
- 'Leave Me Alone' is 4:40 minutes long

Also, a radio-friendly song should be simple in terms of melody and chord progression/arrangements because the average radio listeners are ordinary people.

So, for example, 'Stranger In Moscow' or 'Who Is It' are also not radio-friendly songs in this regard.

that’s why there are radio edits that have a shorter duration. take ‘don’t stop til you get enough’ or ‘thriller’ for example. the album versions of those songs are around 6:00 minutes.
oftentimes these versions are taken from the official single release. I much prefer them.

 

[DuranDuran]

Certain Michael Jackson singles have been rejected by radio programmers because of a very simple reason: they are not radio-friendly songs mainly due to their long duration.

That's only for Top 40. Other radio formats play longer songs all the time. I've never heard a short version of Stairway To Heaven (Led Zeppelin), Isn't She Lovely (Stevie Wonder), or Hey Jude (The Beatles) on the radio. When it first came out, I remember the local R&B station would play the entire 15 minutes of Rappers Delight by Sugarhill Gang. I've also heard the full version of In A Gadda Da Vida on the rock radio station. Sometimes rock radio would play an entire album. When conglomerates like Clear Channel bought up a lot of radio stations, they started playing fewer songs and/or artists over and over, like Maroon 5 & Drake.

 

[Mister_Jay_Tee]

There's a few from each record, but especially several from the 90s records and Invincible.