The King of opening/closing songs

[JM77]

Other than the whole songs, I realised that Michael was really great at starting a song and ending a song that would be 'memorable' I guess and had impact:

OPENINGS:
Don't Stop Til' You Get Enough - “You know I was wondering…if you could keep on…because the force has got a lot of power…and…it makes me feel like…it makes me feel like…ooohhh!” And BAM, the music explodes

Who's Lovin' You - 'Wheeeeeennnnn' - first note is mind blowing

Speechless - Acapella MJ

Baby Be Mine - drums and just feel good music with soul

Thriller - Creepy sounds of wolves, creeks, etc. and then the music begins!

Billie Jean - ICONIC continuous drum beat and then the classic accompanying Billie Jean sound comes in

Stranger in Moscow - the song quietly builds up, firstly silence/rainy weather in the background, then the beat, then the guitar, and Michael's vocals with backing vocals, all blended together to form the music as a whole

Lady in My Life - Laid back soul music

Black or White - Guitar.... 'Hey!' 'What!' 'Turn it off!' 'Dad this is the best part!'....

Heal The World - Short intro with little girl

You Rock My World - Short but funny conversation with Chris Tucker

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' - The song builds up with funky drums, guitar, trumpets, etc.

I Just Can't Stop Loving You - Michael's intimate intro, background music with piano

Will You Be There - Choir, angelic high notes, piano, 'ooooohhh, ooooh, ooohhhhh.....' with background music

Beat It - Iconic intro, drums, then Eddie on the guitar

P.Y.T - Background guitar with MJ cooing, 'You know you...you make me feel so good inside.......'

Break of Dawn - I just love this song's opening - hard to explain

Human Nature - Beautiful intro when MJ lightly sings, 'oh whhhyyy'

Smooth Criminal - Background sounds of suspense, heart beat, then.... 'OW!' and the classic Smooth Criminal beat

CLOSINGS:
Dirty Diana - "Come on! come on! come on! come on!"

Thriller - Vincent Price's creepy but classic outro

Speechless - more acapella MJ with final words as, 'I love you....'

Man In The Mirror - 'Chaaaannnngggeee.... make that change.......'

Lady in My Life - divine vocals where MJ's 'improvising'/letting go as such

Bad - 'Who's Bad!'

You Can't Win - MJ kills it with, "You caaan't get oooooouuuutttt... woo... of the gaaaammmee, no, no!"

Stranger in Moscow - a narrative, spoken in Russian, by a KGB interrogator (Ed Wiesnieski)

Show You The Way To Go - his vocals echo as they get quieter and quieter

Earth Song - 'WHAT ABOUT US!' and the long lasting "Woo's!" after "do we give a damn!"

Will You Be There - Soft background music, Michael's heartfelt outro

I'm sure there are many other wonderful openings and endings of MJ's songs

 

[MAQ]

I don't know if he's the "king" of that since I've never considered it to be that.. Can't find the word lol.

Anyway, I've also felt that. His intros usually have that musical and/or vocal build up which very unique. There was the Gothic choir in Who Is It and the haunting singing of a little girl in Little Susie. The "jelly" in Billie Jean. The squirming bass + "hee hees" in Superfly Sister. The spoken intro in Threatened. I think it's awesome and always makes the song interesting - at least initially.

Personally, I love the intros to the five tracks I've mentioned above. Other notable songs would be 2000 Watts, HIStory, Scream, Stranger in Moscow, Cry, Working Day and Night, Don't Stop Till You Get Enough, Who's Loving You, This Place Hotel and Why You Wanna Trip On Me.

 

[mj_frenzy]

My first thoughts on some intros:

‘Bad’:
The song begins in a very brash & unapologetic way &, personally, I like it when songs set the mood from the very beginning.

‘P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)’:
I like the spontaneity & naivety of this intro, considering that the song itself does not deviate at all (till its very end) from that lighthearted mood.

‘Break Of Dawn’:
The birds’ chirping of this intro reminds us that every new day is totally different from the previous one. Needles to say, this intro is in complete accordance with the slow, sweet & erotic mood of this song.

‘Is It Scary’:
This intro is shockingly good. It sounds like an imminent earthquake that is about to take place in the midst of a peaceful ambiance. Also, his vocal adlibs add to the gloomy feeling of this song.

‘Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough’:
I think this intro tells us that music can convey more effective our (love) feelings when words are unable to accomplice that.

‘In The Closet’:
Stephanie (Princess of Monaco) utters her lyrics in broken English &, in my opinion this adds significantly to the overall, sensual feeling of this song.

‘Whatever Happens’:
In my opinion, the whistling underlines from the very start the rather unpleasant lyrical theme of this song in a successful way.

‘Jam’:
The glass shattering sets the mood not only for this song but also for the rest of this album. Things have already taken a very sad turn (socially) & this way to begin the song (&, at the same time, an entire album) also shows us that damage is probably irreversible.

‘Man In The Mirror’:
I think this type of intro tries to put us in an (socially) alarming frame of mind & I think it succeeds in that.

‘Off The Wall’:
I like the rather eerie feeling of this specific intro which brings to my mind images of city scenery at night. Also, I think this intro implies an indirect feeling of loneliness.

‘Heaven Can Wait’:
This intro is probably the most beautiful intro of that album. In my opinion, the xylophone arpeggio adds considerably to the angelic, surrealistic mood of this song.

‘Workin’ Day & Night’:
The relentless, heavy breathing tells us emphatically & effectively what is going to follow from the very start.

‘I Just Can't Stop Loving You’:
This is one of the most memorable & beautiful intros he has ever recorded (instrumental part) but, unfortunately, it is too short.

‘It’s the Falling in Love’:
A very ordinary way for a song to begin, but, I think it is this exact simplicity that goes well with the simple (musically & lyrically) general mood of this song.

‘She Drives Me Wild’:
A song that is based (musically) on car sounds could not have begun in a different way. Paradoxically, I like this idea behind that intro, but, to be perfectly honest, I think it lacks the heat of the motor’s engine sound that is apparent on the intro of ‘Speed Demon’.

 

[jamba]

I love the opening for Liberian Girl. When that drum beat hits--wow.
And then there's Scream--omg.