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What parts in MJ’s music or videos give you goosebumps?

The first moonwalk from "Motown 25" is a moment forever enshrined in pop-culture history, and I still love it. But I also get a kick out of him dancing with the gangs in "Beat It", the longer version of "Smooth Criminal" from the Moonwalker film, and that red suit he wore for "Blood on the Dance Floor". Seriously, he looked striking in that.
 
Arklove said:
Yes omg the pool table ..when he does that collection of cool moves like rapid fire. Daaaaayum he was cool 😎
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that’s a highlight for me as well. those moves are reminiscent of what he would later do during the opening of ‘billie jean’ at motown 25. the behind the scenes outtakes where takes his jacket down a little, adds to the intensity.
it’s all those small glimpses we get of michael alone, before the big routine that keep me engaged. I like the way he strutted into the hallway and posed. it oozed confidence and his shapes were so clean and unique. it’s difficult to imitate.

I also like the part of the routine where he throws his arms up. it looks like his feet are glued to the floor.

moving away from ‘beat it’, I liked the moves that michael did around ola in ‘thriller’, when he sings ‘you hear the door slam (sound effect)’. it’s those little touches that are so memorable. not to mention funky, playful and unique. based on ola’s reaction, she may or may not have been prepared for that. I think they only ran through that scene twice..
 
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filmandmusic said:
Be not always - During “to have nothing, to dream something, then lose hoping” in combination with the strings. Such a vulnerable song. It’s his best protest song or humanitarian song by a landslide. Way more subtle and realistic and devastating than anything he had written before or after.
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That's a bold statement to make, f&m. I need to think about this. :unsure:
 
The a cappella outro in the Bad video. It’s fire! His face, his pronunciation and the raspy sound coming from his throat is pure passion on the job.
 
Now this is my kind of thread!!! 😍

Let's get TF into it, shall we?

filmandmusic said:
I mean this literally, the real physical reaction of goosebumps on your arms.
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Oh God yes. This is why from the moment I 'discovered' Michael 3 years ago, he blew everyone else I ever listened to away. He immediately rendered them nearly, if not entirely, irrelevant. Michael provokes not only a physical reaction, but the deepest soul explosion I've ever had with an artist. And he does it in so many profoundly different, equally exciting ways. Where to even begin??

So yes - goosebumps, absolutely. Shivers all over my body and heart actively racing like I'm running a marathon? For sure. Heart-flutering, brow-sweating, and so many other things I can't begin to describe with a shred of decorum left intact. IYKYK.

Some moments off the top of my head:

1) There Must Be More to Life Than This - Unpopular take, probably, but I truly don't care. Freddie's voice is of course awesome. But when Michael's voice comes in, it's like the clouds are parting, and the heavens are opening. I mean that is truly the image and feeling I get every single time I listen to this song the second I hear this voice, so soft, gentle, beautiful. I don't even care about the song that much otherwise. I just listen to this part repeatedly and feel filled with bliss.

2) Another Part of Me - Live - when Michael performs this song, he is bursting with joy. He embodies it so profoundly it sends shivers through me. It makes me feel alive, and loved, and safe. It's crazy actually lol. But I love it so much.

3) Man in the Mirror - live adlibs to this song and the repeated spins and falls to his knees. omg. omg. When he does this on the Bad tour and he is singing and flailing and not even into the microphone. WOW.

4) On that note - live IJCSLY at Wembley - when at the end he is adlibbing "tell me, tell me" and at some point he drops his microphone and just keeps singing into the sky. It's like he's overtaken by something divine. I swear, that part makes me cry when I watch it. His joy, his beauty, his passion. These are all just words. They don't capture him. Nothing does. But this part, for me, is nothing short of miraculous.

5) Push Me Away - his vocals on this song are pure bliss. The entire thing gives me chills, brings tears to my eyes, makes me ache deep in my bones. I've never heard anything so beautiful. Holy shit, I need to listen to it again.

6) All of his falsetto moments on Triumph - Everybody, Your Ways, and Give It Up (which is, no exaggeration, a contender for my favorite MJ song period). His falsetto is stunning. Flirtatious, Energetic. Charismatic. Sensual. Incomparable.

7) Little Susie - not just Michael's voice, but the swell of the instrumental. Omg. It's like a deep, dark ocean wave. I feel swallowed and consumed and lost. Brilliant.

8) Will You Be There - I've never listened to it and not gotten chills when he sings "They told me a man should be faithful and walk when not able and fight till the end, but I'm only human." For me, it's the emotional center of the song. The heartbeat of it all. The poem at the end is something I never skip, either.

9) Speechless - the combination of his voice and the music... similar to There Must be More to Life Than This. It shakes me to my core. It feels like the heavens are opening. Like I can reach up into the sky and touch him. It's an insane feeling it gives me. But it makes that song almost too much sometimes.

10) His vocals in the entirety of Wanna Be Startin' Something (studio) - his voice has such character in this song. It is playful, raw, funky and soulful. When I first discovered MJ I mostly watched a handful of live performances (mostly Billie Jean) over and over and over, but then at some point I decided I needed to get to know his music beyond this one song (which I of course already knew, along with most of his major hits). So I started with the Thriller album. And when this song, WBSS, burst out of my speakers and into my life, it was like an explosion inside of me. I was in ****** awe. Every line he sings, every note. There is something fascinating happening. I remember this very clearly. I was putting on makeup and getting ready to go to work. This started playing and I was sort of grooving to it. But the second his voice comes through on that first verse - "I took my baby to the doctor, with a fever but nothing he found, by the time it hit the street, they said she had a breakdown..." I could put a footnote on every word here and write something flowery and obsessive about how much I love the articulation of his voice. But all I will say is, I strongly remember turning my head and staring at the speaker in disbelief.

OH god, I told myself I would stop at 10. There are so many others. Fly Away, TDCAU, WHO (TF) IS IT?!!

And to think I only noted a couple of live performances, didn't even touch his dancing, or his videos, or his smile, or anything else 😭

I fear this thread may have broken me.
 
@staywild23

Your enthusiasm is what this place needs, the little anecdotes together with the raw passion and eloquence can light up a thread 🤯

You singlehandedly made me enjoy the IJCSLY live performances because you pointed out the best parts in an otherwise pretty contrived song lyrically.

You mentioning TMBMTLTT is enough for ’e to give this song another go and maybe I will like it better or maybe not.

I wholeheartedly agree on WBSS. Vocally it is one of his finest performances, every word is sang playfully with such conviction, it’s a wacky song In the best possible way.
 
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SmoothCriminal1995 said:
The small acapella in the Remember The Time short film (around 6.15)

Do you remember girl
On the phone, you an me til dawn two or three
What about us girl!

Straight into an epic extended dance break. Goosebumps
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Love that voice! Except the thought of on the phone during ancient Egyptian era makes me giggle 🤭 🤭
 
filmandmusic said:
@staywild23

Your enthusiasm is what this place needs, the little anecdotes together with the raw passion and eloquence can light up a thread 🤯
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I meant to reply to you days ago, but I lost track of the thread!! But thank you! Your comment made me happy 😊

filmandmusic said:
You singlehandedly made me enjoy the IJCSLY live performances because you pointed out the best parts in an otherwise pretty contrived song lyrically.
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I absolutely get that! IJCSLY is not my favorite song by any means, but I am just completely in love with this performance! Michael radiates such a passion in how he performs this song. It's breathtaking to watch! I have genuinely thought while watching this part that I'm witnessing something holy. I can't describe why it makes me feel that way, but you see I keep trying to lol.

filmandmusic said:
You mentioning TMBMTLTT is enough for ’e to give this song another go and maybe I will like it better or maybe not.
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I am curious if you have circled back to this yet... I

filmandmusic said:
I wholeheartedly agree on WBSS. Vocally it is one of his finest performances, every word is sang playfully with such conviction, it’s a wacky song In the best possible way.
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Thank you!! I swear, I have mentioned this to other people and I've not had anyone really pick up on it. I also watch A LOT of reaction videos on YouTube (god knows why, because no one ever matches my enthusiasm and it depresses me) but I've not seen people regard this song the way I think they ought to. All anyone ever talks about is the line "you're a vegetable" which to me is clear as day and not worth discussion about, but what do I know.
 
Ok, so I've got a few more things to add...

Michael's child vocals! How did I not touch this before? There are so many songs to address, but I'll focus my energy on two right now:

1) Too Young - I first discovered this song probably a year or so into my fandom. Would this be considered a standard? Probably. I know I heard it before Michael's version, but Michael's version is the only one that has really stuck with me. I think it is safe to say that Michael sang a lot of songs at Motown that feel a little strange to be hearing from such a young person. He sang TF out of them, but lyrically some were just weird. But "Too Young" is an example of one that I feel fits perfectly.

But let's talk about the vocals! Sweeping. Absolutely stunning. I love to sing, but I am not a vocalist by any means. I have no idea how artists can convey such feeling through just their voice. It amazes me no matter the age of the singer. But in Michael's case, knowing he was so young when he recorded this (but not too young, evidently! ha...sorry) it is all the more impressive. The nuances of his voice, his vocal prowess. The way he starts small and expands on the lines "we are not to young at all" is just incredible.

Side note: I would have absolutely loved if Michael released an album of covers, standards or otherwise. Another topic I could deep dive into.

2) A Fool For You - Ironically, despite when I said above about maturity of songs recorded at Motown, "A Fool For You" is absolutely one of my favorite vocal performances from young Michael. The first time I ever heard it, no exaggeration, it made me shake and cry. It's such a bluesy song and his runs are absolutely insane. He throws literally everything he has at this song and I find the end result astounding. It lacks the subtlety of "Too Young" but is just such a challenging and impressive vocal, I can't help but draw extra attention to it!



Ok, I swear I will wrap this up, but I've got to say one more thing...



This morning I listened to "Push Me Away." In fact, I've listened to it every day since I posted in this thread a few days ago.

People reading, whoever you are: have you listened to this song recently enough to understand the depth of its perfection? If your answer is anything other than you listened to it TODAY, immediately before reading this post, then you have not.

Listen to it. Immerse yourself in it. Bathe in it.

From the very first line, "live and sigh, crying eyyyyyeeeeeesss" I am destroyed. A shell of my former self. By the time we get to "Don't you knooooooow these dreams I wish could be, the real you and me..." it's all over. I am a puddle of longing and desperation.

How does he sing like that?

How is his voice so f***ing beautiful?

How am I supposed to survive?

😭
 
staywild23 said:
I absolutely get that! IJCSLY is not my favorite song by any means, but I am just completely in love with this performance! Michael radiates such a passion in how he performs this song. It's breathtaking to watch! I have genuinely thought while watching this part that I'm witnessing something holy. I can't describe why it makes me feel that way, but you see I keep trying to lol.
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Yes really passionate, the back and forth stuff, sometimes someone needs to point you in the right direction like you did. IJCSLY live is spectacular!
staywild23 said:
I am curious if you have circled back to this yet... I
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not yet, not yet!
staywild23 said:
Thank you!! I swear, I have mentioned this to other people and I've not had anyone really pick up on it. I also watch A LOT of reaction videos on YouTube (god knows why, because no one ever matches my enthusiasm and it depresses me) but I've not seen people regard this song the way I think they ought to. All anyone ever talks about is the line "you're a vegetable" which to me is clear as day and not worth discussion about, but what do I know.
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What sets it apart for me is Michael’s pronunciation, he is really playing around vocally, it feels almost made up on the spot.

PS I regularly watch reaction videos too but I always look around for the rare ones like videos for Be Not Always or Someone In The Dark
 
In the Remember The Time music video, with the group dance scene - it‘s silent when Michael sings, “Do you remember, girl?” as the backup dancers enter the scene. Although there is no music playing (just Michael’s vocals), the dancers are dancing, posing and strutting as if it’s a rave party.

The combination of silence/ acapella and funky dance moves gives me goosebumps. Only goes for a few seconds, but it’s superbly directed and edited. 😃

See here at 6:11-6:29:

 
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When he sang Elizabeth I Love You, that last note tho.....he sings it so strong and for such a long time period, you can't help but get goose bumps!
 
Not a song. Not a music video. A tiny DWT clip, one of my fave ever and the goosebumps are off the chart. So it counts, according to me! :D

Beauty, lissom elegance, mystery, subtle control ... 😲

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