Latest on MJJC

Which songs from his big six albums (Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, HIStory, Invinicible) were originally going to be singles but weren’t?

KingofPop125

Proud Member
Joined
Nov 21, 2021
Messages
52
Points
8
I always wonder what the original vision from Michael of the singles, especially since he curated each song to be single worthy. Invinicible would be the most interesting to me since, among other things, it was the first album MJ had NO say in the choice of singles.
 
Dangerous was cancelled after the allegation. The YRMW short film was invented from the dangerous one that was meant to be shot.
He also shot the cover for Smile, which was eventually cancelled with opposition from Chaplin's family.

Unbreakable was supposed to be the first single from Invincible, but Sony didn't want to invest that much in the short film and eventually postponed the idea.
 
The 'Invincible' album was planned to have at least 4 singles.

'Whatever Happens' was planned as the 4th single, according to Gil Cang (the co-writer of it).

'Heaven Can Wait', 'Threatened', 'Speechless', and 'Unbreakable' were also meant to get a release as singles ('Speechless' and 'Unbreakable' were released as promo singles in certain territories).
 
mj_frenzy said:
'Whatever Happens' was planned as the 4th single, according to Gil Cang (the co-writer of it).
Click to expand...
as the 2nd single, it would've boosted Invincible to eternal fame
complete failure on Sonys side
MJs legacy carries the load on its shoulders for all time
got it, ESTATE?
 
Last edited:
Break of Dawn, Don't Walk Away, The Lost Children, and 2000 Watts were also planned as singles.

I think Money and/or Tabloid Junkie might also have made it?
 
Hot_Street said:
as the 2nd single, it would've boosted Invincible to eternal fame
complete failure on Sonys side
MJs legacy carries the load on its shoulders for all time
got it, ESTATE?
Click to expand...
Michael wasn't the most popular of artists in 2001, it doesn't matter which song got released the same results would apply.

It wasn't a complete failure on Sony's side, MJ also had a huge part to play in it. No point getting all defensive and blaming everyone else apart from Michael.
 
Hot_Street said:
you're wrong
Click to expand...
really? Seeing as I lived through 2001 as a teenager knowing how MJ was perceived by the world and the impact (or lack of) that the album had on the world at that time...... But yeah, guess I'm wrong?

Remember when you thought Aaron Carter was really calling MJ at the 30th anniversary show and you made a thread out of it? 🤣
 
Blues_Away2023 said:
really? Seeing as I lived through 2001 as a teenager knowing how MJ was perceived by the world and the impact (or lack of) that the album had on the world at that time...... But yeah, guess I'm wrong?
Click to expand...
you saw Sonys mistakes
 
Hot_Street said:
you're wrong
Click to expand...
Hot_Street said:
you saw Sonys mistakes
Click to expand...
It was not a complete failure on Sony's side, and Michael Jackson also had a huge part to play in it.

Keep in mind that the singer told Sony, in the midst of the 'Invincible' album sessions, that he decided to leave them.

So, it would have been unwise of Sony to support and promote that album with a big budget, given also that Michael Jackson himself made it clear to them that he did not want to embark on an 'Invincible' world tour.

Also, music insiders revealed that Sony wanted at that time to focus on new, pop acts (such as, new boy bands), rather than on their already established artists whose careers were on the decline (like, Michael Jackson).
 
Hot_Street said:
as the 2nd single, it would've boosted Invincible to eternal fame
complete failure on Sonys side
Click to expand...
MJ was no victim and was also to blame for his falling out with Sony; he had overblown the album's budget, delayed the album many times, kept saying that he was moving on to another music company, refused to tour and called the CEO a devilish racist. Had it not been for that he could've released as many singles as he wanted. This, and him backing out of the 2 Seas Records contract even though they had helped and supported him right after the trial are one of the times I catch myself angry at MJ.
 
Blues_Away2023 said:
Well you can because it wasn't his best collection of work. Some really good bangers but as a whole it failed to live up to his previous massively high standards.

That's the real reason why it failed , deny it all you like though kid.
Click to expand...
how do you know?
 
Since this is another Invincible thread?

I still say the tracklisting was bad. Too much in the middle, too long. Too many tracks that needed to tick a "demographic". The only reason Cry made it was to be an "anthem", the only reason Privacy made it was to be the "rock" song. Don't Walk Away is She's Out of My Life 2.0, Threatened is Thriller 2.0.

You could exclude most of these and end up with a shorter album that keeps the attention more. And no, do not replace it with some outtakes, shorten it, I said. 16 tracks is just a ton.
 
ChanceToDance said:
MJ was no victim and was also to blame for his falling out with Sony; he had overblown the album's budget, delayed the album many times, kept saying that he was moving on to another music company, refused to tour and called the CEO a devilish racist. Had it not been for that he could've released as many singles as he wanted. This, and him backing out of the 2 Seas Records contract even though they had helped and supported him right after the trial are one of the times I catch myself angry at MJ.
Click to expand...
Yeah idk what mj was on at the time...him not meeting all the obligations he was supposed to like the millennium shows & the 95 hbo show. I feel like he wouldn't have felt so pressured had he just done it. He was already so big so idk why he felt that way about committing after signing the deals
 
Hot_Street said:
no love for Invincible allowed in this forum
I won't mention this album once more
Click to expand...
Of course you can, nobody is stopping you but please stop rubbing it in our faces with the illusion that it was the ultimate most fantastic piece of music that the world has ever known.

It clearly wasn't and the fact that the album was dead in a year tells you everything. It's the delusional aspect that grinds me tbh. You're blaming Sony and only them , that's the reason why the album failed in your mind.
 
I never said it was the best album ever.
Sony manipulated the tracklist and they didn't promote it enough. They knew how to kill his music.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top