CEREMONY | The Michael Jackson Number Ones Rate

[Cello 48,062]

It's crazy that Billie Jean / Thriller album is 40 years old and STILL is the pop standard 

[Cruelty 5,875]

2 SMOOTH CRIMINAL – average 9.56
The highs: 11 x 1 [@RAMROD]
The lows: 7 [@EdX]

“Smooth Criminal” is an epic piece of music, combining urgent lyrics with a percussive bass groove and sweeping cinematic strings. Bolstered by one of Jackson’s most iconic music videos, the “Smooth Criminal” campaign created another iconic MJ look—the white pinstriped suit and fedora—and shocked the world with the famous ‘anti-gravity lean’, which was later replicated during all of Jackson’s concert tours. The track became Bad’s sixth top 10 single in the US, and signalled the beginning of the shift that the singer would take into lyrically darker material. Eternally exhilarating and forever iconic, “Smooth Criminal” lands as your worthy runner-up.

Comments:

Voter 2 Top tier MJ. Realist lyrics with undertones of true crime, such a cool song
@Blackout19 One of the best music videos of all time!
@PartySick Supposedly, this is Michael’s favorite work of his own. And I can see why. I’ve watched a few videos of the methods they used to create some of the sounds, including the bass consisting of several different instruments, all with their own unique melodies, but somehow harmonizing to make that iconic sound. Dude defies both gravity in the lean and conventional production methods. That’s his real heartbeat in the beginning too!
@dimitristhe An eternally popular and catchy song. That man really knows how to sing and write a good song. And also he knows how to produce it well. I remember singing that song since I was a little child, even though I didn’t know what he was saying. Smooth Criminal is exactly the opposite of its name, it hits hard and it sticks to your mind forever.

[Teletubby 108,277]

3 minutes ago, Cello said:

I think Smooth Criminal will snatch it

[Cello 48,062]

1 minute ago, Teletubby said:

[Cruelty 5,875]

1 MAN IN THE MIRROR – average 9.60
The highs: 11 x 2 [@Ziggy Stardust @GypsyMonster]
The lows: 7 [@androiduser]

Although it wasn’t written by him, “Man in the Mirror” feels like the archetypal Michael Jackson song. A gorgeous pop ballad, the song delivers a simple sermon of personal responsibility, through the mission statement “if you wanna make the world a better place / Take a look at yourself and then make a change”. The gentle verses build into anthemic gospel choruses, supported by the Andrae Crouch Choir and boasting perhaps the greatest key change in music history (perfectly landing on the word “change!”). The track topped the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. A perennial favourite, “Man in the Mirror” was chosen to close Michael Jackson’s memorial service, and I’m delighted to crown it as Gagadaily’s favourite Michael Jackson number one.

Comments:

Voter 2 One of my fave MJ ballads, and one of the best songs about making the world “a better place”
@PartySick While it wasn’t written by Michael, he certainly put his whole heart into this song. There’s a few lines that always get me. “A willow deeply scarred, somebody’s broken heart and washed out dreams. They follow the pattern on the wind, you see, ‘cause they got no place to be”
@Werewolves Wanted It makes me cry

[Juanlittlem 27,194]

We might just change it to the Cello curse

[Cruelty 5,875]

It just seemed like heaven,
So why did it end?
—‘Remember the Time’ (1991)

Lastly I just need to thank all of you for voting! It was really fun to see how Gagadaily feels about this amazing collection of songs. I hope you’ve had fun celebrating the King of Pop! And if you weren’t here for the ceremony, feel free to go back and gimme some tasty reacts

Thank you for your votes and your comments! In particular, @PartySick thank you so much for your brilliant, insightful comments. I hope you will feel able to come back to us soon – Gagadaily would not be the same without you, and we miss you very much 

I’ll see you all very soon, to celebrate what happens when ART and POP come together…

Until the next time!
Cruelty x

[Cello 48,062]

3 minutes ago, Cruelty said:

1 MAN IN THE MIRROR – average 9.60
The highs: 11 x 2 [@Ziggy Stardust @GypsyMonster]
The lows: 7 [@androiduser]

Although it wasn’t written by him, “Man in the Mirror” feels like the archetypal Michael Jackson song. A gorgeous pop ballad, the song delivers a simple sermon of personal responsibility, through the mission statement “if you wanna make the world a better place / Take a look at yourself and then make a change”. The gentle verses build into anthemic gospel choruses, supported by the Andrae Crouch Choir and boasting perhaps the greatest key change in music history (perfectly landing on the word “change!”). The track topped the Billboard Hot 100 and received a Grammy nomination for Record of the Year. A perennial favourite, “Man in the Mirror” was chosen to close Michael Jackson’s memorial service, and I’m delighted to crown it as Gagadaily’s favourite Michael Jackson number one.

Comments:

Voter 2 One of my fave MJ ballads, and one of the best songs about making the world “a better place”
@PartySick While it wasn’t written by Michael, he certainly put his whole heart into this song. There’s a few lines that always get me. “A willow deeply scarred, somebody’s broken heart and washed out dreams. They follow the pattern on the wind, you see, ‘cause they got no place to be”
@Werewolves Wanted It makes me cry

Deserved, I'm so happy to see this song's redemption 

Thanks @Cruelty for another sensational megarate! Enjoyed your commentary as always 

[Teletubby 108,277]

thank you for hosting @Cruelty 

[TheSine 3,937]

48 minutes ago, Cruelty said:

It just seemed like heaven,
So why did it end?
—‘Remember the Time’ (1991)

Lastly I just need to thank all of you for voting! It was really fun to see how Gagadaily feels about this amazing collection of songs. I hope you’ve had fun celebrating the King of Pop! And if you weren’t here for the ceremony, feel free to go back and gimme some tasty reacts

Thank you for your votes and your comments! In particular, @PartySick thank you so much for your brilliant, insightful comments. I hope you will feel able to come back to us soon – Gagadaily would not be the same without you, and we miss you very much 

I’ll see you all very soon, to celebrate what happens when ART and POP come together…

Until the next time!
Cruelty x

I was just thinking about PartySick during this. I hope he's doing alright. I still have things to say!

Thank you for being the host.

[androiduser 6,834]

I'm surprised by the results, but I'm not a fan (I jut casually like MJ), so that's probably why my preferences are so different

[Nirvana 2,689]

Would have never guessed that Beat it is not on top 10... I disagree with the results too somewhat.. But the average score is so close to each other, lets just say an iconic discography where it's hard not to give high scores to all tracks. Thank you for hosting and great commentary and reviews, @Cruelty!