by Joseph Vogel
“Scared of the Moon”
Bad outtake
Status: Released
“Scared of the Moon” assumes the persona of a young girl and describes her palpable fears of nighttime—fears that are dismissed as “childish fantasies” by adults. The song was inspired by a story that Brooke Shields told Jackson about her half sister. Jackson was fascinated by it and later jotted down some ideas for lyrics. He subsequently came up with the haunting melody in the chorus and called lyricist and producer Buz Kohan to help him develop the track. According to Kohan, they recorded a demo together in 1985 with a full orchestra.
A dark lullaby about childhood abuse and isolation, “Scared of the Moon” is one of Jackson’s most poetic and compelling demos from this period. While the exact cause of the girl’s fears is never specified, it “terrorizes” and “twists her soul.” The song traces the “fearful toll” it takes on her psyche, even into adulthood. In the final verse, a group of similarly scarred childhood victims convene (“Together they gather / Their lunacy shared / Not knowing just why they’re scared”).
With echoes of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and Experience, “Scared of the Moon” was an important track for Jackson, the first of several to explore the darker side of childhood (see also “Little Susie,” “Michael McKellar,” “Childhood,” and “The Lost Children”). Spike Lee has called it his favorite song in Michael Jackson’s entire catalog. The 1985 demo was released on Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection in 2004.
“Streetwalker”
Bad outtake
Status: Released
“Streetwalker” came very close to making it onto Bad. It would have felt right at home among songs like “The Way You Make Me Feel” and “Leave Me Alone” with its thick, boogie-woogie bass line and tight harmonies.
Jackson began the song with Bill Bottrell in July 1986. It was originally called “Florida Groove.” They returned to it that fall at Westlake Studio. By that time Jackson had written the lyrics and recorded a full vocal. In 1987, the artist returned to the song again, this time with Quincy Jones and the A-Team. Ultimately, it was eliminated from the Bad track list, but Jackson wasn’t done with the song. While on his Bad World Tour, he reached out to Bottrell and sent him the last tapes of “Streetwalker” that Quincy Jones had worked on. He wanted Bottrell to have another go at them. In 1988, Bottrell went into Smoketree Studio in Chatsworth, California, to work on the track. He played up the Southern, bluesy feel of the song, bringing in Jasun Martz to play harmonica and retaining Jackson’s loose vocal, finger snapping, and humming. It felt like the artist was an old blues man giving an improv performance at a train station in the 1930s.
When Jackson returned from touring, Bottrell asked what the artist thought about the updated “Streetwalker.” “That song is country,” Jackson responded, laughing. Bottrell wasn’t sure if that meant he liked it or not. “Billy, that harmonica solo!” he joked with the producer. Bottrell assumed the track was off the priority list and turned his attention to other songs, but, to his surprise, a decade later Jackson chose to include his version—not the one Jones produced—as the bonus track on the 2001 special edition of Bad. “MJ eventually came to like it apparently,” said Bottrell. While he wishes he would have had a chance to polish it a bit before it went out into the world, he is glad the track finally got its day. Now a fan favorite, “Streetwalker” was released on the 2001 special edition of Bad and on disc 2 of Bad 25.
“Tomboy”
Bad outtake
Status: Unreleased
Jackson worked on “Tomboy” with Bill Bottrell and John Barnes in the fall of 1985. Barnes has said he wasn’t a fan of it, but Jackson loved it. The artist reached out to Roger Troutman from the innovative band Zapp to develop the track. The song features a funky guitar riff and bright production, but didn’t get developed much beyond 1985. It remains unreleased.
“Turning Me Off”
Bad outtake
Status: Unreleased
Jackson wrote and recorded “Turning Me Off” during the Hayvenhurst sessions in early 1986. He worked on it primarily with John Barnes and Bill Bottrell. “It had some crazy sound combinations,” said Barnes. “It was kind of an Electronica sound—we had three different synthesizers we were using. The synths had enough punch that we left the bass out.” According to Matt Forger, it was “one of Michael’s edgier experiments. Very groove-oriented. It was quite an interesting track.” The song remains unreleased.
“We Are Here to Change the World”
Bad outtake
Status: Released
“We Are Here to Change the World” was the featured song on the 4-D Disney film attraction Captain EO. Jackson worked on the funky, futuristic track with John Barnes, who is credited as cowriter, in 1985. The song was released on Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection in 2004.
DANGEROUS ERA
“For All Time”
Dangerous outtake
Status: Released
“For All Time” is a sparkling pop ballad written by Toto members Steve Porcaro and David Paich, along with keyboardist Michael Sherwood. Porcaro said the chords were inspired by the Monkees’ “Daydream Believer.” Jackson recorded the song in 1990 during the Dangerous sessions. While the artist loved the track, he didn’t feel it fit the album. It was released as a bonus track on Thriller 25 in 2008, prompting some to assume it originated during the Thriller sessions. According to Porcaro, however, it began in the Dangerous sessions.
“If You Don’t Love Me”
Dangerous outtake
Status: Unreleased
“If You Don’t Love Me” is a throwback rock song in the tradition of 1960s classics like “Do You Love Me” and “It Takes Two.” It features a driving guitar riff and a fantastic gravelly vocal. Jackson worked on the song in 1989 with Bill Bottrell, who described the track as fun, but “a bit of an orphan” for the Dangerous project. It remains officially unreleased.
“Man in Black”
Dangerous outtake
Status: Unreleased
“Man in Black” has been the subject of speculation and interest among fans since it first surfaced on a promo acetate CD for Decade—the greatest-hits collection that never materialized. Jackson worked on the sleek, catchy rhythm track with Bryan Loren in 1989, but dropped it when Teddy Riley came on board in 1990. The song remains unreleased.
“Mind Is the Magic”
Dangerous outtake
Status: Unreleased
“Mind Is the Magic” was also written and recorded with Bryan Loren. Jackson gave the song to illusionists Siegfried & Roy to use as the anthem for their “Beyond Belief Show” in Las Vegas. It remains officially unreleased.
“Monkey Business”
Dangerous outtake
Status: Released
“Monkey Business” originated toward the end of the Bad sessions. “MJ loved it,” recalled Bill Bottrell, “but I was coming to the end of my employment [for the Bad album] so it was shelved. But as soon as me and MJ got back together at Ocean Way [for the Dangerous sessions in 1989] we had it back on the board.”
Accompanied by a slow-burn groove, a jazzy Wurlitzer piano, a crisp beat, and Jim Horn’s soulful sax playing, Jackson sinks right into this one, narrating a tale of hypocrisy and deception. The monkey sounds were recorded by Matt Forger, Greg Phillinganes played the Wurlitzer, and George Del Barrio did the string arrangement. Meanwhile, Jackson’s lyrics took a while. “He finally brought them during Westlake D sessions,” recalled Bottrell. “They were very good. He took on a real character from Indiana with roots in the South.” Most of the song was recorded at Westlake. But Jackson kept asking for tweaks and improvements. Bottrell considered it a priority track and it remained in the running for the album until the final weeks. “It was
in my mind an integral part of Dangerous,” said Bottrell. “Until it wasn’t.” The 1991 recording was released on Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection in 2004.
“Serious Effect”
Dangerous outtake
Status: Unreleased
Jackson started working on “Serious Effect” with Bryan Loren and continued to develop it with Teddy Riley. The track combines elements of both producers’ styles—a lighter variation of New Jack Swing—and features a smooth rap solo by LL Cool J. The song was still in the running for Dangerous into the summer of 1991. “Serious Effect” remains officially unreleased.
“She Got It”
Dangerous outtake
Status: Unreleased
“She Got It” is a funky rhythm track, featuring plunking percussion and surging guitar blasts. Jackson worked on it with Bryan Loren in 1989, but it was never finished. On the demo, Jackson can be heard counting out the rhythm and blocking out the vocals. Some parts of the song were in place, while others remained blank. The track remains officially unreleased.
“Slave to the Rhythm”
Dangerous outtake
Status: Released
Jackson developed “Slave to the Rhythm” with Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds in 1990. The song grew out of a New Jack Swing groove—Jackson’s favorite out of several the duo had submitted to him. Jackson took the tape and fleshed out the melody, harmonies, and lyrics. The track was worked on extensively at Can-Am Studios in Los Angeles, but Jackson still wasn’t satisfied with it. He later asked Teddy Riley to overhaul the production, but it still wasn’t sounding the way he wanted it to, so it was dropped from Dangerous. Jackson later resurrected the track during the Invincible sessions, but it failed to make that album, either. The 1990 demo was released on Xscape in 2014.
“Someone Put Your Hand Out”
Dangerous outtake
Status: Released
A beautiful R&B ballad, sung in falsetto, “Someone Put Your Hand Out” was an outtake of the late Bad era. The song was pulled out of the vault during the Dangerous sessions, as Jackson further developed it with Teddy Riley. “Teddy loved it, I loved it, and we made some changes, just changed the verse and I gave him cowriter’s credit,” said Jackson in 1993. Final tweaks were made to the recording and mix in April 1992, after Dangerous was already out. The song was released that May as an exclusive Pepsi promo to help promote the Dangerous World Tour. Only five hundred thousand copies were made, making it a rare collector’s item for years. It was subsequently released on Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection in 2004.
“Work That Body”
Dangerous outtake
Status: Unreleased
“Work That Body” is another piece of playful, airy funk from the early Dangerous sessions. Jackson worked on the song with Bryan Loren. It features colorful synthesizers and a loose vocal. The track remains officially unreleased.
“You Were There”
Dangerous outtake
Status: Unreleased
“You Were There” is a poignant orchestral ballad cowritten by Jackson and Buz Kohan. The artist performed a stunning debut rendition of the song for Sammy Davis Jr. at his sixtieth anniversary celebration at the Shrine Auditorium in 1989, just months before Davis’s death. Unfortunately, Jackson did not record the song in the studio. It was included on a list of tracks he was considering for inclusion on a new album just weeks before his death.
HISTORY ERA
“In the Back”
HIStory outtake
Status: Released
“In the Back” is one of Jackson’s most impressive unreleased tracks from the 1990s. Atmospheric and hypnotic, it recalls Jackson’s Dangerous-era masterpiece “Who Is It” (and touches on similar themes of betrayal). The track begins with an ominous, thudding beat, accented by Jackson’s vocal percussion. Jackson sings and scats his way through the vocal (which was left finished). Brad Buxer pointed out that he spent years developing the song—first during the HIStory sessions, then for Blood on the Dance Floor, and finally for Invincible.
What begins as a minimalist groove gradually unfolds into an intricate and ethereal sonic canvas—lush strings, an entrancing harp, and a mournful trumpet. Buxer described the track as “unbelievable and it proves once again how Michael was a genius. I play almost every instrument on this song, but all [the] ideas are Michael.” The 1997 demo, recorded in Switzerland, was released on Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection in 2004.
“Much Too Soon”
HIStory outtake
Status: Released
“Much Too Soon” is a quiet, Beatles-esque ballad about loss and regret. The lyrics almost read like the aching Irish folk poems of W. B. Yeats. Jackson recorded the song in 1994 during the early HIStory sessions at the Hit Factory. He had first written it in the early 1980s, but hadn’t found a place for it in previous albums. With HIStory, however, he thought it might finally work.
“Michael came in one day and said he had an idea and needed a guitar player,” recalled assistant engineer Rob Hoffman. “So they called in a local session guy, Jeff Mironov. He sat with MJ in the iso-booth and Michael patiently sang every note of every chord, and the melody. He had the whole thing in his head. Once Jeff had it down, Michael came into the control room and sang live while Jeff did some takes….I believe we did about five or six takes, all of them amazing….But the song was shelved and never brought up again.” Hoffman described the track as one of his “favorite MJ tracks of all time.”
While understated, it is one of the artist’s most moving ballads. There is real pathos in his vocal as he sings about being separated from a loved one much too soon. “Take away this never-ending sorrow,” he pleads in one line. “Take this lonely feeling from my soul.” It is a beautiful, bittersweet song that reflects on what might have been. It was included on the posthumous 2011 album Michael.
“On the Line”
HIStory outtake
Status: Released
“On the Line” is an inspirational anthem, written by Babyface and recorded by Jackson during the HIStory sessions. The guitar-strumming verses and melody are signature Babyface, while the choir-galvanizing lift and outro are trademark Jackson. The song is about pushing through difficult times and summoning the strength and courage to move forward. Jackson loved the song, but once he’d determined the name of the record—HIStory—the title track became the album’s anthem. The song was subsequently given to Spike Lee for his 1996 movie Get on the Bus, where it is heard during the opening credits (though it was not featured on the soundtrack due to a label dispute). The 1995 demo was released on Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection in 2004.
“Why”
3T’s Brotherhood (1996)
Status: Released
A sensuous, mid-tempo R&B track, “Why” was written by Babyface and recorded by Jackson during the HIStory sessions. It was a candidate for the album until Jackson decided to give it to his nephews—TJ, Taj, and Taryll—who were then just launching their career as the group 3T. 3T kept Michael’s vocals on the chorus and in the final line of the outro. The song was released as the fourth single from their 1996 album, Brotherhood. While it didn’t get much play in the United States, it reached #2 in the UK.
INVINCIBLE ERA
“A Place with No Name”
Invincible outtake
Status: Released
“A Place with No Name” is a reimagining of America’s 1971 hit “A Horse with No Name.” Jackson had long admired the band and the song. While the artist rarely did covers, he decided to record the song with Dr. Freeze in 1998. The artist’s revised lyrics tell a story about a man whose Jeep breaks down in the desert when a mysterious woman appears, leading him to a secret paradise. Dr. Freeze described the song
as “a kind of escape, where you just close your eyes and find yourself instantly transported into a wonderful world.” When America heard Jackson’s harmony-laden cover of their song, they said they were honored that Michael Jackson chose to record it and were impressed with its quality. The original 1998 demo was released on Xscape in 2014.
“Beautiful Girl”
Invincible outtake
Status: Released
Jackson worked on “Beautiful Girl” with Brad Buxer during the early Invincible sessions. “I absolutely loved working on ‘Beautiful Girl’ with him,” recalled Buxer. Jackson begins the song in a lower register before soaring up into a sublime falsetto in the chorus. The production flutters like a summer breeze, giving way to cascading harmonies. In the outro, Jackson and Buxer keep shifting keys, allowing the harmonies to climb and fall. The 1998 demo was mixed and released on Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection in 2004.