# List of unreleased songs recorded by Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson (1958–2009) was an American musician and entertainer. He's known to have written, recorded, and filmed material that has never been released. Many of his unreleased songs have been registered—usually by his company Mijac Music—with professional bodies such as the United States Copyright Office, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI), American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) and EMI Music Publishing. This list only documents the songs explicitly cited as unreleased and therefore doesn't contain every unreleased song registered with such bodies.
Many officially unreleased songs had been scheduled, at one point, for release, through ways such as his six solo studio albums with music label Epic Records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory (1995) and Invincible (2001) and the remix album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997). For varying reasons, the tracks were rejected and, as of 2025, remain unreleased. Jackson's unreleased material includes songs recorded as a solo artist (including covers of songs released by other artists and the Jackson 5 songs) and demo versions, some featuring established artists such as Freddie Mercury and Barry Gibb. Between 1974 and 2009, Jackson recorded "at least 1,000–2,000 songs" according to close partners Bill Bottrell and Bruce Swedien. Bottrell claimed "only a small percentage of Michael's full catalog has been released", and that "he recorded a lot of music in his 3-decade career".
In 2009, after Jackson's sudden death, La Toya Jackson said that she had discovered two hard disks at her brother's home that contained more than 100 unreleased songs, many of which were unregistered. Several of Jackson's songs have been leaked onto the Internet, such as a 24-second segment of "A Place with No Name" leaked by TMZ.com following Jackson's death. At the time of the leak, it was claimed that there were "thousands" of unreleased songs by Jackson, and that they could be issued for years to come. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame curator, Jim Henke, noted that any future releases would garner significant attention. On March 16, 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017 and release ten posthumous albums over the next decade, but this did not come to fruition as only three posthumous albums were released.

## Key

| † | Denotes songs registered with Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) and/or American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) |
| ‡ | Denotes songs registered with EMI Music Publishing |
| * | Denotes songs cited by Jackson in his 1993 deposition |
| $^{(Year)}$ | Denotes songs registered with the United States Copyright Office and the year of registration |
| *$^{(Year)}$ | Denotes songs cited by Jackson in his 1993 deposition and the year they were registered with the United States Copyright Office |

## Songs

| Title | Writer(s) | Notes |
| "11pm"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer | Instrumental track originally produced by Buxer Later revision produced by Michael Durham Prince exists |
| "A Baby Smiles"* | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1979 for Off the Wall album Lyrics to the song were featured as a poem titled "When Babies Smile" in the 1992 book Dancing the Dream |
| "A Pretty Face Is" | Stevie Wonder | Written circa 1974 The song was originally intended for the Jackson 5 or as a duet between Wonder and Jackson; the two reportedly recorded the song for Wonder's 1987 Characters album |
| "Adore You"$^{(2009)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded during sessions at the Neverland Ranch between late 2004 and January 2005 Only some "background vocals" were recorded by Jackson and a full 30-piece choir. Listed on notes consisting of songs Jackson wanted to finish that were found in his bedroom after his death |
| "All My Children"$^†$ | Michael Jackson | |
| "All the Truth"$^†$ | Bryan Loren | One of around 20–25 songs recorded with Loren for the Dangerous album between 1989 and 1991 Loren sings the verses on this song, with Jackson in the choruses Has a runtime of 5:02 minutes |
| "Alright Now"* | Michael Jackson John Barnes | Originally written and recorded during the 1980s Given to Ralph Tresvant to record for his 1990 album Ralph Tresvant Tresvant's version of the song features Jackson on background vocals |
| "Apocalypse Now" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded during 1986–1987 The track consists of numerous military cadences composed by drummer John Robinson Described by Robinson in Rhythm magazine: "There was a track I did called 'Apocalypse Now' that I wrote six and a half minutes of military drum cadences for. I brought in Don Williams, Dan Greco, and Bob Zimmitti. We recorded with four field snares, four piccolo snares, two sets of piatti, and one gran casa. It was a very hip tune, but it never made the record. I was kind of upset about that." |
| "Ask Rene" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded during the Dangerous and HIStory sessions Also known as "Ask Rene 3" Instrumental groove with no vocals Was put up for auction along with other songs such as "Ask DD", "Family Thing", "Revenge" and "The Best Thing" |
| "Bad Girl"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Bang Your Head"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Theron Feemster Michael Durham Prince | |
| "Be Me 4 a Day"$^†$ | Michael Jackson Calix Days Grey | |
| "Beatbox 2010"$^{(2009)}$ | Michael Jackson Eric J. Kirkland Michael Durham Prince | |
| "Bio" | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer | Written in late 1997 at Buxer's home studio approximately a week after the HIStory World Tour ended One of the first tracks made for the Invincible album, alongside "Seeing Voices" |
| "Bombay Nights" | Michael Jackson | Recorded in 1994 A DAT tape containing the song was auctioned in 2013 |
| "Boots Groove" | Michael Jackson | Described as having a similar sound to "Get on the Floor" with a Brothers Johnson-inspired bass line |
| "Bottom of My Heart"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer Michael Durham Prince | Instrumental track Listed on notes consisting of songs Jackson wanted to finish that were found in his bedroom after his death |
| "Boy No"$^{(2009&2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer Michael Durham Prince | |
| "Breath" | Michael Jackson | |
| "Broken Chair"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Theron Feemster Michael Durham Prince | The name "Broken Chair" was a working title and a placeholder until lyrics were to be written Instrumental track Features "booming digital drums and rock/electric guitar" Listed on notes consisting of songs Jackson wanted to finish that were found in his bedroom after his death |
| "Bubbles" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded during the Dangerous sessions Song title was listed on an early configuration of the Dangerous album |
| "Buffalo Bill"* | Michael Jackson | Jackson's first studio collaboration with John Barnes, recorded in 1983 during sessions for the Victory album Inspired by bison hunter William Cody Failed to make the Victory and Bad albums The song is vocally complete and ready for release Mentioned by Jackson during the 1983 "unauthorized interview": "We're doing a new album right now: the Jacksons album, and I'm writing several songs on it. The latest one I'm writing is called 'Buffalo Bill'; it's about Will Cody, the cowboy, and how he died." As described by Bill Bottrell, the chorus lyrics include: "Who shot Buffalo Bill? They said he shot a lot, did he ever get killed?" |
| "California Grass"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Change" | Steve Porcaro | Written in early 2009 Presented to Jackson during the This Is It rehearsals |
| "Changes" | Michael Jackson | Worked on with John Barnes during the early Bad sessions in the early 1980s Described as "an upbeat piano-driven demo with rolling drum programming" and "incredibly catchy". Features a "really rough" scratch vocal with Jackson mumbling and humming a melody over the music Revisited during the HIStory sessions, with a gospel performance from the Andraé Crouch choir and a few ad-lib solos added |
| "Chicago 1945" | Michael Jackson (lyrics) Steve Porcaro (music) | Recorded in 1983 during the Victory sessions A vocally complete song about three girls who went out and mysteriously disappeared throughout the night, with a hook of "never to be found again" Failed to make the Victory and Bad albums Porcaro was approached by the estate about using it on Xscape, but declined to permit on the basis that the song didn't need any "contemporizing", and that he disapproved of the estate's "straight to remix" approach to Jackson's unreleased material Considered for Thriller 40 According to Porcaro, Jackson researched the significant events that occurred in 1930's and 1940's Chicago to write the lyrics |
| "Children's Holiday"$^†$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1998 as a charity single after the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake Given to the Japanese fundraising group J-Friends, along with "People of the World" Original demo by Jackson remains unreleased |
| "Circles" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "Crack Kills"* | Michael Jackson Darryl McDaniels Joseph Simmons | Planned to have been recorded with rappers Run-D.M.C. for Jackson's Bad album, but the collaboration never came into fruition The song was recorded with a full vocal in November 1986 |
| "Craze" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1998 during the Invincible sessions Was mentioned by Michael Prince in a March 2017 episode of the MJCast Is reportedly at least six minutes in duration |
| "Cry"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Dancing for Love" | Michael Jackson RedOne | |
| "Dark Lady" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 2008 Features a bassline similar to Queen's "Under Pressure" Demo has complete vocals on the choruses and scratch vocals on the verses Lyrics include: "Dark lady will get what she wants every time, Dark lady don't know what she is." |
| "Days in Gloucestershire" | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer | Written and recorded in 2004 at one of the Neverland Ranch's bungalows Also known as "Gloucestershire" Inspired by Jackson's visit with the Jackson 5 to Gloucestershire while on tour three decades earlier; it was still one of his fondest memories |
| "Deep in the Night" | Michael Jackson Bryan Loren | One of around 20–25 songs recorded with Loren for the Dangerous album between 1989 and 1991 Song title was listed on an early configuration of the Dangerous album |
| "Diana Ross" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "Doing Dirty"$^{(1982)}$ | Michael Jackson Marlon Jackson | |
| "Don't Believe It" | Michael Jackson Bryan Loren | One of around 20–25 songs recorded with Loren for the Dangerous album between 1989 and 1991 Recorded at Loren's house around the time of Thanksgiving or Christmas The song is about tabloids, with Jackson imitating the voice of journalists, saying things like "strange pictures" and making the sounds of cameras The song ends with a beatbox from Jackson, with a dialogue between him and Loren behind heard. The two were tired after their long session Has a runtime of 5:56 minutes |
| "Don't Make Me Stay"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer Theron Feemster Michael Durham Prince | Written and recorded in 2009 Features a scratch vocal |
| "Dream Away" | Michael Jackson Steve Porcaro | Written and recorded during the Victory sessions, according to Porcaro Failed to make the Victory album Considered for Xscape |
| "Dreaming" | Michael Jackson will.i.am | Worked on during 2006–2007 Also known as "I'm Dreamin'" Samples "I Can't Wake Up (I'm a Blunt)" by KRS-One Chorus lyrics are: "I'm dreaming about being in love / I'm floating around and I just can't wake up" will.i.am attempted to release the song in 2013, but was unable to receive approval to do so from the Estate |
| "Dreams" | Michael Jackson | Recorded during the Dangerous sessions |
| "D.I.E."$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Michael Prince Theron Feemster III | Worked on during 2008–2009 Two versions of the song were registered with the United States Copyright Office (the first Prince is not credited) |
| "Earth Love" | Michael Jackson | CD was found in Jackson's collection after his death, dated April 22, 2009 |
| "Eaten Alive" | Michael Jackson Maurice Gibb Barry Gibb | Original version of the song written by the Gibb brothers, but was reworked by Jackson who was granted co-writer credits Jackson recorded a demo version but remains unreleased Later recorded by Diana Ross |
| "Ekan Satyam (The One Truth)" | A. R. Rahman A. R. Parthasarathy Kanika Myer Bharat | Recorded as a duet in 1999 by Jackson (singing in English) and Rahman (singing in Sanskrit) Failed to make the Invincible album |
| "Elizabeth, I Love You" | Michael Jackson | Written and performed by Jackson as a tribute to his friend Elizabeth Taylor in 1997 A shorter, studio version is known to exist |
| "Faces" | Michael Jackson | Written in 1994 Failed to make the HIStory album Features a percussive groove performed by STOMP The demo features a spoken intro which was intended to have been recorded by Nelson Mandela |
| "Family Thing" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1993 for the Addams Family Values film, but was cancelled due to contractual difficulties with Paramount Pictures A demo featuring complete vocals on the choruses and scratch vocals on the verses exists |
| "Fanfare Transition"$^{(1992)}$ | Michael Jackson | Known alternatively as "Fanfare 1992" |
| "Fantasy"* | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1983 Failed to make the Victory album |
| "Far, Far Away"* | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1983 Failed to make the Victory album |
| "Garbage" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded during the Dangerous sessions by Bryan Loren Song title was listed on an early configuration of the Dangerous album |
| "Get Around"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Get Your Weight Off of Me" | Michael Jackson Rodney Jerkins LaShawn Daniels Fred Jerkins III Bruce Swedien | Written and recorded in 1999–2000 during the Invincible sessions Failed to make the Invincible, The Ultimate Collection, and Xscape albums The song's runtime is 5 minutes and 17 seconds with a BPM of 85 Interpolates the beat from Shabba Ranks's "Mr. Loverman" Lyrically and melodically similar to "Invincible" and "Privacy" Features aggressive verse vocals and ad-libs (similar to "Unbreakable"), but lighter chorus vocals LaShawn Daniels sings background vocals in the chorus |
| "Ghost of Another Lover" | Michael Jackson Thom Russo | Written and recorded in 1990–1991 Failed to make the Dangerous album A demo was played by Russo at the Kingvention 2016 event Reworked in 2009 |
| "Goin' to Rio"* | Michael Jackson Carole Bayer Sager | Written and recorded in 1976 Failed to make the Off the Wall album |
| "Got to Find a Way Somehow"$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1979 |
| "Groove of Midnight" | Rod Temperton | Written around the Bad era A demo by Jackson surfaced on the Internet in 2003 |
| "Happy Birthday, Lisa" | Michael Jackson | Written for The Simpsons episode "Stark Raving Dad", performed by Kipp Lennon Had been scheduled for release on a shelved special edition of the Dangerous album |
| "Haven't Got a Lot" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "He Who Makes the Sky Grey" | Sheik Abdullah of Bahrain | Features vocals by Jackson |
| "Heaven with a Smile" | Michael Jackson | CD was found in Jackson's collection after his death, dated April 17, 2009 |
| "Holiday Inn"$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1976 |
| "Homeless Bound" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded during the Dangerous sessions Song title was listed on an early configuration of the Dangerous album |
| "Hot Fever"$^{(1985)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written in 1985 Evolved into "The Way You Make Me Feel" Has a runtime of 4 minutes and 58 seconds |
| "Hot Street" | Rod Temperton | Written and recorded during 1981–1982 Failed to make the Thriller album as Temperton and Quincy Jones felt that the song was too weak for inclusion |
| "How You Like Your Love" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "I Am a Loser"$^{(2009)}$/"I Was the Loser"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer | Written and recorded in January 2003 as "I Am a Loser" Updated in late 2008 as "I Was the Loser" when Jackson re-sang the choruses |
| "I Can't Get You Off My Mind" | Michael Jackson | Worked on during the early 1970s |
| "I Forgive You"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "I Have This Dream" | Michael Jackson David Foster Carole Bayer Sager | Conceived as a charity single after Hurricane Katrina and co-written with Abdullah bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the second son of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the king of Bahrain. Singers James Ingram, Ciara, Snoop Dogg and Shirley Caesar recorded vocals in Los Angeles. In October 2003, Jackson recorded parts with an orchestra in Metropolis Studios in Chiswick, London, but never completed his vocals and did not attend further sessions. Abdullah said he had spent $2.2m on "I Have This Dream" and cited it, among other songs, in his lawsuit against Jackson in 2008; the parties settled out of court. |
| "I Will Miss You" | Michael Jackson will.i.am | Worked on during 2006–2007 A tribute to James Brown |
| "If You Don't Love Me" | Michael Jackson | Worked on with Bill Bottrell during the Dangerous sessions, but was described by Bottrell as "a bit of an orphan" for the project Had been scheduled for release on a shelved special edition of the Dangerous album |
| "In the Life of Chico" | Michael Jackson | Written in 1979 Failed to make the Off the Wall album |
| "In the Valley"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Innocent Man"$^{(2009&2010)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1993 |
| "Iowa" | Michael Jackson | Classical piece mentioned by Janet Jackson in a 1993 magazine interview |
| "Janet and MJ Duet" | Michael Jackson | Song title was listed on an early configuration of the Dangerous album |
| "Kentucky"* | Michael Jackson | Written in the mid-1970s |
| "Lady of Summer"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Theron Feemster Michael Durham Prince | Written and recorded in 2009 Also known as "Lady of the Summer" |
| "Learned My Lesson"$^{(1985)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written in 1981 Two versions of the song were registered with the United States Copyright Office |
| "Light the Way" | Michael Jackson Sheik Abdullah of Bahrain | |
| "Like You" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 Also known as "Like U" |
| "Little Girls"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Llama Lola"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Lonely Bird"* | Michael Jackson | Listed on notes consisting of songs Jackson wanted to finish that were found in his bedroom after his death |
| "Lonely Man"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Lost in Love" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "Lucy Is in Love with Linus"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Make a Wish"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Make or Break"* | Michael Jackson John Barnes | Recorded in December 1985 during the early Bad sessions with Barnes Described by Matt Forger as having a "very driving, terrific hook, but never got finished" |
| "Man in Black"$^†$ | Michael Jackson Bryan Loren | Also known as "Men in Black" One of around 20–25 songs recorded with Loren for the Dangerous album between 1989 and 1991 Song title was listed on an early configuration of the Dangerous album Supposedly written for a Steven Spielberg movie titled Men in Black |
| "Michael McKellar"* | Michael Jackson | Reworked during 2005–2009 under the title "Dance MJ McKellar" Song cited in Frank Cascio's book My Friend Michael According to Jackson's handwritten notes, the lyrics are "about child neglect" and the "pain children feel when they are ignored" Lyrics include: "Waits at the window / Look how he's lying there" and "Pretends he's dying there / Nobody seems to care" |
| "MJ Melody"$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1982 |
| "Monster"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer Michael Prince | Not related to "Monster" on the Michael album. Written and recorded in 1998 during the Invincible sessions, but never made it onto the album. Jackson seemingly only recorded vocals for the choruses: "You Created a Monster" Described as a very "experimental" and "personal" song by CJ DeVillar, and described as having "the most complex Michael instrumental" by the MJCast. Features an orchestra, a "huge amount of percussion", and "flies buzzing" |
| "Neverland Landing"* | Michael Jackson Buz Kohan | Written and recorded in April 1983 Described by Kohan: "We also wrote a song called 'Neverland Landing' which was done completely, and there is a demo with piano that I played at the house. I have it somewhere but can't put my hands on it immediately." Also known as "Neverlanding Landing" |
| "New Jelly" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "Nite Line" | Glen Ballard | Recorded by Jackson in 1982 during the Thriller sessions, but didn't compete with songs like "Billie Jean" and "Beat It" Later recorded by the Pointer Sisters for their 1983 album Break Out, titled "Nightline" |
| "Nymphette Lover"$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1981 Failed to make the Thriller album Also known as "Nightfall Lover" |
| "Ode to Sorrow"$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1977 |
| "Oh Love" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "Pajamas"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer Michael Durham Prince | Written during the 2000s |
| "Palestine, Don't Cry" | Michael Jackson | Written in 1993 |
| "People of the World" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1998 as a charity single after the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake Given to the Japanese fundraising group J-Friends, along with "Children's Holiday" |
| "People Have to Make Some Kind of Joke"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Peter Pan" | Michael Jackson | Song mentioned by Jackson on the 1993 CD The Michael Jackson Interview |
| "Photographs"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer Michael Durham Prince | Written and recorded in the early 2000s Played as a background song on a spoken word piece called "Michael's Affirmation" An instrumental version is known to exist |
| "Pray for Peace"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer Michael Durham Prince | Written and recorded during the 2000s |
| "Pressure"$^†$ | Rodney Jerkins Fred Jerkins III Harvey Mason LaShawn Daniels | Failed to make the Invincible album |
| "Pyramid Girl" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1983 Failed to make the Victory album Early version of "Liberian Girl" |
| "Rampage" | Michael Jackson Rodney Jerkins | Written and recorded in 1999 during the Invincible recording sessions Demo features a guide vocal sung by LaShawn Daniels Failed to make the Invincible album The song's intro inspired the "B Rocka Intro" track on Brandy's Full Moon album |
| "Red Eye"*$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson | Mentioned during the 1993 Mexico deposition Reworked in 2008 with Neff U |
| "Remember What I Told You"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer Michael Durham Prince | Written and recorded in 2008 Reportedly similar to "Speechless" in terms of tone Song includes a short verse and multi-layered chorus Also known as "Just Remember" Lyrics include: "Remember what I told you, and remember for all time" |
| "Rescue Me" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "Revenge" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded during the HIStory sessions Was put up for auction along with other songs such as "Ask Rene", "Ask DD", "Family Thing" and "The Best Thing" |
| "Rise Above It All" | Dr. Freeze | Written during the Invincible recording sessions Described by Dr. Freeze: "It's an upbeat song. If you feel bad, if things are going wrong in the world, be positive and try to be as happy as possible, leaving aside all the negative things. Overcome negativity, go beyond the woes of the world, all wars, the starving children and all the bad things. Assemble yourselves, hold your hand, raise your hands to heaven and pass it all. It's a little theme song. I can not say whether he had recorded the song, but in any case, we worked on it. There are other songs on which they collaborated. Most of these songs are mid-tempo, but I can not say anything more." Failed to make the Invincible album |
| "Rock Tonight" | Michael Jackson | Listed on notes consisting of songs Jackson wanted to finish that were found in his bedroom after his death |
| "Rocker"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer Michael Durham Prince | Written and recorded in 2008 Similar in composition to "We Will Rock You" by Queen Features a guitar solo Demo has complete vocals on the choruses and scratch vocals on the verses |
| "Rolling the Dice"* | Rod Temperton | Jackson worked on the song with Temperton and Quincy Jones during the Thriller recording sessions |
| "Saturday Woman"* | Michael Jackson | Song cited in Frank Cascio's book My Friend Michael Described by Cascio: "One of the unreleased songs that I loved the most was 'Saturday Woman', about a girl who wants attention and goes out to party instead of spending time on her relationship." Cascio described the verse lyrics: "I don't want to say that I don't love you, I don't want to say that I disagree", while the chorus lyrics include: "She's a saturday woman. I don't want to live my life all alone. She's a saturday woman." |
| "Saved by the Bell"* | Michael Jackson Jermaine Jackson | |
| "Seduction" | Michael Jackson Shelby Lee Myrick III | Failed to make the Invincible album |
| "Seeing Voices" | Michael Jackson Ray Charles Sidney Fine | Written and recorded in 1997 One of the first tracks made for Invincible, alongside "Bio" Features Charles' choir on the background vocals |
| "Serious Effect"$^†$ | Michael Jackson Bryan Loren | Features rap by LL Cool J Had been scheduled for release on a shelved special edition of the Dangerous album |
| "Set It On Out" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1982 Failed to make the Thriller album |
| "Seven Digits"$^†$ | Michael Jackson Bryan Loren | Failed to make the Dangerous album Jackson originally wanted to finish the song for Blood on the Dance Floor. However, due to time constraints, "Superfly Sister" was chosen instead as it was more complete and demanded less time to finish Summer 1990 demo has a runtime of 2:56 minutes A DAT tape containing the song, as well as "an extensive 1-hour and 13-minute session of Michael Jackson's practice" was put up for auction on February 7, 2024 |
| "Sexy Love Song" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "She Don't Want Me" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 2008 Described as having a similar sound to "The Way You Make Me Feel" Lyrics include: "She don't love me / She don't want me / She don't need me / She doesn't care / She doesn't care" |
| "She Got It"$^†$ | Michael Jackson Bryan Loren | Written and recorded in 1990 Song title was listed on an early configuration of the Dangerous album Had been scheduled for release on a shelved special edition of the Dangerous album |
| "She's Not a Girl"* | Michael Jackson Jermaine Jackson | Written and recorded between 1971 and 1988 at Hayvenhurst |
| "Shut Up and Dance"$^†$ | Michael Jackson Michael Prince Eric Kirkland | Listed on notes consisting of songs Jackson wanted to finish that were found in his bedroom after his death According to Joe Vogel, the song is vocally incomplete |
| "Silent Spring"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Theron Feemster III | |
| "Sister Sue"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Slapstick" | Rod Temperton | Worked on by Jackson during the Thriller recording sessions Early demo version of "Hot Street" |
| "Somewhere in Time"$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written in 1980 |
| "Son of Thriller" | Michael Jackson Bryan Loren | A remix of "Thriller" Contains excerpts from "Thriller", "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and "Billie Jean" Has a runtime of 3:06 minutes |
| "Spice of Life" | Rod Temperton Derek Bramble | Was in the running for Thriller, but wasn't included on the final album Later given to the Manhattan Transfer |
| "Stand Tall"$^{(1985)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1982 |
| "Starlight" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 Not to be confused with the original "Thriller" demo later included on Thriller 40 |
| "Stay" | Michael Jackson Bryan Loren | Written sometime during the Dangerous sessions |
| "Still the King" | Michael Jackson will.i.am | Worked on during 2006–2007 Also known as "I'm Still the King" |
| "Stop the War" | Michael Jackson Carole Bayer Sager | Written circa 1999 Early version of "We've Had Enough", a song featured on the 2004 box set The Ultimate Collection Song about the Kosovo War |
| "Susie"$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1978 Early version of "Little Susie (Pie Jesu)" |
| "Thank Heaven"$^{(1998)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1998 Failed to make the Invincible album Reworked in 2008 |
| "Thank You for Life"*$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Recording date is disputed, Michael says that it was recorded in 1973/1974, while the U.S. Copyright Office states it was recorded in 1976 Failed to make the Off the Wall album |
| "That"$^{(1998)}$ | Michael Jackson | |
| "The Children's Hour"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "The Choice" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded during the Dangerous sessions Song title was listed on an early configuration of the Dangerous album |
| "The Sky Is the Limit"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "The World Is No Church"$^†$ | Andrea Martin Walter Afanasieff | |
| "Thinking About You" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "Throwin' Your Life Away"$^{(1988)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written in 1988 Considered for the Michael, Bad 25, and Xscape albums but failed to make all of them Listed on notes consisting of songs Jackson wanted to finish that were found in his bedroom after his death |
| "Tomboy"*$^{(1985)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1985 with John Barnes during the early Bad sessions Contains a melody identical to the "I bet you remember" line in "Remember the Time" Features Roger Troutman as a guest musician Failed to make the Bad album Mistakenly believed by some fans to have been written by Quincy Jones According to studio engineer Matt Forger, Jackson gave the song's multitrack to Troutman |
| "Tragedy of a Cheer-leader"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Turnin' Me Off"* | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in January 1986. Worked with Bill Bottrell and John Barnes Described as "one of Michael's edgier experiments" and "very groove-oriented" by Matt Forger Song cited in Frank Cascio's book My Friend Michael |
| "U Know" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "Under Your Skin"$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1979 Failed to make the Off the Wall album |
| "Unknown"$^†$ | Michael Jackson | |
| "Verdict"$^†$ | Michael Jackson Bryan Loren | One of around 20–25 songs recorded with Loren for the Dangerous album between 1989 and 1991 Recorded in 1990 Reworked in 1994 during the HIStory sessions The sounds sampled in the track were taken from "Work", an unreleased track by Janet Jackson |
| "Victory" | Michael Jackson Freddie Mercury | One of three songs Jackson worked on with Mercury in 1983 The foundation of the track was laid with Mercury's manager Peter Freestone banging on the toilet door in perfect time for 5 minutes as there were no instruments or musicians around at Hayvenhurst |
| "Water"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Michael Prince Theron Feemster III | Recorded in 2008 at the Carolwood house The production is complex, with water droplets and a "Stranger in Moscow" aesthetic |
| "We Are the Ones"$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1978 |
| "We Be Ballin'" | Ice Cube DMX Clark Kent | Recorded in 1998 A remixed version of "We Be Clubbin'" Features Shaquille O'Neal on the intro and the verses, while Jackson is singing the choruses This remix was to be released on an NBA compilation album scheduled for the end of 1998 and was also going to be featured in commercials for NBA's "I Love This Game" campaign. The entire project was shelved due to the player-initiated strike against the league that year |
| "What Do You Want from Me" | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded circa 1994 |
| "What You Do to Me"$^{(1985)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written in 1985 Failed to make the Bad album A completely different song with the same title was registered with the United States Copyright Office in 1998 |
| "What's It Gonna Be"$^†$ | Michael Jackson | Not to be confused with "What's It Gonna Be?!", recorded by Jackson's sister Janet and Busta Rhymes |
| "What's Your Life"* | Michael Jackson Jermaine Jackson | |
| "Who Is the Girl with Her Hair Down"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Why Can't I Be"$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1980 for the Jacksons' Triumph album |
| "Why Shy"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "Willing and Waiting" | Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds | Written and recorded in 1994 to present to Jackson for possible inclusion on HIStory, with Babyface heavily involved in the production. One of two songs he presented to Jackson, the other being "Why" (later given to 3T) Despite being referred to as a demo, the song was quite developed with background vocals, polished instrumentation and completed lyrics According to assistant engineer Brad Sundberg, "Michael was looking to push things pretty hard on HIStory [and] 'Willing and Waiting' was maybe a bit softer than the direction he was going." |
| "Work That Body" | Michael Jackson Bryan Loren Berry Gordy Freddie Perren Alphonzo Mizell Deke Richards | One of around 20–25 songs recorded with Loren for the Dangerous album between 1989 and 1991 Borrows the "Sit down girl, I think I love you/no, get up girl, show me what you can do" line from the Jackson 5's "ABC". According to Loren, Jackson initially refused to sing that line, but "realized the tongue-in-cheek fun contained behind it" Had been scheduled for release on a shelved special edition of the Dangerous album |
| "World of Candy"$^{(2009&2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer Michael Durham Prince | Written and recorded circa 2003 Described as a children's song |
| "You Ain't Gonna Change Nothin'"*$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written and recorded in 1975 |
| "You Are a Liar"* | Michael Jackson | |
| "You Are There"$^{(2010)}$ | Michael Jackson Brad Buxer Michael Durham Prince | Instrumental track |
| "You Don't Love Me" | Michael Jackson Rodney Jerkins LaShawn Daniels | Written and recorded in 1998 during the Invincible sessions Demo features a spoken intro by Jerkins and a guide vocal sung by Daniels Described as having a similar sound to Brandy's "Angel in Disguise" Inspired the song "It's Not Worth It" on Brandy's Full Moon album |
| "You Told Me Your Lovin'"$^{(1984)}$ | Michael Jackson | Written in 1979 |
| "You Were There" | Michael Jackson | |