Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson

Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...

 was an American musician and entertainer. He is known to have written, recorded and filmed material that has never been officially released. Many of the pop singer's unreleased songs have been registered—usually by his company Mijac Music—with professional bodies such as the United States Copyright Office

United States Copyright Office

The United States Copyright Office, a part of the Library of Congress, is the official U.S. government body that maintains records of copyright registration in the United States. It is used by copyright title searchers who are attempting to clear a chain of title for copyrighted works.The head of...

, the Songwriters Hall of Fame

Songwriters Hall of Fame

The Songwriters Hall of Fame is an arm of the National Academy of Popular Music. It was founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer and music publishers Abe Olman and Howie Richmond. The goal is to create a museum but as of April, 2008, the means do not yet exist and so instead it is an online...

, Broadcast Music Incorporated

Broadcast Music Incorporated

Broadcast Music, Inc. is one of three United States performing rights organizations, along with ASCAP and SESAC. It collects license fees on behalf of songwriters, composers, and music publishers and distributes them as royalties to those members whose works have been performed...

 (BMI), American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency

Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency

The Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency Ltd. is a music licensing agency based in Toronto, Canada. Founded in 1975, CMRRA is a non-profit organization which represents music publishers and music copyright owners. On their behalf, CMRRA issues licenses authorizing the reproduction of...

 (CMRRA) and EMI Music Publishing

EMI

The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...

. This list, however, only documents the songs explicitly cited as being unreleased and, therefore, does not contain every unreleased Jackson song registered with such bodies.

Jackson—along with Lionel Richie

Lionel Richie

Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...

, Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones

Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...

, Rod Temperton

Rod Temperton

Rodney Lynn "Rod" Temperton is an English songwriter, record producer and musician most famous for writing a number of songs performed by Michael Jackson, including the title track of Jackson's Thriller, the biggest-selling album of all time.-Biography:As Temperton remembers music was in his bones...

 and Joseph Jackson—faced a copyright infringement suit in 1993. The lawsuit came after three songwriters alleged that the pop star and his fellow defendants had plagiarized the hits "The Girl Is Mine

The Girl Is Mine

"The Girl Is Mine" is a song by Michael Jackson featuring Paul McCartney. It is the first single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller. It is one of the three songs that Jackson and McCartney recorded together. McCartney is the only featured guest on the album. The track was written and...

", "Thriller

Thriller (song)

"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...

" and "We Are the World

We Are the World

"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...

". During a seven-hour deposition, Jackson named numerous unreleased songs that he had written or co-written. Following the testimony, a nine-member jury found the defendants not guilty of plagiarism.

Many officially unreleased Jackson songs had been scheduled, at one point, for release on records by the singer, including his six solo studio albums with music label Epic Records

Epic Records

Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...

: Off the Wall

Off the Wall (album)

Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American recording artist Michael Jackson, released August 10, 1979 on Epic Records, after Jackson's critically well received film performance in The Wiz. While working on that project, Jackson and Quincy Jones had become friends, and Jones agreed to...

(1979), Thriller

Thriller (album)

Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...

(1982), Bad

Bad (album)

Bad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album...

(1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory (1995) and Invincible (2001). For varying reasons, the tracks were ultimately rejected and, as of 2011, remain unreleased. The pop singer's unreleased material includes songs recorded by Jackson as a solo artist (including covers of songs released by other artists and The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5

The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...

 songs) and demo versions, some featuring established artists such as Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury

Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...

 and Barry Gibb

Barry Gibb

Barry Alan Crompton Gibb, CBE , is a singer, songwriter and producer. He was born in the Isle of Man to English parents. With his brothers Robin and Maurice, he formed The Bee Gees, one of the most successful pop groups of all time. The trio got their start in Australia, and found their major...

.

Several of Jackson's songs have been leaked onto the Internet without gaining an official release. One example involved the song "A Place with No Name

A Place With No Name

"A Place with No Name" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. A 24—second snippet of the full song was released posthumously by website TMZ.com in July 2009, three weeks after the singer's death. The track resembles "A Horse with No Name", a hit song by rock band America...

", a 24-second snippet of which was leaked by website TMZ.com

TMZ.com

TMZ.com is a celebrity news website that debuted on November 8, 2005. It was a collaboration between America Online and Telepictures Productions, a division of Warner Bros., until Time Warner divested AOL in 2009. However, it is still affiliated with AOL News and has the AOL News logo affixed in...

 following Jackson's death

Death of Michael Jackson

On June 25, 2009, American singer Michael Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication after he suffered a respiratory arrest at his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, said he found Jackson in his room, not breathing, but with a faint pulse,...

 in 2009. At the time of the leak, it was claimed that there were "hundreds" of unreleased songs by the musician, and that they could be issued for several years to come. Commenting on the subject, the curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum located on the shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is dedicated to archiving the history of some of the best-known and most influential artists, producers, engineers and others who have, in some major way,...

, Jim Henke, noted that any future releases would garner significant attention. "I think we are going to see amazing interest in any released Michael Jackson material that will come out in the future or a year from now on." On March 16, 2010, Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment

Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....

 signed a record-breaking $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017 and release ten posthumous projects—some of these projects will be albums featuring unreleased material—over the next decade.

Keys

	Denotes songs registered with Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI)
	Denotes songs registered with EMI Music Publishing
	Denotes songs cited by the singer in his 1993 deposition
(Year)	Denotes songs registered with the United States Copyright Office and the year of its registration
	Denotes Jackson-written songs cited by the singer in his 1993 deposition and the year they were registered with the United States Copyright Office

Songs

Song	Writer(s)	|Ref
"A Baby Smiles"*		Lyrics to the song were featured as a poem titled "When a Baby Smiles" in the 1992 book Dancing the Dream
"A Place with No Name A Place With No Name "A Place with No Name" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. A 24—second snippet of the full song was released posthumously by website TMZ.com in July 2009, three weeks after the singer's death. The track resembles "A Horse with No Name", a hit song by rock band America... "		Heavily resembles America America (band) America is an English-American folk rock band that originally included members Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell and Dan Peek. The three members were barely out of their teens when they became a musical sensation during 1972, scoring #1 hits and winning a Grammy for best new musical artist... 's "A Horse with No Name A Horse with No Name “A Horse with No Name” is a song written by Dewey Bunnell and originally recorded by the band America.  It was the band's first and most successful single, released in early 1972, topping the charts in several countries... " Also known as "A Place without No Name" Produced by Dr. Freeze Dr. Freeze Elliot Straite also known by his pseudonym Dr. Freeze, is an American singer, songwriter and record producer. His songs are mostly in New Jack Swing style... Dr. Freeze confirmed that the song will be on the second posthumous album with finalized instrumentation
"A Pretty Face Is"		Written c. 1974 The song was originally intended for The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...  or as a duet between Wonder and Jackson; the two reportedly recorded the song for Wonder's 1987 Characters album.
"Al Capone"*		Failed to make the Bad album A demo version is known to exist Evolved into "Smooth Criminal Smooth Criminal "Smooth Criminal" is the seventh single from Michael Jackson's 1987 Bad album. The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth" assailant. It was released as a single on October 24, 1988 and peaked... "
"All I Need"		The song was reportedly recorded by Jackson in 2007 at the Cascios' house. Produced by Burt Bacharach Burt Bacharach Burt F. Bacharach is an American pianist, composer and music producer. He is known for his popular hit songs and compositions from the mid-1950s through the 1980s, with lyrics written by Hal David. Many of their hits were produced specifically for, and performed by, Dionne Warwick...
"All Right"		The song was reportedly recorded by Jackson in 2007 at the Cascios' house.
"Angel"		Recorded by Jackson around 1998 Had been scheduled to feature on a shelved greatest hits compilation
"Attitude"‡		—
"Bassouille"		Written in 1994 Also known as "Basszouille" Failed to make the HIStory album
"Be Me 4 a Day"†		Also known as "Be Me for a Day", "Just for One Day Be Michael", "Just for a Day", "Me 4 a Day" and "Be Michael"
"Belong 2"		Written in 1999 Failed to make the Invincible album
"Black Widow"		The song was reportedly recorded by Jackson in 2007 at the Cascios' house.
"Blue Gangsta"
"Bottle of Smoke"		Written and possibly recorded by Jackson in 1989 Failed to make the Dangerous album.
"Buffalo Bill"*		First mentioned by manager Frank DiLeo Frank DiLeo Frank Michael DiLeo was an American music industry executive and actor, known for his portrayal of gangster Tuddy Cicero in Martin Scorsese's Goodfellas. For five years in the late 1980s, and again in 2009, he was Michael Jackson's manager.-Career:Frank DiLeo graduated from Central Catholic High...  before the release of The Jacksons' Victory album in 1984 Failed to make the Bad album
"Burn Tonight"†		The song was reprtedly recorded by Jackson in 2007 at the Cascios' house. Also known as "Burn 2Nite"
"California Grass"*		Written and recorded during the Dangerous studio sessions. Failed to make the Dangerous album. Finally completed by Jackson in 1993, remains unreleased.
"Can You Feel Me"†		—
"Carry On"	Barry Gibb	Not to be confused with "Stay".
"Chicago 1945"*		Evolved into "Al Capone" Failed to make the Bad album. A newer version of the song was recorded by Jackson in 1999 but it failed to make the Invincible album.
"Colour of My Soul"*	Unknown	Failed to make the Invincible album.
"Crack Kills"*		Planned to have been recorded with rappers Run-D.M.C. Run-D.M.C. Run–D.M.C. was an American hip hop group from Hollis, in the Queens borough of New York City. Founded by Joseph "Run" Simmons, Darryl "D.M.C." McDaniels, and Jason "Jam-Master Jay" Mizell, the group is widely acknowledged as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture.Run–D.M.C...  for Jackson's Bad album.
"Cry"*		Not to be confused with "Cry Cry (Michael Jackson song) "Cry" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson that features on his tenth and final studio album, Invincible . The song was written by R&B singer-songwriter R. Kelly, who had previously written Jackson's 1995 single "You Are Not Alone". "Cry" was produced by Jackson and Kelly... " a song featured on the 2001 album Invincible
"Days Of A Broken Hearted"		Written and recorded by Jackson featuring Whitney Houston Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...  in 2007.
"Do You Know Where Your Children Are"*		Also known as "12-O'Clock" Failed to make the Dangerous album
"Do You Love Me"		Completed by Jackson and Edmonds in 1998 Was to feature on a scheduled but shelved Jackson album in 1999
"Do You Want Me"	Sisqó Sisqó Mark Durrell Andrews , known by his stage name Sisqó, is an American R&B singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of R&B group Dru Hill, and also for "Thong Song", a song from his first solo LP, Unleash the Dragon, that became an international hit. - Biography :Sisqó was born Mark...	Written in 1999 Failed to make the Invincible album
"Doing Dirty"		Written around 1983 – 1984
"Don't Be Messin' Around"	Unknown	Features Jackson playing the piano Piano The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
"Dreams"†		—
"Eaten Alive Eaten Alive (song) "Eaten Alive" is a 1985 single released by Diana Ross on the RCA label. It was the first release off her Eaten Alive album. The song was written by Barry Gibb, Maurice Gibb and Michael Jackson the latter also co-producing with Barry and his team. Jackson and Barry Gibb can be heard singing in the... "		Original version of the song written by the Gibb brothers, but was reworked by Jackson who was granted co-writer credits A demo version was recorded by Jackson but remains unreleased. Later recorded by Diana Ross Diana Ross Diana Ernestine Earle Ross is an American singer, record producer, and actress. Ross was lead singer of the Motown group The Supremes during the 1960s. After leaving the group in 1970, Ross began a solo career that included successful ventures into film and Broadway...
"Ekam Satyam (The One Truth)"		Recorded as a duet in 1999 by Jackson (singing in English) and Rahman (singing in Sanskrit Sanskrit Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand... ) Failed to make the Invincible album
"Elizabeth, I Love You"		Written and performed by Jackson as a tribute to his friend Elizabeth Taylor Elizabeth Taylor Dame Elizabeth Rosemond "Liz" Taylor, DBE was a British-American actress. From her early years as a child star with MGM, she became one of the great screen actresses of Hollywood's Golden Age...  in 1997 No official release, though bootleg recordings taken from the 1997 performance exist
"Face"	Michael Jackson	Failed to make the HIStory album
"Fall In Love"		The song was reportedly recorded by Jackson in 2007 at the Cascios' house.
"Fanfare Transition"(1992)		Written in 1992 Known alternatively as "Fanfare 1992"
"Fantasy"*		—
"Far, Far Away"*		—
"Fear"		Written c. 1993 Failed to make the HIStory album
"Free"*		—
"From the Bottom of My Heart"		Written in 2005 Was scheduled to be released as a charity recording for the victims of Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall... . Appears to be a later version of "I Have This Dream".
"Get Around"*		A version crediting Rodney Jerkins Rodney Jerkins Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:... , Fred Jerkins III Fred Jerkins III Fred Jerkins III is an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with his brother Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Jerkins has co-written several hit songs with Rodney Jerkins and LaShawn Daniels, among them "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy and Monica, "Say My Name" and "Lose My...  and LaShawn Daniels LaShawn Daniels LaShawn Ameen Daniels is an American songwriter, best known for his work with longtime colleague Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Daniels has written several of the Darkchild Team's hit songs, among them "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica, "Say My Name" and "Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child, "You...  was considered for the Invincible album, but failed to make the final tracklisting.
"Goin' to Rio"*		Written in 1976 Failed to make the Off the Wall album Demo version known to exist
"Got to Find a Way Somehow"(1984)		Written in 1979
"Groove of Midnight"		Written around the Bad era Recorded by Siedah Garrett Siedah Garrett Siedah Garrett is an American songwriter and singer.-Biography:She appeared as a contestant on Password Plus in 1980.She performed "One Man Woman" on Quincy Jones' Grammy-Award winning "Back on the Block."...  on her album Kiss of Life (1988) A demo by Jackson surfaced on the Internet in 2003.
"He Who Makes the Sky Grey"	Prince Sheik Abdullah of Bahrain	Written c. 2005 Featured background vocals by Kim Chandler
"Higher Ground"		A Stevie Wonder song that musician Donny Osmond Donny Osmond Donald Clark "Donny" Osmond is an American singer, musician, actor, dancer, radio personality, and former teen idol. Osmond has also been a talk and game show host, record producer and author. In the mid 1960s, he and four of his elder brothers gained fame as the Osmond Brothers on the long...  confirmed he had been working with Jackson on in a 2003 television interview
"Holiday Inn"(1984)		Written in 1976
"Hot Fever"(1985)		Written in 1985 Evolved into "The Way You Make Me Feel The Way You Make Me Feel "The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Released by Epic Records in November 1987, it was the third single from Jackson's seventh studio album Bad. Written and composed by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones , the song is credited as being a pop and R&B... "
"Hot Street"		Failed to make the Thriller album as Temperton and Quincy Jones felt that the song was too weak for inclusion
"I Am A Loser"		Written in early 1999 Failed to make the Invincible album
"I Can't Get You Off My Mind"		Jackson worked on the song in the early 1970s. A demo version/mono acetate is known to exist
"I Don't Live Here Anymore"		Written c. 2001 Failed to make the Invincible album
"If You Don't Get It"		Recorded in 2006
"I Forgive You"*		—
"I Have This Dream"†	Carole Bayer Sager	Re-written as "From the Bottom of My Heart" (see above). Also known as "I Have a Dream"
"I Have This Love of Me"*		—
"If You Don't Love Me"		Had been scheduled for release on a shelved special edition of the Dangerous album
"I'm Still the King"		One of the songs Jackson worked on with will.i.am Will.i.am William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...  in 2006 Failed to make the Michael album due to conflict with will.i.am on his views of the album's release.
"In the Valley"*		—
"Iowa"		Classical piece confirmed by sister Janet Jackson Janet Jackson Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...  in a 1993 magazine interview
"It Don't Matter to Me"(2009)		Recorded in 1980.
"Kentucky"*		Written in the mid-1970s
"Kreeton Overture"(1984)		Written in 1984 for the opening of The Jacksons' Victory Tour
"Learned My Lesson"(1985)		Written in 1981 Two versions of the song were registered with the United States Copyright Office. The song is a later version of "Much Too Soon".
"Legacy"(1999)		Written in 1998 Finished in 2006, possibly with will.i.am Will.i.am William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
"Light This Way"	Sheik Abdullah of Bahrain	Recorded in 2005 in Bahrain.
"Little Girls"*		—
"Llama Lola"*		—
"Lonely Bird"*		—
"Lonely Man"*		—
"Lucy Is in Love with Linus"*		—
"Make a Wish"*		—
"Make or Break"*		—
"Maybe We Can Do It"		Features Jackson and Sean Combs Failed to make the Invincible album
"Men in Black"		Had been scheduled for release on a shelved 1990 greatest hits collection
"Michael McKellar"*		—
"MJ Melody"(1984)		Written in 1982
"Monster"	Unknown	Written in 1998 Not to be confused with "Monster" a song featured on the 2010 album Michael Michael (album) Michael is a posthumous album of previously unreleased tracks by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released from December 10, 2010 - January 14, 2011 by Epic Records and Sony Music Entertainment and features guest performances by Akon, 50 Cent, Lenny Kravitz and Dave Grohl...
"Neverland Landing"*		—
"Nite Line"		Written c. 1982 Failed to make the Thriller album Recorded by Randy Crawford Randy Crawford Randy Crawford is an American jazz and R&B singer. She has been more successful in Europe than in the United States, where she has not entered the Billboard Hot 100 as a solo artist...  as "Nightline" and released as a single off the eponymous 1983 album.
"Nymphette Lover"(1984)		Written in 1981
"Ode to Sorrow"(1984)		Written in 1977
"On My Anger"		Written in 1999 Failed to make the Invincible album
"People Have to Make Some Sort of Joke"*		—
"People of the World"*		The song was first released by the Japanese band "J-FRIENDS"
"Peter Pan"		Song mentioned by Jackson on the 1993 CD The Michael Jackson Interview
"Pressure"		Failed to make the Invincible album
"Pyramid Girl"		Written in 1986 Evolved into "Liberian Girl Liberian Girl "Liberian Girl" was the ninth single to be released from Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad. The song was written as early as 1983 and was among those considered for The Jacksons' Victory album. It was reworked and rewritten for Bad... "
"Ready 2 Win"		The song was reportedly recorded by Jackson in 2007 at the Cascios' house.
"Remember This Night"†		—
"Rise Above It All"		Composed and produced by Dr. Freeze during the Invincible sessions Has not been finalized, vocal parts may not have been recorded
"River Ripple"		Jackson wanted to perform this ballad at final dates of the This Is It This Is It (Michael Jackson concerts) This Is It was a planned series of fifty concerts by Michael Jackson to be held at The O2 Arena in London. They were scheduled to begin in July 2009 and continue through to March 2010. However, with all concerts sold out, Jackson died less than three weeks before the first concert date...  tour with an African choir and his children.
"Rolling the Dice"*		Jackson worked on the song with Temperton and Quincy Jones Quincy Jones Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...  during the Thriller recording sessions. Failed to make the Thriller album
"Satisfy"		Mariah Carey Mariah Carey Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...  song featuring Jackson on backing vocals Failed to make Mariah Carey's 2002 Charmbracelet Charmbracelet Charmbracelet is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Mariah Carey, released on December 3, 2002 through Island Records and MonarC Entertainment. The album was her first release since facing a breakdown following the release of her film Glitter and its accompanying... album
"Saved By the Bell"*		—
"Seduction"		Failed to make the Invincible album
"Serious Effect"†		Features rap by LL Cool J LL Cool J James Todd Smith , better known as LL Cool J , is an American rapper, entrepreneur, and actor... Had been scheduled for release on a shelved special edition of the Dangerous album
"Seven Digits"		Failed to make the Dangerous album
"She Got It"†

}
||

Had been scheduled for release on a shelved special edition of the Dangerous album

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"She's Not a Girl"*||
||align=center|—
||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"She's Trouble"*||

||

• Failed to make the Thriller album
• Also known as "Trouble"
• Recorded by Musical Youth
  Musical Youth
  Musical Youth are a British reggae band. The group originally formed in 1979 at Duddeston Manor School in Birmingham, UK. They are best remembered for their successful 1982 Grammy-nominated single, "Pass the Dutchie". The group featured two sets of brothers, Kelvin and Michael Grant, plus Junior...
  
   on their album Different Style! (1984) and released as a single

||
|-
|"She Was Lovin' Me"||

||

• Recorded in 2000
• Failed to make the Invincible album

||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"Siegfried & Roy"⁽¹⁹⁹⁰⁾||||

• Written in 1989 for illusionists Siegfried & Roy
  Siegfried & Roy
  Siegfried & Roy are two German-American former entertainers who became known for their appearances with white lions and white tigers....
  
  
• Two versions—vocal and instrumental—registered with the United States Copyright Office
• Thought to be an early version of "Mind Is the Magic
  Mind Is The Magic: Anthem For The Las Vegas Show
  Mind Is the Magic: Anthem for the Las Vegas Show is a compilation album by Siegfried & Roy, including a Michael Jackson song titled "Mind Is the Magic"...
  
  "

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"Sister Sue"*||||align=center|—||
|-
|"Slapstick"||||

• Worked on by Jackson during the Thriller recording sessions
• The song is an early demo version of "Hot Street"

||
|-
|"Slave to the Rhythm"||
||

• Produced by Tricky Stewart.

||
|-
|"Soldier Boy"||

||

• The song was reportedly recorded by Jackson in 2007 at the Cascios' house.

||
|-
|"Soldier's Entrance"||||

• Worked on by Jackson in 1999 with a view to have it featured on the Invincible album

||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"Somewhere in Time"⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾||||

• Written in 1980

||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"Stand Tall"⁽¹⁹⁸⁵⁾||||

• Written in 1982

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"Starlight"*||||

• Jackson worked on the song during the Thriller recording sessions.
• Referred to by Jackson as "Starlight Sun" during his 1993 deposition; he sang, "Starlight ... Starlight Sun ... Gimme some starlight, for a new day has begun"
• Evolved into "Thriller
  Thriller (song)
  "Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
  
  "
• Demo version exists

||
|-
|"State of Shock"||
||

• One of three songs Jackson worked on with Queen
  Queen (band)
  Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
  
  's Freddie Mercury
  Freddie Mercury
  Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
  
   in 1983
• Different version later released on Victory, with Mick Jagger
  Mick Jagger
  Sir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is an English musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist and a founding member of The Rolling Stones....
  
  .
• Official release of this and the other Jackson-Mercury songs announced by Queen band member Roger Taylor.

||
|-
|bgcolor="#ooff7f"|"Stay"^† (1)||
||

• Written c. 1988
• Not to be confused with the other song titled "Stay", which is associated with the Cascios.

||
|-
|"Stay" (2)||

||

• Not to be confused the former song also titled "Stay".
• The song was reportedly recorded by Jackson in 2007 at the Cascios' house.
• Produced by Tricky Stewart.

|-
|"Stop the War"||
||

• Written c. 1999
• Failed to make the Invincible album.

||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"Susie"⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾||||

• Written in 1978
• Could have evolved into "Little Susie" a song featured on Jacksons 1995 album HIStory

||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"Thank Heaven"⁽¹⁹⁹⁸⁾||||

• Written in 1998

||
|-
|style="background-color: #7B68EE;"|"Thank You for Life"*⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾||||

• Written c. 1976

||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"That"⁽¹⁹⁹⁸⁾||||align=center|—||
|-
|"That Kind of Lover"||
||

• Written c. 2001
• Failed to make the Invincible album

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"The Children's Hour"*||||align=center|—||
|-
|"The Gloved One"||Sisqó

Sisqó

Mark Durrell Andrews , known by his stage name Sisqó, is an American R&B singer and actor. He is best known as the lead singer of R&B group Dru Hill, and also for "Thong Song", a song from his first solo LP, Unleash the Dragon, that became an international hit. - Biography :Sisqó was born Mark...

||

• Written c. 2001
• Failed to make the Invincible album

||
|-
|"The Hunt"||


||align=center|—||
|-
|"The Nightmare of Edgar Alan Poe"||
||

• Written c. 2000
• Had been scheduled to feature in the shelved independently financed film The Nightmare of Edgar Alan Poe, which Jackson was slated to appear in
• Alternatively titled "Edgar Alan Poe"

||
|-
|"The Pain"||

||

• Failed to make the Invincible album

||
|-
|"The Price of Fame"||Unknown||

• Failed to make the Bad album
• Had been scheduled as the theme for a Pepsi commercial starring Jackson, but was replaced by "Bad"

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"The Sky Is the Limit"*||||align=center|—||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"The Toy"⁽¹⁹⁸¹⁾||||

• Written in 1981 for a Richard Pryor
  Richard Pryor
  Richard Franklin Lennox Thomas Pryor was an American stand-up comedian, actor, social critic, writer and MC. Pryor was known for uncompromising examinations of racism and topical contemporary issues, which employed colorful vulgarities, and profanity, as well as racial epithets...
  
   movie

||
|-
|"There Must Be More to Life Than This"||||

• One of three songs Jackson worked on with Queen
  Queen (band)
  Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
  
  's Freddie Mercury in 1983
• Recorded by Freddie Mercury
  Freddie Mercury
  Freddie Mercury was a British musician, singer and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band Queen. As a performer, he was known for his flamboyant stage persona and powerful vocals over a four-octave range...
  
   as a solo version on his album Mr. Bad Guy
  Mr. Bad Guy
  Mr. Bad Guy is the first solo album from Queen singer Freddie Mercury. Released in 1985, during a period in which Queen were on hiatus from recordings, the album contains eleven songs, all written by Mercury....
  
  (1985)
• Official release of this and the other Jackson-Mercury songs announced by Queen band member Roger Taylor.

||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"This Is It"⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾||||

• Written in 1980
• Not to be confused with "This Is It
  This Is It (Michael Jackson song)
  "This Is It" is a song co-written by American pop star and musician Michael Jackson and singer-songwriter Paul Anka. The song was recorded by the former and featured as a track on the album, This Is It , which accompanies the 2009 concert documentary Michael Jackson's This Is It. This was premiered...
  
  " (Also known as "I Never Heard" prior to Jackson's version of the song being released) a song featured on the 2009 soundtrack album Michael Jackson's This Is It

||
|-
|"This Is Our Time"||

||

• Failed to make the Invincible album
• Despite rumours to the contrary, the song was not recorded as a duet with Hill.

||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"Throwin' Your Life Away"⁽¹⁹⁸⁸⁾||||

• Written in 1988

||
|-
|"To Satisfy You"||
||

• Written during the Dangerous recording sessions, but Jackson did not like it and gave it to Loren for his 1992 album Music From the New World
• Solo recording by Michael Jackson known to exist

||
|-
|style="background-color: #7B68EE;"|"Tomboy"*⁽¹⁹⁸⁵⁾||||

• Written in 1985
• Failed to make the Bad album
• Mistakenly believed by some fans to have been written by Quincy Jones
  Quincy Jones
  Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
  
  
• Also known as "Townboy"

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"Tragedy of a Cheer-leader"*||||align=center|—||
|-
|"Trial of the Century"||Unknown||

• Written and possibly recorded in 2006 with a number of rappers, such as 50 Cent
  50 Cent
  Curtis James Jackson III , better known by his stage name 50 Cent, is an American rapper, entrepreneur, investor, record producer, and actor. He rose to fame with the release of his albums Get Rich or Die Tryin and The Massacre . Get Rich or Die Tryin has been certified eight times platinum by...
  
  , Lucy Diamonds and DJ Whoo Kid
  DJ Whoo Kid
  DJ Whoo Kid is a hip hop DJ and of Haitian descent raised in Queens Village, New York but with strong roots to Cap-Haïtien, Haiti. He is currently signed to G-Unit Records and its subsidiary label, Shady Ville Entertainment...
  
  .

||
|-
|"Tubeway"||||

• Written c. 1999
• Failed to make the Invincible album

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"Turning Me Off"*||||align=center|—||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"Under Your Skin"⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾||||

• Written in 1979

||
|-
|bgcolor="#ooff7f"|"Unknown"^†||||

• It is unclear whether the song is titled "Unknown" or the song title is unknown.

||
|-
|"Vibrationist"||
||

• Written c. 1999
• Failed to make the Invincible album

||
|-
|"Victory"||
||

• One of three songs Jackson worked on with Queen
  Queen (band)
  Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
  
  's Freddie Mercury in 1983
• Demo version known to exist
• Official release of this and the other Jackson-Mercury songs announced by Queen band member Roger Taylor.

||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"We Are the Ones"⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾||||

• Written in 1978

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"What a Lonely Way to Go"*||||

• Written in 1975

||
|-
|"What About Us"||||

• Written originally for the Dangerous album
• Evolved into "Earth Song
  Earth Song
  "Earth Song" is the third single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It is the fifth song on the second disc of the album. It is a ballad that incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Jackson had a long-standing history of releasing socially conscious...
  
  "

||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"What You Do to Me"⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾||||

• Written in 1985
• First registered with the United States Copyright Office in 1985
• Failed to make the Bad album
• Re-registered with the United States Copyright Office in 1998, having possibly been re-written
• Failed to make the Invincible album

||
|-
|"What's a Guy Gotta Do"||||

• Written in 2000
• Failed to make the Invincible album

||
|-
|bgcolor="#ooff7f"|"What's It Gonna Be"^†||||

• The song is not "What's It Gonna Be?!
  What's It Gonna Be?!
  "What's It Gonna Be?!" is a single released in 1999 by rapper Busta Rhymes Featuring R&B singer Janet Jackson. It proved to be an international success, gaining the highest peak on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at #3....
  
  ", recorded by Jackson's sister Janet
  Janet Jackson
  Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
  
   and Busta Rhymes
  Busta Rhymes
  Trevor Tahiem Smith, Jr., better known by his stage name Busta Rhymes ,Smith is an American rapper, producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the alias Busta Rhymes after NFL wide receiver George "Buster" Rhymes...
  
  

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"What's Your Life"*||
||align=center|—||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"Who Do You Know"*||||

• Written c. 1981
• Failed to make the Thriller album

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"Who Is the Girl with Her Hair Down"*||||align=center|—||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"Why Can't I Be"⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾||||

• Written in 1980

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"Why Shy"*||||align=center|—||
|-
|"Wonderful World of Candy"||||

• Written and recorded by Jackson in duet with Nisha Kataria in 2003 for a forthcoming album.

||
|-
|"Xscape"||||

• Recorded during the Invincible recording sessions
• Also known as "Escape" or "Xcape"

||
|-
|style="background-color: #7B68EE;"|"You Ain't Gonna Change Nothin'"*⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾||||

• Written in 1975

||
|-
|style="background-color: #bbddff;"|"You Are a Liar"*||||

• Failed to make the Invincible album
• Also known as "You're a Liar" and "You're a Liar, Brother"

||
|-
|"You Are So Beautiful"||||

• Song Jackson began writing during his 2005 child sexual abuse trial
  People v. Jackson
  People vs. Jackson was a 2005 trial involving recording artist Michael Jackson. The accuser was a boy, Gavin Arvizo, who was 13 years old at the time of the alleged crimes...
  
  , as a thank you to his fans for their ongoing support

||
|-
|style="background-color: #FF99EB;"|"You Told Me Your Lovin'"⁽¹⁹⁸⁴⁾||||

• Written in 1979
• A second unreleased version exists, with words and music by Jackson's brother Randy.

||
|-
|"You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me"||||

• Originally recorded in 1975 by Jermaine Jackson
  Jermaine Jackson
  Jermaine La Jaune Jackson is an American singer, bassist, composer, a member of The Jackson 5, older brother of American pop stars Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson and occasional film director...
  
  , with Wonder, Jackie Jackson
  Jackie Jackson
  Sigmund Esco "Jackie" Jackson is an American singer and musician, a member of The Jackson 5, and the second child in the Jackson family.-Life and career:...
  
   and Michael on backing vocals
• Re-cut solo version by Jermaine featured on his 1980 Let's Get Serious
  Let's Get Serious (Jermaine Jackson album)
  Let's Get Serious is an album by Jermaine Jackson, released in 1980. It reached #6 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Top R&B chart. The title track peaked at #1 on the soul charts...
  
  album, replacing the original recording featuring brother Michael

||
|-
|}

Future albums

Following the massive surge in sales of Jackson's catalogue following his death, Sony Music Entertainment, spearheaded by its Columbia/Epic Label Group division, signed a new deal with the Jackson estate to extend distribution rights to his back catalogue until 2015, which was later extended to 2017, as well as permission to release ten new projects with previously unreleased material and new collections of released work. Also included was a video game and other projects. The first album was released on December 14, 2010, the final album is to release in December 2017. The deal was unprecedented in the music industry as it is the most expensive music contract to a single artist in history, with Sony Music reportedly paying $250 million for the deal and with the Jackson estate getting the full sum as well as its share of royalties for all works released.

The first and much anticipated album of newly completed recordings from Michael Jackson, entitled Michael

Michael (album)

Michael is a posthumous album of previously unreleased tracks by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released from December 10, 2010 - January 14, 2011 by Epic Records and Sony Music Entertainment and features guest performances by Akon, 50 Cent, Lenny Kravitz and Dave Grohl...

, was announced on November 4, and was released on December 10, 2010 and December 14, 2010 in the United States by Epic Records in conjunction with the Estate of Michael Jackson.