"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson recorded for his sixth studio album Thriller (1982). It is the opening track of the album and was released as its fourth single on May 9, 1983, by Epic Records. It was written and co-produced by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones. The lyrics pertain to strangers spreading rumors to start an argument for no good reason. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" evokes the disco sound of Jackson's previous studio album, Off the Wall, released in 1979. The song is characterized by a complex rhythm arrangement and a distinctive horn arrangement.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" became Jackson's fourth consecutive top 10 single from Thriller on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number five. The song also topped the charts in Canada as well as the Netherlands and charted within the top 20 and top 30 in several countries. It was generally well received by contemporary music critics. As part of the release of Thriller 25, a remix of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", titled "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008 with Akon", was recorded with Akon, and released as the second single from the album. The remix was commercially successful, mainly charting within the top 10 in six countries, as well as the top 20 in several territories worldwide and top 40 in Canada. It was more successful internationally than in the United States, having peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 81, which was the song's lowest charting position.
Unlike previous singles from Thriller, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" did not have a music video to accompany it but was performed by Jackson on world concert tours as both a member of The Jacksons and as a solo artist. Following Jackson's death in June 2009, the song re-entered music charts worldwide. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" has been covered and sampled by multiple recording artists since its release, notably by Rihanna in her 2007 song "Don't Stop the Music", who was sued as a result. Aside from Thriller, the song appears on multiple compilation and greatest hits albums by Jackson.
Background
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was written, composed and co-produced by Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones. It was originally written for his sister La Toya Jackson about her troubled relationship with her sisters-in-law,[citation needed] but Michael ended up recording the song, and La Toya sometimes performs the song at her concerts. The song was originally recorded in 1978 for the inclusion on the Off the Wall album, but was later re-recorded in fall 1982, in Los Angeles, California.[3] "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was one of the four songs that Jackson received writing credits on for his sixth studio album Thriller in 1982.[3] The song was released by Epic Records as the fourth single from the album. Unlike Thriller's previous singles, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" did not have a film or a music video released to promote it.
Aside from Thriller, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" has appeared on multiple compilation and greatest hits albums by Jackson since the song's release.[4] "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" appeared on the first disc of Jackson's two-disc compilation album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I in 1995 as well as the 25th anniversary edition of Thriller, titled Thriller 25, and the greatest hits album King of Pop; both albums were released in 2008.[4] The song is also included on the box set collection released in 2004, The Ultimate Collection, the greatest hits album The Essential Michael Jackson, the compilation album This Is It, and the special box set The Collection released days after Jackson's death.[4] Some versions of the 1995 Earth Song CD single included the Brothers in Rhythm Mix and Tommy D's Main Mix as B-sides. The song was also remixed to the Immortal album in 2011. The demo version of the song was also released in This Is It (2009).
Composition
A post-disco and funk song,[5][6] "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was viewed as a nod to the disco sound of Jackson's material on his previous studio album, Off the Wall, released in 1979.[4] Arranged by Jackson himself and played by percussionistPaulinho da Costa, the song's rhythm was regarded as a "complex interweaving of drum-machine patterns and work", while the horn section, arranged by Jerry Hey, was described as both "brassy and precise".[4]Slant Magazine commented that the song was a "complicated tapestry of colliding hooks and pop references." The song's lyrics, "Too high to get over, too low to get under", has strong similarities to Funkadelic's opening salvo for "One Nation Under a Groove".[7]
The lyrics pertain to the media and press, as well as gossip and people trying to start arguments or problems for no reason, which he states in the lyrics, "Someone's always tryin' to start my baby crying," and then goes to a more "quasi paranoia" yield in the "near-bitterness" chorus, 'You're a vegetable, you're a vegetable/ You're just a buffet, you're a vegetable/ They'll eat off you, you're a vegetable.'"[8] In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", Jackson's vocal range spans from E3 to A5. The sheet music for the song shows four sharps with a suggested tempo of "moderately bright" in common time.[9] It has a basic sequence of D/E–E–D/E–E as its chord progression.[9] The coda at the end of the song - "Mama-say mama-sah ma-ma-coo-sah" - is a variant of a lyric in Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango's 1972 disco song "Soul Makossa".[10][7]Makossa is a Cameroonian music genre and dance. Dibango sued Jackson and, in 1986, settled out of court for one million French francs, agreeing thereby to waive future rights to this recording but not future use of the material.[10][11][12]
Critical reception
Christopher Connelly, a writer for Rolling Stone, described "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" as being Thriller's "most combative track".[8] Connelly noted that in the "hyperactive" song, Jackson's "emotions are so raw that the song nearly goes out of control".[8] He further commented that the song has a "tune that's almost as exciting as seeing Jackson motivate himself across a concert stage – and a lot more unpredictable".[8] Remarking that while the song's lyrics "won't keep Elvis Costello awake nights", they "do show that Jackson has progressed past the hey-let's-hustle sentiments that dominated Off the Wall".[8] He added that Jackson's "raw ability and conviction make material like 'Baby Be Mine' and 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'' into first-class cuts".[8]Cash Box called the song a "smash," specifically praising the "danceable groove...superb arrangement and strange but ultimately uplifting lyrics."[13]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, a writer for AllMusic, listed "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", along with "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Human Nature", as being the best songs from Thriller. He also described the song as the "freshest funk on the album".[6] Eric Herderson, a writer for Slant Magazine, commented that with "three quick rimshots", he felt that "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was like a "court fanfare".[7]Robert Christgau, a music critic, commented that he'd "expect to bear more" of Thriller's "Wanna Be Startin' Something" and "Thriller" on the "dancefloor" rather than in his "living room".[14] "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" received one Grammy Award nomination; it was nominated for "Best R&B Song" at the 1984 Grammy Awards, but lost to "Billie Jean," another of Jackson's singles from Thriller.[15]
Pitchfork ranked this song No. 2 on its list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s", saying that "if you're going to become the biggest star in the world, it helps to make the biggest song".[16]
Chart performance
In 1983, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" had a good chart performance worldwide. The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart top ten positions on July 2, 1983, at number nine, having moved up six places from the song's previous week.[17] On July 16, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" charted at number five, which was the song's peak position on the chart.[18] The song's peak position made "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" Thriller's fourth consecutive single to peak within the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100.[4] It was more commercially successful than Thriller's follow-up single "Human Nature" on the Billboard Hot 100, with the song peaking on the chart at number seven.[19] The song also peaked within the top ten, at number five, on the Black Singles Chart.[19]
Internationally, the song was commercially successful, mainly charting within the top 20 and top 30 on music charts. In the United Kingdom, on June 11, 1983, the song entered the chart's top 40 positions at number 38.[20] The following week, the song moved up 24 positions to number 14,[21] and on June 25, the song peaked within the top ten at number eight.[22] The song remained on the charts for a total of nine weeks in 1983.[21] In New Zealand, on July 24, 1983, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" entered the charts at number 47. The following week, the song peaked at number 35, which was its peak position, and remained in the top 50 of the chart for three weeks.[23] "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" entered the Dutch charts on July 9, 1983, charting within the top five at number four. The following week, the song charted at number three, which was its peak position, for three consecutive weeks. The song charted within the top ten for several weeks, and remained in the top 20 for ten weeks in 1983.[24]
In 2008, after the release of Thriller 25 the song re-entered music charts worldwide. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" entered the Italian music charts on February 21, 2008, charting at number 14; it remained on the chart for only one week.[25] The song entered the Danish music charts on February 28, charting within the top 30 at number 29. The following week, it peaked at number 22.[26] In Switzerland, the song entered the top 50 at number 47 on February 24, 2008. The following week, the song peaked at number 30. After a total of six weeks on the chart the song, fell out of the top 100, and after four weeks re-entered the chart at number 83, before falling off the chart again.[27]
Following Jackson's death in June 2009, his music experienced a surge in popularity.[28] "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" re-entered the United Kingdom charts on July 4, 2009, and peaked at number 57 the following week.[29] On July 12, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" re-entered Switzerland music charts for the second time. The song charted at number 37, which was its peak position, and remained on the charts for three weeks, before charting out of the top 100 positions.[27]
Live performances
Jackson and background dancers performing "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" during rehearsals for the This Is It concerts. Video footage of performances of the song were used in the film Michael Jackson's This Is It in 2009.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' " was one of the songs released as a single without an accompanying video. It nonetheless has attained a popularity rivaling its sister compositions on the album, and became Jackson's song of choice for opening live concerts, although not being as strictly associated with a specific dance routine as those others has arguably allowed for more flexibility in performances and staging.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", along with "Beat It" and "Billie Jean", was also used on every set list of Jackson's tours, from the Victory Tour in 1984, right the way through to the HIStory Tour in 1997. Unlike most of the other songs performed live, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was never lip-synced during any of Jackson's tours.
The song was first performed by Jackson as both a member of The Jacksons as well as a solo artist during world concert tours. It was performed by Jackson during the Jacksons final world concert series, including the Victory Tour in 1984, for which it was the tour's opening song. Similar to the Victory Tour, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was the Bad World Tour opening song on both tour legs. The concert series lasted from 1987 to 1989. A version was released on the 2012 DVD Live at Wembley July 16, 1988.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was also performed during Jackson's Dangerous World Tour from June 1992 to November 1993. The next, and what would be the last performance of the song, was during Jackson's world concert tour, HIStory World Tour, from 1996 to 1997.
Since March 2009, Jackson was preparing to perform "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" during his This Is It concert series from July 13, 2009 to March 6, 2010.[30] During rehearsals at Staples Center for the This Is It comeback concerts in London at The O2 Arena, Jackson's performance of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" contained an a cappella snippet of "Speechless", from Jackson's studio album Invincible (2001). Following Jackson's death in June of the same year, video footage of Jackson rehearsing the song was used as the opening song in the 2009 concert documentary, Michael Jackson's This Is It.[31]
Manu Dibango controversy
After Barbadian pop singer Rihanna sampled the song in her 2007 hit single "Don't Stop the Music",[32][33] she and Jackson were both sued in February 2009 (four months before Jackson's death) by Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango, who claimed that both songs used the "mama-say mama-sa mama-coo-sa" hook from his 1972 single "Soul Makossa" without permission. According to Agence France-Presse, Jackson admitted earlier that he had borrowed the line for "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" and had eventually settled financially with Dibango. However, when Rihanna asked only Jackson's permission to sample the line in 2007, Jackson allegedly approved the request without contacting Dibango beforehand. Dibango's attorneys brought the case before a court in Paris, demanding €500,000 in damages and for Sony BMG, EMI and Warner Music to be "barred from receiving 'mama-say mama-sa'-related income until the matter is resolved".[11] Dibango lost the case in Paris, after it turned out that Universal Music had updated its database and added Dibango into the list of those credited for Rihanna's song.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was re-recorded for the 2008 re-issue of Thriller, titled Thriller 25. The song was titled on the CD sleeve as "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008 with Akon". Recorded in November 2007, the 2008 version was remixed, co-written and co-produced by Akon.[55] The single of that song was the last one released during Jackson's lifetime.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, with critics having felt that while the 2008 version was good, it was not better than the original, but was better than other re-issues on Thriller 25. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic commented that "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was turned into a "moody piano murk".[56] He further commented that while the song is not great, "it is better than Fergie parroting the lyrics of 'Beat It' back to a recorded Jackson, and it's better than will.i.am turning 'The Girl Is Mine' into a hapless dance number".[56] Rob Sheffield, a writer for Rolling Stone, commented that "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is "actually kind of great" and praised the song's composition.[57]
The song was released by Epic Records and Legacy Recordings on March 21, 2008.[58] It was commercially a modest success internationally, charting within the top 20 in several countries, as well charting within the top ten in four territories.[59] The song charted at number three in Sweden,[60] number four in New Zealand,[61] number eight in Australia[58] and number ten in France.[62] "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" charted at number 15 in Belgium's Flanders and Wallonia charts.[59] and also charted at number 20 in Italy.[63] In the US, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" peaked at number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100, giving the song its lowest charting position. The song also charted on the Pop charts at number 48, as well as number 47 on the Pop Hot 100 Airplay.[19]
Other charting positions include number 47 on the Billboard Hot Digital Songs and the Hot Canadian Digital Singles Chart at number 33.[19] It also peaked at number 2 on the Dance Club Songs chart.[19] "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" also reached number 19 on the year-end chart of Dance Club Play Song. A music video to promote the single and album consisted of a montage of previous Michael Jackson music videos and concert footage, and also clips of Akon singing his parts.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" (Johnny Vicious full club remix) – 9:03
Remix credits
Written and produced by Michael Jackson, Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Giorgio Tuinfort
Lead vocals by Aliaune "Akon" Thiam and Michael Jackson (on second verse)
Background vocals by Michael Jackson
Mixed by Mark "Evil" Goodchild
Recorded in November 2007
Cover versions and uses in popular culture
At her Sticky & Sweet Tour, Madonna and a dancer impersonating Jackson performed a medley of Jackson's music while photos of Jackson throughout his life were shown on a screen behind them.
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" has been covered and sampled by multiple recording artists since its release.
Jackson's elder sister La Toya Jackson has frequently covered the song. She used it to open her set at 1993's Sopot Song Festival, on MDR in the 1990s, and on the sixth season of the United Kingdom television show Celebrity Big Brother in 2009.[73]
One week after Jackson's death, Madonna used that song as part of a medley of Jackson's songs as a tribute, during her second leg of her Sticky & Sweet Tour in July 2009. A dancer impersonated Jackson, performing his signature moves, like spinning, moonwalking and gyrating.[76]
Glee used it as the opening song in its "Michael" episode (2012). This cover debuted and peaked at number 78 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 46 on the Digital Songs chart and number 88 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart at the week of February 18, 2012. Darren Criss performed the song.[77]
Ashaye covered the song as part of his single "Michael Jackson Melody" in 1983.[78]
"Billie Jean" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 2, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones and co-produced by Jackson. "Billie Jean" blends post-disco, R&B, funk, and dance-pop. The lyrics describe a woman, Billie Jean, who claims that the narrator is the father of her newborn son, which he denies. Jackson said the lyrics were based on groupies' claims about his older brothers when he toured with them as the Jackson 5.
Thriller is the sixth studio album by the American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, released on November 29, 1982, by Epic Records. It was produced by Quincy Jones, who had previously worked with Jackson on his 1979 album Off the Wall and who would later produce his 1987 album Bad. Jackson wanted to create an album where "every song was a killer". With the ongoing backlash against disco music at the time, he moved in a new musical direction, resulting in a mix of pop, post-disco, rock, funk, synth-pop, and R&B sounds. Thriller foreshadows the contradictory themes of Jackson's personal life, as he began using a motif of paranoia and darker themes. Paul McCartney appears on "The Girl Is Mine", the first credited appearance of a featured artist on a Michael Jackson album. Recording took place from April to November 1982 at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles, California, with a budget of $750,000.
"Thriller" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records in November 1983 in the UK and on January 23, 1984, in the US, as the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album, Thriller.
"Rock with You" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, written by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. It was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down. It was released in October 1979, by Epic Records as the second single from Jackson's fifth solo studio album Off the Wall (1979). It was also the third number-one hit of the 1980s, a decade in which the pop singles chart would quickly be dominated by Jackson.
"P.Y.T. " is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It is the sixth single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller (1982). The song was written by James Ingram and Quincy Jones.
American singer Michael Jackson released 67 singles as a lead artist, and 10 as a featured artist. One of the best-selling artists of all time, his album and single sales as of 2013 stood at 400 million. In the United States, Jackson amassed 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles and was the first artist to have a top-ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades. In 2012, Jackson was ranked the fifth best selling singles artist in the United Kingdom with 15.3 million singles sold.
"Human Nature" is a song performed by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, and the fifth single from his sixth solo album, Thriller. The track was produced by Quincy Jones and performed by members of Toto with Michael Jackson providing vocals.
"Soul Makossa" is a song by Cameroonian saxophonist and songwriter Manu Dibango, released as a single in 1972. It is the most sampled African song in history. The song was originally recorded as the B-side for "Hymne de la 8e Coupe d'Afrique des Nations", a song celebrating the Cameroon national football team's accession to the quarterfinals of the Africa Cup of Nations football tournament, as well as Cameroon's hosting the games for the first time; the lyrics were written by Cameroonian poet and musicologist S.M. Eno Belinga. Except for some words in English, it was written in Duala, a native dialect continuum from Cameroon. Manu Dibango later recorded a new version for his 1994 album Wakafrika, titled "Mouvement Ewondo".
Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam, known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, songwriter, actor, and businessman. An influential figure in modern world music, he rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of his single "Locked Up". Styled in hip hop, it preceded the release of his debut studio album Trouble (2004), which became his commercial breakthrough and spawned the R&B-styled follow-up, "Lonely" the following year.
"I Wanna Love You" is a song written and recorded by American singer Akon featuring American rapper Snoop Dogg. It was released in October 2006 as the second single from his second studio album, Konvicted. It is also featured on Snoop Dogg's eighth album, Tha Blue Carpet Treatment. This song was Akon's first #1 single on the Billboard Hot 100 and was also Snoop's second #1 on the same chart. It also reached a peak of #3 on the UK Singles Chart. The track originally had Akon as a featured artist and was performed by rapper Plies from Fort Myers, Florida, but his verse was replaced by Snoop's and his name has been left out from the writers' credits. This song was #88 on MTV Asia's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 50th Grammy Awards in 2008.
"Don't Stop the Music" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). It was released worldwide on September 7, 2007, as the album's fourth single. The song was written by Tawanna Dabney and its producers StarGate. Michael Jackson also received a songwriting credit for the sampling of the line "Mama-say, mama-sa, ma-ma-koosa" from Jackson's 1983 single "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". Both Rihanna and Jackson were sued by Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango, who asserted that the hook originated in his 1972 song "Soul Makossa". "Don't Stop the Music" is a dance track that features rhythmic devices used primarily in hip hop music.
"Beat It" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, Thriller (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to include a rock song on the album. Jackson later said: "I wanted to write a song, the type of song that I would buy if I were to buy a rock song... and I wanted the children to really enjoy it—the school children as well as the college students." It includes a guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen.
King of Pop is a compilation album by American singer and recording artist Michael Jackson, released in commemoration of his 50th birthday in 2008. The album title comes from the honorific title Jackson himself acquired approximately 20 years earlier.
Thriller 25 is the 25th-anniversary edition reissue of Thriller (1982), the sixth studio album by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson. The original album has sold 70 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of all time. Thriller 25 was released by Sony BMG's reissue division, Legacy Recordings. Along with the original material, the reissue contains remixes, new material, a DVD and collaborations with contemporary artists. Thriller 25 was one of the last recorded works released during Jackson's lifetime, and the last he was extensively involved with, as Jackson co-produced all of the newly remixed tracks.
Freedom is the third studio album by Senegalese-American singer Akon. The album was originally named Acquitted; however, Akon changed it before it was released. It was released as a download on December 1, 2008, and in stores December 2, 2008. The album debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200 with 110,600 copies sold in its first week.
"Hold My Hand" is a duet performed by American singer-songwriters Michael Jackson and Akon, from Jackson's first posthumous album Michael (2010). The song was originally recorded by Akon and Jackson in 2007. The song was an international top 10 hit in nations such as Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
"Behind the Mask" is a 1979 song by the Japanese synth-pop group Yellow Magic Orchestra. The composer, Ryuichi Sakamoto, wrote the first version for a television commercial. This was expanded with the band and the British lyricist Chris Mosdell for inclusion on the 1979 Yellow Magic Orchestra album Solid State Survivor. In the US and the UK, "Behind the Mask" was released as a single from the album X∞Multiplies in 1980.
"Let the Groove Get In" is a song recorded by American singer-songwriter Justin Timberlake for his third studio album, The 20/20 Experience (2013). It was written and produced by Timberlake, Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon, with additional writing from James Fauntleroy. A latin song, "Let the Groove Get In" contains sample from the recording "Alhamdulillaahi" part of the release Explore Series: Africa-Burkina Faso: Rhythms of the Grasslands (2002). Music critics received the song well and noticed a similarity between it and the works of Michael Jackson in particular his 1983 single "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'". Following the release of The 20/20 Experience, it debuted at number 31 on the South Korea International Chart and at number nine on the US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles chart.
↑ Pitchfork Staff (August 24, 2015). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 18, 2022. The song takes on a lot of musical heft too, mostly because it sounds like everything: lithe funk and disco like the kind Jackson made on Off the Wall, aggressive, mathy rock, African pop, experimental music.
↑ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved May 29, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Michael Jackson".
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