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Best Michael Jackson Songs That Didn’t Reach #1

Published on August 29, 2014

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1. Ease On Down The Road (1978)

Ease On Down The Road (1978)
MJ & Diana Ross recorded this duet as the theme song for the film The Wiz. Even though the song is performed 4 times in the movie it never went higher than #17 on the U.S. Billboard charts.

2. Off The Wall (1980)

Off The Wall (1980)
Off The Wall was the third song released from the album of the same name. It was preceded by Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough & Rock With You both of which went #1. It peaked at #5 on the charts.

3. P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) (1983)

P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing) (1983)
31 years later P.Y.T. is still used to describe Pretty Young Things. But at the time it teetered out at #46 on the Black singles charts. SMH

4. Wanna Be Starting Something (1983)

Wanna Be Starting Something (1983)
The fourth song off of the Thriller album known for its famous chant of “Mama-say mama-sah ma-ma-coo-sah” only reached #5.

5. Thriller (1983)

Thriller (1983)
The video is probably MJ’s most recognized and copied ever. But the song topped out at #3 on the charts. Producer Quincy Jones admitted that people “didn’t get the song” until after seeing the video.

6. Smooth Criminal (1988)

Smooth Criminal (1988)
The 7th single released from the Bad album. Who doesn’t remember the famous “lean” dancing sequence in this video? Well it wasn’t enough to push this song to #1. It leaned out at #2 in the U.S. Billboard Charts.

7. Jam (1991)

Jam (1991)
The first Michael Jackson song to feature a guest appearence from a rapper. Heavy D helped this song reach #3 on the U.S. Billboard charts.

8. Scream (1995)

Scream (1995)
The first song released from HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. Scream is a duet with superstar sister Janet Jackson. That wasn’t enough to push the song to #1. Has it pulled up to #2 on the U.S. Billboard charts.
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