Michael Jackson (partially found unpublished songs from American musician; 1974-2009)

This article has been tagged as Needing work due to its lack of references and blatant plagerism.

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Jackson during a rehearsal for the This is It concerts, which were ultimately cancelled due to his death.

Status: Partially Found

Michael Joseph Jackson (1958-2009) was an American musician and entertainer. Initially, the lead singer of the family band The Jackson 5/The Jacksons from 1964 to 1984 before branching off into a solo career in 1971, Jackson maintained a high level of success and popularity throughout much of his life, earning praise for his breaking of racial barriers and innovative musical techniques and dance moves. He was one of the most popular artists in the world, the best-selling prior to his death, and the best-selling deceased artist. In particular, his 1982 album Thriller is noted by Guinness World Records as being the highest-selling album of all time, with an estimated 66 million copies sold since its release.

Having had a volatile relationship with tabloids and the general mass media throughout the peak of his fame, particularly due to his eccentric public behavior and dramatic changes in physical appearance (itself the result of a combination of vitiligo, lupus, weight loss, and multiple plastic surgeries), Jackson experienced a sudden and severe fall from grace after two high-profile accusations of child molestation in 1993 and 2003. After spending the majority of the 1990's and 2000's in relative seclusion, he planned to make a comeback in 2009 via the This is It residency show, a series of 50 concerts spanning from June 23 of that year to March 6, 2010. However, two weeks before the show was due to begin, Jackson fatally overdosed on propofil and benzodiazepenes due to medical malpractice. While his death, like those of any other celebrity, sparked a resurgence in public interest and admiration of his life, career and music, his passing also had one other effect: an amplified fan interest in his unpublished music.

Background on the Unreleased Songs

It is common for musicians to record and scrap a multitude of songs throughout their careers, and indeed, Michael Jackson had allegedly recorded up to 50,000+ different songs in the sessions for and years between the ten different albums released during his lifetime, many of which were intended to see a release on his albums. However, for varying reasons (such as concerns over album length, legal conflicts, and the desire for certain kinds of "sounds" per album), most of these songs were left in the studio.

The most infamous case in regards to these unused songs are the alleged three dozen or so songs recorded for Jackson's 1991 album Dangerous, most of which were shelved upon the hiring of producer Teddy Riley, who shifted the album's genre to the then-popular new jack swing. Select tracks from these sessions were intended to be included on a second bonus CD included with the 2001 re-issue of Dangerous (itself part of a campaign to celebrate Jackson's 30th anniversary as a solo performer), but for unknown reasons, this extra material was dropped.

Some of Jackson's unreleased songs include both solo works and Jackson 5 songs, covers of pre-existing works, collaborations with other singers such as Freddie Mercury and LL Cool J, and demos that were reworked into songs officially released by either Jackson or other artists.

Hunting Down the Harmonies

Public knowledge of and interest in Jackson's own unreleased works didn't seem to begin until 1993, when he, Lionel Richie, Quincy Jones, Rod Temperton, and Joseph Jackson were accused of plagiarizing the songs "This Girl is Mine", "Thriller", and "We Are the World". During the resultant seven-hour deposition (which ended in the acquittal of the accused parties), Michael Jackson named thirty-seven different songs that he had written or co-written but never published. This event was not only the first public acknowledgement of Jackson's unpublished catalog but also the first known instance where any of these tracks were referred to by name.

The next high-profile development in the uncovering of these unreleased tracks came shortly after Jackson's death when his sister La Toya claimed that she had discovered two hard drives containing over a thousand unreleased (and in some cases unregistered) songs recorded by her late brother.

Additionally, a considerable number of unreleased songs were leaked online in the years following the release of 2001's Invincible and especially in the years following his death; YouTube channels such as Sven Nelson have made it a mission of sorts to continuously upload as much of these tracks as possible to keep them publicly accessible. One notable leaked track was "A Place With No Name", a 24-second snippet of which was briefly released by TMZ Network before being officially published posthumously in 2014.

Official Releases

On the note of "A Place with No Name," the post-mortem resurgence in Michael Jackson's popularity and increased interest in his unreleased tracks motivated Sony Music Entertainment, the owner of Jackson's record label Epic Records, to sign an unprecedented $250 million deal with his estate to maintain distribution rights for the unreleased songs and officially publish them on several posthumous albums throughout the 2010's.

The first of these albums, Michael, was released in 2010, with most of the tracks having been recorded in the years between the release of Invincible and Jackson's passing. The album was released to mixed critical reception and generated controversy over the authenticity of the tracks "Keep Your Head Up", "Monster", and "Breaking News", colloquially known (alongside several other still-unreleased songs) as the “Cascio Tracks” on account of them having reportedly been recorded in the basement of Eddie Cascio in 2007; those contesting the tracks' authenticity claim that the recordings presented on Michael were done by Italian R&B singer and Michael Jackson soundalike Jason Malachi.

The next two albums to feature unreleased Jackson material were Bad 25 (a reissue of 1987's Bad that includes several previously unpublished tracks and demos) in 2012 and Xscape (which includes the aforementioned "A Place With No Name") in 2014; these albums, particularly Xscape, generated much higher acclaim from critics and fans alike. Notably, the deluxe version of Xscape included the original demo recordings of the included tracks as well as the final, contemporized remixes included on the standard edition.

Because 2017 marks the expiration time of SME's distribution rights to Jackson's unreleased songs, it is unknown if any more of these tracks will see official releases. While one could speculate that the Jackson estate would extend the rights-holding period or sign the late singer's backlog to another producer, as of now, there is no definite answer as to what his family's current plans are for his unreleased music.

What We Know

The following section of the article is dedicated to listing all of the unreleased tracks known to exist; this includes songs that have been officially posthumously published, leaked online, or mentioned by name.

Status Guide

Label	Definition
Lost	No portions publicly available
Partially leaked	Available as snippets; not officially published
Leaked	Available in full; not officially published
Partially released	Officially published in fragments during Jackson's lifetime or after his death; full version not officially available
Released	Officially published via posthumous album

Songs unreleased during Michael Jackson's lifetime

Title	Writer	Method of acknowledgement	Notes	Status
A Baby Smiles	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written and recorded in 1979	Lost
A Deeper Love	Rodney Jerkins, Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written in 1999 for Invincible	Lost
A Place With No Name	Michael Jackson, Lee Martin Burnell, Elliot Straite	Snippet leaked by TMZ shortly after Jackson's death	Recorded from 1998-2008, during and beyond the Invincible sessions; lyrics written around the melody to America's “A Horse With No Name”	Released
A Pretty Face Is	Stevie Wonder	Unknown	Written circa 1974; intended as a duet with the Jackson 5; reportedly recorded for Wonder's 1987 album Characters	Lost
Addams Groove	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1993 for Addams Family Values but cancelled due to contractual difficulties with Paramount Pictures; alternatively known as “Family Thing”, “Family Values”, or “Family Morales”	Partially Leaked
Adore You	Michael Jackson, Brad Buxer	Title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	Written and recorded in 2009 during the This is It sessions	Lost
Al Capone	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded from 1986-1987 during the Bad sessions; early version of “Smooth Criminal”; alternatively known-- possibly erroneously-- as “Chicago 1945” (not to be confused with the identically-named unreleased track written by Steve Porcaro)	Released
Alright Now	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1983 as a demo for Ralph Tresvant; Tresvant's version was released on his eponymous debut album	Lost (Jackson demo)
Angel	Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds	Unknown	Recorded around 1998 for a shelved greatest hits compilation	Lost
Attitude	Michael Jackson, Kathy Wakefield, Michael Pierre	Registered with EMI Music Publishing	Recorded during the Thriller sessions	Lost
Bassouille	Michael Jackson, Bruce Swedien	Unknown	Written in 1994 during the HIStory sessions; alternatively known as “Basszouille”	Lost
Behind the Mask	Ryuichi Sakamoto, Chris Mosdell, Michael Jackson	Existence revealed by Sony to promote Michael	Recorded in 1982 during the Thriller sessions; cover of an instrumental track by Yellow Magic Orchestra; planned for inclusion on Thriller, but cut due to royalty issues with YMO; Jackson version covered by Eric Clapton and included on his 1987 album August, 23 years prior to the Jackson version's official release	Released
Be Me 4 a Day	Michael Jackson, Gray Calix Days	Registered with Broadcast Music Incorporated	Written in 1987; also known as “Be Me for a Day”, “Just for One Day Be Michael”, “Just for a Day”, “Me 4 a Day”, or “Be Michael”	Lost
Belong 2	Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley	Unknown	Written in 1999 during the Invincible sessions	Lost
Best of Joy	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 2009 during the This is It sessions; one of the final tracks recorded by Jackson before his death	Released
Blue Gangsta	Michael Jackson, Elliot Straite	Unauthorized remix by Tempamental released in 2006	Recorded from 1998-2001 during the Invincible sessions	Released
Bottle of Smoke	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1991 during the Dangerous sessions	Lost
Breaking News	Michael Jackson, Eddie Cascio, James M. Porte	Made available on Jackson's official site in 2010	Recorded in 2007; authenticity of released version disputed	Released
Breathe	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 2009 during the This is It sessions; notable for being one of the last songs recorded by Jackson during his lifetime	Lost
Buffalo Bill	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written and recorded in 1983 during the Victory sessions	Lost
Butter Funk	Michael Jackson	Song title found on note in Jackson's bedroom	N/A	Lost
California Grass	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Initially written and recorded during the Dangerous sessions; completed in 1993	Lost
Can't Get Your Weight Off of Me	Michael Jackson, Bruce Sweiden	Unknown	Written in 2000 during the Invincible sessions	Partially leaked
Can't Stop Loving You	Michael Jackson	Song title found on note in Jackson's bedroom	Unrelated to “I Just Can't Stop Loving You”, which was officially released	Lost
Carousel	Michael Sembello, Don Freeman	Unknown	Recorded during the Thriller sessions; cut from the album due to producer Quincy Jones not wanting another novelty song on it	Partially released
Cheater Ft. Fats	Michael Jackson	Song title found on note in Jackson's bedroom	Original date of composition unknown; reworked during the Invincible sessions; features rapper Fats	Lost
Chicago	Cory Rooney	Released as a promotional single for Xscape in 2014	Recorded in 1999 during the Invincible sessions	Released
Chicago 1945	Steve Pocaro	Unknown	Written and recorded during the Bad sessions; reworked during the Invincible sessions; unrelated to “Al Capone”, which was originally titled “Chicago 1945”; considered for inclusion on Xscape, but rejected by Pocaro	Partially leaked(?) (hook known)
The Children's Hour	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Recorded as a demo for the Japanese charity group J-Friends; Japanese version released in 1998	Partially leaked
Color of My Soul	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written in 2000; possibly recorded in 2006 with Whitney Houston on backing vocals	Lost
Crack Kills	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Recorded in 1986; planned to have featured rappers Run-DMC; allegedly shelved due to an incident where Jackson's chimpanzee Bubbles accidentally bit Jam Master Jay, though the overall recording experience was still described as a positive one; Run-DMC's verse was reworked for their album Tougher Than Leather	Partially leaked
Coco Butter	Michael Jackson	Song title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	Alternatively known as “Cocoa Butter”	Lost
D.I.E.	Michael Jackson	Song title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	Written in 2006; acronym for “Dance is Entertainment”	Lost
Dark Lady	Michael Jackson	Song title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	N/A	Lost
Days in Gloucestershire	Michael Jackson, Michael Durham, Brad Buxer	Unknown	Written and recorded in 2004; alternatively known as “Gloucestershire”	Leaked
Dead or Alive	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 2004	Lost
Deep in the Night	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written in 1987	Lost
Destruction	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 2005 as a sequel to 1995's “Scream” as a duet with Janet Jackson; planned to be included on Janet's 2015 album Unbreakable, but was cut	Lost
Dig It	John Lennon	Unknown	Cover song from the Beatles	Partially Leaked (Jackson version)
Do You Love Me	Michael Jackson, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1998	Lost
Do You Want Me	Sisquó, Dru Hill	Unknown	Written in 1999 during the Invincible sessions	Lost
Doing Dirty	Michael and Marlon Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1983 during the Victory sessions	Lost
Don't Be Messin' 'Round	Michael Jackson	Prematurely announced in 2012, one month before the Jackson Estate's official announcement	Recorded in 1982 during the Thriller sessions, from 1986-1987 during the Bad sessions, in 1990 during the Dangerous sessions, in 1995 during the HIStory sessions, and in 2009	Released (Bad-era version; other versions lost)
Don't Walk Away	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 2009; unrelated to the identically-named song from Invincible	Lost
Do You Know Where Your Children Are	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1987 during the Bad sessions and from 1990-1991 during the Dangerous sessions	Released
Dreams	Michael Jackson	Registered with Broadcast Music Incorporated	Recorded in 1993	Lost
Easy	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1993 for an album that was shelved due to contractual difficulties	Lost
Eaten Alive	Maurice and Barry Gibb, Michael Jackson	Unknown	Original version written by the Gibb brothers, reworked by Jackson; later recorded by Diana Ross and released on her Eaten Alive album in 1985	Lost
Ekam Satyam	A.R. Rahman, A.R. Parthasarathi, Kanika Myer, Bharat	Unknown	Recorded circa 1999 as a duet between Jackson (singing in English) and Rahman (singing in Sanskrit); intended to be on a planned 2003 album but shelved due to the album's cancellation; title is Sanskrit for “The One Truth”	Lost
Elizabeth, I Love You	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1997 as a tribute to Jackson's friend Elizabeth Taylor	Leaked
Faces	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded during the HIStory sessions; would have featured an introduction performed by Nelson Mandela and percussion by STOMP; was cancelled after the 1993 child molestation charges motivated Mandela's advisors to prohibit him from recording; alternatively known as “Face”	Lost
Fanfare Transition	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1992	Written in 1992; alternatively known as “Fanfare 1992”	Lost
Fantasy	Michael and Jermaine Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Recorded in 1983	Lost
Far, Far Away	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Recorded in 1983	Lost
Fear	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1993 during the HIStory sessions	Lost
Fever	Michael Jackson, Bryan Loren	Unknown	Recorded in 1991 during the Dangerous sessions	Lost
Fly Away	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded during the Bad sessions	Released
Free	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1987 during the Bad sessions	Released
From the Bottom of My Heart	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written in 2005 as a charity recording for the victims of Hurricane Katrina	Lost
The Future	Michael Jackson, will.i.am.	Unknown	Worked on with will.i.am. in 2006; planned for inclusion on Michael but cut at will.i.am.'s request	Partially leaked
Ghost of Another Lover	Michael Jackson	Song title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	Written and recorded during the Dangerous sessions	Leaked
Girl of Another	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written during the Bad sessions; alternatively known as “Girl of Another Love”	Partially leaked
The Gloved One	Sisqó	Unknown	Written circa 2001; alternatively known as “Gloved One'	Lost
Goin' to Rio	Michael Jackson, Carole Bayer Sager	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written in 1976; planned to be included on 1979's Off the Wall at one point	Lost
Got to Find a Way Somehow	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Written in 1979 during the Off the Wall sessions	Lost
Groove of Midnight	Rod Temperton	Unknown	Written in 1987 during the Bad sessions	Leaked
Halloween Night	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 2004; features a guitar solo by Slash	Partially leaked
Heaven is There	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1991	Lost
He Who Makes the Sky Grey	Jermaine Jackson, Sheik Abdullah of Bahrain	Unknown	Written and recorded in 2005	Lost
Higher Ground	Stevie Wonder	Existence confirmed by Donny Osmond in a 2003 interview	Recorded in 2003	Lost
Hold My Hand	Aliaune “Akon” Thiam, Giorgio Tuinfort, Claude Kelly	Leaked in 2008	Recorded in 2008 as a duet between Jackson and Akon	Released
Holiday Inn	Michael Jackson	Registered with U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Written in 1976 and recorded in 1984	Lost
Hollywood	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 2000, reworked in 2006; unrelated to “Hollywood Tonight”	Lost
Hollywood Tonight	Michael Jackson, Brad Buxer, Teddy Riley	Premiered on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2010	Recorded from 1999-2008, during and beyond the Invincible sessions; unrelated to “Hollywood”	Released
Hot Fever	Michael Jackson	Registered with U.S. Copyright Office in 1985	Written and recorded in 1985; early version of “The Way You Make Me Feel”	Lost
Hot Fun in the Summertime	Sly Stone	Unknown	Cover of Sly Stone song, recorded in 1993 with Mary J. Blige and D. Angelo; a new version made in 2012 was planned to appear on Xscape but was ultimately cut	Lost
Hot Street	Rod Temperton	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Recorded in 1982 during the Thriller sessions; cut due to Temperton and Thriller producer Quincy Jones's personal dissatisfaction, despite Jackson's objections	Leaked
H2O	Michael Jackson	Song title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	N/A	Lost
I Am a Loser	Michael Jackson, Brad Buxer	Song title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	Written and recorded in 2003; early version of “I Was the Loser”; alternatively known as “The Loser”	Leaked
I Am Forever	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 2009; early version of “Best of Joy”	Leaked
I Can't Get You Off My Mind	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded sometime in the early 1970's; an acetate demo recording is known to exist	Lost
(I Can't Make It) Another Day	Lenny Kravitz	Acknowledged by Kravitz in a letter written in response to Jackson's death	Recorded from 1999 to 2001 during the Invincible sessions	Released
I Don't Live Here Anymore	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written circa 2001 as a promo for a shelved 2002 album; alternatively known as “I Don't Live Anymore”	Lost
I Forgive You	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written sometime prior to 1993 and recorded in 2007, possibly with will.i.am.	Lost
I Have This Dream	Michael Jackson, Carole Bayer Sager, David Foster	Unknown	Early version of “From the Bottom of my Heart”; also known as “I Have a Dream”	Partially leaked (instrumental version available)
I Love You	Michael Jackson	Mentioned by Jackson	Written and recorded in 2004; stated to be Jackson's personal favorite song about love	Lost
I Love You More	Michael Jackson	Mentioned by Jackson	Written and recorded in 2005 as a continuation of “I Love You”; features Britney Spears; alternatively known as “I Love You Too”	Lost
I'm So Blue	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1987 during the Bad sessions	Released
I Was the Loser	Michael Jackson	Song title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	Alternatively known as “The Loser”, as is its earlier version, “I Am a Loser” (mentioned above)	Partially Leaked
If You Don't Love Me	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1991 during the Dangerous sessions; was scheduled for release on the shelved bonus disc of the 2001 anniversary reissue of Dangerous	Leaked
I'm Still the King	Michael Jackson, will.i.am.	Unknown	Worked on in 2006; also known as “Still the King”; planned for posthumous release on Michael, but was cut at will.i.am.'s request	Partially leaked
In the Valley	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written sometime between 1990 and 1993; recorded with Tyrese Gibson in 2000 during the Invincible sessions; while working on this song, Jackson found the song “2000 Watts” and included it on Invincible	Lost
Innocent Man	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1993 during the HIStory sessions as a commentary on Jackson's child molestation charges	Lost
Iowa	Michael Jackson	Mentioned by Janet Jackson in an interview	Recorded in 1977; stated by Janet to exist as a tape recording in the Jackson parents' house	Lost
Je Ne Veux Pas La Fin De Nous	Michael Jackson, Christine “Coco” Decroix	Unknown	Recorded sometime after the Bad sessions as a duet with Siedah Garrett; French version of “I Just Can't Stop Loving You”	Released
Joy	Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley	Mentioned by Riley in an interview	Written and recorded in 1991 during the Dangerous sessions; later re-recorded by Blackstreet for their 1994 debut album	Leaked
Keep Your Head Up	Michael Jackson, Eddie Cascio, James M. Porte	Unknown	Recorded in 2007; authenticity of released version disputed	Released
Kentucky	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Recorded in 1975	Lost
Kick It	Michael Jackson, LaShawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III	Unknown	Written and recorded during the Invincible sessions	Lost
Kreeton Overture	Michael Jackson, Jai Winding, Mary Paich, Patrick Leonard	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Written in 1984 as the opening number for The Jacksons' Victory Tour	Lost
Learned My Lesson	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1985	Written and recorded in 1981; alternate version of “Much Too Soon”, two different versions of this song are registered with the U.S. Copyright Office	Lost
Let Him Burn	Michael Jackson, will.i.am.	Unknown	Recorded in 2006 with will.i.am.; planned for inclusion on Michael, but was cut at will.i.am.'s request	Lost
Little Girls	Michael Jackson	Mentioned during the 1993 deposition	Possibly recorded during the Dangerous sessions	Lost
Lisa It's Your Birthday	Michael Jackson	Kip Lennon's performance featured in the 1991 The Simpsons episode "Stark Raving Dad"	Recorded in 1991 for Kip Lennon; Jackson credited as "W.A. Mozart" for legal reasons; original demo intended to be included on the shelved bonus disc from the 2001 re-issue of Dangerous	Leaked
Llama Lola	Michael Jackson	Mentioned during the 1993 deposition	Possibly recorded during the Dangerous sessions	Lost
Lonely Bird	Michael Jackson	Mentioned during the 1993 deposition	Possibly recorded during the Dangerous sessions	Lost
Lonely Man	Michael Jackson	Mentioned during the 1993 deposition	Possibly recorded during the Dangerous sessions	Lost
Love Never Felt So Good	Michael Jackson, Paul Anka	Leaked in 2006	Recorded as a demo for Johnny Mathis in 1983; revised version by Anka and Kathleen Wakefield recorded by Mathis and included on his 1984 album A Special Part of Me	Released
Loving You	Michael Jackson	Acknowledged by Jackson engineer Matt Forger in an interview	Recorded from 1985-1987 during the Bad sessions	Released
Lucy Is in Love with Linus	Michael Jackson	Mentioned during the 1993 deposition	Possibly recorded during the Dangerous sessions	Lost
Maybe We Can Do It	Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, Sean Combs	Unknown	Written and recorded in 2000/2001 during the Invincible sessions; features Sean Combs	Lost
Men in Black	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written in 1990 during the Dangerous sessions; planned for release on the cancelled greatest hits compilation Decade; includes creative input by Bryan Loren; alternatively known as “Man in Black”	Lost
Michael McKellar	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written in 1991 during the Dangerous sessions	Lost
Midnight Man	Rod Temperton	Mentioned by Temperton in an interview	Written and recorded in 1981 during the Thriller sessions; early version of the album's title track	Lost
MJ Melody	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Written and recorded in 1982	Lost
Monster (1999)	Michael Jackson	Described by C.J. DeVillar in an interview	Written and recorded in 1999 during the Invincible sessions; unrelated to the identically-named 2007 recording published on Michael	Lost
Monster (2007)	Michael Jackson, Eddie Cascio, James M. Porte, 50 Cent	Unknown	Recorded in 2007; unrelated to the identically-named 1999 recording; authenticity of released version disputed	Released
Much Too Soon	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1994 during the HIStory sessions	Released
Neverland Landing	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office	Written in 1993	Lost
The Nightmare of Edgar Allan Poe	Michael Jackson, Walter Afanasieff	Unknown	Written and recorded circa 2000 for an unproduced film of the same name starring Jackson	Lost
Nite Line	Glen Ballard	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1982 during the Thriller sessions; later re-recorded by The Pointer Sisters for their album Break Out	Leaked
Not Guilty	George Harrison	Unknown	Recorded in 1994 during the HIStory sessions as a commentary on Jackson's child molestation charges; featured the Notorious B.I.G.	Lost
Nymphette Lover	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright office in 1984	Written and recorded in 1981 during the Thriller sessions	Lost
Ode to Sorrow	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Written in 1977, recorded in 1984	Lost
On My Anger	Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1999 during the Invincible sessions	Lost
On the Rain	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1998	Lost
The Pain	Shawn Stockman, Jay Harvey Mason, Rodney Jerkins	Unknown	Written during the Invincible sessions	Lost
People Have to Make Some Sort of Joke	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Unfinished when mentioned in 1993; writing completed in 2000	Lost
People of the World	Michael Jackson, J-Friends	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1998 for the Japanese charity group J-Friends; J-Friends version officially released in 1999	Leaked
Peter Pan	Michael Jackson	Mentioned by Jackson on the 1993 CD The Michael Jackson Interview	Written and recorded in 1983	Lost
Pressure	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded during the Invincible sessions	Partially leaked
Price of Fame	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded from 1986-1987 during the Bad sessions	Released
Pyramid Girl	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1983 during the Victory sessions; early version of “Liberian Girl”	Lost
River Ripple	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 2009 during the This is It sessions; final song recorded by Jackson, just days before his death	Partially Leaked
Rocker	Michael Jackson	Song title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	Similar to Queen's “We Will Rock You”; alternatively known as “Rock Tonight”	Lost
Rolling the Dice	Rod Temperton	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written and recorded in 1981 during the Thriller sessions; Jackson clarified that the track was removed due to his and Temperton's dissatisfaction with the final result	Lost
Satisfy	Terry Lewis, James Harris III	Unknown	Mariah Carey song featuring Jackson on backing vocals	Lost
Saturday Woman	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition; cited in the book My Friend Michael	Written in 1990/1991 during the Dangerous sessions	Lost
Saved by the Bell	Michael and Jermaine Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	N/A	Lost
Seduction	Michael Jackson, Shelby Lee Myrick III	Unknown	Written and recorded in 2001 during the Invincible sessions	Lost
Seeing Voices	Sydney Fine, Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1999 during the Invincible sessions; features the Ray Charles Choir	Leaked
Serious Effect	Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley	Unknown	Recorded in 1991 during the Dangerous sessions; features LL Cool J; included on the cancelled bonus disc for the 2001 reissue of Dangerous	Leaked
Seven Digits	Michael Jackson, Bryan Loren	Unknown	Alternatively known as “7 Digits”	Lost
She Got It	Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley	Unknown	Recorded in 1991 during the Dangerous sessions; included on the cancelled bonus disc from the 2001 reissue of Dangerous	Leaked
She's Not a Girl	Michael Jackson	Mentioned during the 1993 deposition	Recorded in Jackson's home studio in Hayvenhurst Encino	Lost
She's Not It	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Reworking of “Billie Jean”	Lost
She's Only Fifteen	Michael Jackson	Song title listed on note in Jackson's bedroom	Recorded in 1999 during the Invincible sessions, later reworked in 2006; early version of “Hollywood Tonight”	Leaked
She's Trouble	Sue Shifrin, Bill Livsey, Terry Britten	Unknown	Recorded in 1981 during the Thriller sessions; later recorded by Musical Youth for their 1983 album Different Style!; alternatively known as “Trouble”	Leaked
Shut Up and Dance	Michael Jackson, Michael Durham	Song title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	Written in 1999, may lack recorded vocals	Lost
Siegfried & Roy	Michael Jackson	Registered with U.S. Copyright Office in 1990	Written in 1989 for the eponymous illusionists; two versions-- vocal and instrumental-- registered with the U.S. Copyright Office; presumably an early version of “Mind is the Magic”	Lost (both vocal and instrumental)
Silent Spring	Michael Jackson	Song title listed on a note in Jackson's bedroom	N/A	Lost
Sister Sue	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	N/A	Lost
The Sky is the Limit	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Recorded in 1983	Lost
Slapstick	Rod Temperton	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1982 during the Thriller sessions; early version of “Hot Street”	Leaked
Slave to the Rhythm	Antonio Reid, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Daryl Simmons, Kevin Robersion	Portion played on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2014	Recorded in 1987 and from 1990-1991, during the Dangerous sessions	Released
Soldier's Entrance	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Worked on in 1999 during the Invincible sessions	Lost
Somewhere in Time	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Written and recorded in 1980	Lost
Song Groove	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1987 during the Bad sessions; alternatively known as “Abortion Papers”	Released
Sonic the Hedgehog 3 demos	Howard Drossin, Brad Buxer, Cirocco Jones, Bobby Brooks, Darryl Ross, Geoff Grace, Doug Grisby, Michael Jackson	Acknowledged by Cirocco Jones in an email exchange with Rick D. of The D-Pad	Recorded in 1993 for Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog 3; while some of Jackson's compositions (i.e. Carnival Night Zone's BGM and the credits theme) were incorporated into the final game, the vast majority were scrapped after Jackson was dropped from the project; varying accounts state that Jackson's removal was either due to the first round of child molestation allegations or that Jackson left on his own accord due to his dissatisfaction with the quality of the Sega Genesis's YM2612 synthesizer	Lost
Space Dance	Michael Jackson	Used as a promotional song for Sega's Space Channel 5	Written and recorded in 1998-1999; alternatively known as “Space Channel 5”	Leaked
Spice of Life	Rod Temperton	Mentioned during the 1993 deposition	Recorded in 1981 during the Thriller sessions; later recorded by The Manhattan Transfers for their 1983 album Bodies and Souls	Lost
Stand Tall	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1985	Written and recorded in 1981	Lost
Starlight	Rod Temperton	Mentioned during the 1993 deposition	Recorded in 1981 during the Thriller sessions; referred to by Jackson as “Starlight Sun”; early version of “Thriller”	Leaked
Streetwalker	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded during the Bad sessions; planned for inclusion on the album, but replaced with “Another Part of Me” due to the latter being more “dance-able”	Released
State of Shock	Michael Jackson, Randy Hansen	Unknown	One of three duets between Jackson and Queen singer Freddie Mercury; later re-recorded by The Jacksons with Mick Jagger (of The Rolling Stones fame) for Victory	Leaked
Stay	Michael Jackson, Bryan Loren	Unknown	Recorded circa 1988 during the Dangerous sessions	Lost
Stop the War	Michael Jackson, Carole Bayer Sager	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1999 during the Invincible sessions	Lost
Susie	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Written and recorded in 1978; believed to be an early version of either “Little Susie” or “Blood on the Dance Floor”	Lost
Sympathy	Michael and Randy Jackson	Mentioned during the 1993 deposition	Written in or before 1993, but not recorded until 2003 with Randy Jackson; intended for release on a 2003 album, which ended up shelved due to Jackson's arrest for child molestation	Lost
Thank Heaven	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1998	Written and recorded in 1998	Lost
Thank You For Life	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written and recorded in 1976	Lost
That	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1998	Lost
That Kind of Lover	Michael Jackson, Ray Ruffin	Unknown	Written circa 2001	Lost
This is Our Time	Michael Jackson, Lauryn Hill, David Foster	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1999; commonly believed to be a duet with Hill, though this is false	Lost
Throwin' Your Life Away	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1988	Written in 1988	Lost
Todo Mi Amor eres Tu	Michael Jackson, Ruben Blades	Unknown	Recorded sometime after the Bad sessions as a duet with Siedah Garrett; Spanish version of “I Just Can't Stop Loving You”	Released
To Satisfy You	Bryan Loren	Unknown	Written and recorded from 1990 to 1992; features Jackson on backing vocals	Leaked
Tomboy	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written and recorded in 1985 during the Bad sessions	Partially leaked
The Toy	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Written and recorded in 1981 for a Richard Pryor film of the same name; early version of “Best of Joy”	Lost
Tragedy of a Cheer-leader	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written in 1991 during the Dangerous sessions	Partially leaked
The Truth on Youth	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1990	Written and recorded in 1990 during the Dangerous sessions; features LL Cool J	Lost
Tubeway	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written in 1999 during the Invincible sessions	Lost
Turning Me Off	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written and recorded in 1987 during the Bad sessions	Partially leaked
Under Your Skin	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Written and recorded in 1979; alternatively known as “Under My Skin”	Lost
Unknown	Michael Jackson	Registered with Broadcast Music Incorporated	Possibly written in 1996 or 1999; it is unknown whether “Unknown” is the song title or if the song's title is not known	Lost
Verdicts	Michael Jackson, Bryan Loren	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1990 during the Dangerous sessions	Lost
Vibrationalist	Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley	Unknown	Written circa 1999 during the Invincible sessions; alternatively titled “The Vibrationalist”	Lost
Victory	Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury	Unknown	One of three collaborations between Jackson and Mercury in 1983	Lost
We Are the Ones	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Recorded in 1978	Lost
We Be Ballin'	Michael Jackson, Ice Cube, Clark Kent, DMX	Unknown	Written in 1997; remix of “We Be Clubbin'”; features Ice Cube and Shaquille O'Neal; intended to be featured in the NBA's “I Love This Game” campaign, but shelved when the 1997 player strike against the NBA caused the campaign to fold	Leaked
What a Lonely Way to Go	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written and recorded in 1975	Lost
What About Us	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1988 during the Dangerous sessions; intended for release on the cancelled bonus disc from the 2001 reissue of Dangerous; early version of “Earth Song”	Leaked
What You Do to Me	Michael Jackson	Initially registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1985; copyright renewed in 1998	Written in 1985	Lost
What's a Guy Gotta Do	Pharrell Williams	Unknown	Written in 2000	Lost
What's It Gotta Be	Michael Jackson	Registered with Broadcast Music Incorporated	Not to be confused with “What's It Gonna Be” by Janet Jackson and Busta Rhymes	Lost
What's Your Life	Michael and Jermaine Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	N/A	Lost
When You Wish Upon a Star Medley	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Recorded in 1983; features the songs “When You Wish Upon a Star”, “Follow the Yellow Brick Road”, and “Ease On Down the Road”; alternatively known as “Disney Medley” (despite only the first song being from Disney)	Leaked
Who is the Girl With Her Hair Down	Michael and Jermaine Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	N/A	Lost
Why Can't I Be	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Written in 1980 during the Triumph sessions	Lost
Why Shy	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	N/A	Lost
Willing and Waiting	Michael Jackson	Mentioned by Jackson's engineer in an interview	Written during the HIStory sessions; produced by Babyface; shelved due to it sounding softer than what Jackson desired for HIStory	Lost
Work That Body	Michael Jackson, Bryan Loren	Unknown	Written and recorded during the Dangerous sessions; planned for inclusion on the shelved bonus disc from the 2001 reissue of Dangerous	Leaked
The World is Our Church	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1999 during the Invincible sessions	Lost
Xscape	Michael Jackson, Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels	Unknown	Recorded from 1999-2002 during and beyond the Invincible sessions	Released
You Ain't Gonna Change Nothing	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written in 1975	Lost
You Are a Liar	Michael Jackson	Listed during the 1993 deposition	Written and recorded during the Invincible sessions; alternatively known as “You're a Liar” and “You're a Liar, Brother”	Lost
You Are So Beautiful	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Writing began in 2005; written as a thank-you to his fanbase	Lost
You Told Me Your Lovin'	Michael Jackson	Registered with the U.S. Copyright Office in 1984	Written in 1979; a second version exists, with words and music by Randy Jackson	Lost
You Were There	Michael Jackson	Unknown	Written and recorded in 1989 for Sammy Davis Jr.	Lost
You're Supposed to Keep Your Love for Me	Stevie Wonder	Unknown	Originally recorded in 1975 by Jermaine Jackson, with Wonder, Jackie Jackson, and Michael on backing vocals; re-cut solo version published by Jermaine on his 1980 album Let's Get Serious, replacing the original recording	Lost