'Beat It'

Jackson never got much credit for being a pioneer, but his melding of rock and R&B preceded the meeting of Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith by four years. Besides featuring one of the best guitar solos in pop history (provided free of charge by Eddie Van Halen, in a move his accountant no doubt regrets) it’s the best example of Jackson’s ability to bridge moods and genres. It’s tense and spooky, it rocks, and yet you can’t help but to dance to it. It’s Jackson’s best.
'Man in the Mirror'

Jackson’s catalog is so deep that people tend to overlook this simple midtempo ballad from Bad. But beyond offering a fleeting glimpse of autobiography (“I’m starting with the man in the mirror/ I’m asking him to change his ways”), it’s one of Jackson’s most powerful vocals and accessible social statements, not to mention the best-ever use of a gospel choir in a pop song.




























