Parts of this benefit single have aged poorly — specifically, the Quincy Jones fanfare that opens the thing and the Cyndi Lauper shrieking-dolphin interlude. But the song itself, written by Jackson and Lionel Richie, is a wonder, flexible enough to accommodate the vocal styles of everyone from Kenny Rogers to Bob Dylan. And at the 2:40 mark, when Jackson sings the bridge in a classic “‘scuse me, genius coming through” moment, he proves that his style tops them all.
Top 10 Michael Jackson Songs
From enlisting Eddie Van Halen for a guitar solo to borrowing the refrain "Mama-se, mama-sa, mama-coo-sa" from a Cameroonian saxophonist, Michael Jackson's very best songs drew from influences far and wide.