Michael Jackson Covers

[Optimal Saint]

So I fell down a YouTube Prince in concert rabbit hole recently and was stunned how many covers he sang - both classic and current hits

Did Michael ever do the same?

Just for the hell of it did he ever sing I Heard it Through the Grapevine or Uptight or an Otis Redding song or anyone else's hit song?

[jboy88]

Optimal Saint, long time no see! I believe MJ stuck to his own catalog as an adult pop star. But I’m sure he regularly performed covers on early J5 shows until they had enough original songs to fill out a set.

[Boogiedown]

I suspect Princes talents went way beyond Michaels who was principally a singer , not a musician. I think you could challenge Prince to try to play any choice of oldies on his guitar and he could come close to it, off handedly . Prince I could see having the enjoyment of jamming to something from the past or outside his own stuff for the fun of it , where for Michael it would’ve required work and more effort to smoothly
Formulate , so why bother to even go there.

[Sotosound]

Singers are musicians.

Musicians who play instruments are instrumentalists. :)

[Spreadinglove21]

I've a sense that once his show was set and all rehearsed he didn't often introduce new songs or mix up the material over the course of a tour.

[RanRan79]

Seems like I can recall him doing "Come Together". I think there was such an extraordinary connection between MJ and his recordings that it really didn't make much sense for him to do anything but what he was known for. As a performer Michael was as much a dancer as he was a singer, and most of his music incorporates those skills. Things may have been different if he were a Luther style singer, where the voice was the main attraction, but when you release albums like OTW, Thriller and Bad, that's enough material for a show to lay you out without mixing in covers.

[reese]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubR9cXWkXv8

[Boogiedown]

https://i.ebayimg.com/thumbs/images/g/8cQAAOSwjQ9f7Sno/s-l225.webp

[Optimal Saint]

Best I can find


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lzwPbbkiro


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXtu1_Szt1Y

[RanRan79]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubR9cXWkXv8

Thanks Reese! I just knew I was remembering this correctly.

[RanRan79]

Best I can find


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lzwPbbkiro


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXtu1_Szt1Y

Great stuff! I've never seen any of this, that I can recall.

[Optimal Saint]

Does this count?

I have zero recollection of this


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDqMmIqA_Ak


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgDOAvX-_Lo

[stupidactingsmart]

I suspect Princes talents went way beyond Michaels who was principally a singer , not a musician.
However... he could surely play keyboard to some degree, which there are references to in some critical writing. One of the MJ books I read recently referred to a demo which has him on keyboard, though it's one of the unleaked ones.

Also, maddeningly, there is a moment in the Bashir documentary where MJ is sat at a piano in his home and twice says enthusiastically "shall I play something?" only to be ignored. With Bashir seemingly uninterested MJ just moves on without pressing a note. I still think there must be footage, somewhere, of him playing an instrument, but I've yet to see it.

[mysterysinger]

On the cover of "Music and Me" Michael is holding a guitar - presumably only for effect.

[Thatkliqkid]

However... he could surely play keyboard to some degree, which there are references to in some critical writing. One of the MJ books I read recently referred to a demo which has him on keyboard, though it's one of the unleaked ones.

Also, maddeningly, there is a moment in the Bashir documentary where MJ is sat at a piano in his home and twice says enthusiastically "shall I play something?" only to be ignored. With Bashir seemingly uninterested MJ just moves on without pressing a note. I still think there must be footage, somewhere, of him playing an instrument, but I've yet to see it.


Michael plays piano on "don't be messing around" released on Bad 25.

He also plays drums and guitar on Morphine.

Also michael was the conga player for the Jackson 5 before he became lead singer.


Michael did very few covers in his adult career.

It's the falling in love, Girlfriend, Gone too Soon, Come Together and Smile.

[Boogiedown]

ain't a MJ concert worth a darn without one of his wailing guitar solos.


I'm still trying to imagine them mic-ing up the studio at Motown and saying "OK , we're ready for them, bring in the musicians."

and in saunter The Andantes.

[stupidactingsmart]

Michael plays piano on "don't be messing around" released on Bad 25.

He also plays drums and guitar on Morphine.

That, I hadn't realised. A quick peek at Blood on the Dancefloor via Wikipedia reveals he apparently did on "Is It Scary" as well. Not that I know or could hum the melody of most of his post-Dangerous output.