10 Famous Songs You Never Knew Michael Jackson Wrote

Most people know Michael Jackson as the greatest performer who ever lived. What they don't know is that he quietly wrote some of the biggest hit records of the last fifty years — for artists you would never expect. Songs that charted. Songs that went gold. Songs that changed careers overnight. In this video, RnB Grove counts down 10 famous, released, and fully charted songs written by Michael Jackson — covering his most extraordinary work from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. From Motown to Epic Records to the biggest charity single in history, every entry on this list has a story that most music fans have never heard. Did you know Michael Jackson wrote "Muscles" for Diana Ross on a Concorde flight — and named it after his pet boa constrictor? Or that "State of Shock" was originally written as a duet with Freddie Mercury before Mick Jagger stepped in? Or that his uncredited background vocal on a 1984 smash was competing against his own lead vocal on the charts — at the same time? Songs featured in this video: Somebody's Watching Me — Rockwell (1984) | peaked #2 Billboard Hot 100 Muscles — Diana Ross (1982) | peaked #10 Billboard Hot 100 Centipede — Rebbie Jackson (1984) | peaked #4 R&B chart State of Shock — The Jacksons ft. Mick Jagger (1984) | peaked #3 Billboard Hot 100 Say Say Say — Paul McCartney ft. Michael Jackson (1983) | #1 Billboard Hot 100 — 6 weeks Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) — The Jacksons (1979) | peaked #7 Billboard Hot 100 Can You Feel It — The Jacksons (1980) | Triumph album Eaten Alive — Diana Ross (1985) | peaked #3 Billboard Dance chart We Are the World — USA for Africa (1985) | #1 worldwide · 8th best-selling single of all time Billie Jean — Michael Jackson (1982) | #1 Billboard Hot 100 — 7 weeks What made Michael Jackson one of the greatest songwriters of the twentieth century was not just talent — it was craft, instinct, and an obsessive attention to detail that most people never saw because he rarely put his name on songs he gave away. This video tells those stories. RnB Grove is the channel for people who love soul and R&B music deeply — not just casually. Every week we go beneath the surface of the records that defined generations. If you have been looking for a channel that takes the music seriously, you just found it. Subscribe to RnB Grove and ring the notification bell — new deep dives every week. Drop a comment: which entry surprised you the most? If you enjoyed this, you might also like: → [10 Songs You Had No Idea Stevie Wonder Wrote] → [The Real Story Behind Marvin Gaye's Greatest Albums] → [How Quincy Jones Changed the Sound of Modern Music] Topics covered: Michael Jackson songwriting, Billie Jean creation story, We Are the World recording session, Say Say Say Paul McCartney collaboration, Muscles Diana Ross, State of Shock Freddie Mercury demo, Shake Your Body Jacksons, Somebody's Watching Me Rockwell, classic R&B music history, 1970s soul music, 1980s pop history, Motown legacy, Epic Records era, Black music history. #MichaelJackson #RnB #SoulMusic #MJFacts #RnBGrove #KingOfPop #ClassicRnB #80sMusic #70sMusic #MusicHistory #DianaRoss #PaulMcCartney #BillieJean #WeAreTheWorld #TheJacksons #MotownLegends #MusicFacts #BlackMusicHistory #FacelessYouTube #HiddenHistory #MichaelJackson #RnB #SoulMusic #KingOfPop #MusicHistory #ClassicRnB #80sMusic #70sMusic #BillieJean #WeAreTheWorld #DianaRoss #PaulMcCartney #TheJacksons #Motown #RnBGrove #MJFacts #BlackMusicHistory #HiddenHistory #MusicFacts #FacelessYouTube