Michael Jackson cover versions

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I can't think of ANY other than the Alien Ant Farm version of Smooth Criminal - there must be some though. Post good or bad ones here (preferably with yousendit links, heh).

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 18:54 (twenty years ago)

My band is doing a whole album of them. We were going to bag it if he got convicted, but I guess now we're good to go!

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)

Do the Weird Al parodies of "Beat It" and "Bad" count?

What about the lawsuit-sparking John Oswald "Bad" tweaker "daB"?

― Whiney G. Weingarten (whineyg), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)

Caetano Veloso - Billie Jean

So extremely classic. It was already my favorite MJ song, but after I heard this it catapulted up a spot to double favorite.

― Scott CE (Scott CE), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:02 (twenty years ago)

"human nature", wft!?

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)

Miles Davis - Human Nature
Youngblood Brass Band - Human Nature
Rebirth Brass Band - Liberian Girl (it's a horrible version)
Mama Digdown's Brass Band - I Want You Back

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:03 (twenty years ago)

Ian Brown- Billie Jean

― Dom Passantino (Dom Passantino), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

That Celine Dion clip that's floating around online of late?

― Hillary Brown (Hillary Brown), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:06 (twenty years ago)

graham parker and the rumour do "i want you back" on my copy of 'squeezing out sparks'.

― aaronspell1ng!, Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:13 (twenty years ago)

The Embarrassment did an excellent job on "Don't Stop (Til You Get Enough)."

― Dee Xtrovert (dee dee), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:31 (twenty years ago)

Mariah Carey did "I'll Be There" at MTV Unplugged.

Several Italo disco acts covered Jackson hits in the mid 80s, but they usually coupled them with something else besides. ("Do It Again/Billie Jean" by Clubhouse, for instance)

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:34 (twenty years ago)

the bates - billie jean

― fe zaffe (fezaffe), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 19:49 (twenty years ago)

Shinhead - Billie Jean
Really good!

― sibsi (sibsi), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:27 (twenty years ago)

that's SHINEHEAD of course

"It was released in 1994 on an album entitled "Billie Jean & More." The "more" part probably referred to the other covers on the album, including a version of Sting's "Englishman in New York," which in typical reggae cover stylee saw the lyrics changed to "Jamaican in New York." "Billie Jean" was also famously included in the Faithless volume of the "Back to Mine" mix CD series."

― sibsi (sibsi), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 20:30 (twenty years ago)

Did Crispian Glover remake "Ben" the song, or just the movie?

― Joseph McCombs (Joseph McCombs), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 22:43 (twenty years ago)

It's not a cover, but who sang that tune that sampled "Can You Feel It?" You know --- the one with the somewhat ambiguously ridiculous tag line - "How she gonna look with a chimney on her?"

Someone here must know what I'm talkin' bout.

Wait. Got it....."Feel It' by the Tamperer...featuring Mya.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 22:49 (twenty years ago)

James Chance/Black/White also did "Don't Stop (Til You Get Enough."

― Rock Hardy (Rock Hardy), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 23:21 (twenty years ago)

not a strict cover, but SWV's "Right Here / Human Nature" kinda works.

Besides that, "I'll Be There" and "Smooth Criminal," I can think of surprisingly few of these.

Wait. Got it....."Feel It' by the Tamperer...featuring Mya.

This song is so fucking strange. Made the 90s OMGWTFLOL poll, and rightfully so.

― The Good Dr. Bill (The Good Dr. Bill), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 23:26 (twenty years ago)

They followed it with a cover of "Material Girl", which was quite fitting as "Material Girl"'s riff was certainly a bit like "Can You Feel It"

― Geir Hongro (GeirHong), Tuesday, 14 June 2005 23:39 (twenty years ago)

Ian Brown- Billie Jean
-- Dom Passantino (juror...), June 14th, 2005.
why did he change the lyrics
and neil finn "billie jean"
ll cool j sampled "lady in my life"
brandy sampled ?

― jichael mackson, Wednesday, 15 June 2005 01:50 (twenty years ago)

The Bolshoi did a version of "Billie Jean" mixed with Talking Heads' "Take Me to the River".

― Pangolino 2, Wednesday, 15 June 2005 02:23 (twenty years ago)

"Take Me to the River" was originally done by Al Green. Talking Heads just covered it.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 02:32 (twenty years ago)

Oh - I didn't know that! I always assumed it was by Talking Heads, but I really know neither of their music at all.

― Pangolino 2, Wednesday, 15 June 2005 02:40 (twenty years ago)

Quincy Jones f/ Brandy - "Rock With You"
BlackSTREET - "Billie Jean"

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 03:55 (twenty years ago)

And as long as samples count, don't forget "O.P.P."

― billstevejim (billstevejim), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 03:57 (twenty years ago)

Everette Harp ft. Brian Bromberg - Rock With You

on Smooth Jazz Awards Collection, Vol. 2.

Still trying to find all /my/ smooth jazz awards...

― Rob Uptight, Wednesday, 15 June 2005 15:03 (twenty years ago)

Paul Anka just covered "The way you make me feel" on his Rock Swings album.

― brittle-lemon, Wednesday, 15 June 2005 15:29 (twenty years ago)

I saw Robbie Fulks do an excellent country version of "Billie Jean" live, not sure if he ever recorded it.

― M@tt He1geson (Matt Helgeson), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 15:32 (twenty years ago)

There's a cover of "Billie Jean" on the new Sly & Robbie Taxi Sound compilation...

― Telephonething, Wednesday, 15 June 2005 15:35 (twenty years ago)

My duo does "Wanna Be Startin Something"!

I vaguely remember Pearl Jam throwing in a bit of "Ben" at the end of one of their songs, maybe "Leash"?

― nickalicious (nickalicious), Wednesday, 15 June 2005 17:01 (twenty years ago)

best song with an mj sample is nas' "it ain't hard to tell" seetest "human nature" sample. really subtle and awsome

― luecke, Friday, 17 June 2005 22:24 (twenty years ago)

eleven months pass...

there is a song mixing do it again by steely dan with billie jean. Think it was released in 1983 by a italian duo. Anyone knwo the name of the group?

― Derek James, Thursday, 18 May 2006 09:48 (twenty years ago)

"Ask Marcello"

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 18 May 2006 09:52 (twenty years ago)

They were called Clubhouse, apparently.

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 18 May 2006 09:53 (twenty years ago)

SLINGSHOT... "Do It Again" a la "Billie Jean" indeed.

That same year, they also covered AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" but made the music/beats "Tour De France" by Kraftwerk.

Possibly the first commercial mashups ever done in such an A+B fashion.. although this can be argued back until the beginning of music.

― ((((((DOPplur)))n)))u))))tttt (donut), Thursday, 18 May 2006 10:34 (twenty years ago)

I don't think Slingshot were Italian though, but I
a) could be wrong
b) wouldn't be surprised

― ((((((DOPplur)))n)))u))))tttt (donut), Thursday, 18 May 2006 10:35 (twenty years ago)

11 Clubhouse Do It Again-Billie Jean Jul 1983
7 Clubhouse featuring Carl Light My Fire Apr 1994
21 Clubhouse featuring Carl Living In The Sunshine Jul 1994

― mark grout (mark grout), Thursday, 18 May 2006 10:40 (twenty years ago)

The fantastic Derrick Laro And Trinity cover of 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough' needs mentioning.

― Affectian (Affectian), Thursday, 18 May 2006 11:39 (twenty years ago)

When I saw Alex Chilton at Maxwell's a few years ago, he included a terrific version of "Rock with You" in the set. I don't know that he's recorded the song, though.

― James, Thursday, 18 May 2006 12:54 (twenty years ago)

"The fantastic Derrick Laro And Trinity cover of 'Don't Stop Till You Get Enough' needs mentioning."

waah!...why does somebody else always beat me to the punch?...it's NOT FAIR!

― hank (hank s), Thursday, 18 May 2006 16:32 (twenty years ago)

minilogue does billie jean

― lf (lfam), Thursday, 18 May 2006 17:21 (twenty years ago)

luciano and villalobos did u wanna start and something bad, badly

― lf (lfam), Thursday, 18 May 2006 17:22 (twenty years ago)

To Mark G:

Slingshot - Do It Again [Netherlands]
Slingshot - Do It Again [Canada]
Slingshot - You Shook Me All Night Long< [Canada]

Club House - Do It Again / split with Miko Mission
Club House - Superstition/Good Times
et al

From the sheer volume of Club House covers, either Slingshot and Club House were one and the same, or Slingshot covered Club House, and decided to try the idea once more, or Club House covered Slingshot and made a career of doing 12" covers of other songs.

― ((((((DOPplur)))n)))u))))tttt (donut), Thursday, 18 May 2006 18:42 (twenty years ago)

Josh Groban does "She's Out of My Life." I know this because my wife makes me listen to the CD occasionally. I don't want to rip his vocal cords out with my teeth when he sings it, the way I do during "Vincent."

― dr. phil (josh langhoff), Thursday, 18 May 2006 18:46 (twenty years ago)

eight months pass...

Here's a live recording of J.Viewz making Smooth Criminal:

[url=http://www.jviewz.com/J.Viewz%20-%20Smooth%20Criminal%20Live.mp3][i]Smooth Criminal (J.Viewz Cover)[/i][/url]

― Bambi Author (Bamb), Monday, 22 January 2007 23:48 (nineteen years ago)

two years pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFzHv53UVXI

― Nuyorican oatmeal (jaymc), Tuesday, 17 November 2009 20:47 (sixteen years ago)

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Michael Jackson cover versions - list them here