Sunday, March 23, 2008

"If they say why, why, tell 'em that it's human nature"

We're digesting the contents of our Easter baskets while re-evaluating MICHAEL JACKSON's landmark album, "THRILLER."
Oh -- and following the big MANCHESTER UNITED v. LIVERPOOL match live online. Wes Brown has scored to give United a 1-0 half-time lead. The visitors have a mountain to climb in the second half, after Javier Mascherano was sent off for two bookable offenses. Naughty boy.

Now, getting back to "Thriller" -- it has been ages since I last heard the gazillion-selling album in its entirety.
I am struck by two things:
1) I had forgotten how extensively Quincy Jones employed synthesizers on this album. There are as many synthesizers on "Thriller" as there are on a Depeche Mode album!
2) My favorite song of the bunch is "HUMAN NATURE." Which is quite comical, since it amounts to Michael Jackson singing over a TOTO song.
Steve Porcaro of Toto co-wrote the song with lyricist John Bettis (of "Crazy For You" by Madonna and "Slow Hand" by the Pointer Sisters fame). Porcaro's late brother Jeff drummed on the song, which also featured Toto members David Paich and Steve Lukather.
It's quite a beautiful melody, and it's not as ubiquitous as "Beat It," "Billie Jean" or "Thriller," so it still sounds fresh to me.
I'm not the only person who ranks "Human Nature" highly after re-evaluating the "Thriller" album.
Here's SLATE magazine from 2003:
"(Human Nature) is probably the best musical composition on the album and surely one of the only adult contemporary ballads of its era worth remembering."
See what I mean?
Oh yeah:
Happy Easter everyone!
"If they say why, why, tell 'em that it's human nature, why, why does he do me that way."

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