Solo Artist · The King of Pop

Michael Jackson

Active1964-2009
DiedJune 25, 2009
OriginGary, Indiana
Albums12
Tracks133

Most frequent collaborator: Quincy Jones  ·  30 tracks

PopR&BSoulFunkDance-PopNew Jack Swing
51%
Authorship
Collaborator

Holds writing credit on 68 of 133 tracks

Did Michael Jackson write his own songs?

Partly. Jackson wrote several of his biggest hits outright, including 'Billie Jean,' 'Beat It,' 'Bad,' and 'Smooth Criminal,' but he also leaned heavily on outside writers. Rod Temperton wrote 'Thriller' and 'Rock with You,' and Siedah Garrett co-wrote 'Man in the Mirror.' His authorship sits well above a pure performer but short of a total author.

By the Numbers

12
Studio Albums
133
Tracks Credited
51%
Self-Written
500M+
Records Sold
45
Years Active
157
Collaborators

Authorship Breakdown 68 / 133 self-written

Who wrote the songs?

Across all 133 tracks: how many Michael Jackson wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.

Michael Jackson has a writing credit51%
24%
27%
49%
Sole author32tracks24%
Co-written36tracks27%
Outside writers65tracks49%

Role Fingerprint how they contribute

Lyricist Performer Composer Producer
Michael Jackson's roles across the catalogue

Share of all 133 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.

Lyricist (words)51%
Composer (music)51%
Producer47%
Performer100%

Authorship Over Time writing credit per album

Michael Jackson's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.

avg 51%
0%
0%
0%
0%
30%
44%
82%
86%
80%
88%
80%
75%
1972Got to Be There
1972Ben
1973Music & Me
1975Forever, Michael
1979Off the Wall
1982Thriller
1987Bad
1991Dangerous
1995HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
2001Invincible
2010Michael
2014Xscape
Early · 0% written
Mid · 64% written
Late · 82% written

Authorship by Decade track-weighted

6%
1970s
Got to Be There, Ben +3 more
65%
1980s
Thriller, Bad
83%
1990s
Dangerous, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
88%
2000s
Invincible
78%
2010s
Michael, Xscape

Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author

Where Michael Jackson sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.

Michael Jackson
Other artists on the site

Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.

Whitney Houston5%
The Jacksons24%
NSYNC41%
Stevie Wonder64%
Christina Aguilera74%
Pink85%
Prince96%
51%Michael Jackson
Pure Performer0%
Songwriter~50%
Complete Author100%

Who Really Wrote the Hits signature songs

Got to Be There
Got to Be There
Written by Elliot Willensky
Outside writers
Rockin' Robin
Got to Be There
Written by Jimmie Thomas
Outside writers
I Wanna Be Where You Are
Got to Be There
Written by Arthur Ross, Leon Ware
Outside writers
Ain't No Sunshine
Got to Be There
Written by Bill Withers
Outside writers
Ben
Ben
Written by Walter Scharf, Don Black
Outside writers
With a Child's Heart
Music & Me
Written by Sylvia Moy, Henry Cosby, Vicki Basemore
Outside writers
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
Off the Wall
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Rock with You
Off the Wall
Written by Rod Temperton
Outside writers
Off the Wall
Off the Wall
Written by Rod Temperton
Outside writers
She's Out of My Life
Off the Wall
Written by Tom Bahler
Outside writers
The Girl Is Mine
Thriller
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Billie Jean
Thriller
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Beat It
Thriller
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
Thriller
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Human Nature
Thriller
Written by Steve Porcaro, John Bettis
Outside writers
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
Thriller
Written by James Ingram, Quincy Jones
Outside writers
Thriller
Thriller
Written by Rod Temperton
Outside writers
I Just Can't Stop Loving You
Bad
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Bad
Bad
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
The Way You Make Me Feel
Bad
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Man in the Mirror
Bad
Written by Siedah Garrett, Glen Ballard
Outside writers
Dirty Diana
Bad
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Another Part of Me
Bad
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Smooth Criminal
Bad
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Black or White
Dangerous
Written by Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell
Co-wrote
Remember the Time
Dangerous
Written by Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson, Bernard Belle
Co-wrote
In the Closet
Dangerous
Written by Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley
Co-wrote
Will You Be There
Dangerous
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Who Is It
Dangerous
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Jam
Dangerous
Written by Michael Jackson, René Moore, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley
Co-wrote
Heal the World
Dangerous
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Scream
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
Written by Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis
Co-wrote
You Are Not Alone
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
Written by Robert Kelly
Outside writers
They Don't Care About Us
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Stranger in Moscow
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
Earth Song
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
Written by Michael Jackson
Wrote it
You Rock My World
Invincible
Written by Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Nora Payne
Co-wrote
Butterflies
Invincible
Written by Marsha Ambrosius, Andre Harris
Outside writers
Love Never Felt So Good
Xscape
Written by Michael Jackson, Paul Anka
Co-wrote

Discography 12 albums

Covers 12 of Michael Jackson's 14 solo studio albums, including the 2 posthumous releases. His first two childhood Motown albums (Got to Be There, 1972 and Ben, 1972) are included; Compilation releases are excluded.

Collaborator Network who they worked with most

Michael Jackson133 tracks
QJ30 HD21 TR18 BS13 RJ10 ML9

Bubble size = tracks worked on together. QJ Quincy Jones · HD Hal Davis · TR Teddy Riley · BS Bruce Swedien · RJ Rodney Jerkins · ML Mel Larson

The Writers & Producers Behind Michael Jackson 6 key collaborators

QJ
Quincy Jones
Producer
Off the Wall / Thriller / Bad30 tracks
HD
Hal Davis
Producer
Got to Be There / Ben / Music & Me / Forever, Michael21 tracks
TR
Teddy Riley
Songwriter & Producer
Dangerous / Invincible / Michael18 tracks
BS
Bruce Swedien
Producer
Dangerous / HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I / Invincible13 tracks
RJ
Rodney Jerkins
Songwriter
Invincible / Xscape10 tracks
ML
Mel Larson
Producer
Ben / Music & Me9 tracks

The Authorship Story

Data Insight

The authorship data tells a more complex story than the legend. Jackson wrote several of his most iconic songs outright, Billie Jean, Beat It, Bad, Smooth Criminal, Black or White, giving him genuine composer credentials. But the full picture reveals a deep reliance on outside writers: Rod Temperton penned 'Rock with You,' 'Off the Wall,' and 'Thriller' itself; Siedah Garrett wrote 'Man in the Mirror'; and Quincy Jones collaborators supplied key album tracks across the Epic era. Jackson's self-authorship rate sits roughly in the 55-65% range, far above a pure performer, but well short of a complete artist like Prince who controlled nearly every note.

Quick Facts

  • BreakthroughLead singer of the Jackson 5 at age 11
  • Best-sellerThriller, the best-selling album of all time (~70M)
  • Grammys13 wins, plus the Grammy Legend and Lifetime Achievement Awards
  • Chart record13 Hot 100 #1s; only artist with a top-ten hit in six decades

Creative Fingerprint

A performer who became a genuine writer: Jackson wrote signature hits like 'Billie Jean' and 'Bad' outright, but leaned on outside writers such as Rod Temperton and Siedah Garrett across the Epic era, landing well above a pure performer but short of a total author.

The Story

Michael Jackson (1958-2009) is widely regarded as the King of Pop, an artist who transformed popular music, dance, and the music video medium across a career spanning four decades. Rising to fame as the lead vocalist of the Jackson 5 at age eleven, he launched a solo career that produced some of the best-selling albums in history, including Thriller, which remains the best-selling album of all time. His combination of extraordinary vocal ability, groundbreaking choreography, and cinematic music videos set a standard that redefined what a pop artist could be.

Awards & Recognition

One of the best-selling music artists of all time, with an estimated 500 million records sold worldwide
Thriller (1982) is the best-selling album of all time, with an estimated 70 million copies sold
13 Grammy Awards, plus the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, as a solo artist and as a member of the Jackson 5
13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles; the only artist with a US top-ten single in six decades

Frequently Asked Questions Michael Jackson

Did Michael Jackson write his own songs?
Partly. Jackson wrote several of his biggest hits outright, including 'Billie Jean,' 'Beat It,' 'Bad,' and 'Smooth Criminal,' but he also leaned heavily on outside writers. Rod Temperton wrote 'Thriller' and 'Rock with You,' and Siedah Garrett co-wrote 'Man in the Mirror.' His authorship sits well above a pure performer but short of a total author.
Who wrote 'Thriller'?
The song 'Thriller' was written by Rod Temperton, the British songwriter who also wrote 'Rock with You' and 'Off the Wall.' Jackson performed and popularized it but did not write it.
Did Michael Jackson write 'Billie Jean'?
Yes. Jackson wrote 'Billie Jean' by himself, and it became one of his signature songs and a number-one hit from Thriller (1982).
Who wrote 'Man in the Mirror'?
'Man in the Mirror' was written by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard, not by Jackson, though it became one of his most celebrated performances on Bad (1987).
How many records has Michael Jackson sold?
An estimated 500 million records worldwide as a solo artist, placing him among the best-selling music artists of all time.
What is the best-selling album of all time?
Michael Jackson's Thriller (1982), with an estimated 70 million copies sold worldwide.
How many Grammys did Michael Jackson win?
Jackson won 13 competitive Grammy Awards, along with the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Is Michael Jackson in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame?
Yes, twice: once as a solo artist and once as a member of the Jackson 5.
Did Michael Jackson write 'We Are the World'?
Yes. He co-wrote 'We Are the World' with Lionel Richie in 1985 for the famine-relief supergroup USA for Africa, and it became a global charity anthem.
Why is Michael Jackson called the King of Pop?
The nickname reflects his commercial dominance and his influence on pop music, dance, and the music video. Thriller made him the biggest star in the world, and the epithet stuck for the rest of his career and beyond.

Sources

Wikipedia: Michael Jackson discography Wikipedia: Michael Jackson