Top 10 Michael Jackson Songs

From enlisting Eddie Van Halen for the guitar solo in "Beat It" to borrowing the now famous refrain "Mama-se, mama-sa, mama-coo-sa" from a Cameroonian saxophonist, Michael Jackson's very best songs drew from influences far and wide

"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"

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This was the first song Jackson had full creative control over as a singer and songwriter, and it proved he was more than just a sweet kid. (His mother, a Jehovah's Witness, was reportedly shocked at the sexual entendre in the title.) "Don't Stop" came out squarely at the end of the disco era, and yet it's so filled with energy and instruments — trumpet, flugelhorn, electric piano — that it doesn't sound the least bit dated. No self-respecting wedding DJ goes anywhere without it.

See pictures of Michael Jackson's live performances at LIFE.com.

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