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
It's hard to write a better album opener than this one from Thriller, which not only kicks up the energy but lays out Jackson's ambitious musical agenda — from the disco beat to the rock timbre of the vocals to the closing refrain of "mama-se, mama-sa, mama-coo-sa," cribbed from "Soul Makossa," a hit by Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango.
See pictures of Michael Jackson's early years on LIFE.com.
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