Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
	One of US 7-inch vinyl release artworks
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Thriller
B-side	"Rock with You" (live)
Released	May 9, 1983
Recorded	1978 (original recording); 1982 (re-recorded)
Studio	Westlake (Los Angeles, California)
Genre	Post-disco; funk; Afropop;
Length	6:03 (album version); 4:21 (single version); 6:30 (12" version);
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Michael Jackson
Producer(s)	Quincy Jones; Michael Jackson (co.);
Michael Jackson singles chronology
Official audio
	"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" on YouTube

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson recorded for his sixth studio album Thriller (1982). It is the opening track of the album and was released as its fourth single on May 9, 1983, by Epic Records. It was written and co-produced by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones. The lyrics pertain to strangers spreading rumors to start an argument for no good reason. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" evokes the disco sound of Jackson's previous studio album, Off the Wall, released in 1979. The song is characterized by a complex rhythm arrangement and a distinctive horn arrangement.

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" became Jackson's fourth consecutive top 10 single from Thriller on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number five. The song also topped the charts in Canada as well as the Netherlands and charted within the top 20 and top 30 in several countries. It was generally well received by contemporary music critics. As part of the release of Thriller 25, a remix of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", titled "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008 with Akon", was recorded with Akon, and released as the second single from the album. The remix was commercially successful, mainly charting within the top 10 in six countries, as well as the top 20 in several territories worldwide and top 40 in Canada. It was more successful internationally than in the United States, having peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at number 81, which was the song's lowest charting position.

Unlike previous singles from Thriller, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" did not have a music video to accompany it but was performed by Jackson on world concert tours as both a member of The Jacksons and as a solo artist. Following Jackson's death in June 2009, the song re-entered music charts worldwide. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" has been covered and sampled by multiple recording artists since its release, notably by Rihanna in her 2007 song "Don't Stop the Music", who was sued as a result. Aside from Thriller, the song appears on multiple compilation and greatest hits albums by Jackson.

^ Roberts, Randall (August 29, 2012). "Michael Jackson's 'Human Nature': An NYC classic on his birthday". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
^ Pitchfork Staff (August 24, 2015). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 18, 2022. The song takes on a lot of musical heft too, mostly because it sounds like everything: lithe funk and disco like the kind Jackson made on Off the Wall, aggressive, mathy rock, African pop, experimental music.

[1] Roberts, Randall (August 29, 2012). "Michael Jackson's 'Human Nature': An NYC classic on his birthday". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 6, 2019.

[Pitchfork_Staff_2022-2] Pitchfork Staff (August 24, 2015). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 18, 2022. The song takes on a lot of musical heft too, mostly because it sounds like everything: lithe funk and disco like the kind Jackson made on Off the Wall, aggressive, mathy rock, African pop, experimental music.

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