The Girl Is Mine
Encyclopedia
"The Girl Is Mine" is a song by Michael Jackson
featuring Paul McCartney
. It is the first single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller
. It is one of the three songs that Jackson and McCartney recorded together. McCartney is the only featured guest on the album. The track was written and composed by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones
(with co-production by Jackson). The song was recorded at Westlake Studios
, Los Angeles
, from April 14 to 16, 1982. The year before, Jackson and McCartney had recorded "Say Say Say
" and "The Man" for the latter's fifth solo album, Pipes of Peace (1983). The song's lyrics tell a story about two men disputing the love of a woman and were the inspiration behind Brandy
and Monica's 1998 duet "The Boy Is Mine".
The song was never performed live by Jackson.
"The Girl Is Mine" achieved success in the music charts. Aside from topping the R&B singles chart, the single peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100
and number eight in the UK. By 1985, it had sold 1.3 million copies, and was eventually certified
platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
, for shipments of at least one million units.
"The Girl Is Mine" has been the subject of two plagiarism lawsuits. Both instances required Jackson to testify in court, and each lawsuit found in the favour of the singer and his record label. In 2008, for the 25th anniversary edition of Thriller
, The Black Eyed Peas
singer will.i.am
remixed "The Girl Is Mine". The remix received generally unfavourable reviews from music critics.
, PlayStation 3
and Xbox 360
versions.
had initially told Jackson to write a song about two men fighting over a girl. Inspired, Jackson awoke during the night and sang the song into a tape recorder. He later said, "I sang exactly what I heard in my head, starting with the melody and the keyboard and the strings and everything. So, I just orally put it all on tape." Jones also asked the singer to add a rap verse. Jackson recalled, "Quincy called me up one morning and says, 'Smelly'—he calls me Smelly—'we have to have some rapping in this.'" The song was then recorded by Jackson and McCartney at Westlake Studios
, Los Angeles, from April 14 to 16, 1982. The year before, the duo had recorded "Say Say Say
" and "The Man" for McCartney's fifth solo album, Pipes of Peace (1983). Jackson stated that the recording of the song was one of his most enjoyable moments in the studio. "One of my favourite songs to record, of all my recordings as a solo artist, is probably "The Girl Is Mine", because working with Paul McCartney was pretty exciting and we just literally had fun. It was like lots of kibitzing and playing, and throwing stuff at each other, and making jokes. We actually recorded the track and the vocals pretty much live at the same time, and we do have footage of it, but it's never been shown." He concluded, "Maybe one day we'll give you a sneak preview of it." The footage of the pair was later shown at The Paul McCartney World Tour.
" also uses this musical structuring, as does "Body and Soul
", "Oh, Lady Be Good!
" and "Try a Little Tenderness
". The musical chords in "The Girl Is Mine" are seen in several songs written by Jackson. "That's What You Get for Being Polite", from The Jacksons' Destiny album, and two unreleased songs ("Why Can't I Be" and "Thank You For Life") used the chords before "The Girl Is Mine".
album. "The Girl Is Mine" was released as a single on October 18, 1982. The single's cover photograph was taken by McCartney's wife, Linda
. Listeners were not impressed by "The Girl Is Mine", and is generally viewed as Jacksons worst songwriting effort and thought that Jackson's Thriller would also be a disappointment. The public felt that Jackson and producer Quincy Jones had created a song for the white pop audience. Despite some of the public's concerns, "The Girl Is Mine" achieved success in the music charts, largely due in part to the huge popularity of Paul McCartney who had been having massive No1 hits with songs such as Coming Up and Ebony And Ivory. Topping the R&B singles chart, the single peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100
and the Norwegian Singles Chart. "The Girl Is Mine" reached number one on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
chart. The song charted at number eight in the UK, peaking within the New Zealand Top 20. By 1985, the single had sold 1.3 million copies. The single was later certified
platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
, for shipments of at least one million units.
Since its release, "The Girl Is Mine" has received several negative reviews from journalists and music critics. Journalist Robert Christgau
described the pairing of McCartney and Jackson as "Michael's worst idea since "Ben
"". Rolling Stone
stated that the song was a "wimpoid MOR [middle of the road] ballad" and that McCartney was "tame". The song is viewed as a low point in McCartneys career. Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic noted that the song had a "sweet schmaltz". Jackson's breakdown with the "irrepressibly silly Paul McCartney" was "disarmingly goofy", according to Stylus Magazine
. Salon.com
later described "The Girl Is Mine" as a "sappy duet". The song garnered a favourable review from Jackson's biographer, J. Randy Taraborrelli
. The writer stated that the song was "cute" but lacked substance. He added that the track had a "middle-of-the-road calm" and was the antithesis of the "rambunctious" "Beat It
". Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio
ranked the song at #97 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, as "[p]roof that combining the talents of two amazing singers doesn't always produce good results."
lawsuits. Both instances required Jackson to testify in court, and each lawsuit found in the favour of the singer and his record label
. The first legal trial occurred in 1984, with Fred Sanford claiming that Jackson had cut a tape of his song, "Please Love Me Now." Jackson, however, insisted that he composed "The Girl Is Mine". The $5 million copyright suit was closed after the jury of five men and a woman reached a verdict in the favour of Jackson. Their verdict was reached after a three day deliberation
. Jackson was not a defendant
in the trial but testified to maintain his credibility. James Klenk, Jackson's attorney
, praised the singer upon the jury's verdict. "The man is a genius. He doesn't need anyone else's songs. His own words were the key." During the court proceedings, Jackson revealed how he composes his songs. "I put them in a tape recorder and I orally sing them into the tape, and that's how it happens." One juror stated, "His presentation indicated that he was well able to develop his own songs."
The song's second plagiarism trial was in 1993. Reynaud Jones and Robert Smith alleged that "The Girl Is Mine", along with "Thriller
" — written by Rod Temperton
— and "We Are the World
", resembled their musical works. The pair added that they had been childhood neighbours of the Jackson family when they had resided in Gary, Indiana
. Jackson, Lionel Richie
— co-writer of "We Are the World" — and Quincy Jones were named as the defendants. The plaintiffs asserted that Joseph Jackson had received a demo tape from them. From the tapes, the defendants were alleged to have stolen the three hit songs. Reynaud Jones also claimed that he had considered suing Jackson over "Billie Jean
". Jackson appeared in court via a taped testimony. Following the testimony, the nine-member jury found Jackson to be the writer and composer of "The Girl Is Mine" in early 1994. They also ruled that the defendants had not plagiarized "Thriller" or "We Are the World".
, an album celebrating Thrillers 25th anniversary, The Black Eyed Peas
' lead rapper, will.i.am
, remixed "The Girl Is Mine". Entitled "The Girl Is Mine 2008", the remix featured an original solo demo of the song by Jackson, before he had recorded the duet with McCartney. will.i.am added his own vocals and new verse. Though the remix sampled the demo, The Daily Telegraph
alleged that McCartney was omitted because he and Jackson had fallen out over the latter's purchase of Sony/ATV Music Publishing
and The Beatles' song catalogue
in 1985. Despite the allegation, the original version of "The Girl Is Mine" was included on the album, with McCartney's vocals included. Upon its release in 2008, the song reached number 12 in New Zealand. Peaking at 22 in France, the song charted within the Top 50 of Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. The remix peaked at number 51 in Switzerland.
noted that "will.i.am contributes beats (why?) and rhymes (why, oh, why?) to "The Girl Is Mine 2008" ". IGN
's Todd Gilchrist stated that will.i.am's "The Girl Is Mine" remix was an offense. The offense was made even more "egregious" by the insertion of his own "atonal vocal presence" in place of McCartney's.
Pitchfork Media
added to the unfavourable reviews, stating of will.i.am, "He takes Macca off 'The Girl Is Mine' but decides it can't work without someone sounding like an idiot and steps manfully in himself." The Times
stated that whoever thought it was a good idea for will.i.am to participate in the song ought to be "locked in a windowless cell with nothing but those songs on a continuous loop". PopMatters
, however, praised Thriller 25 and the remix of "The Girl Is Mine". They wrote, "Any album good enough to make you forgive (although maybe not forget) a song as bad as the Paul McCartney duet 'The Girl Is Mine' has got to be damn good." They added that will.i.am had put a "breezy spin" on the track and that the song's omission of McCartney did not suffer because of it.
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
featuring Paul McCartney
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
. It is the first single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
. It is one of the three songs that Jackson and McCartney recorded together. McCartney is the only featured guest on the album. The track was written and composed by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
(with co-production by Jackson). The song was recorded at Westlake Studios
Westlake Recording Studios
Westlake Recording Studios is a well-known music recording studio in West Hollywood, CA.-History:The studio was founded as Westlake Audio in the early 1970s by Tom Hidley, and is credited as "one of the first big commercial efforts to produce acoustically standardised 'interchangeable' rooms"...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, from April 14 to 16, 1982. The year before, Jackson and McCartney had recorded "Say Say Say
Say Say Say
"Say Say Say" is a pop song written and performed by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson. The track was produced by George Martin for McCartney's fifth solo album, Pipes of Peace...
" and "The Man" for the latter's fifth solo album, Pipes of Peace (1983). The song's lyrics tell a story about two men disputing the love of a woman and were the inspiration behind Brandy
Brandy Norwood
Brandy Rayana Norwood , known professionally as Brandy, is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and dancer. In 2009, she introduced her rap alter-ego Bran'Nu....
and Monica's 1998 duet "The Boy Is Mine".
The song was never performed live by Jackson.
Background
McCartney had already recorded "Say Say Say" in 1981 and had intended to include it on his multi million selling Tug Of War album. However, he eventually decided to allow Jackson to write some lyrics for it and therefore give him a songwriting credit."The Girl Is Mine" achieved success in the music charts. Aside from topping the R&B singles chart, the single peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and number eight in the UK. By 1985, it had sold 1.3 million copies, and was eventually certified
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, for shipments of at least one million units.
"The Girl Is Mine" has been the subject of two plagiarism lawsuits. Both instances required Jackson to testify in court, and each lawsuit found in the favour of the singer and his record label. In 2008, for the 25th anniversary edition of Thriller
Thriller 25
Thriller 25 is a 25th anniversary special edition reissue of the Michael Jackson album Thriller, the world's best selling album. The prospect of a "second chapter" to Thriller was first publicly discussed on Access Hollywood in late 2006. Jackson said he would discuss the idea with collaborator...
, The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
singer will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
remixed "The Girl Is Mine". The remix received generally unfavourable reviews from music critics.
Michael Jackson: The Experience
The song is featured in the video game Michael Jackson: The Experience, but is featured on the WiiWii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
versions.
Recording
The writing of "The Girl Is Mine" was completed by Jackson as he watched cartoons with Paul McCartney. Producer Quincy JonesQuincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
had initially told Jackson to write a song about two men fighting over a girl. Inspired, Jackson awoke during the night and sang the song into a tape recorder. He later said, "I sang exactly what I heard in my head, starting with the melody and the keyboard and the strings and everything. So, I just orally put it all on tape." Jones also asked the singer to add a rap verse. Jackson recalled, "Quincy called me up one morning and says, 'Smelly'—he calls me Smelly—'we have to have some rapping in this.'" The song was then recorded by Jackson and McCartney at Westlake Studios
Westlake Recording Studios
Westlake Recording Studios is a well-known music recording studio in West Hollywood, CA.-History:The studio was founded as Westlake Audio in the early 1970s by Tom Hidley, and is credited as "one of the first big commercial efforts to produce acoustically standardised 'interchangeable' rooms"...
, Los Angeles, from April 14 to 16, 1982. The year before, the duo had recorded "Say Say Say
Say Say Say
"Say Say Say" is a pop song written and performed by Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson. The track was produced by George Martin for McCartney's fifth solo album, Pipes of Peace...
" and "The Man" for McCartney's fifth solo album, Pipes of Peace (1983). Jackson stated that the recording of the song was one of his most enjoyable moments in the studio. "One of my favourite songs to record, of all my recordings as a solo artist, is probably "The Girl Is Mine", because working with Paul McCartney was pretty exciting and we just literally had fun. It was like lots of kibitzing and playing, and throwing stuff at each other, and making jokes. We actually recorded the track and the vocals pretty much live at the same time, and we do have footage of it, but it's never been shown." He concluded, "Maybe one day we'll give you a sneak preview of it." The footage of the pair was later shown at The Paul McCartney World Tour.
Music
The musical structuring of "The Girl Is Mine" uses the AABA form, in which the song's title serves as the main source of needed repetition. When used to the maximum, this structuring, also known as the thirty-two-bar form, has the title repeat itself in the same place, in at least two of the three A verses. Author Sheila Davis' book, The Craft of Lyric Writing, notes that "the repeated title line simultaneously outlines the framework of the design and drives home the main point of the lyric". Jackson's "She's Out of My LifeShe's Out of My Life
"She's Out of My Life" is a song written by musical artist Tom Bahler. Although it has been claimed that Bahler wrote the song about Karen Carpenter, Bahler stated, "The fact is, I had already written that song by the time Karen and I became romantic. That song was written more about Rhonda Rivera...
" also uses this musical structuring, as does "Body and Soul
Body and Soul (song)
"Body and Soul" was recorded as a duet by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse in 2011. It was the final recording made by Winehouse before her death on July 23, 2011. The single was released worldwide on September 14, 2011 on iTunes, MTV and VH1....
", "Oh, Lady Be Good!
Oh, Lady be Good!
"Oh, Lady be Good!" is a 1924 song by George and Ira Gershwin.The song was introduced by Walter Catlett in the Broadway show, Lady, Be Good!, written by Guy Bolton, Fred Thompson, and the Gershwin brothers, starring Fred Astaire and Adele Astaire. It ran for 330 performances in its original...
" and "Try a Little Tenderness
Try a Little Tenderness
"Try a Little Tenderness" is a love song written by Jimmy Campbell, Reg Connelly and Harry M. Woods, and recorded initially on December 8, 1932 by the Ray Noble Orchestra followed by both Ruth Etting and Bing Crosby in 1933...
". The musical chords in "The Girl Is Mine" are seen in several songs written by Jackson. "That's What You Get for Being Polite", from The Jacksons' Destiny album, and two unreleased songs ("Why Can't I Be" and "Thank You For Life") used the chords before "The Girl Is Mine".
Release and reception
Despite recording "Say Say Say" and "The Man" a year prior, "The Girl Is Mine" was the first song to gain a release from the duo and the first single from the ThrillerThriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
album. "The Girl Is Mine" was released as a single on October 18, 1982. The single's cover photograph was taken by McCartney's wife, Linda
Linda McCartney
Linda Louise McCartney, Lady McCartney was an American photographer, musician and animal rights activist. Her father and mother were Lee Eastman and Louise Sara Lindner Eastman....
. Listeners were not impressed by "The Girl Is Mine", and is generally viewed as Jacksons worst songwriting effort and thought that Jackson's Thriller would also be a disappointment. The public felt that Jackson and producer Quincy Jones had created a song for the white pop audience. Despite some of the public's concerns, "The Girl Is Mine" achieved success in the music charts, largely due in part to the huge popularity of Paul McCartney who had been having massive No1 hits with songs such as Coming Up and Ebony And Ivory. Topping the R&B singles chart, the single peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and the Norwegian Singles Chart. "The Girl Is Mine" reached number one on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart. The song charted at number eight in the UK, peaking within the New Zealand Top 20. By 1985, the single had sold 1.3 million copies. The single was later certified
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
, for shipments of at least one million units.
Since its release, "The Girl Is Mine" has received several negative reviews from journalists and music critics. Journalist Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
described the pairing of McCartney and Jackson as "Michael's worst idea since "Ben
Ben (song)
"Ben" is a song written by Don Black and composed by Walter Scharf for the 1972 film of the same name . It was performed in the film by Lee Montgomery and by Michael Jackson over the closing credits. Jackson's single, recorded for the Motown label in 1972, spent one week at the top of the U.S. pop...
"". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
stated that the song was a "wimpoid MOR [middle of the road] ballad" and that McCartney was "tame". The song is viewed as a low point in McCartneys career. Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic noted that the song had a "sweet schmaltz". Jackson's breakdown with the "irrepressibly silly Paul McCartney" was "disarmingly goofy", according to Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine
Stylus Magazine was an online music and film magazine launched in 2002. It featured long-form music journalism, four daily music reviews, movie reviews, a number of different podcasts, an MP3 blog, and a text blog....
. Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
later described "The Girl Is Mine" as a "sappy duet". The song garnered a favourable review from Jackson's biographer, J. Randy Taraborrelli
J. Randy Taraborrelli
John Randall Taraborrelli is an American journalist and biographer.Taraborrelli is an author known for biographies of contemporary entertainers and political figures. He is a featured writer in several entertainment magazines in Canada, England, and Australia...
. The writer stated that the song was "cute" but lacked substance. He added that the track had a "middle-of-the-road calm" and was the antithesis of the "rambunctious" "Beat It
Beat It
"Beat It" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones . It is the third single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Eddie Van Halen was hired to add the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but was prevented by his...
". Matthew Wilkening of AOL Radio
AOL Radio
AOL Radio powered by Slacker, , is an online radio service available only in the United States.- Roots :...
ranked the song at #97 on the list of the 100 Worst Songs Ever, as "[p]roof that combining the talents of two amazing singers doesn't always produce good results."
Plagiarism lawsuits
"The Girl Is Mine" has been the subject of two plagiarismPlagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
lawsuits. Both instances required Jackson to testify in court, and each lawsuit found in the favour of the singer and his record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
. The first legal trial occurred in 1984, with Fred Sanford claiming that Jackson had cut a tape of his song, "Please Love Me Now." Jackson, however, insisted that he composed "The Girl Is Mine". The $5 million copyright suit was closed after the jury of five men and a woman reached a verdict in the favour of Jackson. Their verdict was reached after a three day deliberation
Deliberation
Deliberation is a process of thoughtfully weighing options, usually prior to voting. In legal settings a jury famously uses deliberation because it is given specific options, like guilty or not guilty, along with information and arguments to evaluate. Deliberation emphasizes the use of logic and...
. Jackson was not a defendant
Defendant
A defendant or defender is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff or pursuer in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute...
in the trial but testified to maintain his credibility. James Klenk, Jackson's attorney
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, praised the singer upon the jury's verdict. "The man is a genius. He doesn't need anyone else's songs. His own words were the key." During the court proceedings, Jackson revealed how he composes his songs. "I put them in a tape recorder and I orally sing them into the tape, and that's how it happens." One juror stated, "His presentation indicated that he was well able to develop his own songs."
The song's second plagiarism trial was in 1993. Reynaud Jones and Robert Smith alleged that "The Girl Is Mine", along with "Thriller
Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
" — written by Rod Temperton
Rod Temperton
Rodney Lynn "Rod" Temperton is an English songwriter, record producer and musician most famous for writing a number of songs performed by Michael Jackson, including the title track of Jackson's Thriller, the biggest-selling album of all time.-Biography:As Temperton remembers music was in his bones...
— and "We Are the World
We Are the World
"We Are the World" is a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World...
", resembled their musical works. The pair added that they had been childhood neighbours of the Jackson family when they had resided in Gary, Indiana
Gary, Indiana
Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city is in the southeastern portion of the Chicago metropolitan area and is 25 miles from downtown Chicago. The population is 80,294 at the 2010 census, making it the seventh-largest city in the state. It borders Lake Michigan and is known...
. Jackson, Lionel Richie
Lionel Richie
Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer. Since 1968, he has been a member of the musical group Commodores signed to Motown Records...
— co-writer of "We Are the World" — and Quincy Jones were named as the defendants. The plaintiffs asserted that Joseph Jackson had received a demo tape from them. From the tapes, the defendants were alleged to have stolen the three hit songs. Reynaud Jones also claimed that he had considered suing Jackson over "Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
". Jackson appeared in court via a taped testimony. Following the testimony, the nine-member jury found Jackson to be the writer and composer of "The Girl Is Mine" in early 1994. They also ruled that the defendants had not plagiarized "Thriller" or "We Are the World".
Personnel
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson
- Produced by Quincy Jones
- Co-Produced by Michael Jackson
- Lead and background vocals by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney
- Greg Phillinganes: Rhodes
- David Paich: Piano
- David Foster: Synthesizer
- Steve Porcaro: Synthesizer programming
- Dean Parks, Steve Lukather: Guitars
- Louis Johnson: Bass
- Jeff Porcaro: Drums
- Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones
- Rhythm arrangement by Quincy Jones and David Paich
- Synthesizer arrangement by David Foster
- Strings arranged and conducted by Jerry Hey
- Concertmaster: Jerry Vinci
Charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Singles Chart | 16 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
8 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
2 |
| US Billboard Hot Black Singles Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
1 |
| US Billboard Adult Contemporary Chart | 1 |
The Girl Is Mine 2008
For Thriller 25Thriller 25
Thriller 25 is a 25th anniversary special edition reissue of the Michael Jackson album Thriller, the world's best selling album. The prospect of a "second chapter" to Thriller was first publicly discussed on Access Hollywood in late 2006. Jackson said he would discuss the idea with collaborator...
, an album celebrating Thrillers 25th anniversary, The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas
The Black Eyed Peas are an American pop group , formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1995. The group includes rappers will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo, and singer Fergie. Since the release of their third album Elephunk in 2003, the group has sold an estimated 56 million records worldwide...
' lead rapper, will.i.am
Will.i.am
William James Adams, Jr. , better known by his stage name will.i.am and occasionally by his other stage name Zuper Blahq, is an American rapper, musician, songwriter, singer, actor and producer...
, remixed "The Girl Is Mine". Entitled "The Girl Is Mine 2008", the remix featured an original solo demo of the song by Jackson, before he had recorded the duet with McCartney. will.i.am added his own vocals and new verse. Though the remix sampled the demo, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph (Australia)
The Daily Telegraph is an Australian tabloid newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, by Nationwide News, part of News Corporation.The Tele, as it is also known, was founded in 1879. From 1936 to 1972, it was owned by Frank Packer's Australian Consolidated Press. That year it was sold to...
alleged that McCartney was omitted because he and Jackson had fallen out over the latter's purchase of Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing
Sony/ATV Music Publishing is a music publishing company co-owned by The Michael Jackson Family Trust and Sony. The organisation was originally founded as Associated TeleVision in 1955 by Lew Grade. In 1957, ATV acquired Pye Records as a wholly owned subsidiary...
and The Beatles' song catalogue
Northern Songs
Northern Songs was a company founded in 1963, by music publisher Dick James, Brian Epstein, John Lennon and Paul McCartney, to publish songs written by Lennon and McCartney , as well as songs written by George Harrison and Ringo Starr, who were all members of The Beatles...
in 1985. Despite the allegation, the original version of "The Girl Is Mine" was included on the album, with McCartney's vocals included. Upon its release in 2008, the song reached number 12 in New Zealand. Peaking at 22 in France, the song charted within the Top 50 of Denmark, Sweden and Switzerland. The remix peaked at number 51 in Switzerland.
Reception
"The Girl Is Mine 2008" received generally unfavorable reviews from music critics. Journalist Christopher Rees stated that will.i.am had "done a fantastic job of murdering a classic song". Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone noted that will.i.am's production was "dumb-thug bluster" and criticized him for trying to hide the "goofy 'doggone' hook"—"the whole point of the song". Music journalist Aidin Vaziri criticized the song, stating, "[the] Black Eyed Peas rapper completely erases Paul McCartney's vocal track from the original duet to make room for himself spouting nonsense such as, 'I call her mommy and she call me papa/I'm sorry Mike, but she loves the way I rock-a.'" Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic claimed that will.i.am had turned "The Girl Is Mine" into a "hapless dance number". Kelefa Sanneh of BlenderBlender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
noted that "will.i.am contributes beats (why?) and rhymes (why, oh, why?) to "The Girl Is Mine 2008" ". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
's Todd Gilchrist stated that will.i.am's "The Girl Is Mine" remix was an offense. The offense was made even more "egregious" by the insertion of his own "atonal vocal presence" in place of McCartney's.
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
added to the unfavourable reviews, stating of will.i.am, "He takes Macca off 'The Girl Is Mine' but decides it can't work without someone sounding like an idiot and steps manfully in himself." The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
stated that whoever thought it was a good idea for will.i.am to participate in the song ought to be "locked in a windowless cell with nothing but those songs on a continuous loop". PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
, however, praised Thriller 25 and the remix of "The Girl Is Mine". They wrote, "Any album good enough to make you forgive (although maybe not forget) a song as bad as the Paul McCartney duet 'The Girl Is Mine' has got to be damn good." They added that will.i.am had put a "breezy spin" on the track and that the song's omission of McCartney did not suffer because of it.
Track listing
- CD single
- Album Version – 3:11
- Club Mix – 3:35
- Original Demo Recording – 3:13
Remix credits
- Written by Michael Jackson, William "will.i.am" Adams, Keith Harris
- Produced by Michael Jackson and will.i.am
- Lead vocals by Michael Jackson
- Background vocals by will.i.am
- Engineered, mixed, drums and keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
by will.i.am - KeysKey (instrument)A key is a specific part of a musical instrument. The purpose and function of the part in question depends on the instrument.On instruments equipped with tuning machines, violins and guitars, for example, a key is part of a tuning machine. It is a worm gear with a key shaped end used to turn a cog,...
and synthsSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
: Keith Harris - Recorded in November 2007
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart | 51 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 31 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 12 |
| French Singles Chart | 22 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 41 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 47 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
32 |
See also
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1982 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B singles of 1983 (U.S.)