"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" is a song by American singer

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

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 Epic Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), cong ...

. It was written and co-produced by Jackson and produced by

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (March 14, 1933 – November 3, 2024) was an American record producer, composer, arranger, conductor, trumpeter, and bandleader. Over the course of his seven-decade career, he received List of awards and nominations re ...

. 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 ''Off the Wall'' is the fifth studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on August 10, 1979, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's first album released through Epic Records, and the first produced by Quincy Jones, whom he met ...

'', 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 Aliaune Damala Bouga Time Puru Nacka Lu Lu Lu Badara Akon Thiam (born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon (), is a Senegalese-United States, American singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, businessman, and philanthropist. An influ ...

, 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 The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

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 Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

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.

Background

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" was written, composed and co-produced by Michael Jackson, and produced by

. It was originally written for his sister

La Toya Jackson La Toya Yvonne Jackson (born May 29, 1956) is an American singer and television personality. The fifth child and middle daughter of the Jackson family, Jackson first gained recognition on the family's variety television series, ''The Jacksons (TV ...

about her troubled relationship with her sisters-in-law, but Michael ended up recording the song, and La Toya sometimes performs the song at her concerts. The song was originally recorded in 1978 for the inclusion on the ''

'' album, but was later re-recorded in fall 1982, in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" was one of the four songs that Jackson received writing credits on for his sixth studio album '' Thriller'' in 1982. The song was released by

as the fourth single from the album. Aside from ''Thriller'', "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" has appeared on multiple compilation and greatest hits albums by Jackson since the song's release. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" appeared on the first disc of Jackson's two-disc compilation album '' HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I'' in 1995 as well as the 25th anniversary edition of ''Thriller'', titled '' Thriller 25'', and the greatest hits album '' King of Pop''; both albums were released in 2008. The song is also included on the box set collection released in 2004, '' The Ultimate Collection'', the greatest hits album '' The Essential Michael Jackson'', the compilation album '' This Is It'', and the special box set '' The Collection'' released days after Jackson's death. The song was also remixed to the ''

Immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...

'' album in 2011. The demo version of the song was also released in ''This Is It'' (2009).

Composition

post-disco Post-disco is a term and genre to describe an aftermath in popular music history circa 1979–1986, imprecisely beginning with the backlash against disco music in the United States, leading to civil unrest and a riot in Chicago known as the Dis ...

and

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

song, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" was viewed as a nod to the disco sound of Jackson's material on his previous studio album, ''

'', released in 1979. Arranged by Jackson himself and played by

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

Paulinho da Costa Paulinho da Costa (, born Paulo Roberto da Costa on May 31, 1948) is a Brazilian percussionist. Beginning his career as a samba musician in Brazil, he moved to the United States in the early 1970s and worked with Brazilian bandleader Sérgio Me ...

, the song's rhythm was regarded as a "complex interweaving of drum-machine patterns and work", while the horn section, arranged by

Jerry Hey Jerry Hey (born 1950) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, horn arranger, string arranger, orchestrator and session musician who has played on hundreds of commercial recordings, including Michael Jackson's '' Thriller'', '' Rock with Y ...

, was described as both "brassy and precise". ''

Slant Magazine ''Slant Magazine'' is an American online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New Yor ...

'' commented that the song was a "complicated tapestry of colliding hooks and pop references." The song's lyrics, "Too high to get over, too low to get under", has strong similarities to

Funkadelic Funkadelic was an American funk rock band formed in Plainfield, New Jersey in 1968 and active until 1982. As one of the two flagship groups of George Clinton's P-Funk collective, they helped pioneer the funk music culture of the 1970s.John, ...

's opening

salvo A salvo is the simultaneous discharge of artillery or firearms including the firing of guns either to hit a target or to perform a salute. As a tactic in warfare, the intent is to cripple an enemy in many blows at once and prevent them from f ...

for " One Nation Under a Groove". The lyrics pertain to the media and press, as well as gossip and people trying to start arguments or problems for no reason, which he states in the lyrics, "Someone's always tryin' to start my baby crying," and then goes to a more "quasi paranoia" yield in the "near-bitterness" chorus, 'You're a vegetable, you're a vegetable/ You're just a buffet, you're a vegetable/ They'll eat off you, you're a vegetable. In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin", Jackson's vocal range spans from E₃ to A₅. The sheet music for the song shows four sharps with a suggested

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...

of "moderately bright" in common time. It has a basic sequence of D/E–E–D/E–E as its

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural, or simply changes) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from ...

, similar to that of “ Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough”. The coda at the end of the song - "Mama-say mama-sah ma-ma-coo-sah" - is a variant of a lyric in Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango's 1972 disco song " Soul Makossa". Makossa is a Cameroonian music genre and dance. Dibango sued Jackson and, in 1986, settled out of court for one million French francs, agreeing thereby to waive future rights to this recording but not future use of the material.

Critical reception

Christopher Connelly, a writer for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', described "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" as being ''Thriller''s "most combative track". Connelly noted that in the "hyperactive" song, Jackson's "emotions are so raw that the song nearly goes out of control". He further commented that the song has a "tune that's almost as exciting as seeing Jackson motivate himself across a concert stage – and a lot more unpredictable". Remarking that while the song's lyrics "won't keep

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

awake nights", they "do show that Jackson has progressed past the hey-let's-hustle sentiments that dominated ''Off the Wall''". He added that Jackson's "raw ability and conviction make material like 'Baby Be Mine' and 'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' into first-class cuts". ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called the song a "smash," specifically praising the "danceable groove...superb arrangement and strange but ultimately uplifting lyrics."

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

, a writer for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

, listed "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin", along with "

Beat It "Beat It" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produced by Quincy Jones, and co-produced by Jackson. Jones encouraged Jackson to ...

", "

Billie Jean "Billie Jean" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson, released by Epic Records on January 3, 1983, as the second single from his sixth studio album, ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It was written and composed by Jackson, produ ...

", and "

Human Nature Human nature comprises the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of Thought, thinking, feeling, and agency (philosophy), acting—that humans are said to have nature (philosophy), naturally. The term is often used to denote ...

", as being the best songs from ''Thriller''. He also described the song as the "freshest funk on the album". Eric Herderson, a writer for ''Slant Magazine'', commented that with "three quick rimshots", he felt that "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" was like a "court fanfare".

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...

, a music critic, commented that he'd "expect to bear more" of ''Thriller''s "Wanna Be Startin' Something" and "Thriller" on the "dancefloor" rather than in his "living room". "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" received one

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nomination; it was nominated for "Best R&B Song" at the 1984 Grammy Awards, but lost to "Billie Jean," another of Jackson's singles from ''Thriller.'' ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' ranked this song No. 2 on its list of "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s", writing that "if you're going to become the biggest star in the world, it helps to make the biggest song".

Chart performance

In 1983, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" had a good chart performance worldwide. The song entered the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart top ten positions on July 2, 1983, at number nine, having moved up six places from the song's previous week. On July 16, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" charted at number five, which was the song's peak position on the chart. The song's peak position made "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" ''Thriller''s fourth consecutive single to peak within the top ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was more commercially successful than ''Thriller''s follow-up single "Human Nature" on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, with the song peaking on the chart at number seven. The song also peaked within the top ten, at number five, on the Black Singles Chart. Internationally, the song was commercially successful, mainly charting within the top 20 and top 30 on music charts. In the United Kingdom, on June 11, 1983, the song entered the chart's top 40 positions at number 38. The following week, the song moved up 24 positions to number 14, and on June 25, the song peaked within the top ten at number eight. The song remained on the charts for a total of nine weeks in 1983. In New Zealand, on July 24, 1983, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" entered the charts at number 47. The following week, the song peaked at number 35, which was its peak position, and remained in the top 50 of the chart for three weeks. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" entered the Dutch charts on July 9, 1983, charting within the top five at number four. The following week, the song charted at number three, which was its peak position, for three consecutive weeks. The song charted within the top ten for several weeks, and remained in the top 20 for ten weeks in 1983. In 2008, after the release of ''Thriller 25'' the song re-entered music charts worldwide. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" entered the Italian music charts on February 21, 2008, charting at number 14; it remained on the chart for only one week. The song entered the Danish music charts on February 28, charting within the top 30 at number 29. The following week, it peaked at number 22. In Switzerland, the song entered the top 50 at number 47 on February 24, 2008. The following week, the song peaked at number 30. After a total of six weeks on the chart the song, fell out of the top 100, and after four weeks re-entered the chart at number 83, before falling off the chart again. Following Jackson's death in June 2009, his music experienced a surge in popularity. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" re-entered the United Kingdom charts on July 4, 2009, and peaked at number 57 the following week. On July 12, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" re-entered Switzerland music charts for the second time. The song charted at number 37, which was its peak position, and remained on the charts for three weeks, before charting out of the top 100 positions.

Live performances

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin was one of the songs released as a single without an accompanying video. It became Michael Jackson's opening song for several concert tours, including the Victory Tour (1984) with the Jacksons, Bad World Tour (1987-1989), Dangerous World Tour (1992-1993), and

HIStory World Tour The ''HIS''tory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts spanning the gl ...

(1996-1997). A version was released on the 2012 DVD '' Live at Wembley July 16, 1988''. Since March 2009, Jackson was preparing to perform "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" during his This Is It concert series from July 13, 2009 to March 6, 2010. During rehearsals at

Staples Center Crypto.com Arena (originally and colloquially known as Staples Center) is a multi-purpose indoor arena in downtown Los Angeles. Opened on October 17, 1999, as Staples Center, it is located next to the Los Angeles Convention Center complex along F ...

for the This Is It comeback concerts at

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

The O2 Arena The O2 Arena, commonly known as The O2, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the centre of The O2 entertainment district on the Greenwich Peninsula in southeast London, England. It opened in its present form in 2007. It has the third-highest seat ...

, Jackson's performance of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" contained an

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

snippet of "Speechless", from Jackson's studio album '' Invincible'' (2001). Following Jackson's death in June of the same year, video footage of Jackson rehearsing the song was used as the opening song in the 2009 concert documentary, '' Michael Jackson's This Is It''.

Manu Dibango controversy

After Barbadian pop singer

sampled the song in her 2007 hit single " Don't Stop the Music", she and Jackson were both sued in February 2009 (four months before Jackson's death) by Cameroonian musician Manu Dibango, who claimed that both songs used the "mama-say mama-sa mama-coo-sa" hook from his 1972 single " Soul Makossa" without permission. According to

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, Jackson admitted earlier that he had borrowed the line for "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin and had eventually settled financially with Dibango. However, when Rihanna asked only Jackson's permission to sample the line in 2007, Jackson allegedly approved the request without contacting Dibango beforehand. Dibango's attorneys brought the case before a court in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, demanding

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists of a stylized letter E (or epsilon), crossed by t ...

500,000 in damages and for

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...

and

Warner Music Warner Music Group Corp., commonly abbreviated as WMG, is an American multinational entertainment and record label conglomerate headquartered in New York City. It is one of the " big three" recording companies and the third-largest in the gl ...

to be "barred from receiving 'mama-say mama-sa'-related income until the matter is resolved". The matter was settled out of court, where Dibango "worked out a financial agreement".

Track listing

US 7" version #"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" (single version) – 4:19 #"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" (instrumental) – 4:19 US 12" version #"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" (12" version) – 6:31 #"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" (instrumental) – 6:31 UK 7" version #"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" (single version) – 4:19 #"

Rock with You "Rock with You" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, written by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. It was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down. It was release ...

" (live with

The Jacksons The Jackson 5, later known as the Jacksons, are an American pop band composed of members of the Jackson family. The group was formed in Gary, Indiana in 1964, and originally consisted of brothers Jackie, Ti ...

) – 3:58 Europe 12" version #"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" (12" version) – 6:31 #"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" (instrumental) – 6:31 #"

" (live with

) – 3:58

Personnel

Credits adapted from the album '' Thriller 25''. *Michael Jackson: lead and backing vocals, songwriting, drum programming *

Greg Phillinganes Gregory Arthur Phillinganes (born May 12, 1956) is an American keyboardist, vocalist, and arranger. A session musician, Phillinganes has contributed to numerous albums over a broad array of artists and genres. He has toured with artists includin ...

Rhodes Rhodes (; ) is the largest of the Dodecanese islands of Greece and is their historical capital; it is the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, ninth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Administratively, the island forms a separ ...

, synthesizer * Michael Boddicker and Bill Wolfer: synthesizers * David Williams: guitar * Louis Johnson: bass *

: percussion *

, Gary Grant: trumpets,

flugelhorn The flugelhorn (), also spelled fluegelhorn, flugel horn, or flügelhorn, is a brass instrument that resembles the trumpet and cornet, but has a wider, more conical bore. Like trumpets and cornets, most flugelhorns are pitched in B♭, though ...

s *

Larry Williams Lawrence Eugene Williams (May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, and pianist from New Orleans. He is best known for writing and recording some rock and roll classics from 1957 to ...

: saxophone, flute * Bill Reichenbach: trombone *Michael Jackson, Nelson Hayes and Steven Ray: bathroom stomp board *Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson *Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones *Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey and Michael Jackson *Background vocals: Julia Waters, Maxine Waters, Oren Waters,

James Ingram James Edward Ingram (February 16, 1952 – January 29, 2019) was an American singer, songwriter and record producer. He was a two-time Grammy Award-winner and a two-time Academy Award nominee for Best Original Song. After beginning his career ...

, Bunny Hull and Becky Lopez *Produced by Quincy Jones *Co-produced by Michael Jackson

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008

"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" was re-recorded for the 2008 re-issue of '' Thriller'', titled '' Thriller 25''. The song was titled on the CD sleeve as "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008 with

". Recorded in November 2007, the 2008 version was remixed, co-written and co-produced by Akon. This single was the last work released during Jackson's lifetime. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, with critics having felt that while the 2008 version was good, it was not better than the original, but was better than other re-issues on ''Thriller 25''. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic commented that "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" was turned into a "moody piano murk". He further commented that while the song is not great, "it is better than Fergie parroting the lyrics of 'Beat It' back to a recorded Jackson, and it's better than

will.i.am William James Adams Jr. (born March 15, 1975), known professionally as will.i.am (pronounced "will I am"), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. He is the frontman of the musical group Black Eyed Peas, which he ...

turning 'The Girl Is Mine' into a hapless dance number". Rob Sheffield, a writer for ''Rolling Stone'', commented that "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" is "actually kind of great" and praised the song's composition. The song was released by Epic Records and

Legacy Recordings Legacy Recordings is an American record label that is a division of Sony Music. Formed in 1990 after Sony's acquisition of CBS Records, Legacy originally handled the archives of Sony Music-owned labels Columbia Records and Epic Records. In 2 ...

on March 21, 2008. It was commercially a modest success internationally, charting within the top 20 in several countries, as well charting within the top ten in four territories. The song charted at number three in Sweden, number four in New Zealand, number eight in Australia and number ten in France. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" charted at number 15 in Belgium's Flanders and Wallonia charts. and also charted at number 20 in Italy. In the US, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" peaked at number 81 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, giving the song its lowest charting position. The song also charted on the Pop charts at number 48, as well as number 47 on the Pop Hot 100 Airplay. Other charting positions include number 47 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Digital Songs and the Hot Canadian Digital Singles Chart at number 33. It also peaked at number 2 on the Dance Club Songs chart. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" also reached number 19 on the year-end chart of Dance Club Play Songs.

Track listing

*CD single #"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" (radio edit) – 3:51 #"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" (Johnny Vicious club—radio edit) – 3:36 #"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" (Johnny Vicious full club remix) – 9:03

Remix credits

*Written and produced by Michael Jackson, Aliaune "Akon" Thiam, Giorgio Tuinfort *

Lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of the ...

by Aliaune "Akon" Thiam and Michael Jackson (on second verse) *Background vocals by Michael Jackson *Mixed by Mark "Evil" Goodchild *Recorded in November 2007

Charts

Cover versions and uses in popular culture

*Jackson's elder sister

has frequently covered the song. She used it to open her set at 1993's Sopot Song Festival, on MDR in the 1990s, and on the sixth season of the United Kingdom television show ''

Celebrity Big Brother ''Celebrity Big Brother'' or ''Big Brother VIP'' is an adaptation of the '' Big Brother'' reality television series. It is the celebrity version of its parent franchise ''Big Brother'', the celebrity version airs in several countries, however, t ...

'' in 2009. *

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

performed "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" as the opening selection throughout her Greatest Love World Tour in 1986, which ran from July to December. She also performed the song alongside Usher and

Mýa Mya Marie Harrison (; born October 10, 1979), known professionally as Mýa, is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and actress. She was born in Washington D.C. and studied ballet, jazz, and tap dance as a child. Her ca ...

during the Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration shows on September 7 and 10, 2001 in MSG. In February 2010, she again performed the song, along with Jackson's " The Way You Make Me Feel", during her Nothing but Love World Tour. *One week after Jackson's death,

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

used that song as part of a medley of Jackson's songs as a tribute, during her second leg of her Sticky & Sweet Tour in July 2009. A dancer impersonated Jackson, performing his signature moves, like spinning, moonwalking and gyrating. *''

Glee Glee may refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 3000 album) * ''Glee'' (Logan Lynn album) * Gle ...

'' used it as the opening song in its "

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * he He ..., a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name * Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...

" episode (2012). This cover debuted and peaked at number 78 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 46 on the Digital Songs chart and number 88 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart at the week of February 18, 2012. Darren Criss performed the song. * Ashaye covered the song as part of his single "Michael Jackson Melody" in 1983.

References

{{Authority control 1982 songs 1983 singles 2008 singles Akon songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Epic Records singles La Toya Jackson songs Michael Jackson songs Songs involved in plagiarism controversies Post-disco songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Sampling controversies Song recordings produced by Akon Song recordings produced by Michael Jackson Song recordings produced by Quincy Jones Songs written by Akon Songs written by Michael Jackson Songs about the media

Background

Composition

Critical reception

Chart performance

Live performances

Manu Dibango controversy

Track listing

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008

Track listing

Remix credits

Charts

Cover versions and uses in popular culture

See also

References