10 Songs That Ruined Otherwise Perfect Albums
8. Thriller - "The Girl Is Mine"
Michael Jackson’s Thriller is a genius album. Aside from artistic merits, it’s a miraculous commercial prospect, combining elements of just about every popular musical genre of the day. The result: one of the most successful sellers of all time. Jackson’s intention, though, was to create an album of nothing but hits - and this, he doesn’t manage.
“The Girl Is Mine” is where Thriller hits a brick wall. It descends into limp schmaltz, with Jackson and Paul McCartney (the king of limp schmaltz) fighting unconvincingly over a flimsily sketched fictional love interest. Jackson was elated to be working with the former Beatle, and evidently had too much fun in the studio to focus on his songcraft.
Amazingly, this - not “Beat It” or “Billie Jean” or literally any other song from Thriller - was released as the first single from the record. Thriller is a mish mash of styles, but “The Girl Is Mine” gives potential buyers the worst possible impression of the album.
Jackson is capable of electric performances, as evidenced by the remainder of Thriller. This dross clearly didn’t put anyone off, though, which seems a lucky escape for all involved.