The Michael Jackson Lyrics Quiz

Estimated Completion Time
6 min
The Michael Jackson Lyrics Quiz
Image: © David Lefranc/Corbis

About This Quiz

Sure, you may be the King of Pop's biggest fan, but do you know the words to all his songs? Don't stop till you get enough — right answers, that is. See how good you are at matching the lyrics to the Michael Jackson song by taking this quiz!
"Don't you know now is the perfect time/We can make it right, hit the city lights/Then tonight ease the lovin' pain/Let me take you to the max!"
"I Can't Help It"
"Human Nature"
"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)," from Jackson's "Thriller" album, features both Janet and LaToya Jackson on backup vocals.

Advertisement

"She seemed sincere like it was love and true romance/And now she's out to get me/And I just can't take it/Just can't break it"
"Little Susie"
"Blood on the Dance Floor"
"Dangerous"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Written by Jackson and producer and musician Teddy Riley in 1991, the New Jack Swing/rhythm and blues-styled "Blood on the Dance Floor" wasn't released until 1997.

Advertisement

"If you want to make the world a better place/Take a look at yourself, and then make a change"
"Baby Be Mine"
"Man in the Mirror"
"Heal the World"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Man in the Mirror" was one of just two songs on the "Bad" album that Jackson didn't write himself. The song was written by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard, and Garrett also sang backup vocals on the track. 

Advertisement

"So tonight gotta leave that nine to five upon the shelf/And just enjoy yourself/Groove, let the madness in the music get to you/Life ain't so bad at all"
"Off the Wall"
"In the Closet"
"Working Day and Night"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jackson performed the danceable "Off the Wall," the title song from his fifth album, in five of his concert world tours.

Advertisement

"Don't you come walkin' beggin'/I ain't lovin' you/Don't you get in my way"
"Bad"
"Leave Me Alone"
"The Girl Is Mine"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The elaborate video for the song "Leave Me Alone" won a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video in 1990. It’s also a part of Jackson’s 1998 film "Moonwalker."

Advertisement

"They print my message in the Saturday Sun/I had to tell them I ain't second to none/And I told about equality and it's true/Either you're wrong or you're right"
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
"Beat It"
"Black or White"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Featuring Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash, "Black or White" matched "Billie Jean" at seven weeks at the top of the charts. The song's video remains memorable for its pioneering use of morphing technology.

Advertisement

"People always told me be careful of what you do/And don't go around breaking young girls' hearts/And mother always told me be careful of who you love/And be careful of what you do 'cause the lie becomes the truth"
"Dirty Diana"
"Billie Jean"
"Little Susie"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

According to Jackson, "Billie Jean" is based on the groupies who used to hang around Jackson and his brothers when they were in The Jackson 5.

Advertisement

"Girl, I know that this is love/I felt the magic all in the air/And girl, I'll never get enough/That's why I always have to have you here"
"Never Can Say Goodbye"
"Just Good Friends"
"You Rock My World"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

From the album "Invincible," "You Rock My World" was Jackson’s last top 10 hit before his death in 2009. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2002 in the Best Male Pop Vocal Performance category.

Advertisement

"You have to show them that you're really not scared/You're playin' with your life, this ain't no truth or dare/They'll kick you, then they beat you/Then they'll tell you it's fair"
"Beat It"
"Off the Wall"
"Bad"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Beat It" won two Grammy Awards in 1984. By 1989 it had gone platinum and secured "Thriller" as the best-selling album in the world.

Advertisement

"I hear your voice now/You are my choice now/The love you bring"
"Heartbreaker"
"This Time Around"
"I Just Can't Stop Loving You"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Jackson sang this love song from "Bad" as a duet with singer Siedah Garrett, who also co-wrote "Man in the Mirror."

Advertisement

"You never said goodbye/Someone tell me why/Did you have to go/And leave my world so cold?"
"She's Out of My Life"
"Never Can Say Goodbye"
"You Are Not Alone"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Released in 1995 on Jackson’s album "HIStory," "You Are Not Alone" was his last No. 1 hit and the 13th of his solo career, the most by any male artist in Billboard’s chart history.

Advertisement

"Teacher's gonna show you/How to get an 'A,' spell me, you, add the two/Listen to me baby, that's all you gotta do"
"ABC"
"I Want You Back"
"Dancing Machine"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"ABC" became The Jackson 5’s second No. 1 Billboard hit, knocking out The Beatles’ "Let It Be."

Advertisement

"You hear the door slam and realize there's nowhere/Left to run/You feel the cold hand and wonder if you'll ever see/The sun"
"Beat It"
"Smooth Criminal"
"Thriller"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The music video for "Thriller" is considered the most famous music video of all time. It was added to the Library of Congress National Film Registry in 2009, the first music video in the registry.

Advertisement

"Well they say the sky's the limit/And to me that's really true/But my friend you have seen nothin'/Just wait 'til I get through"
"Bad"
"Give In to Me"
"Scream"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The second single released from Jackson’s "Bad" album, the song was inspired by a true story about a boy who went off to a private boarding school and was murdered out of jealousy when he returned home.

Advertisement

"All I got to say is/That I must be dreaming, can't be real/You're not here with me/Still, I can feel you near me"
"Cry"
"Unbreakable"
"Butterflies"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

The ballad "Butterflies" from Jackson’s album "Invincible" was written by English Neo-Soul duo Marsha Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart.

Advertisement

"Go, go, go where you want/But don't leave me here forever/You, you, you stay away/So long girl, I see you never"
"The Girl Is Mine"
"Say, Say, Say"
"She's Out of My Life"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Written by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney, "Say, Say, Say" was the duo’s second song together. The first was "The Girl Is Mine" from Jackson’s "Thriller" album.

Advertisement

"Annie are you ok?/Will you tell us that you're ok?"
"Leave Me Alone"
"Beat It"
"Smooth Criminal"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Smooth Criminal" is another song by Jackson whose popularity was tied to its memorable music video. "Smooth Criminal" was the centerpiece of Jackson’s theatrical film "Moonwalker," which starred actor Joe Pesci.

Advertisement

"I took my baby to the doctor/With a fever, but nothing he found/By the time this hit the street/They said she had a breakdown"
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"
"Working Day and Night"
"Get on the Floor"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

Many of the lyrics to the post-disco/funk song "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" pertain to media attention as well as gossip, which became a recurring theme throughout Jackson’s songs.

Advertisement

"Stop pressurin' me/Just stop pressurin' me/Stop pressurin' me/Make me wanna scream"
"Jam"
"Scream"
"Dangerous"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Scream" was Jackson’s first duet with his sister Janet Jackson. The song is an effort to retaliate against the media's obsession with his personal life and resulted in a memorable video.

Advertisement

"You gotta feel that heat/And we can ride the boogie/Share that beat of love"
"The Lady in My Life"
"Human Nature"
"Rock With You"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Rock With You" was Jackson's third No. 1 hit, and it spent four weeks in the Billboard Hot 100 top slot. The track ranked at No. 4 on Billboard's top Hot 100 songs of 1980, helping Jackson earn a Top Singles Artist honor that year.

Advertisement

"I feel your fever/From miles around/I'll pick you up in my car/And we'll paint the town"
"The Way You Make Me Feel"
"Blame it on the Boogie"
"You Rock My World"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"The Way You Make Me Feel" was the third No. 1 song off Jackson's "Bad" album and was performed by Jackson at the 1998 Grammy Awards.

Advertisement

"I used to say 'I' and 'me'/Now it's 'us,' now it's 'we'"
"What Goes Around Comes Around"
"Rockin' Robin"
"Ben"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Ben" was Jackson’s first No. 1 Hot 100 single as a solo artist. The song is a love song to a trained rat and was the title track to the 1972 horror movie of the same name.

Advertisement

"She likes the boys in the band/She knows when they come to town/Every musician's fan/After the curtain comes down"
"Xscape"
"Behind the Mask"
"Dirty Diana"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Dirty Diana," an R&B/rock tune about a groupie gone wrong, became the "Bad" album's fifth No. 1 song on the Hot 100 in 1988. With the song’s success, Jackson set a record that stands for most Hot 100 No. 1s (five) from one album by a male artist. Katy Perry tied Jackson with her album "Teenage Dream" in 2011.

Advertisement

"Oh baby, give me one more chance/(Show you that I love you)/Won't you please let me/Back in your heart"
"I Want You Back"
"Rockin' Robin"
"ABC"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

During the week of Nov. 15, 1969, The Jackson 5 entered the Billboard chart for the first time at No. 90 with "I Want You Back." Michael Jackson was 11 years old when the song was recorded.

Advertisement

"Get me out into the nighttime/Four walls won't hold me tonight/If this town is just an apple/Then let me take a bite"
"Human Nature"
"Heal the World"
"Greatest Show on Earth"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Human Nature" was written by Steve Porcaro, keyboardist with the band Toto. The song was featured in the film "Free Willy" alongside "Will You Be There."

Advertisement

"Lift me/Lift me up slowly/Carry me boldly/Show me you care"
"Speechless"
"Will You Be There"
"Another Part of Me"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

This gospel-tinged track was truly a "whale" of a hit for Jackson: "Will You Be There" was the theme song to the film "Free Willy" and also won the MTV Movie Award for Best Song in a Movie in 1994.

Advertisement

"Do you remember/When we fell in love/We were so young and innocent then"
"Loving You"
"In the Closet"
"Remember the Time"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Remember the Time" is from Jackson's eighth studio album, "Dangerous." It has a star-studded, Egypt-themed music video featuring celebrities Magic Johnson, Eddie Murphy and the supermodel Iman.

Advertisement

"Damned indecision and cursed pride/Kept my love for her locked deep inside/And it cuts like a knife"
"This Time Around"
"She's Out of My Life"
"Ease on Down the Road"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"She’s Out of My Life" is a departure from the many danceable songs on "Off the Wall." Jackson is crying at the song’s end.

Advertisement

"I'm melting/Like hot candle wax/Sensation/Lovely where we're at"
"Love Never Felt So Good"
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough"
"Why You Wanna Trip On Me"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

"Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough" was the first solo track Jackson wrote from the "Off the Wall" album, establishing his talent as both a singer and songwriter. It was also one of the first songs to feature Jackson’s trademark falsetto voice, vocal hiccups and yelps.

Advertisement

"Every time I think I've had enough/And start heading for the door/There's a very strange vibration/Piercing me right through the core"
"A Place With No Name"
"Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)"
"Never Can Say Goodbye"
Correct Answer
Wrong Answer

It may be hard to believe, but Jackson was only 12 years old when The Jackson 5 recorded the romantic hit "Never Can Say Goodbye."

Advertisement

You Got:
/30
© David Lefranc/Corbis