Ayo, Janet Jackson answered every MJ fan’s burning question this week. She posted her personal top-six Michael Jackson songs on Instagram, and the list hits different than you’d expect.
Janet asked her followers, “What MJ songs do y’all have on repeat?” Then dropped her own answer. Six tracks: Human Nature, I Can’t Help It, Money, This Time Around, Dirty Diana, and Who Is It.
And this is not the obvious list. Most people default to Thriller, Billie Jean, or Beat It. That’s the safe MJ conversation. Janet’s list goes deeper – four different albums, nearly two decades of his career. That’s someone who’s actually been through the catalog, not just the greatest hits.
Human Nature, off Thriller (1982), is the one that never fades. Slow and dreamy, it still sounds just as good late at night as it did forty years ago. I Can’t Help It goes even further back – Off the Wall in 1979. Written by Stevie Wonder, it’s one of the most genuinely tender things Michael ever recorded. It deserves more credit than it gets.
Then Janet shifts gears. Dirty Diana, from Bad (1987), hits completely different. Guitar-heavy and gritty, it was one of five number-one singles off that album. And Who Is It, from Dangerous in 1991, is moody and layered in a way that rewards repeat listens.
The two HIStory picks are what really stand out. Both Money and This Time Around come from that 1995 album. HIStory is sometimes overlooked in the broader MJ conversation – it came out amid the tabloid chaos of the mid-90s and people slept on it. Janet dropping two picks from there says something about her taste.
Janet and Michael Jackson grew up together as part of the Jackson family. Michael passed away in June 2009. She’s spoken about him publicly over the years and performed tributes at major shows. She’s also a heavyweight in her own right – Control (1986), Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989), The Velvet Rope (1997) are all defining chapters in R&B history. Her take on which of his songs hold up carries actual weight.
These six picks read like her honest answer to the question she asked. Not a tribute, not a PR move. Haven’t revisited I Can’t Help It or This Time Around lately? Her list gives you a good reason.
