QUINCY JONES X LA TIMES ARTICLE

I LOVE YOU QUINCY THAT’S ALL I CAN SAY. THIS JUST GAVE ME A NEW CONFIDENCE, NEW ENERGY A NEW FOCUS DAMN!!!!!!!!
Quincy Jones on Michael Jackson: ‘We made history together’
06:24 PM PT, Jun 29 2009

MJ&Q

Like the world, last week I was devastated by the news that Michael Jackson had suddenly left the room. This blessed artist commanded the stage with the grace of an antelope, shattered recording industry records and broke down cultural boundaries around the world, yet remained the gentlest of souls.
Michael Jackson was a different kind of entertainer. A man-child in many ways, he was beyond professional and dedicated. Evoking Fred Astaire, Sammy Davis Jr. and James Brown all at once, he’d work for hours, perfecting every kick, gesture and movement so that they came together precisely the way they were intended to. Together we shared the ’80s, achieving heights that I can humbly say may never be reached again and reshaped the music business forever.
For some reason I have had the honor of meeting young performers when they reach the age of 12. There was Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Tevin Campbell and, of course, Michael Jackson. I was fully aware of Michael and impressed by the achievemen ts that he’d reached with the Jackson Five, but it never crossed my mind that we would eventually work together. But as is always the case, divinity interceded into the process.
In 1978, Sidney Lumet pulled me kicking and screaming into doing the music for “The Wiz,” and in hindsight I’m so glad he did. As the scarecrow, Michael dove into the filming of “The Wiz” with everything that he had, not only learning his lines but those of everyone in the cast. Prior to filming, Michael and I were working at my home and he asked if I could help find him a producer to work with him on his first solo album from Epic.
At rehearsals with the cast, during the part where the scarecrow is pulling proverbs from his stuffing, Michael kept saying “So-Crates” instead of “Socrates.” After about the third time, I pulled him aside and told him the correct pronunciation. He looked at me with these big wide eyes and said, “Really?” and it was at that moment that I said, “Michael, I’d like to produce your album.”
It was that wonderment that I saw in his eyes that locked me in. I knew that we could go into completely unexplored territory, a place that as a jazz musician gave me goose bumps.
I pulled my “A-team” crew together, anchored by Rod Temperton, one of the best songwriters who has ever lived, and we embarked on making “Off the Wall.” I simply loved working with Michael. He was so shy he’d sit down and sing behind the couch with his back to me while I sat there with my hands over my eyes with the lights off. We tried all kinds of tricks that I’d learned over the years to help him with his artistic growth, like dropping keys just a minor third to give him flexibility and a more mature range in the upper and lower registers, and more than a few tempo changes.
I also tried to steer him to songs with more depth, some of them about real relationships — we weren’t going to make it with ballads to rodents (i.e. “Ben”). And Seth Riggs, a leading vocal coach, gave him vigorous warm-up exercises to expand his top and bottom range by at least a fourth, which I desperately needed to get the vocal drama going. We approached that record like we were going into battle. “Off the Wa ll” would sell 10 million copies.
Anyone who tells you that they knew a record was going to be a big hit is a flat-out liar. We had no idea “Off the Wall” was going to be as successful as it was, but we were thrilled. Michael had moved from the realm of bubble-gum pop and planted his flag square in the heart of the musical pulse of the ’80s, but what came next, I don’t think any of us were ready for.
The ‘Thriller’ saga
The drama surrounding “Thriller” seemed to never end. As we were recording the album, Steven Spielberg asked me to do a storybook song with Michael for “E.T.” We were already behind schedule on “Thriller,” but great, no problem. The movie was a big hit, we loved Steven, and so, off to work we went with Rod Temperton and Marilyn and Alan Bergman writing the song. Naturally, of course, this would evolve into Steven wanting us to do an “E.T.” album.
Four months to complete “Thriller,” already behind schedule, no problem. Off to work we went. In any event, it all worked out . . . Michael and I won Grammys for the album, and it became a collector’s item.
With two months to get “Thriller” done, we dug in and really hit it. Michael, Rod, the great engineer Bruce Swedien and I had all spent so much time together by now that we had a shorthand, so moving quickly wasn’t a problem. I told Michael that we needed a black rock ‘n’ roll tune — a black “My Sharona” — and a begging tune for the album. He came back with “Beat It” and Rod came back with “The Lady in My Life.”
Rod also brought in “Thriller” and Michael sang his heart out on it. At one point during the session the right speaker burst into flames, which none of us had ever seen before. How’s that for a sign?
We finished the album at 9 a.m. the morning we needed to deliver the reference copy. We had three studios going all night long. Michael in one putting final touches on “Billie Jean,” Bruce in another, and Eddie Van Halen, who I brought in, in yet another recording his parts for “Beat It.”
We all gathered in Studio A to listen to the test pressing with this enormous anticipation. This was it, the eagerly anticipated fo llow-up to “Off the Wall.” And it sounded . . . terrible. After all of that great work we were doing, it wasn’t there. There was total silence in the studio, and one by one we walked across the hall for some alone time. We’d put too much material on the record. Michael was in tears.
We took two days off, and in the next eight days, we set about reshaping the album, mixing just one song a day. Rod cut a verse from “The Lady in My Life,” and we shortened the long, long intro to “Billie Jean,” something Michael hated to do because he said the intro “made him want to dance.”
MTV breakthrough
We delivered the album and watched “Billie Jean” — thanks to Michael’s debut performance of the moonwalk on the 25th anniversary of Motown special — “Beat It” and “Thriller” just explode, fueled in part by heavy video rotation on MTV. Prior to “Billie Jean,” MTV wasn’t playing videos with black artists. “Billie Jean,” “Beat It” and “Thriller” took us straight to the stratosphere. After those three videos, virtually every video on MTV was trying to emulate their style.
Michael, the music and MTV all went to the mountaintop. It was the perfect convergence of forces. In the music business, every decade you have a phenomenon. In the ’40s you had Sinatra, in the ’50s Elvis, in the ’60s the Beatles, in the ’70s the innovation of Dolby, despite the best efforts of Stevie Wonder and Elton John. In the ’80s you had Michael Jackson. For everyone from 8 to 80, he was the biggest entertainer on the planet. Followed up with “Bad” and the collective on “We Are the World,” we all made history together. We owned the ’80s and our souls would be connected forever.
Shortly after “Thriller” came out and simply chewed up everything in its way, I went to see Count Basie at the Palladium with Benny Carter and Ed Eckstine. Basie was like a father to me, having kind of adopted me when I was 13, and he wasn’t in the greatest shape. He was in a wheelchair and when he saw me, he said with a sense of pride, “Man, [what] you and Michael did, me and Duke would never even dream about nothin’ that big. We wouldn’t even dare to dream about it.” You can’t imagine how proud I felt, hearing that from one of my idols, not realizing that it would be the last time that I’d see him alive.
There will be a lot written about what came next in Mich ael’s life, but for me all of that is just noise. I promise you in 50, 75, 100 years, what will be remembered is the music. It’s no accident that almost three decades later, no matter where I go in the world, in every club and karaoke bar, like clockwork, you hear “Billie Jean,” “Beat It,” “Wanna Be Starting Something,” “Rock With You” and “Thriller.”
In every language on the planet, from prison yards in the Philippines [Updated at 7:30 p.m.: An earlier version of this blog post incorrectly said the prison yards were in Thailand.] to Thrilltheworld.com, that will be the beautiful, grand legacy of Michael Jackson.
–Quincy Jones

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61 Comments
  1. Thank you so much for posting this ~ truly inspirational. The world truly stood still (even the internet broke) when the King passed.

  2. thanks for this JD. You guys remain in our prayers.

  3. wow powerful is all i can say

  4. Quincy is amazing. Thanks for posting this. Hang in there JD.

  5. Q is amazing! JD, U are on the same path of Greatest in the music industry. Keep ya head UP!

  6. That was beautiful.
    Rest In Peace Michael Jackson.

  7. Wow. The speaker burst into flames!!! That is crazy!!! All the the right “stars” were definitely in alignment to make magic happen. Love this blog.

  8. Damn, I’m speechless.

  9. thank you JD, that just made my day.

  10. Quincy Jones and Michael are true geniouses. Michael is already greatly missed and I will without a doubt be at Neverland on Friday to pay my respects to such a wonderful man. I’m still devestated and can’t believe Michael is gone, I hope my trip to pay my respects will help me get through the fact that Michael is no longer here. God Bless his children, the whole Jackson family, and his devoted fans. Thanks JD for posting this and keep doing what your doing.

  11. What a great story. I never knew all of that. Quincy’s blog is so insightful in the aftermath of Michael’s death. JD, thanks for this.

  12. This is about as informative and inspirational as it can get. Lifers near and far I’m sure are thanking you for this post on a daily JD and you know we all feel for you my dude. Much love and God Bless

  13. that was great. and hes 100% correct.there are 100s of old songs that djs can drop and everyone will sing and dance to it. but drop a song from thriller and the whole place lights up like it was just released. it dont matter what age or race you are. when you hear billie jean, or thriller, or PYT etc etc. best believe you are gonna be singing and dancing to it with that warmth in your heart. that feel good feeling that makes you forget about all your troubles. thats the power that MJ had. And that power was always used on something good. Quincy and michael changed the world!!!

  14. Tht was the best tht I’ve read thus far!!!!!!!! Great job Dupri!!! Thank u for sharing this post with the lifers!!!!! RIP MJ!! Jd keep your head up!

  15. Yes! Thank you for sharing this inspirational story! And like Quincy said whatever is being said about MJ now is just noise. Let’s not be distracted by the noise Lifers. Follow your hearts, focus on what’s REALLY important. Turn off the news, leave the gossip to those who will, and turn on your MJ music and DANCE, DANCE, SING, CLAP YOUR HANDS, LAUGH, CRY, LISTEN….DON’T STOP TIL YOU GET ENOUGH! Keep his legacy and spirit alive by caring about something more than yourself, use your talents to affect the world positively. God Bless YA, JD.

  16. BLOWN AWAY! what a great recount of how Quincy and MJ have developed. The tiny details he remembers and all the hard work the 2 of them did. They were an unstoppable team that were meant to work together. They have provided the world with music that will fill hearts forever. They have changed the music world, i wish current artists could stop and look at MJ. His music has messages, no curse words and had such a broad appeal, now that is the kind of music we need more of. The example has been made, let’s see who can open their eyes and take notice. Much respect and admiration for Quincy my heart goes out to him for the loss of his dear friend MJ.

  17. Can we get Quincy Jones’ statement out there in the media. Just about everything is negative and it’s very disheartening. The musical Genius is being raked over the coals. I wish there were more positive sentiments out there right now. MJ, the best there ever was….RIP Michael Joseph Jackson

  18. Thanks JD for posting this. I really needed that. We will always love you Michael.

  19. BEAUTIFULY SAID…
    REST IN PEACE
    YOU WILL BE MiSSED
    BUT FOREVER
    LiViNG iN OUR
    HEARTS..AND
    FOREVER AN
    iNSPiRATiON

  20. Speechless…..

  21. amazing…truly inspirational,,,R.I.P MJ

  22. Leave it to Quincy to know exactly how to put into words what a phenomenal man, Michael was….He will be missed sooooo much, but the music and his legacy is timeless.

  23. Oh my God! My head hurts! I got excited just reading the article and my mind is going a mile a minute. I need an outlet. Unfortunately for me I have no musical talents whatsoever. I’m going to Harlem to act a fool for MJ, LOL!!!!! And if I can get to Neverland I will be there too. MJ was truely a gift from God. I was blessed to be born in the eighties. MJ was everything to me when I was a little girl and he was with me throughout my life. I got in trouble so many times because of MJ, from trying to rip my shirts; tape my fingers; fighting for his posters and jumping from furniture but I loved every minute of it! No one can tell me anything about that man. I don’t even watch the news anymore because I know all that I need to know about him and that’s all that matters.

    “It was the perfect convergence of forces.” That describes this union perfectly. Thank you Ouincy Jones for all that you contributed to Michael and music as a whole!

  24. What a wonderful article. It really pays tribute to the man. Thank you for sharing it with us. I can see you being another Quincy Jones JD. Stay blessed.

  25. Thanks for posting this JD. Its great to hear the behind the scenes perspective of Q. There will never be another Q and MJ type collaboration.

    You, Janet and the Jackson family are still in my prayers every day and night.

  26. every producer and every musician should read this. every producer in the game and every singer in the game needs to experiment and try new things like mike and quincy did thats why the two of the greatest in the music industry period!!!!!! r.i.p mike

  27. I love Mr. Jones! He is a man to be respected forever! He and Michael had a good but interesting relationship! I’m just glad they were able to get together to do those albums!

  28. This Just shows what so many people can do make good music and see something in other as what quincy jones did. And Michael and him could achive so many things that it’s unbelivable Michael was a perfectionist he could achive something others could not. And the one thing that really touched me was thirller. In so little time they made that album and also worked on the E.T movie and they multi task and then they listend and then had to do it over and accomplished it that shows there is no excuse to why we cant do anything in so little time sad to see a genius die.

  29. I actually met Quincy at a book signing! He asked me if I was a Pisces LOL!

  30. WOW…Michael is BAD..this goes to show everyone who had doubts about Michael..not any more..a true Artist.. Man, I remember hearing that intro to “Beat It”..damn that was tight..still is..it was like he was calling everyone Front and Center..without saying a word..He was so profound..silent but deadly..I mean he was telling the world, gang members, kids who wanted to be in a gang what it was all about..without disrespecting anyone..that’s DEEP..his music was about having a good time and enjoying LIFE..
    Michael told the truth..and he let the whole world know what was going on, through his music..
    See JD, no one can come behind Michael and take the crown..No one..

  31. This was a beautiful article. As an MJ & Jackson family supporter, I have heard Q talk about these memories over the years. More people are paying attention now, which is great! Yes JD, with God’s help ALL things are possible!

  32. mannnnn, jd thanks, one love will never forget a beautiful article.

  33. I love this story, a couple of years ago they re-released thiller digital enhance with commentary from Quincy, Rod Temperton and Mike i couldn’t stop listening to it. There was a demo of Billie Jean….classic. Mike has so many great albums…his voice evokes so many emotions. songs like, 2bad, Tabloid Junkie, Who is it, 2000 watts, invincible…man i spent hours dancing in my crib to these songs. RIP MJ!

  34. WONDERFUL!!!!! These are the types of stories that should be traded during this difficult time. I am so grateful to you, JD, for posting a story of substance, educating us on Michael’s journey and reminding us of his GREATNESS. I am getting so pissed by the non-sense being reported as news. A talented entertainer, a father, a son, a brother and a friend has been lost. He’s gone!!! This was refreshing and brings prospective back to the true loss at hand, instead of the media’s gain for a news break!! Like my grandma says, “if you don’t have nothing good to say, don’t say anything at all!” Thanks JD for the posting. It’s inspirational and I am making my 10 year old read it as well. RIP Michael Jackson and God bless you and your family at this difficult time.

    Lekeate

  35. Wow! The speaker burst into flames! amazing! R.I.P. MJ JD my thoughts are with you and the Jackson family.

  36. I SAW QUINCEY JONES 4 THE FIRST TIME IN CANADA WITH MY VOCAL JAZZ ENSEMBLE. (IAJE) HE RECEIVED AN AWARD THERE AND HE MADE A SPEECH AND HE TALKED ABOUT HOW PHARRELL AND WILL IAM WOULD COME TO HIS CRIB AND ASK HIM MAD QUESTIONS. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A 1 ON 1 WITH HIM!!!!

  37. A proper retrospective look at Michael Jackson, the man. It’s amazing that one human being had such an effect on a mass of individuals. He was a well rounded entertainer and his genius will live on his music.

  38. wat up jd. the story of quincy jones n michael jackson is legendary! the two of them were magic together! their passion for music and perfection is evident in OFf the Wall and Thriller! that right mjj and quincy jones changed the music game n the world with Thriller! Thriller made history and will continue 2 make history for years 2 come! Both of these men were def blessed with GOD given talents! RIP MJJ!

  39. VERY POWERFUL ANS INSPIRATIONAL. THANK YOU FOR POSTING THIS JD.

  40. When Dr Renee sent me this email she stated have your hanky out cause it’s so heart touching an when I read the article Quincy just gave us so much more insight on the man who I grew up loving an thought one day I would marry he sums it up best even though Elton an Stevie were big in the 80’s Michael blew the lid off the music industry knocking them on there asses when you watch MJ performance on Soul Train an Dick Clark performing with Cher n Diana Ross at the age of ten he was just special as if god rested his hands on MJ shoulder an gave him that extra hump an he came an he did what he knew best we across the pond worship MJ as our god he was always our international star an when I heard of him leaving ,me an my bff cried our hearts out were still crying it comes an go but MJ will always have a place in my heart an I hope people never ever forget the things he’s done his music,philanthropy work,love of family,kids,friends an most of all his fans in closing MJ line I love you I do this for you

  41. MEN LIE, WOMEN LIE…BUT NUMBERS DONT. MICHAEL PROVED THAT AND MORE. MJ TOUCHED MANY LIVES, HELPED SAVE MANY SOULS..NOW MAY HE REST IN PEACE. I BET CNN, TMZ AND OTHER SITES WONT POST THIS…THE KING WILL ALWAYS LIVE ON…

  42. Speachless…..That is what the media needs to feed up on…none of those other stuff. And I agree numbers don’t lie!!! All in one week thats AMAZING

  43. Makes me wana work even harder I don’t believe anyone will ever reach mikes level or come close to his sucess but I jus hope to get the love he had

  44. wow! left me speechless! amazing words!

  45. I can’t imagine anything topping Thriller and if it ever occurs I just might give it a listen. Always FLawless

  46. its touching you know? it makes me want to shed tears. i’m so happy that these two men united together. all the hours spent on producing such masterful pieces of music just for us to dance. might sound like a small thing to some but to the people on the planet who rock mike’s music heavily, we apperciate you so much. thank yall so much. yall give me a reason to do what i do. michael jackson for life. respect musicianship.

  47. That was so beautiful and here I am crying all over again, thank you to Mr. Quincy Jones for sharing.

  48. God bless Quincy Jones! He as a great friend and mentor for MJ. They truly blessed us with timeless music.

  49. Dang man, what Quincy said was kind of deep. Reading that almost brought me to tears again. No one will ever be able to top THRILLER. That album is perfection. None of the songs are filler songs at all. It has a great mix of slow and fast songs. Great beats, great riffs, just great everything. A lot of people can talk a lot of crap about him but they need to shove their foot in their mouths because they are not the ones who spent 37 weeks at number one, they are not the ones who won a record 8 grammys, they didn’t do nothing like that. So for anyone who talks crap about Michael Jackson just look up the stats and (excuse my french) shut the hell up!!!

  50. ((((JERMAINE))))) And yes I’m shouting cause I want your attention on this. Have you read this interview with Quincy http://men.style.com/details/features/landing?id=content_9937? Yeah, I know journalists twist shit all the time but if this is straight from the horses mouth, WTF? I’ve always respected Quincy but how can any black man with all white ex wives and mixed race children say in a national publication he thinks Michael Jackson didn’t want to be Black! And worse, because Quincy was so close to MJ the press is gonna run with his comments as truth as opposed to opinion. I’m sooo disappointed. Why does it seem now the MJ is dead his “friends” are saying shit they wouldn’t have when he was alive. I’m too thru!

  51. U BETTA PREACH QUINCY!! i loved Off the wall just as much as Thriller…awesome music and Mj is an awesome man…i feel it all of our jobs to uphold his name and let the WORLD know that Mj is the greatest that eva did it!

  52. I miss you michael and i wish you were still here with us, but i know that you are in heaven now in a much better place. God was kind enough to share you with us and i am eternally greatful and forever in his debt . I love you forever and always, rest in peace. I’ll never forget you ever.

  53. jermaine i can not even start to express to you how sorry I am for the loss of your brother inlaw.
    My prayers are with you,the jackson family and michaels beautiful children. I can not even imagine what it feels like on your end. As a fan it hurts beyond belief but it hurts the worse when people make up lies about him, but trust that all of his true fans don’t believe the lies. All we want to know is that he is in a better place and in the grace of god. My prayers are with you and the jackson family. God bless you all

  54. Wow!! This is so AMAZING!!! I’m coverd in tears right now!!! Thank you Quincy Jones for sharing your story with us!! its definitly touched each & everyone of us!!! Michael Jackson is the GREATEST & FOREVER will be!!!Micheal is an inspiration to all of us!!! He will never be forgotten!! I am so PROUD to have been named after his BIGGEST selling albulm of all time ”THRILLER” Michael will forever live in our hearts & thru his music!!! We LOVE you!!! My prayers are with you, your family & all your fans!!! You will forever be missed =(

  55. Thanks so much Jermaine for sharing that. I am so tired of the media spin about Michael’s death and the spin on his life, I just turn the tv off and put in one of his cd’s, after all thats what we all longed for all those years. I always have adored Michaels music and I have to admit that I am so very saddened that we will never see him dance or sing again. We really lost a big one and there will never be another Mike. My condolences go out to the Jackson family and his beautiful children and I pray that those children grow up and know that the world loved there dad and he gave all of us more than we even asked for, his movement, his voice, and his tenderness. God bless. REST IN PEACE MIKE, FAN FOREVER-SHAUNA.

  56. DUPRI!!!???

    WTH IS THIS?? http://men.style.com/details/features/landing?id=content_9937

    I DON’T KNOW WHICH ARTICLE IS TRUE..BUT IF THE ONE IN THE LINK I ADDED IS, THEN…I’M HIGHLY PISSED! I TAKE BACK ALL THE NICE THINGS I SAID ABOUT Q….MICHAEL YOU’LL FOREVER LIVE IN MY HEART!

  57. Imaginary! I heart the fact he looked into his eyes and saw his soul.

  58. Quincy is two faced. And he get too much credit when it comes to Mike. Mike was already a superstar when he met Quincy. Who was Quincy before Mike. Mike made Q famous. Mike wrote mostly of his songs on Thriller, Bad and Off the Wall. Was Quincy responsible for Motown 25 . Hell Naw. The list goes on and on. Quincy’s been running his mouth since MJ’s death and its been disgiusting. During MJ’s trial Quincy said Mike was A BUSINESS ASSOCIATE not A FRIEND. Yew he did. It should be online go find it. R.I.P Mike.

  59. Good work, my prayer for you and others is that you will live long and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
    And my love and regards to her as you know.

  60. It really is a very significant subject and dismissed by too many writers, even pros. I thank you for helping getting people more knowledgeable with this topic.

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