June 25, 2009 · 5:06 PM

What MJ left behind: Weekly staffers pick their favorite tunes

By Las Vegas Weekly Staff

Michael Jackson at a press conference. This is actually it.

Photo: Associated Press

"Stranger in Moscow" (HIStory, 1995) The singer describes his "swift and sudden fall from grace" on the foreign streets of Moscow. It's an ode to the kind of cosmic, unreachable loneliness that had to have been the flip side of the King of Pop's unparalleled fame. It's a sad and beautiful--forgotten--song, proof that Jackson's artistry outlived the commercial peak of his storied career. -T.R. Witcher

“Smooth Criminal” (Bad, 1987) I think I may have first heard this song in the Sega Genesis Moonwalker video game, and then later in the awful Moonwalker movie, whose highlight was the “Smooth Criminal” segment, with Jackson in a dapper white suit dancing at a 1930s-style nightclub. Its undeniable riff and melody even made for a surprisingly appealing alt-rock cover by Alien Ant Farm in 2001. -Josh Bell

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"Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" (Off the Wall, 1979) One of those songs that just feels like a party. No matter what kind of day you've had, no matter where you are or who you're with (or not with), when that first disco-string run hits, you just can't help but shake something. -Spencer Patterson

"Billie Jean" (Thriller, 1982) The first time I heard this song, I was on the school bus coming home. It was one of those songs that just commanded your attention, its instant-classic-hooks searing themselves into my eardrums. I saw the amazing video the next day and was hooked. To this day, I crank the radio whenever this comes on. Nostalgia is a great thing, especially when it has a goose bump-inducing groove like this. -Ken Miller

"Pretty Young Thing," (Thriller, 1982) Just an awesome song to sing with the King of Pop. You can't get it out of your head! -Stacy J. Willis

"I Want You Back" (1969) There's no shortage of classic Jackson 5 hits to recommend, but "I Want You Back" is Motown -- and pop music -- at its best. From jump, the effortless groove pulls you into Jackson's sweet, commanding vocals, which do the rest. (It's amazing that he was only 10 when the group recorded the single). Listening back now is a reminder of just how soulful a singer Michael Jackson really was. -T.R. Witcher

“Goin’ back to Indiana,” (Goin’ Back to Indiana, 1971) As a kid I used to love the Jackson 5 TV show, and one night they sang this song. One of my parents bought me the 45 and I played this song over and over, wearing a set of giant white headphones that nearly enveloped my entire head. I sang along with little Michael Jackson as loud as I could, an early version of household karaoke. I remember later my mother saying that this song woke her up nearly every weekend morning for several months when I was six years old. We just loved the Jackson 5 at our place, and this song made you want to perform funky dance steps, and maybe even spin. -John Katsilometes

"Rockin' Robin," (1972) Yeah, it's a cover Michael did in 1972, but I love that grainy b/w film of little teenaged him belting this out on TV in his cool '70s clothes. It's joyous -- he's giving it everything, and you can just see this kid going to be great. -Stacy J. Willis

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