Michael Jackson (1958–2009) was an American musician and entertainer. He is known to have written, recorded, and filmed material that has never been released. Many of his unreleased songs have been registered—usually by his company Mijac Music—with professional bodies such as the United States Copyright Office, the Songwriters Hall of Fame, Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI), American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP), the Canadian Musical Reproduction Rights Agency (CMRRA) and EMI Music Publishing. This list only documents the songs explicitly cited as unreleased and therefore doesn't contain every unreleased song registered with such bodies.
Many officially unreleased songs had been scheduled, at one point, for release, through ways such as his six solo studio albums with music label Epic Records: Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory (1995) and Invincible (2001) and the remix album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997). For varying reasons, the tracks were rejected and, as of 2026, remain unreleased. Jackson's unreleased material includes songs recorded as a solo artist (including covers of songs released by other artists and the Jackson 5 songs) and demo versions, some featuring established artists such as Freddie Mercury and Barry Gibb. Between 1974 and 2009, Jackson recorded "at least 1,000–2,000 songs" according to close partners Bill Bottrell and Bruce Swedien. Bottrell claimed "only a small percentage of Michael's full catalog has been released", and that "he recorded a lot of music in his 3-decade career".
In 2009, after Jackson's sudden death, La Toya Jackson said that she had discovered two hard disks at her brother's home that contained more than 100 unreleased songs, many of which were unregistered. Several of Jackson's songs have been leaked onto the Internet, such as a 24-second segment of "A Place with No Name" leaked by TMZ.com following Jackson's death. At the time of the leak, it was claimed that there were "thousands" of unreleased songs by Jackson, and that they could be issued for years to come. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame curator, Jim Henke, noted that any future releases would garner significant attention. On March 16, 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a $250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017 and release ten posthumous albums over the next decade, but this did not come to fruition as only three releases contained previously unreleased material: Michael (2010), the second disc from Bad 25 (2012), and Xscape (2014).
Key Denotes songs registered with Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) and/or American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Denotes songs cited by Jackson in his 1993 deposition Denotes songs registered with the United States Copyright Office and the year of registration Denotes songs cited by Jackson in his 1993 deposition and the year they were registered with the United States Copyright Office
Songs Title Writer(s) Notes "11pm"(2010) Recorded in 2008 Instrumental track originally produced by Buxer; lacks any vocals from Michael Later revision produced by Michael Durham Prince existsHalstead, pp. 6–20"A Baby Smiles"* Written and recorded during the Off the Wall sessions Lyrics to the song were featured as a poem titled "When Babies Smile" in the 1992 book Dancing the Dream"A Pretty Face Is" Originally written in 1974 The song was originally intended for the Jackson 5 but was later recorded as a duet between Wonder and Jackson; the two reportedly recorded the song for Wonder's 1987 Characters album"Adore You"(2009) Written and recorded during sessions at the Neverland Ranch between late 2004 and January 2005 Only some "background vocals" were recorded by Jackson and a full 30-piece choir Listed on notes consisting of songs Jackson wanted to finish that were found in his bedroom after his death Full song leaked onto the internet in January 2026Halstead, pp. 20–21"All My Children"†Halstead, pp. 384–399"All The Truth You Need"† Also known as "All The Truth" One of around 20–25 songs recorded with Loren for the Dangerous album between 1989 and 1991 Loren sings the verses on this song, with Jackson in the choruses Described to be similar to "Do the Bartman" Has a runtime of 3:10 minutes"Alright Now"* Originally recorded in 1983 during the Victory sessions. Considered to be vocally complete Given to Ralph Tresvant to record for his 1990 album Ralph Tresvant Said to sound identical to Tresvant's version. Tresvant's version of the song features Jackson on background vocals"Apocalypse Now" Written and recorded during 1986–1987 The track consists of numerous military cadences composed by drummer John Robinson Lacks any vocals from Michael. Described by Robinson in Rhythm magazine: "There was a track I did called 'Apocalypse Now' that I wrote six and a half minutes of military drum cadences for. I brought in Don Williams, Dan Greco, and Bob Zimmitti. We recorded with four field snares, four piccolo snares, two sets of piatti, and one gran casa. It was a very hip tune, but it never made the record. I was kind of upset about that." Has a runtime of 6:24 minutesHalstead, pp. 21–23"Ask Rene" Written and recorded during the HIStory sessions Also known as "Ask Rene 3" Instrumental groove with no vocals DAT tape put up for auction along with other songs in 2013"Halstead, pp. 6–7"Bad Girl"* Written and recorded on February 28, 1986 in Hayvenhurst during the Bad sessions Although vocals were recorded, it was never worked on again Bottrell is unaware of current state of completion of songHalstead, pp. 24–54"Bang Your Head"(2010) Written sometime between 2008 and 2009 Lacks any vocals from Michael"Be Me 4 a Day"† Written during the Invincible sessions Unknown if ever recorded by Michael"Beatbox 2010"(2009) Recorded circa 2008 7-second snippet leaked in September 2026 by Motif."Bio" Recorded in October 1997 at Buxer's home studio approximately a week after the HIStory World Tour ended Was allegedly the first song worked on for the Invincible album, alongside "Seeing Voices" and "Monster"“Blue Powder”Brad Buxer Written and recorded in June 2000 during the Invincible sessions Vocals sung by Jackson’s personal driver Very low tempo song; described by collectors as “boring and insignificant” Full song currently in the hands of a private collector A snippet leaked onto the internet in 2025"Bombay Nights" Written and recorded in during the HIStory sessions A DAT tape containing the song was auctioned in 2013 alongside other songs Described as a "repetitive, yet funky" track Full song leaked onto the internet in January 2026 Has a runtime of 6:25 minutesHalstead, pp. 7–8"Boots Song" Written and possibly recorded in 1979 during the Off The Wall sessions Also known as "Boots Groove" Described as having a similar sound to "Get on the Floor" with a Brothers Johnson-inspired bass line Rumored to have full vocals, though nothing is confirmed Has a runtime of 4:49 minutesShields, p. 41"From The Bottom of My Heart"(2010) Also known as "Bottom of My Heart" Recorded between 2006 and 2008
Instrumental track; lacks any vocals from Michael Listed on notes consisting of songs Jackson wanted to finish that were found in his bedroom after his death Has a runtime of 5:24 minutes Full song leaked onto the internet in January 2026"Boy No"(2009 & 2010) Written and recorded in 2007 Vocally incomplete; is a somber song about loneliness Has a runtime of 3:37 minutes Full song currently in the hands of a private collector, with snippets circulating online"Breathe"Deepak Chopra Recorded in June 2009 Also known as "Breath" Erroneously titled "Breed" in a Rolling Stone interview Co-wrote with Indian-American autor Deepak Chopra Reportedly the final track worked on by Jackson prior to his death Lacks any of Jackson's vocals A snippet of the song was played by Chopra during an interview shortly after Jackson's passing"Broken Chair"(2010) Written sometime between 2008 and 2009 Co-produced with Neff-U The name "Broken Chair" was a working title and a placeholder until lyrics were to be written Instrumental track; lacks any vocals from Jackson Features "booming digital drums and rock/electric guitar" Listed on notes consisting of songs Jackson wanted to finish that were found in his bedroom after his death"Bubbles" Written and recorded between October 1989 and April 1990 during the Dangerous sessions Song title was listed on an early configuration of the Dangerous album Two versions are known to exist; one sourced from a DAT tape dated October 4, 1989, and another with the date of April 19, 1990 Lacks any vocals from Jackson Described as having "an entire musical bed of industrial sounds." Has a runtime of 1:30 minutes Full song leaked onto the internet in December 2025 in low qualityShields, p. 42"Buffalo Bill"* Written and recorded in 1983 during sessions for the Victory album
Jackson's first studio collaboration with John Barnes Inspired by bison hunter William Cody Failed to make the Victory and Bad albums Two versions exist; one featuring background vocals from The Jacksons, and the other being a soloist version from Jackson, who delivers guiding vocals (using his full vocal range from very low to very high) Mentioned by Jackson during the 1983 "unauthorized interview": "We're doing a new album right now: the Jacksons album, and I'm writing several songs on it. The latest one I'm writing is called 'Buffalo Bill'; it's about Will Cody, the cowboy, and how he died." As described by Bill Bottrell, the chorus lyrics include: "Who shot Buffalo Bill? They said he shot a lot, did he ever get killed?"Vogel, pp. 435–436"California Grass"* Written circa 1993 Recorded before or after 1993, however exact year is unknown Rumored to have vocals"Change" Written and recorded in mid 2009 Presented to Jackson during the This Is It rehearsals Vocals performed by Michael Sherwood Steve Porcaro released a version featuring Michael McDonald in 2025Shields, p. 68"Changes" Written and recorded with John Barnes during the early Bad sessions in 1985-1986. Described as "an upbeat piano-driven demo with rolling drum programming" and "incredibly catchy". Features a "really rough" scratch vocal with Jackson mumbling and humming a melody over the music, with the only discernible lyrics talking about "going through changes" Revisited during the HIStory sessions, with an added gospel performance from the Andraé Crouch choir and a few ad-lib solos added HIStory version leaked onto the internet in January 2026.Shields, p. 64"Chicago 1945"(lyrics)(music) Written and recorded in late 1983 during the Victory sessions A vocally complete song about three girls who went out and mysteriously disappeared throughout the night, with a hook of "never to be found again" According to Porcaro, Jackson researched the significant events that occurred in 1930s and 1940s Chicago to write the lyrics Live drums recorded in spring 1986. Failed to make the Victory and Bad albums According to author Bruce Najar, a version was allegedly worked on by Quincy Jones during the Bad sessions, but was never finished Porcaro was approached by the estate about using it on Xscape, but declined to permit on the basis that the song didn't need any "contemporizing", and that he disapproved of the estate's "straight to remix" approach to Jackson's unreleased material Porcaro continued to work on the song, resulting in a version with added horns and ad-libs dated to 2021 Said 2021 version was given to producer Brad Sundberg to be played in his seminars, and later leaked onto the internet in 2023 Considered for Thriller 40 Full song leaked in 2026 due to Brad Sundberg's laptop being stolenVogel, p. 437"Children's Holiday"† Written in 1998 as a charity single after the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake