Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury: Two friends and collaborators
Lesley-Ann Jones, journalist and bestselling author, has now penned the life of the rock legend and Queen singer, the legendary Freddie Mercury.
The book, titled “An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury,” was released yesterday. The book is now available on Amazon.
In the book, Jones also looks at the friendship and collaboration between Michael Jackson and Freddie. Freddie would travel to Michael’s home in Heunhurst, California to visit him. In the book, Jones writes in Freddie’s words:
"He was a friend of ours for years. He always came to watch our concerts, and that’s how our friendship began. Just imagine if I had collaborated with him on a Thriller album—what kind of income I would have generated right now."
And about the collaboration between the two, the book says:
"We had three songs prepared that unfortunately were never released. They were fantastic songs. Our problem was time. In that year (1983), both of us were extremely busy. It seemed like we could never find enough time to get together and reach our shared work. Michael even called me to see if we could complete State of Shock. But I couldn’t, because I had to fulfill my commitments to Queen. Instead, Mick Jagger collaborated with Michael on that song. It’s a shame. But in the end, it’s only one song. What mattered was the friendship between us."
What was the reason for Freddie and Michael to stop their relationship? The author says Michael objected to Freddie Mercury’s excessive cocaine use at the reception in his home.
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) was born in 1946 in Zanzibar, Tanzania, to Zoroastrian parents from the Parsis of Gujarat. He died in November 1991 at age 45 in London after contracting AIDS.
The three joint songs of Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury are:
“There Must Be More to Life Than This”
Year: 1983
Writer: Freddie Mercury
In a version of the demo for this song, Freddie plays the piano and Michael sings. Part of the lyrics was performed spontaneously by Michael. This version leaked onto the internet in 2002. Another version of this song exists in which both singers sing. Some say this version is actually a mix of earlier versions and was made by a fan, and that Michael and Freddie didn’t harmonize on this song.
Freddie released this song in 1985 on his debut solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, but he had started working on it four years earlier. The song has anti-war and anti-racism themes.
“Victory”
Year: 1983
Writers: Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury
A demo of this song, created by Michael and Freddie, is available.
“State of Shock”
Year: 1983
Writers: Michael Jackson and Randy Hansen
A demo of this song, with Michael and Freddie harmonizing, leaked on the internet in 2002.
This song, with harmonies by Michael and Mick Jagger (the Rolling Stones singer), was released on the 1984 album The Jacksons. Victory is the only album from this family in which all six brothers collaborated. It is also the last album by The Jacksons in which Michael is the lead vocalist.
[The author of this book also made mistakes. For example, he introduced Victory as one of the Jackson Five albums, whereas this album was released as an album by The Jacksons. He also wrote that the song Victory was released on the Victory album, while the song was never released.]
Source: eMJey.com / hollywoodreporter
The book, titled “An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury,” was released yesterday. The book is now available on Amazon.
In the book, Jones also looks at the friendship and collaboration between Michael Jackson and Freddie. Freddie would travel to Michael’s home in Heunhurst, California to visit him. In the book, Jones writes in Freddie’s words:
"He was a friend of ours for years. He always came to watch our concerts, and that’s how our friendship began. Just imagine if I had collaborated with him on a Thriller album—what kind of income I would have generated right now."
And about the collaboration between the two, the book says:
"We had three songs prepared that unfortunately were never released. They were fantastic songs. Our problem was time. In that year (1983), both of us were extremely busy. It seemed like we could never find enough time to get together and reach our shared work. Michael even called me to see if we could complete State of Shock. But I couldn’t, because I had to fulfill my commitments to Queen. Instead, Mick Jagger collaborated with Michael on that song. It’s a shame. But in the end, it’s only one song. What mattered was the friendship between us."
What was the reason for Freddie and Michael to stop their relationship? The author says Michael objected to Freddie Mercury’s excessive cocaine use at the reception in his home.
Freddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara) was born in 1946 in Zanzibar, Tanzania, to Zoroastrian parents from the Parsis of Gujarat. He died in November 1991 at age 45 in London after contracting AIDS.
The three joint songs of Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury are:
“There Must Be More to Life Than This”
Year: 1983
Writer: Freddie Mercury
In a version of the demo for this song, Freddie plays the piano and Michael sings. Part of the lyrics was performed spontaneously by Michael. This version leaked onto the internet in 2002. Another version of this song exists in which both singers sing. Some say this version is actually a mix of earlier versions and was made by a fan, and that Michael and Freddie didn’t harmonize on this song.
Freddie released this song in 1985 on his debut solo album, Mr. Bad Guy, but he had started working on it four years earlier. The song has anti-war and anti-racism themes.
“Victory”
Year: 1983
Writers: Michael Jackson and Freddie Mercury
A demo of this song, created by Michael and Freddie, is available.
“State of Shock”
Year: 1983
Writers: Michael Jackson and Randy Hansen
A demo of this song, with Michael and Freddie harmonizing, leaked on the internet in 2002.
This song, with harmonies by Michael and Mick Jagger (the Rolling Stones singer), was released on the 1984 album The Jacksons. Victory is the only album from this family in which all six brothers collaborated. It is also the last album by The Jacksons in which Michael is the lead vocalist.
[The author of this book also made mistakes. For example, he introduced Victory as one of the Jackson Five albums, whereas this album was released as an album by The Jacksons. He also wrote that the song Victory was released on the Victory album, while the song was never released.]
Source: eMJey.com / hollywoodreporter