Covering Michael Jackson: Five Songs

NPR | By Oliver Wang

Published July 7, 2009 at 10:50 AM EDT

Michael Jackson in 1972 performing with the Jackson 5 at the London Palladium.

When your career includes charting four No. 1 hits in a row and selling a gazillion records, it's no surprise when a few people (or a few hundred) want to cover your songs. It's a full circle of sorts: Michael Jackson and The Jackson 5 recorded any number of great covers themselves, especially early in their respective careers. But almost from the beginning, the Jacksons' songs drew the attention of other musicians seeking to put their own spin on the iconic hits.

Here are four of the best Jackson-related covers, with one of the family's own tributes thrown in for good measure.

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Oliver Wang

Oliver Wang is an culture writer, scholar, and DJ based in Los Angeles. He's the author of Legions of Boom: Filipino American Mobile DJ Crews of the San Francisco Bay Area and a professor of sociology at CSU-Long Beach. He's the creator of the audioblog soul-sides.com and co-host of the album appreciation podcast, Heat Rocks.