Quincy Jones' 10 greatest songs, ranked

4 November 2024, 13:55

As an arranger, conductor, songwriter and producer, Quincy Jones was an all-time great.

There are few figures in the history of popular music who had the impact of Quincy Jones.

First as a jazz arranger and conductor, then as a producer of pop hits and movie scores, you can hear the sound of Quincy stretch out from the 1950s over the whole second half of the 20th century and beyond.

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Given just how many records he worked on wearing his various musical hats, it's no easy task to pick just a couple of handfuls of his very greatest works.

We make no apologies for the list being dominated by Quincy's collaborations with Michael Jackson: their work together on Off The Wall, Thriller and Bad still sounds as fresh as ever four decades on.

So below are just some of Quincy's finest tracks and collaborations.

1. Michael Jackson - Rock With You

   

   Michael Jackson - Rock With You (Official Video)

   Heatwave Brit Rod Temperton actually wrote 'Rock With You' with Karen Carpenter in mind, but she turned it down, thankfully.

   Instead Quincy Jones produced the song as a disco funk classic with Michael Jackson as the second track of his groundbreaking Off The Wall album. The single went to number one in the US and number seven in the UK.

2. Ray Charles - In The Heat of the Night

   

   In the Heat of the Night

   Quincy is best known for his production of pop bangers, but his movie work shouldn't be forgotten.

   He produced a number of classic scores in the 1960s especially, and was behind the music of TWO of the biggest films of 1967: Truman Capote's In Cold Blood and Oscar-winning In The Heat of the Night.

   That second soundtrack opened with this song, with music by Jones and lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.

   The track was sung by old Quincy collaborator Ray Charles, who had been working with Jones back in the mid 1950s.

3. USA For Africa - We Are The World

   

   U.S.A. For Africa - We Are the World

   With the best will in the world, many charity songs are a load of sentimental shlock, no wonder how much all-star talent rocks up behind the microphone.

   Written by Lionel Richie and MJ, that was surely never going to be the case with 'We Are The World', and Quincy Jones's slick, stylish production made that certain.

   The eight-best selling single of all time, it raised serious money to help those affected by the 1983-1985 famine in Ethiopia.

4. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean

   

   Michael Jackson - Billie Jean (Official Video)

   Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones co-produced this second single from 'Bille Jean', not just one of the best written and best performed songs of all time, but surely one of the best produced.

   It sounded like the future when it was released, and truthfully it still sounds like the future now. Every single from Thriller was a deserved hit, but you could argue that it was the release of 'Billie Jean' at just the right time at the start of 1983 that set the album on the path to being the biggest ever.

5. Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon

   

   Fly Me To The Moon (2008 Remastered)

   Written by Bart Howard in 1954 and first recorded the same year by Kaye Ballard, it's Frank Sinatra's version(s) that have really stood the test of time.

   Quincy Jones had worked with Count Basie on a version of the song on 1963's This Time by Basie. A year later, Basie and Frank Sinatra made the album It Might As Well Be Swing together, and Jones was on board as arranger.

   Their swinging collaboration turned a well-regarded and already well-covered song into a stone cold classic.

6. Michael Jackson - Beat It

   

   Michael Jackson - Beat It (Official 4K Video)

   Another MJ/QJ co-production, 'Beat It' was a step on from the pure funk disco explosion of 'Billie Jean' into a world of rock 'n' roll crossover.

   That was achieved not just with a mindblowing solo from Eddie Van Halen, but Quincy's true understanding of the rock paradigm. Even before Eddie wails, Michael Jackson truly rocks.

7. Lesley Gore - It's My Party

   

   Lesley Gore - It's My Party (Music Video)

   'It's My Party' was written by Herb Wiener, John Gluck Jr and Wally Gold and stunningly performed by the then-16 year old Lesley Gore in 1963.

   And Quincy Jones' lush production took it to the next level, with his horns, Latin rhythms and cleverly double-tracked vocals turned what could have ended up a throwaway novelty hit into an enduring classic.

8. Michael Jackson - Don't Stop Til You Get Enough

   

   Michael Jackson - Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough (Official Video)

   Michael Jackson was already a massive success before he properly launched his solo career, having been the obvious lead and standout in The Jackson 5.

   But it was his run of Quincy Jones-produced records starting with 1979's Off The Wall that turned him into an all-conquering solo megastar.

   That album was launched with this absolutely stunning statement of intent that re(made) Michael for a new era and cemented QJ's own legacy as one of the all-time best in the business.

9. Soul Bossa Nova

   

   Soul Bossa Nova (Remastered)

   While he's a famed collaborator, and while the players on Quincy's own records obviously deserve their flowers, it's nice to celebrate a song that gives Quincy top billing.

   And there's no better example than 'Soul Bossa Nova', taken from the 1962 Big Band Bossa Nova album.

   Written by the man himself, the song has popped up in countless movies and TV shows over the years, enjoying a resurgence after opening the first Austin Powers film.

10. Michael Jackson - Thriller

    

    Michael Jackson - Thriller (Official 4K Video)

    We could have picked 30 odd Michael Jackson songs for this list, and any one of a dozen could have a fair shout at topping it, too.

    But we've gone for the masterpiece that is 'Thriller', a song that has gone DIAMOND with over 10 million in the US alone and about the same number sold elsewhere in the world. That certainly helps sway the argument.

    'Thriller' mashes up horror movie dynamics, funk, pop, disco and rock for one of the most joyous and, well, thrilling songs in the history of music.