There are a lot of songs out there that have the name of a person somewhere in the title, but we’re just listing the finest songs about the name Michael. Can you name a song by Michael Jackson that is your favorite? Whether it’s a country song about a guy named Michael or a rock song about a guy named Michael, we want to hear your recommendations. If a song is missing from the list but include Mike in the title or lyrics, please add it.
Below are some of our favorite songs, including “Michael Row the Boat Ashore” by Harry Belafonte, and “Words from Michael” by Michael Jackson. Put your favorite Michael Jackson songs higher on the list by voting for them, and put the ones you don’t like lower if you’ve heard them.
1. Michael Row the Boat Ashore By by Harry Belafonte
Rankin first on our list of songs with michael in the title is this African-American spiritual, “Michael, Row the Boat Ashore” is an important and well-known song. It was initially documented on St. Helena Island, one of South Carolina’s Sea Islands, during the American Civil War.
Slaves who had been abandoned by their owners before the Union fleet arrived to enforce a blockade sang this song. A Harvard graduate and abolitionist named Charles Pickard Ware was sent to St. Helena Island to oversee the farms, and he recorded the freedmen’s singing of a spiritual there in musical notation.
Lyrically, the basic act of crossing the River Jordan takes on a more macabre tone due to allusions to trumpets, eternal life, and distant regions. Despite its morbid subject matter, the song is ultimately uplifting in its exaltation of faith in the face of persecution.
2. Michael and Heather at the Baggage Claim By Fountains of Wayne
Nex on our list of songs with michael in the title is this simple in structure, yet endearing all the same. Michael and Heather have been on the road for a long time and all they want to do is get back to their apartment in Seattle. Unfortunately, their luggage has been lost. Good feeling intended.
3. Message to Michael by Dionne Warwick
This Burt Bacharach and Hal David composition, variously titled “Message to Michael,” has been a top success for a number of musicians. Jerry Butler originally released his version of the song in 1962 under the title “Message to Martha.”
Lou Johnson’s rendition, titled “Kentucky Bluebird,” was a moderate hit in the United States in 1964. In 1965, Adam Faith of the United Kingdom recorded a version of the song titled “A Message to Martha (Kentucky Bluebird)” that became a major hit in that country, peaking at No. 12. As “Message to Martha,” the same recording by Faith was released in Australia, where it peaked at number fifteen on the singles chart.
In 1966, the top 10 there was “Message to Michael.” All recordings feature direct address from the vocalist to a bluebird. Meanwhile, the singer’s sweetheart in New Orleans struggles to make it big in the music industry. The song’s protagonist sends a bluebird to Martha or Michael to plead with them to bring back the love of his life.
4. Michael From Mountains by Joni Mitchell
This song is a big reason why her debut album is timeless. Michael of the Mountains is Joni’s masterful and enduring depiction of love gone. The fact that she does not wallow in self-pity, wrath, or hatred of life after a loss is maybe the most enlightening aspect of her character.
Instead of being held responsible for his powers, this man is celebrated. You can tell that they truly loved one another. Even the phrase “Someday I shall know you very well” seems to imply the contrary to me.
The fact that Joni will never meet Michael is, in my opinion, part of his appeal. He will always be there, a permanent fixture in the scenery. One whose spirit moves with the breeze. It’s the very core of nature. Thus, it is unknown.
5. Crazy Man Michael Meaning by Fairport Convention
As far as songs go, this one ranks up there with the best. Besides the original by Fairport Convention, I’ve heard several covers of this song, and in each case, the lyrics were changed.
It’s about a man named Michael who becomes mad and seeks solace from an oracle in the form of a raven, only to have the raven predict that Michael will murder his true love, leading Michael to lash out in a fit of wrath and kill the raven (beliving the witch has cursed him).
As he finally comes to his senses and realizes the Raven or Oracle is the woman he truly loves, the world around him begins to spin erratically and the Earth wanders around in a daze, symbolizing the collapse of his reality.
6. Michael, You’ve Got A Lot To Answer For by Duran Duran
The lyrics of this song about how Simon Lebon and INXS’ Michael Hutchence became friends, as told by Hutchence himself. The track can be found on the band’s album Medazzaland, which was only published in the United States due to contractual mishaps. The 14th of October, 1997 saw the publication of Medazzaland. It was on November 22nd, 1997, that Michael Hutchence passed away.
On the night of Michael’s death, while on tour, Duran Duran played a shortened, somber gig in Cleveland, Ohio. In honor of Michael’s memory, many songs from the standard set list were omitted (among them, “So Long Suicide” from Medazzaland).
7. Dear Michael by Michael Jackson
TV personality Kim Fields recorded her own homage to the future King of Pop, Michael Jackson, entitled “Dear Michael,” in 1984, at the height of Michaelmania.
It’s worth noting that Jackson himself remade a song (the original of which became “Dear Michael”). The song’s lyrics seem like a letter from a heartbroken admirer and were included on his 1975 album Forever, Michael.
While Michael sings the letter’s recipient role in the original, Fields takes on the role of the fan writing the letter in her cover. It’s curious that a song like this was deemed sweet (and totally harmless) in its day, but now, especially in light of celebrity stalker laws and Eminem’s “Stan,” it seems slightly sinister.
8. Michael Jordan by Five for Fighting.
Concluding our list of songs with michael in the title is John Ondrasik (Five for Fighting) vows to destroy his piano and give up everything else if he can be Michael Jordan in this song. Despite his undying love for sports and, more specifically, the Los Angeles Kings (the name Five for Fighting derives from a penalty handed out in hockey), Ondrasik has his limits. In this song, he mocks those who lack self-control and sacrifice everything for their sports idols.
Even though he had retired by the time this song was published, Michael Jordan was still the most famous athlete in the United States after leading the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles. The Gatorade commercial featuring Jordan had a jingle with the theme “If I could be like Mike” and lyrics about aspiring to be as successful as the superstar.
Since Jordan was the focus of so much praise, he was an appropriate namesake for this song. He returned to the court in 2001 and played with the Washington Wizards through 2003.
