MUSIC – Michael Jackson’s biggest hits, including Thriller And Billie Jeanto the funk tube Give Me The Night by George Benson, sampled in France by rappers IAMthe music of recent decades owes a lot to Quincy Jones. The legendary American producer died at the age of 91, as his family announced on Monday, November 4.
Jazz trumpeter, conductor, composer for television and cinema, and above all producer and artist scout, the prolific career of Quincy Jones lived up to his talent. Third most awarded artist in the history of the Grammy Awards, with 28 trophies to his credit and 80 nominations, “Q”, as Frank Sinatra nicknamed him, leaves behind an entire musical heritage.
A look back at six hits that we owe to Quincy Jones and that you probably know, to (re)discover in music in the video at the top of the article.
Thriller by Michael Jackson
In the 1980s, Quincy Jones produced three albums “king of pop”: Off the Wall, Thriller And Bad. These commercial successes allow Michael Jackson to become the biggest pop star and mark the history of music with songs that span eras including Thrillerreleased in 1982. Quincy Jones’ legendary productions for Michael Jackson also include Billie Jean or even Beat It.
We Are The World from USA for Africa
Behind the more than $60 million in donations raised to fight famine in Ethiopia, and this memorable choral piece, a man holds the baton. Quincy Jones co-produced We Are The Worldand directs the artists, musically and humanly.
The producer is famous for having written “ Watch your egos when you walk out the door” on a panel in front of the recording studio where 47 of the greatest artists of the time gathered in 1987 to record the song in one night.
Give Me The Night by George Benson
We owe this 1980 funk and R&B hit to Quincy Jones, sung by George Benson and subsequently sampled by many artists. In France, the song’s iconic bass line was used in I Dance The Mia of the IAM group, and taken up with humor in Brice from Nicein the piece The Brice Heist sung by Jean Dujardin.
You Don’t Own Me by Lesley Gore
Another timeless and avant-garde piece. In 1963, Quincy Jones produced You Don’t Own Me for the young American Lesley Gore, then aged 17. The producer and the pop singer had previously worked together on her first hit, It’s My Party. But You Don’t Own Me becomes her flagship song, a true feminist anthem. In 2015, Australian singer SayGrace and rapper G-Eazy brought the song up to date, calling on its original producer, Quincy Jones.
Ironside on the soundtrack of Kill Bill Vol. 1
Many of the trumpeter’s pieces have been used in films, such as Ironsidepresent on the soundtrack of Kill Bill by Quentin Tarantino. The song was originally composed and performed by Quincy Jones for the theme song of the American series The Iron Man at the end of the 60s. Quincy Jones also composed original pieces for the cinema, as for The Color Purple by Steven Spielberg in 1975, which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Film Score and Best Original Song.
Soul Bossa Nova by Quincy Jones
In addition to composing and producing for others, the musician has also released several albums for his solo career. His most famous piece surely remains Soul Bossa Nova from his album Big Band Bossa Nova released in 1962. This modern and catchy bossa nova is used in several films and series, including the satirical spy saga Austin Powers. Quincy Jones’ legacy will live on, in music.
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