The first single, “Love Never Felt So Good”, from the upcoming Michael Jackson album, ‘XSCAPE’, has officially been released to iTunes and serviced to radio stations across the globe.
Two versions of the track, one a solo Jackson rendition and the other a duet featuring Justin Timberlake, have been released in a marketing campaign reminiscent of the way Mariah Carey, and other major artists during the ’90s and ’00s, launched singles.
The concept of issuing alternate versions of the same single is designed to maximise the track’s exposure by appealing to more than one demographic. The solo Jackson version of “Love Never Felt So Good”, co-produced by John McClain and Giorgio Tuinfort, will likely fare well on the Adult Urban charts, while the Timberlake duet, co-produced by Timbaland and J-Roc, will be a hit with younger audiences and could even make an impression on the Pop charts. Sales and airplay from both versions will be combined the song’s overall Singles Chart position will be determined.
Both versions of the track are very organic and borrow from the sonic approach Daft Punk and Pharrell took on their super-hit “Get Lucky”. Neither remix actually feels like a remix to me and, in my opinion, Justin’s vocals fit the Timbaland mix perfectly. You’ll also notice that Timbaland pays homage to Jackson’s 1979 hit “Working Day & Night” by sampling percussion and breaths from the track.
Check out “Love Never Felt So Good” by Michael Jackson, featuring Justin Timberlake, below:
And the solo Michael Jackson version:
Discuss below…
Damien Shields is the author of the book Michael Jackson: Songs & Stories From The Vault examining the King of Pop’s creative process, and the producer of the podcast The Genesis of Thriller which takes you inside the recording studio as Jackson and his team create the biggest selling album in music history.
