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Post by electriceyes on Oct 17, 2023 13:16:41 GMT
I always thought this song could've had universal appeal and been a big hit. But at the same time, those acapella bits would make it an awkward song for radio.
What do you reckon, could it have been a hit?
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Post by invinciblegal on Oct 17, 2023 13:22:56 GMT
Yes, I think it would've.
Earth Song also was a difficult song for radio's and needed some severe editing/butchering, but they made it work and for the most part, the public recognise that a great song is a great song.
Speechless is my all time favourite MJ song. It's so sad that it didn't get the flowers it deserved.
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Post by mjjfan810 on Oct 17, 2023 13:42:34 GMT
I think it depends which market we're talking about. I think it could've been a hit in Europe, but the States not so much. They generally weren't that receptive to MJ's softer side, Heal The World, WYBT, Moscow etc didn't exactly set the Billboard charts alight. I know YANA was a hit, but that appealed to the R&B crowd, whereas Speechless isn't generic enough for the US charts.
Cracking song mind.
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Post by MattyJam on Oct 17, 2023 13:49:17 GMT
Cool thread. I was starting to break out in cold sweats as we hadn't had an Invincible topic for a while.
I think Speechless should've been the second single worldwide. It's so odd to me that they went with Cry, supposedly because they felt it would resonate with people post 9/11, but they only saw fit to release it in Europe. Makes no sense.
Speechless is a better song and I think with the right promo and a decent video, it could've been a UK Christmas number one. The acapella parts aren't a deal breaker imo. I suppose they could've maybe made a single edit where they keep the intro acapella intact but just cut off the outro one for radio.
It is a beautiful, spiritual song. I always remember my local Woolworths playing the album the week it came out and the lady in front of me in the queue asked who was singing the song they were playing. It was Speechless.
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Post by ghost on Oct 17, 2023 14:50:19 GMT
Lovely song, classic melody and great chord changes.
I think it works better as a hidden gem for the fans though. There wasn't much to write home about on Invincible, so I'm glad we didn't have to share this song with the general public.
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Post by electriceyes on Oct 18, 2023 9:01:43 GMT
I've become a little obsessed with this song lately. A couple weeks ago I was driving home from work and I put this song on and I swear to God, I had one of the most beautiful, transcendent experiences I've ever had with music. I can't even explain it. I got chills all over my body for the entirety of the song. It truly felt like a spiritual experience. Every time I have heard this song since I have had a similar feeling. It's not like I had never heard it before. I had heard it a lot and always loved it and found it profoundly beautiful. But idk, it's like I came into spiritual contact with it during that one specific listening and now I can't disconnect.
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Post by electriceyes on Oct 18, 2023 9:02:58 GMT
Lovely song, classic melody and great chord changes. I think it works better as a hidden gem for the fans though. There wasn't much to write home about on Invincible, so I'm glad we didn't have to share this song with the general public. I kinda know what you mean about this. If it were a hit, it would no doubt have been overplayed and lose some of its magic. It's nice to have some songs that feel like they're "just for the fans."
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TonyR
The Legend Continues
Posts: 8,413
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Post by TonyR on Oct 18, 2023 10:03:12 GMT
Yeah, I've said before, as much as I like YRMW, it annoyed me that it was very MJ-Lite.
Same when Madonna released Gimme All Your Luvin and Living For Love from MDNA and Rebel Heart when there was so much better and different stuff on the albums.
It was a safe choice, like TGIM and IJCSLY were, but by 2001 the singles landscape had changed and you only had one real chance to make an impact.
You didn't have slow burners anymore, if the first single didn't immediately grab you then the album likely failed.
I've said, I'd have preferred Whatever Happens or controversially 2000 Watts to have been lead single. Something that would have generated a 'WTF, this is Michael Jackson response, rather than being able to compare to previous work. Obviously the short film only added to this comparison.
Speechless may have worked in this regard too but I agree would have struggled with airplay as bit too schmaltzy for mainstream radio, certainly not stations like R1.
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Post by MattyJam on Oct 18, 2023 10:16:40 GMT
Yeah, I've said before, as much as I like YRMW, it annoyed me that it was very MJ-Lite. Same when Madonna released Gimme All Your Luvin and Living For Love from MDNA and Rebel Heart when there was so much better and different stuff on the albums. It was a safe choice, like TGIM and IJCSLY were, but by 2001 the singles landscape had changed and you only had one real chance to make an impact. You didn't have slow burners anymore, if the first single didn't immediately grab you then the album likely failed. I've said, I'd have preferred Whatever Happens or controversially 2000 Watts to have been lead single. Something that would have generated a 'WTF, this is Michael Jackson response, rather than being able to compare to previous work. Obviously the short film only added to this comparison. Speechless may have worked in this regard too but I agree would have struggled with airplay as bit too schmaltzy for mainstream radio, certainly not stations like R1. Good point about the airplay. I remember YRMW made the A-list for R1, but Cry was only b-listed (which I think guarentees something like 5 plays a week, which is not much). Maybe a God-awful dance remix would have got Speechless some airplay - I hate it, but Hani's desecration of Earth Song got a tonne of radio love back in 95. Fun to think about 'what if's'. Truth is though, MJ showed he simply wasn't on board with promoting the album beyond its initial release. I think once he refused to appear in the video for the second single it was game over. Allegedly that greatly angered Mottolla at the time. I read online somewhere that it wasn't planned, he was meant to show up and didn't. Dunno how true that is. Would've been nice to have gotten a few more videos, but oh well.
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Post by elusivemoonwalker on Oct 18, 2023 13:26:36 GMT
Melody is king! Remember the song being reported on planet Jackson back in the day. There was alot of excitement around it. A type of song that because of it uniqueness could have been huge or done nothing.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Oct 18, 2023 14:11:36 GMT
I remember 2fm played Speechless a week or so before the album was released and the DJ said "this would be a sure fire Christmas number one".
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Post by mjjfan810 on Oct 18, 2023 15:29:07 GMT
Maybe a God-awful dance remix would have got Speechless some airplay - I hate it, but Hani's desecration of Earth Song got a tonne of radio love back in 95. Speechless Dance Mix? Sounds horrendous. Quick, run for the hills.... save yourselves...
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Post by MattyJam on Oct 18, 2023 16:44:19 GMT
Maybe a God-awful dance remix would have got Speechless some airplay - I hate it, but Hani's desecration of Earth Song got a tonne of radio love back in 95. Speechless Dance Mix? Sounds horrendous. Quick, run for the hills.... save yourselves... In my defense I did say it would be "God awful." But if Earth Song isn't sacred, then nothing is.
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Post by dancingmjsdream on Oct 19, 2023 3:32:24 GMT
I know I will get much hate on this, but I really donโt think that Song would have worked at all. While I love MJโs emotional Connection to it (didnโt he write it while thinking about his children?) i find the song too corny, especially for a mainstream audience. ๐
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Post by butterflies2 on Oct 19, 2023 3:33:21 GMT
It could have worked for a Disney movie maybe
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