On the Infectious Glory of Michael Jackson’s “Love Never Felt So Good”

I never really was a huge Michael Jackson fan. Of course, like everyone in the world, I listened to all the hits—because there’s no possible way to grow up in a small town in middle America where there’s one “contemporary” radio station that plays, like, the same six songs over and over again (selects include Dave Matthews Band’s “Crash,” Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn,” and John Mayer’s “Why Georgia”) without hearing “Billie Jean” or “Beat It” at least once an hour. But beyond that, I was never a “Michael Jackson person.” I don’t know. This is a long winded way of saying that the King of Pop was in my life, but it was more just because he was super fucking popular, and not because I was one of the gazillion people who bought every single edition of Thriller.

But when he died, it really sucked. I don't mean that dismissively; there’s just no real other way to put it. Even if you weren’t a fan, this man had affected you. He was the culture. At the time, I was in college working as the arts reporter for my esteemed university newspaper, The Daily Iowan, and was immediately assigned the duty of getting reactions from people in Iowa City. I trudged around the downtown area, searching for people who looked like they had opinions on things, and found a handful of locals. Some were at a loss of words. Others quoted song lyrics. People reacted in different ways, but one thread was clear: most people didn’t really know what to say or how to process what had happened, because everyone felt like they’d lost something deeply personal to themselves.

Michael Jackson had become part of the fiber of the culture. Losing him felt like humanity had taken a step backwards. It was tragic.

Earlier this year, it was announced that’d we see a new record from Michael Jackson called XScape, one that’d feature eight tracks re-tooled by L.A. Reid, Timbaland, and more producers. The response to the initial news, including ours, was mixed. People asked: Can’t we just let this man’s legacy live on? Why do we need to milk him for everything we possible can, and then more? We already got a posthumous record, so can’t he just rest in peace? But then the album’s single “Love Never Felt So Good” released (which we immediately loved), and one began to wonder if a second posthumous record might actually be a good idea. XScape finally dropped yesterday. People will have their opinions on all of those earlier questions (that dude with glasses from the Black Keys already said it’s “bullshit”). So I’m not here to give you a full review of the record—because you can go ahead and listen to it yourself and figure out if you like it—instead, I’m here to tell you: I cannot stop listening to “Love Never Felt So Good.” And you probably can’t either.

One of the reasons I was never truly attracted to Michael Jackson’s career was because I felt like, despite all of his accomplishments, the further he got into being the King of Pop (post-Thriller), the more he abandoned what got him there—which was, simply, his incredible voice. That’s the Michael I love. That free-flowing, beautiful soulful voice that led the Jackson 5. The shining soul he’d consistently put on display before he added all the hiccups and grunts and whatever the fuck other noises he’d make between verses. He carried this glorious confidence that still, to this day, has not been close to replicated.

“Love Never Felt So Good” has the feeling of classic Michael—the grinning, joyful little kid who sang about everything that we all love all the time. Critiques of the new record aside, I’m thankful for XScape because it unearthed the demo of this song, which Jackson co-wrote and recorded in 1983. Above a fluttering piano, MJ lets his vocals fly in the way that only MJ can. It's feels effortless and still, to this day, three decades later, we're connecting with Michael Jackson just like we always have. That's how much of a talent he was. You want to sing along, even if you don’t know the words. You want to laugh for no real reason other than to smile. You want to take that person you have a crush on and spin them around your living room. The song makes sunshine feel sunnier. The song makes pizza taste cheesier. Last night I fell asleep while listening to it on repeat, and without question, I slept better because of it.

Today, the song’s music video released and it’s a tribute to career of Michael Jackson, featuring clips from previous videos, Justin Timberlake trying to dance like MJ, and a bunch of people jumping around and singing along to the words. It’s perfect, because it illustrates the weirdly universal appeal and influence this man had. He's still very much a part of the fabric of who we are as a culture now. We were gutted when we lost him. We miss him every day. But still, loving him has never felt so good.

Eric Sundermann is dancing around his apartment. He's on Twitter — @ericsundy

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