Michael Jackson and Madonna: The Musical Collaboration that Almost Was

Madonna opened the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards with a heartfelt personal remembrance of Michael Jackson. The moving speech helped humanize the King of Pop in the eyes of many, and also brought back memories of the failed collaboration between the two superstars in the early '90s.

It could've been one of the greatest musical collaborations in history. Michael Jackson and Madonna, at the height of their commercial and critical success, got together to write a song but couldn't reconcile their different visions, and the song was never completed.

Michael Jackson and Madonna had a surprisingly friendly relationship. She famously took him as her date to the 1991 Oscars, and the two hung out as friends on a few occasions. Madonna also publicly defended Jackson after the infamous 2003 Martin Bashir documentary portrayed him in an unflattering light.

Madonna writes with Michael Jackson

"It was an experiment," Madonna told interviewer Jonathan Ross of the attempted collaboration. "He called me. He wanted to write a song with me. I was curious... It's hard for me to write music with people because I have to really know them and trust them and feel that I can really make myself vulnerable."

Madonna went on to say that she wasn't sure she had the right chemistry with Jackson to make a collaboration work, but they gave it a shot.

"He played me a bit of music. It was a very unfinished track. He said that he wanted to call the song 'In the Closet,' and I said, 'Really?'"

Madonna was surprised and excited that Jackson wanted to write a song with such a challenging, innuendo-laden title, so she began composing music and lyrics.

"I presented them to him, and he didn't like them," Madonna said. "I think all he wanted was a provocative title, and ultimately, he didn't want the content of the song to live up to the title."

Michael Jackson writes "In the Closet" by himself

Jackson went on to write the song "In the Closet" himself and it became a success. The track about a forbidden love featured steamy, spoken-word vocals by Princess Stephanie of Monaco, a part that Madonna would've voiced had she stayed on the project. "In the Closet" was the third single from Jackson's Dangerous album and reached #6 on the pop charts.

The music video, directed by fashion photographer Herb Ritts, was the sexiest video Michael Jackson ever made, featuring Jackson and supermodel Naomi Campbell dancing sensually in a desert.

Though "In the Closet" was a hit, those who mourn the loss of Michael Jackson can't help but wonder how an "In the Closet" co-written with Madonna might have sounded. Unfortunately, this collaboration is one that will only happen in our imaginations.

Sources:
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1621427/20090914/jackson_michael.jhtml
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVZyUwoGfN0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKlMpM-oKU4&feature=related