Songoftheday 2/12/13 - Looking out across the nighttime, the city winks a sleepless eye...

Michael Jackson - "Human Nature"
from the album Thriller (1982)
Billboard Hot 100 peak: #7 (two weeks)
Weeks in the Top-40: 11

Today's Song of the Day was the fifth single released from Michael Jackson's landmark album Thriller. After reaching the runner-up spot with his duet with Paul McCartney, the treacly "The Girl Is Mine", he followed with two of the most iconic singles on the decade, "Billie Jean" and "Beat It". Michael then went to #5 with the frenetic album opener, "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", which was by far the big dance hit off the album. To slow things down a bit, the next single was the most mature of the track released, "Human Nature". Written by Toto's Steve Porcaro and lyricist John Bettis, "Human Nature" was the last song chosen for the album.

"Human Nature" became Jackson's fifth straight top-10 single from Thriller, a feat at that time never heard of. It also understandably was huge on adult-contemporary radio, peaking at #2, and reached one rung lower on the R&B chart. Originally not released as a single in England, it eventually made the top-40 following his death in 2009.

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...here's Michael performing "Human Nature" in concert on the Bad tour...

In 1985 jazz great Miles Davis covered the song (I saw him live in Chicago do this)...

Saxophonist George Howard also recorded the song for his top-10 jazz album Steppin' Out...

By far, the most famous use of the song outside of Michael's version was its incorporation in R&B girl-group SWV's "Right Now (Human Nature)", which went all the way to #2 in 1992.