The Prince of Pop, as Michael Jackson was hailed, was one of the bestselling artists of the eighties and nineties. While he was surrounded by rumour in the later years of his life, the fact remains that he was one of the finest purveyors of a pop tune that the music industry has ever seen.
Here are 30 questions about Michael and the rest of the Jackson clan, both as solo artists and as the iconic family group.
Answers: here
1 Michael Jackson had 13 US number one hits while he was still alive. How many did he have in that time in the UK: was it seven, twelve or fifteen? How old was he when he died in 2009?
2 Who was the oldest brother in the original Jackson 5 line-up? Who was replaced by Randy in 1975?
3 Which songwriter, previously in disco band, Heatwave, wrote the title track and two other songs on Thriller? He was a keyboard player from Cleethorpes: in which English county is it?
4 In the mid-seventies, Michael Jackson released two solo albums that bombed: what were they called?
5 Who was the mystery girl who sang on the track ‘In the Closet’ off the Dangerous album? She had a massive French hit with ‘Ouragan’ (1986): what was the UK version of the song, a minor hit?
6 What was the full title of the 1995 Michael Jackson record usually referred to as HIStory? Which Lennon/McCartney song was covered on the album?
7 The single ‘Son of a Gun’, from Janet Jackson’s album All for You, referenced which 1972 song in brackets in the title, and was largely a rehash of that song? Who performed a spoken-word segment?
8 Which Paul McCartney song did Michael Jackson cover on Off the Wall? And which track on Thriller featured a Macca vocal?
9 Who directed the 18-minute video for the title track off Bad? Which classic 1961 musical film does it heavily reference?
10 Which rapper co-wrote and appears on the track ‘This Time Around’ on HIStory? Which single off the album saw Jackson accused of anti-Semitic lyrics?
11 Which label launched the career of the Jackson 5? Which of the label’s stars ‘presented’ their debut album?
12 Which Rod Stewart song did Janet Jackson cover on Velvet Rope (1997)? And which Joni Mitchell song was sampled on ‘Got ‘Til It’s Gone’ from the same album?
13 How old was Michael Jackson when he released Thriller? What was the time lag before his next album, Bad?
14 Who is the unfortunate victim of an attack in ‘Smooth Criminal’ from Bad? Which other girl is mentioned by name in the title of the album’s preceding track?
15 What was the title of the 1997 Michael Jackson album that was a remix of songs from HIStory with a handful of new songs? Which disco dude played the funky guitar on the title track?
16 Which Michael Jackson song reached number one in the UK when it was re-released off a compilation album after the success of Off the Wall? On which earlier (1975) album did it appear?
17 What are Janet Jackson’s middle names, as cited in the title of her 2004 album? Who was Janet’s first husband, a soul singer whom she married while still a teenager and divorced a year later?
18 What was the Jackson 5’s debut single for Motown? What was the name of the four-man songwriting team created by Motown purely to write hits for the family?
19 Which song from Bad was the theme tune to Michael Jackson’s 1988 portmanteau film, Moonwwalker? Which band went higher than Jackson in the UK charts with a cover of the song in 2001?
20 In which year did Michael Jackson die, and what was the name of the personal doctor found responsible in court for his death?
21 Which movie director shot the Thriller video? Which horror-movie star provided the speaking voice and maniacal laughter?
22 Which of the Jackson brothers had a twin, Brandon, who died shortly after being born? Which Jackson sibling was born after Jermaine but before Marlon?
23 Which 1977 single gave the Jacksons en masse their only UK number one? Which record company released it, having signed the band when they left Motown?
24 Which Michaael Jackson album became the first album by any artist to spawn five US number one singles? Which female artist emulated this with her 2010 album, Teenage Dream?
25 Whose daughter did Michael Jackson marry in 1994 and divorce in 1996? Who became his second wife later that year?
26 Who duetted with Michael Jackson on ‘Scream’, the first track on the new-material section of HIStory? And who wrote the UK number one single, ‘You are Not Alone’, off the album?
27 Which 1980 song, co-written by Stevie Wonder, was the first UK Top 10 single for Jermaine Jackson? His only other UK Top 10 hit, ‘Do What You Do’, featured which model in the promotional video before she married a high-profile English rock star?
28 What was the title of Michael Jackson’s first solo album, and also the lead single off the album? Which other hit single from the same album was a cover of a 1958 Bobby Day hit?
29 What was the only single from Dangerous (1991) to reach number one in the UK? Which child actor featured in the video?
30 What was the last studio album released by Michael Jackson during his lifetime? And what was the posthumous 2014 album of ‘new material that went to number one in the UK?