# Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'
**Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'** is a song written by [Michael Jackson](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-jackson) from his album *Thriller*, produced by Jackson with [Quincy Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/quincy-jones) and released as the album's fourth single in the United Kingdom on 30 May 1983 on [Epic Records](https://www.edgepedia.org/epic-records).[1](https://www.discogs.com/master/35113-Michael-Jackson-Wanna-Be-Startin-Somethin) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/song/wanna-be-startin-somethin-mt0000324180) The University of Tennessee song index catalogs the work as composed and authored by Jackson, with the first line "I Said You Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".[3](https://databases.lib.utk.edu/songdb/songdb.php?title=WANNA+BE+STARTIN%27+SOMETHIN%27&word=0)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and album | Michael Jackson, from *Thriller*, produced by Quincy Jones and Jackson[2](https://www.allmusic.com/song/wanna-be-startin-somethin-mt0000324180) |
| UK single release | Fourth single from *Thriller*, released 30 May 1983 on Epic in 7" and 12" formats[1](https://www.discogs.com/master/35113-Michael-Jackson-Wanna-Be-Startin-Somethin) |
| US release | Promotional-only 12" 33⅓ RPM vinyl, Epic catalog 49-03915, 1983[4](https://www.discogs.com/release/1313159-Michael-Jackson-Wanna-Be-Startin-Somethin) |
| Harmony | E Mixolydian mode; the bassline uses only the notes D, E, and B[5](https://www.musicradar.com/news/michael-jackson-wanna-be-startin-something) |
| Drum machine | Beat programmed by Jackson on a Linn LM-1 drum computer[5](https://www.musicradar.com/news/michael-jackson-wanna-be-startin-something) |
| Borrowed chant | Closing chant loosely approximates the hook of Manu Dibango's 1972 "Soul Makossa"; Dibango settled out of court for one million French francs[5](https://www.musicradar.com/news/michael-jackson-wanna-be-startin-something) |
| Later remixes | 1995 remixes by Brothers In Rhythm and Tommy D[1](https://www.discogs.com/master/35113-Michael-Jackson-Wanna-Be-Startin-Somethin) |
## Composition and production
The song's driving feel comes from rhythm rather than harmony. Jackson programmed the beat on a Linn LM-1 drum computer, a machine that came to be most closely associated with Prince, his contemporary and rival in pop funk.[5](https://www.musicradar.com/news/michael-jackson-wanna-be-startin-something) AllMusic describes the result as a complex interweaving of drum-machine patterns with the percussion work of Paulinho da Costa.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/song/wanna-be-startin-somethin-mt0000324180)
**Harmonic simplicity.** The whole song sits in E Mixolydian mode, which is like [E major](https://www.edgepedia.org/e-major) but with a flatted seventh (D instead of D-sharp). The bassline consists entirely of the notes D, E, and B; as the MusicRadar analysis puts it, all the excitement of the song comes from the rhythm.[5](https://www.musicradar.com/news/michael-jackson-wanna-be-startin-something) Discogs notes that the bassline was taken from the album version of Cerrone's "Supernature" (1977).[1](https://www.discogs.com/master/35113-Michael-Jackson-Wanna-Be-Startin-Somethin)
The released version features David Williams on guitar, Louis "Thunder-Thumbs" Johnson on bass, and Paulinho da Costa on percussion, with three keyboard players including [Greg Phillinganes](https://www.edgepedia.org/greg-phillinganes).[5](https://www.musicradar.com/news/michael-jackson-wanna-be-startin-something) AllMusic characterizes the production by Quincy Jones and Jackson as brassy and precise.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/song/wanna-be-startin-somethin-mt0000324180)
## The "Soul Makossa" chant and copyright
The song closes with a chant that the official lyrics print as "Ma Ma Se, Ma Ma Sa, Ma Ma Coo Sa".[6](https://www.michaeljackson.com/track/wanna-be-startin-somethin-7/) In it, Jackson is loosely approximating the main hook of "Soul Makossa", a 1972 disco classic by the Cameroonian saxophonist Manu Dibango, and he probably drew on that record's beat for his drum machine pattern as well.[5](https://www.musicradar.com/news/michael-jackson-wanna-be-startin-something) The two chants are not identical: MusicRadar points out that Jackson's version differs from Dibango's original.[5](https://www.musicradar.com/news/michael-jackson-wanna-be-startin-something)
Dibango sued Jackson over the interpolation and received an out-of-court settlement of one million French francs.[5](https://www.musicradar.com/news/michael-jackson-wanna-be-startin-something)
## Release and versions
The song was released as the fourth single from *Thriller* in the UK on 30 May 1983, on 7" and 12" formats on Epic.[1](https://www.discogs.com/master/35113-Michael-Jackson-Wanna-Be-Startin-Somethin) In the United States, Epic issued a promotional-only 12-inch 33⅓ RPM vinyl single, catalog number 49-03915, in 1983, styled as Electronic, Funk/Soul, Pop with a Disco style listing; the lacquer cut was by Brian Gardner.[4](https://www.discogs.com/release/1313159-Michael-Jackson-Wanna-Be-Startin-Somethin)
Official versions listed by Discogs include the album version, single version, single instrumental, and 12" extended mix, plus 1995 remixes by Brothers In Rhythm and Tommy D's Main Mix.[1](https://www.discogs.com/master/35113-Michael-Jackson-Wanna-Be-Startin-Somethin)
## Lyrics and critical reception
The official site prints the opening lyric as "I Said You Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' / You Got To Be Startin' Somethin'" and the lines "It's Too High To Get Over / Too Low To Get Under".[6](https://www.michaeljackson.com/track/wanna-be-startin-somethin-7/)
AllMusic reads the track as a nod to the freewheeling, cross-cultural disco feel of Jackson's earlier work: the music is effervescent and buoyant, while the lyrics introduce a confrontational edge compared with Jackson's previous material.[2](https://www.allmusic.com/song/wanna-be-startin-somethin-mt0000324180) The song has also drawn scholarly attention: Dawn-Elissa Fischer of San Francisco State University published "Startin' Somethin': Michael Jackson's Critical Race Representation" in the *Journal of Popular Music Studies*, first published on 8 March 2011.[7](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1533-1598.2010.01269.x)
## References
1. [Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Discogs master release)](https://www.discogs.com/master/35113-Michael-Jackson-Wanna-Be-Startin-Somethin)
2. [Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' – Michael Jackson | AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/song/wanna-be-startin-somethin-mt0000324180)
3. [Music Library UT Song Index, University of Tennessee, Knoxville](https://databases.lib.utk.edu/songdb/songdb.php?title=WANNA+BE+STARTIN%27+SOMETHIN%27&word=0)
4. [Michael Jackson – Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (Discogs US 12" promo release)](https://www.discogs.com/release/1313159-Michael-Jackson-Wanna-Be-Startin-Somethin)
5. [The borrowed hooks and unstable grooves behind Michael Jackson's Wanna Be Startin' Somethin', MusicRadar](https://www.musicradar.com/news/michael-jackson-wanna-be-startin-something)
6. [Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' – Michael Jackson Official Site](https://www.michaeljackson.com/track/wanna-be-startin-somethin-7/)
7. [Startin' Somethin': Michael Jackson's Critical Race Representation, Journal of Popular Music Studies (2011)](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1533-1598.2010.01269.x)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › Funk and disco songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license