The best Quincy Jones songs, according to Quincy Jones
The legend that was Quincy Jones truly put us all to shame with the amount he packed in throughout his life. You would never think that 91 years was pretty meagre for such a gargantuan legacy, but for someone of Jones’ enormous musical stature, it just seemed before recently that he would be immortal. From producing Michael Jackson’s most iconic albums to composing multi-award-winning Hollywood film scores, there was nothing the man couldn’t turn his hand to – and immediately make gold dust.
He’s a producer that few musicians can ever stand toe-to-toe with. His sheer devotion to the craft of music would have likely been enough to make him successful. However, Jones possessed the unattainable quality of a guile. He could sniff out a number one with ease.
As if this wasn’t enough, aside from his production empire, one important aspect of Jones’ career was regularly somewhat overlooked—the fact that he, too, was a musician who created a whole string of songs in his own right and not just for other artists.
It spoke to the man’s life whose beginnings in the industry consisted of performing in jazz bands and orchestras throughout Europe and America, rubbing shoulders with gods of the era, such as Frank Sinatra, in the process. It set him up to be the entertainment master jack of all trades because, unbelievably, his own albums were often cast off as side hustles when compared to producing the likes of Thriller or introducing Oprah Winfrey to the silver screen.
The fact of the matter was that Jones was himself an incredible artist on top of everything else he did. You might wonder how one individual managed to achieve all that ridiculous acclaim, though. Actually, the answer is very simple. He just had confidence.
When previously asked about his collection of favourite songs, he listed a whole range of different eras and genres in everything from hits by The Brothers Johnson to Kendrick Lamar, highlighting the pulse he constantly maintained on music no matter what time it came from. But within this, he also listed no less than nine of his own songs.
He credited everything from original tunes like ‘Just Once’ and ‘Velas’, sung by James Ingram and Toots Thielemans, respectively, to covers of iconic sings like ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’, as well as collaborative efforts such as ‘The Places You Find Love’, which features Siedah Garrett and Chaka Khan. It’s no wonder, really – when you’ve made a career, however acclaimed, behind the scenes, of course, you’d want to give a bit of attention to the things you’ve done for yourself.
But Quincy Jones never needed to worry – no matter how big his work for other people became, there were so many others who worshipped him just for him.
Quincy Jones’ favourite songs of his own:
- ‘Money Is’ – Quincy Jones & Little Richard
- ‘Brown Ballad’ – Quincy Jones & Toots Thielemans
- ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ – Quincy Jones
- ‘Velas’ – Quincy Jones
- ‘One Hundred Ways’ – Quincy Jones & James Ingram
- ‘Maybe God Is Trying to Tell You Something’ – Quincy Jones
- ‘The Places You Find Love’ – Quincy Jones, Siedah Garrett & Chaka Khan
- ‘I’m Yours’ – Quincy Jones, El DeBargo & Siedah Garrett
- ‘Just Once’ – Quincy Jones
