The best songs produced by Quincy Jones, according to Quincy Jones
They say that if you do what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. Quincy Jones might have been just about one of the hardest working people in music, but he clearly loved what he did.
And let’s face it, who doesn’t love his work? How can you listen to ‘Soul Bossa Nova’ or ‘Samba De Una Nota So’ and not feel uplifted in your spirit and your soul? How can you listen to his arrangements and production on albums and songs for Frank Sinatra or George Benson, The Brothers Johnson and Michael Jackson and not feel like you’re in the presence of an undeniable and effortless genius?
In the pre-rock era, bandleaders and arrangers like Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman or Count Basie, Artie Shaw and Duke Ellington were the real stars of the show. Once Sinatra stole the spotlight, though, there was no looking back. Then when Elvis and The Beatles came along, the bandleaders could forget it. The names buried deep in the sleeves and liner notes were never as important again as the names who were taking to the stage and airwaves and making all that noise.
But Quincy Jones, like Burt Bacharach and Hal David, was one of those rare, mythical beasts: a post-Beatles big-name bandleader, producer and arranger who was just as much a star as any of the artists he worked with and for.
And while Quincy Jones has just as many fans around the world for his uproarious interviews—packed with endlessly insightful, often hilarious, eminently quotable, and sometimes shocking quips—as he does for his exceptional music, it is the music that built his name and legendary reputation, giving his many opinions such weight in the first place. He had a unique ability to blend genres in ways that felt fresh, exciting, and alive—yet somehow as if they had always belonged together. He could pull off the impossible and make it feel obvious, or take the obvious and make it sound impossible. A master storyteller, whether through words or music, he was fluent in many languages—from soul to swing, rhythm and blues to funk, disco to dance, from bossa nova’s Latin rhythms to pure pop balladry. Jones could kick it with the very best of them, and when he had something to say, you listened.
When he was a young boy, Jones’ father told him that “once a task is just begun, never leave until it’s done. Be the labour great or small, do it well or not at all”. Nobody could argue that he didn’t heed this advice, or that he didn’t live up to those simple but powerful words. Jones spent his whole life completing his work and completing it well. So well, that he made the whole world a fan of his music, but just as important, he was a fan of what he did as well.
Towards the end of his long and storied career, Jones was asked by the streaming platform Tidal to create a list of his favourite songs of all time. Naturally, he not only chose plenty of songs where he took top billing himself (‘Velas’, ‘Maybe God Is Trying to Tell You Something’, ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ and ‘Just Once’) but also a selection where he shared the spotlight (‘Money Is’ with Little Richard, ‘One Hundred Ways’ with James Ingram and ‘The Places You Find Love’ with Siedah Garrett and Chaka Khan, among others) and plenty of songs where he was propping up the project in the producer role, as well.
Quincy Jones’ favourite songs produced by Quincy Jones:
- ‘Human Nature’ – Michael Jackson
- ‘You Make Me Wanna Wiggle’ – The Brother Johnson
- ‘You Can’t Win’ – Michael Jackson
- ‘The Lady in My Life’ – Michael Jackson
- ‘Home’ – Diana Ross
- ‘How Do You Keep the Music Playing’ – James Ingram & Patti Austin
- ‘Give Me the Night’ – George Benson
