{"id":366,"date":"2026-05-20T20:09:26","date_gmt":"2026-05-20T20:09:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=366"},"modified":"2026-05-20T20:09:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T20:09:26","slug":"how-michael-jacksons-chicago-went-from-leftover-track-to-viral-hit-decades-later","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=366","title":{"rendered":"How Michael Jackson\u2019s \u2018Chicago\u2019 Went From Leftover Track to Viral Hit Decades Later"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nMichael Jackson\u2019s biopic might have left some critics cold, but it\u2019s a runaway success by every other measure. Antoine Fuqua\u2019s \u201cMichael\u201d just passed $700 million at the global box office, while renewed interest in the late superstar\u2019s catalog has sent classics like \u201cBillie Jean,\u201d \u201cBeat It\u201d and \u201cDon\u2019t Stop \u2018Til You Get Enough\u201d back to the top of the streaming charts. Curiously, it also revived a song not featured in the film \u2014 or even released during Jackson\u2019s lifetime.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\u201cChicago,\u201d a deep cut from the King of Pop\u2019s 2014 posthumous album \u201cXscape,\u201d was never issued as an official single or pushed at radio. Yet the twisty R&B track has quietly become Jackson\u2019s eighth most-played track on Spotify with more than 655 million streams. Since the release of \u201cMichael,\u201d \u201cChicago\u201d has zoomed into the top 30 of US Spotify and the top 100 on YouTube\u2019s US Top Songs.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor fans, the resurgence feels improbable. Originally recorded during the chaotic sessions for Jackson\u2019s 2001 album \u201cInvincible\u201d under the title \u201cShe Was Loving Me,\u201d the song never made the final cut and spent years in limbo before surfacing on \u201cXscape.\u201d Even then, it remained largely overlooked until social media introduced it to a new generation.<\/p>\n

\n\tIn 2023, a sped-up version of \u201cChicago\u201d began circulating widely on TikTok, with users gravitating toward the lyric: \u201cShe smiled and looked at me \/ I was surprised to see that a woman like that was really into me.\u201d The audio became a popular \u201csound\u201d for lip-syncs, nostalgic edits and dance trends, helping turn a footnote in an iconic discography into a streaming staple.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe song\u2019s dramatic narrative arc \u2014 the object of his affection leads a double life \u2014 could explain its unlikely resonance. And, according to the song\u2019s producer Cory Rooney, storytelling was central to its conception. During the early stages of the \u201cInvincible\u201d sessions in 1999, Jackson invited a group of Sony executives to Los Angeles to preview material from the unfinished album. Rooney, then a senior vp at Sony, was among them at the session, where Jackson only played them one song: \u201cBreak of Dawn.\u201d Afterward, Tommy Mottola urged Rooney, a hitmaker in his own right, to pen something for Jackson.<\/p>\n

\n\tRooney approached legendary songwriter and Jackson confidant Carole Bayer Sager for advice. \u201cMichael is one of the world\u2019s most amazing storytellers,\u201d Rooney recalls her saying. \u201cHe\u2019s really good when he\u2019s singing a song that has a story.\u201d So he went home and wrote what was then called \u201cShe Was Loving Me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tDespite only hearing a rough demo, Jackson connected with the song immediately. \u201cMy phone rings and it\u2019s Michael,\u201d Rooney says. \u201cHe goes, \u2018Man, I love, love this song.’\u201d Jackson told him he planned to spend the weekend learning the lyrics before flying to New York to record the track at the Hit Factory. \u201c\u2018If you can make time for me, I\u2019ll be ready to record it on Monday.’\u201d Rooney made the time.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat struck Rooney most was Jackson\u2019s precision in the studio. Rather than reworking the demo, the singer became fixated on faithfully reproducing its phrasing and emotional tone. Jackson spent two days recording the song, separating the lower and upper vocal ranges into different sessions. Between takes, Rooney remembers Jackson dancing around the booth as they worked through the track together. \u201cHe respected writers,\u201d Rooney says. \u201cHe respected producers.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\n\tThe sessions also sparked a lasting friendship that extended beyond the studio. Rooney says Jackson regularly called him to discuss ideas, including an ambitious concept for a potential \u201cShe Was Loving Me\u201d visual. \u201cAt the end of the video, two limos pull side by side,\u201d Rooney says with a laugh. \u201cMichael rolls his window down and then the other limo rolls down its window \u2014 and it\u2019s Prince.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThough the track was later renamed \u201cChicago,\u201d Rooney says neither he nor Jackson originally referred to it that way. Jackson was fascinated, however, by the reference. \u201cWhy Chicago?\u201d Jackson asked during the sessions. \u201cI told him, \u2018It\u2019s the only city that sings well,’\u201d Rooney says. Jackson substituted alternatives like \u201cCalifornia\u201d and \u201cNew York\u201d before agreeing Rooney had chosen the right one.<\/p>\n

\n\tUltimately, \u201cShe Was Loving Me\u201d never appeared on \u201cInvincible.\u201d Rooney says it had less to do with the quality of the record than the arduous sessions, which stretched across multiple years, producers and competing creative directions. Rooney\u2019s role evolved beyond songwriting. As tensions mounted, he became an advocate and sounding board for Jackson.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cHe trusted me,\u201d Rooney says. \u201cI became a friend.\u201d As a result, Rooney says he gradually stopped pitching songs for the album altogether, including \u201cShe Was Loving Me,\u201d which quietly drifted into the background as \u201cInvincible\u201d neared completion. Still, Jackson insisted that their song still had a future, telling Rooney, \u201c\u2018Don\u2019t do anything with that record because I am going to use it.’\u201d The moment never came. Damien Shields, author of \u201cMichael Jackson: Songs & Stories From the Vault,\u201d says the track was first resurfaced when 2010\u2019s posthumous \u201cMichael\u201d was being compiled, but \u201cit just slipped through the cracks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cChicago\u201d finally emerged on \u201cXscape,\u201d where Jackson\u2019s original vocals were paired with updated production from Timbaland. The producer initially singled out \u201cChicago\u201d as a potential lead single in interviews, but the album\u2019s promotional focus shifted elsewhere. Instead, audiences discovered it on their own \u2014 a not uncommon occurrence for Jackson fans. \u201cSome songs that Sony would never think to promote are now some of the most viral songs Michael has,\u201d Shields says. He singles out 1995\u2019s \u201cThey Don\u2019t Really Care About Us\u201d from \u201cHIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I.\u201d A minor hit by Jackson\u2019s standards at the time, the protest anthem\u2019s video recently surpassed 1.3 billion views on YouTube alone.<\/p>\n

\n\tFor younger listeners discovering Jackson through clips, edits and streaming recommendations, \u201cChicago\u201d may not register as an obscure posthumous release at all. It simply exists as another Michael Jackson song. Rooney himself remained largely unaware of the song\u2019s growing popularity until his daughter told him \u201cChicago\u201d had become \u201ca pretty big deal\u201d on TikTok. \u201cI found out when everybody else found out,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

\n\tMore than two decades after Rooney first wrote the song, \u201cChicago\u201d has finally become the kind of hit Jackson always believed it could be. \u201cI knew at one point it would see the light of day,\u201d Rooney says quietly. \u201cBecause I knew that Michael would make sure of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Michael Jackson\u2019s \u2018Chicago\u2019 has picked up steam decades after its creation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":365,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[33],"tags":[392],"class_list":["post-366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-music","tag-michael-jackson"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Michael Jackson\u2019s \u2018Chicago\u2019 Went From Leftover Track to Viral Hit Decades Later - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=366\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How Michael Jackson\u2019s \u2018Chicago\u2019 Went From Leftover Track to Viral Hit Decades Later - 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