'ABC,' the Jackson 5
From 1970's 'ABC'

The simplistic, kindergarten-lesson-like lyrics of 'ABC' obviously take me back to my childhood. But they also take me back to Michael's. This is one of those songs I can't hear without visualizing who's singing it. When the 12-year-old future King of Pop yells, "Sit down girl! I think I love you!," in that high-pitched voice, I picture that adorable kid in his natural, pre-plastic surgery state and remember that there was this astronomically talented prodigy who single-handedly changed the course of pop music. And all deep thoughts aside, 'ABC' is just damn catchy. No other song has stood my own test of time from early '80s mix tapes to current iPod playlists. I'll never get tired of putting my Is before Es except after Cs, or adding two plus two to make four.

'You Can't Win,' Michael Jackson
From 1978's 'The Wiz: Original Soundtrack'

In between the Jackson 5 and 'Off the Wall' eras, Michael Jackson starred as the Scarecrow in 'The Wiz,' an awesomely bizarre blaxploitation update of 'Wizard of Oz.'

'Ease on Down the Road,' the slinky duet with Diana Ross as Dorothy, became a massive, Grammy-nominated hit, but as a small child watching 'The Wiz,' the scene and song that burned itself into my brain was the much darker 'You Can't Win.'

Stuck up on his scarecrow pole, Michael Jackson soulfully belts, "You can't win/You can't break even/And you can't get out of the game" backed by a chorus of mean-spirited crows crooning about some turkey blowing out your flame.

'Wanna Be Startin' Somethin,'' Michael Jackson
From 1982's 'Thriller'

It's hard to put my finger on exactly why I freakin' love this 'Thriller'-opening track. I think it's mostly because this song is weird. Weird, frenetic genius.

I won't bore with superlatives about how much the album 'Thriller' shaped my musical childhood. It pretty much defined it. Years of obsession with Michael Jackson and literally everything he did. I taped all of his videos off of MTV and had his poster on my wall. The 'Making of 'Thriller'' VHS was a prized possession. I once made a horror-film challenged friend watch it, and the behind-the-scenes film scared her so badly she got a bloody nose all over my mother's beige living room carpet. That's commitment.

'I Want You Back,' the Jackson 5
From 1969's 'Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5'

Look, I'm pretty young. I missed the Jackson 5's breakthrough hit, 'I Want You Back,' by a long shot, and I wasn't even born when the 'Thriller' video hit the scene. On the cusp of my 11th birthday, I fell in love not with the Jacksons, but with a certain other band of brothers who were seemingly following the path of churning out pop gems. Just -- lightly -- compare Taylor Hanson's style circa 'Mmmbop' to the youthful wail of Michael Jackson, and you might get where I'm going with this; the attitude and range of Jackson's soulful vocals influenced what I was listening to as a kid, before I even knew it. The appreciation came later.

'I Want You Back,' courtesy of Motown, served to be the Jackson 5's first No. 1 song. It is a song that I would've undoubtedly turned the radio up to every day in my bedroom, had I grown up in the right decade. I listen to it now and can't help but smile. I enjoy it for everything you should enjoy a delightful pop song for: its groove, its ability to turn somewhat sad lyrics into a good time and most of all, its memorable melody sung by that little guy with a big voice.

'Thriller,' Michael Jackson
From 1982's 'Thriller'

When I was a little girl, I had four cousins (all siblings) that were, to me, the end-all, be-all of cool. I'm talking Aqua Net, water beds and motocross. They were in high school and used to let me and my older brother come over after school and watch MTV and HBO. As one might imagine, I was exposed to some pretty ... mature stuff. And two things stuck with me from those fateful afternoons on my aunt's giant grey couch: Michael J. Fox's 'The Secret of My Success' (another story for another time), and the 'Thriller' video.

I was late to the game on the almost 14-minute long fright fest, regarded by MTV as the greatest video of all time, but was no less affected. I was simultaneously in love with and terrified of Michael. I was seriously jealous of that pretty girl's poodle skirt. The ghouls were dancing! I quivered in the presence of Vincent Price's booming, sinister voice. The lyrics didn't have to make sense (they don't). My little not-yet-10-year-old mind was blown.

'Can You Feel It,' the Jacksons
From 1980's 'Triumph'

With a choral opening so grand you could be fooled into thinking you're listening to an altogether loftier genre, you hardly have time for a breath before 'Can You Feel It' locks into that familiar disco-infused groove. Vocals are handled by Randy and Michael, with the latter's signature whoops lighting the whole thing up and sending shivers down the spine.

I love this song because it simply couldn't be any dancier, it has some nifty little guitar licks and because it showcases the vocal prowess of one of the 20th century's greatest performers. If you really want your mind blown, you should check out the video for the song with its dazzling creationist theme. As a kid, it scared the crap out of me. Epic stuff.

'The Love You Save,' the Jackson 5
From 1970's 'ABC'

As a bubblegum-chewing and -listening 9-and-a-half-year-old urban black kid in mid-1970, I was as predisposed to fall for the pop-soul sticky chicle of the Jackson 5's third Motown single (and third No. 1), 'The Love You Save' as a boy could be. Though Michael Jackson was chronologically two years older than me, in some ways he came off as younger than I am, yet in the most obvious way -- his otherworldly voice and poise -- I'm still to this day comparatively a child.

Akin to its white bubblegum counterparts, the song's lyrics entendre on a double level -- in this case as a parable about traffic safety (for us youngsters) or as a warning about sexual promiscuity (for the older set). That is, until the middle bit, in which Michael accuses the song's protagonist of making out with Sir Isaac Newton, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Graham Bell and Christopher Columbus in succession -- the song's first sign of musical genius. The second is the "truck driver's modulation" near the end, as the song vaults into a higher key, propelling me heavenward as well. Add some complementary vocals from J5 relief pitcher Jermaine, and you have the musical reason why, almost 40 years later, I'm still occasionally in my own Peter Pan phase.