Key Takeaways
- Michael Jackson’s 2001 deep cut “Heaven Can Wait” from Invincible has been ranked No. 20 on Essence’s list of the greatest R&B songs of all time, despite never being a major crossover hit on release.
- Essence prioritized cultural impact, vocal performance, songwriting, longevity, influence, replay value, and Black cultural resonance, with “Heaven Can Wait” standing out as a slow-burning ballad some critics call one of Jackson’s best later-era vocal performances.
- The ranking comes amid a major Michael Jackson resurgence driven by the billion-dollar Michael biopic, with catalog cuts like “Chicago” climbing the charts and classic albums such as Off the Wall and Thriller posting long-running streaming and sales gains for Sony Music.
Michael Jackson’s “Heaven Can Wait” is getting the kind of recognition it never received when it first arrived.
The Invincible deep cut has been ranked No. 20 on Essence’s list of the greatest R&B songs of all time, putting a song that never became a major crossover hit alongside some of the genre’s most enduring records.
Essence said its editors weighed everything from “cultural impact” and vocal performance to songwriting, longevity, influence, replay value, and records that have become embedded in Black culture. The magazine also made clear that the list was built to embrace more than just obvious chart smashes, promising “deep cuts, undeniable classics, and a few impossible decisions.”
“Heaven Can Wait” certainly qualifies as the deep-cut pick.
Released on Jackson’s 2001 album Invincible, the slow-burning ballad was written by Jackson, Teddy Riley, Andreao “Fanatic” Heard, Nate Smith, Teron Beal, Eritza Laues, and Kenny Quiller. The song was never pushed as one of the album’s biggest singles, and its original Billboard performance was modest: it spent 16 weeks on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and peaked at No. 72 in 2002.
Its reputation, however, has only grown.
The track was inspired in part by “The Lady in My Life,” Jackson’s closing ballad from Thriller, and producer Teddy Riley has said Jackson immediately connected with it. According to Riley, Jackson clutched his chest after hearing the song and asked, “Teddy, is this mine?”
“It’s yours if you want it, Michael,” Riley recalled telling him.
Jackson’s answer was immediate.
“I want it, let’s go get it!” Riley remembered him saying. “I want that song. I need that song in my life.”
That enthusiasm comes through in the finished record. “Heaven Can Wait” centers on Jackson begging to remain alive rather than leave the woman he loves, delivered with layered harmonies, breathy phrasing, and one of the more restrained performances from his later catalog.
The new ranking arrives during another major resurgence for Jackson’s music.
Following the billion-dollar success of the Michael biopic, his catalog has exploded across streaming services and Billboard. “Chicago,” another song once considered far from his most obvious hits, surged onto the Hot 100 this year before climbing to No. 2 on Billboard’s R&B Streaming Songs chart. It was blocked from No. 1 by Jackson’s own “Billie Jean,” while “Beat It” completed an all-Jackson top three.
