As the opening song and fourth single of Thriller, “Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'” picks up where Off the Wall left off and begins the new phenomenon of Thriller. According to Epic Records notes, the song was written in part by Michael for his sister LaToya as a response to negative reports about her...
[Chorus]
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
It's too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You're too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You're stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
It's too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You're too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You're stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
[Verse 1]
I took my baby to the doctor with a fever
But nothin' he found
By the time this hit the street
They said she had a breakdown
Someone's always tryin'
To start my baby cryin'
Talkin', squealin', lyin'
Sayin' you just want to be startin' somethin'
[Chorus]
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
It's too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You're too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You're stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
It's too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You're too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You're stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
[Verse 2]
You love to pretend that you're good
When you're always up to no good
You really can't make him hate her
So your tongue became a razor
Someone's always tryin'
To keep my baby cryin'
Treacherous, cunnin', declinin'
You got my baby cryin' (Hee)
[Chorus]
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
It's too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You're too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You're stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
It's too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You're too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You're stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
[Post-Chorus]
You're a vegetable (You're a vegetable)
You're a vegetable (You're a vegetable)
Still, they hate you (Still they hate you)
You're a vegetable (You're a vegetable)
You're just a buffet (You're just a buffet) (You're a vegetable)
You're a vegetable (You're a vegetable)
They eat off of you (They eat off of you) (You're a vegetable)
You're a vegetable, aaow!
[Verse 3]
Billie Jean is always talkin' when nobody else is talkin'
Tellin' lies and rubbin' shoulders
So they called her mouth a motor
Someone's always tryin'
To start my baby cryin'
Talkin', squealin', spyin'
Sayin' you just want to be startin' somethin'
[Chorus]
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
It's too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You're too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You're stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
It's too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You're too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You're stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
[Post-Chorus]
You're a vegetable (You're a vegetable)
You're a vegetable (You're a vegetable)
Still, they hate you (Still they hate you)
You're a vegetable (You're a vegetable)
You're just a buffet (You're just a buffet) (You're a vegetable)
You're a vegetable (You're a vegetable)
They eat off of you (They eat off of you) (You're a vegetable)
You're a vegetable, aaow!
[Instrumental Interlude]
Aaow!
Hee-haw! (Ooh!)
[Verse 4]
If you can't feed your baby (Yeah, yeah)
Then don't have a baby (Yeah, yeah)
And don't think maybe (Yeah, yeah)
If you can't feed your baby (Yeah, yeah)
You'll be always tryin'
To stop that child from cryin'
Hustlin', stealin', lyin'
Now, baby's slowly dyin'
[Chorus]
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
I said you wanna be startin' somethin'
You got to be startin' somethin'
It's too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You're too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You're stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
It's too high to get over (Yeah, yeah)
You're too low to get under (Yeah, yeah)
You're stuck in the middle (Yeah, yeah)
And the pain is thunder (Yeah, yeah)
[Bridge]
Lift your head up high and scream out to the world
"I know I am someone," and let the truth unfurl (Hee-ha)
No one can hurt you now because you know what's true
Yes, I believe in me, so do believe in you
[Outro]
Help me sing it
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hoo-hoo)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hee-hee-hee)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hee-hee-hee)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Help me sing it, babe)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hee-hee-hee)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Yeah, sing it to the world)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Sing it out loud)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hoo-hoo)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hee-hee-hee)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Help me sing it)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hoo-hoo)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hee-hee)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Help me sing it to the world)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hoo-hoo)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hee-hee-hee)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hee-hee-hee)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Help me sing it)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hee-hee-hee)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Yeah)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Sing it to the world)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Sing it out loud)
Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa (Hoo-hoo)
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ was written by Michael Jackson.
Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ was produced by Quincy Jones & Michael Jackson.
Michael Jackson released Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ on Mon Nov 29 1982.
“Mama-say-mama-sa-mama-coosa”, which translates to “you’re a vegetable, you’re a vegetable” in the language of Duala, is a lyric taken from “Soul Makoosa”, a funk song by Camaroonian saxophonist and musician Manu Dibango from 1972. The song made its way to the US, specifically New York, where it bec...
Engineer Bruce Swedien told Music Radar:
That track is about Michael’s brothers' wives and how they were always creating trouble – that was his inspiration.
You can be whatever you want to be. You can choose to have a good ethos and pursue an ambition of good will. But you will still be hated and the energy you have will be eatin' off of you by critics.
On August 23, 2018, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” was certified platinum by the RIAA.