The Loser

"The Loser" (originally titled "I Am a Loser" and "I Was the Loser") is an unreleased song by Michael Jackson intended for the scrapped eleventh studio album. The first incarnation, which originates from 2003, leaked online on September 7, 2013. ( listen)

Background[]

Jackson wrote the song with Brad Buxer in January 2003, after the latter went through a breakup. While staying at a hotel late at night, Michael heard Buxer repeating “I’m a loser! I’m just a loser!”. Michael asked him if everything's alright, which he answered with “Oh, I’m a loser” after which he explained the breakup. Michael suggested making a song about it, and the two composed "I Am a Loser" in the morning.^[1]

The song was picked up again in November 2008 and re-named to "I Was the Loser".^[2]

“	He was happy with the original I Am A Loser demo. But before we played it for anybody else we had a long talk, and Michael said: ‘I don’t want be a loser. I don’t mind if I was the loser, but I don’t want to say I am a loser.’ So we changed that.	”
–Michael Prince for Damien Shields, "PROCESSEXCLUSIVE: Origins of ‘The Loser’ by Michael Jackson", September 8, 2013^[3]

The newest version of the recording is known to be nearly the exact same as the 2003 demo, besides the "I am a loser" lyric getting replaced with "I was a loser" / "I was the loser". The song seems to have ultimately been re-titled to "The Loser" as seen on a 2009 note with titles of songs Jackson wanted to finish.

The track was at one point in 2014 considered for the posthumous album Xscape, however, it ultimately didn't make the final tracklist.

Lyrics[]

[Verse 1]
You laughed at me, you made me cry
You made a joke, then wonder why
I am a loser, I am a loser
I say hello, you say good-bye
I reach to you, you don't even try
I am a loser, I am a loser

[Refrain]
If losin' you makes me happy
Then why does it makes me cry
Losin' you makes you a winner
Then how did our love ever die?

[Verse 2]
I'm born to lose, you know it's true
And here I stand (Ooh-ooh), I'm losin' you
I am a loser, I am a loser
You are the one to let me know
You needed me, now I have to go
I am a loser (Alright), I am a loser

[Refrain]
If losin' you makes you happy
Then why does it makes me cry?
If losin' you makes you a winner
Then how did our love ever die? Ever die?

[Verse 3]
I am a fool, you know it's true
I believed in you (Ooh-ooh), now you don't even try
I am a loser (Alri-), I am a loser (Wh-what?)
What foolish kind of guy am I?
You break my heart, I wonder why
I am a loser (Alright), I am a loser (Ooh-ooh, alright)

[Chorus]
I am a loser (Baby), I am a loser (Ooh-ooh, alright)
I am a loser (Baby), I am a loser (Ooh-ooh, alright)
I am a loser, I am a loser (Ooh-ooh, alright! Alright!)
I am a loser (One more time, alright)
I am a loser (Ooh-ohh, let me win one time, alright)
I am a loser (I gotta win, gotta win, I can't lose)
I am a loser (Ooh-ooh, on my beggin' knees, on my beggin' knees)
I am a loser (Oh-ohh, alright), I am a loser (Ooh-ooh, hee, hee)
I am a loser (I am a loser, baby)
I am a loser (Ooh-ooh, I am a loser, baby)
I am a loser (I am a loser, uh)
I am a loser (Ooh-ooh, I am a loser, baby)
I am a loser (I am a loser, baby)
I am a loser (Ooh-ooh,I am a loser)
I am a loser (Let me win one time, let me win one time)
I am a loser (Ooh-ooh, Alright, hee)
I am a loser
I am a loser (Ooh-ooh, goodbye to you, goodbye to thee)
I am a loser (Goodbye to you, hello world)
I am a loser (Ooh-ooh, meet me tomorrow, meet me today)
I am a loser (Who knows who will win?)

Gallery[]

References[]

Unreleased songs

Leaked/released

"After The Storm" • "Be My Girl" • "Buttercup" • "We Love You" • "Sunset Driver" • "What a Lonely Way to Go" • I Never Heard" • "It Don't Matter to Me" • "Love Never Felt So Good" • ""Behind the Mask" • "Carousel" • "Don't Be Messin' 'Round" • "Got the Hots" • "Hot Street" • "Nite Line" • "She's Trouble" • "Slapstick" • "Starlight" • "The Toy" • "Who Do You Know" • "Chicago 1945" • "Dream Away" • "Scared of the Moon" • "State of Shock" (with Freddie Mercury) • "There Must Be More To Life Than This" (with Freddie Mercury)• "Abortion Papers" • "Al Capone" • "Bumper Snippet" • "Cheater" • "Do You Know Where Your Children Are" • "Fly Away" • "Free" • "I'm So Blue" • "Loving You" • "Price of Fame" • "Someone Put Your Hand Down" • "Starlight Sun" • "Streetwalker" • "Throwin' Your Life Away" • "We Are Here to Change the World" • "Best of Joy" • " Bumper Snippet (Kid Part)" • "Deep in the Night" • "For All Time" • "Ghost of Another Lover" • "Happy Birthday Lisa" • "If You Don't Love Me" • "Jane Is a Groupie" • "Man in Black" • "Monkey Business" • "Serious Effect" • "She Got It" • "Slave to the Rhythm" • "Verdict" • "Work That Body" • "You Were There" • "Family Thing" • "Palestine, Don't Cry" • "Christmas Star" • "Faces" • "In the Back" • "Much Too Soon" • "Willing and Waiting" • "A Place with No Name" • "Another Day" • "Beautiful Girl" • "Blue Gangsta" • "Elizabeth, I Love You" • "Fall Again" • "Get Your Weight Off of Me" • "Gone" • "Hollywood Tonight" • "I Have This Dream" • "People of the World" • "Seeing Voices" • "She Was Lovin' Me" • "Shout" • "The Way You Love Me" • "Twilight" • "Voodoo" • "We Be Ballin'" • "We've Had Enough" • "What More Can I Give" (solo version) • "What's a Guy Gotta Do" • "Xscape" • "All In Your Name" (with Barry Gibb)• "Days in Gloucestershire" • "I Am A Loser" • "Why Can't You Hear Me" • "Change" • "Hold My Hand" • "I Want You To Stay" • "Stop Playin'" • "You Are My World" • "A Nice Day to Get Away" • "Climb the Highest" • "Don't Talk Behind My Back" • "Hey Girl" • "Hitch Hiker" • "I Love You (unrelated to the unreleased song written by Taryll Jackson) • "Looking Over the Rainbow" • "Unknown Heritage Auctions Song"

Snippets leaked/released
"I Can't Get You Off My Mind" • "I've Gotta Be Me" • "It Don't Matter to Me" • "Changes" • "Groove of Midnight" • "Don't Believe It" • "Dream Girl" • "Seven Digits" • "Jungle" • "Monster" • "Rampage" • "You Don't Love Me" • "Adore You" • "Still the King" • "Saturday Woman" • "Water" • "Unknown Deepak Chopra Collaboration" • "Unknown Neff-U Song"

Lost

"7 Rooms of Gloom" • "A Place in the Sun" • "A Pretty Face Is (with Stevie Wonder) • "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" • "Bad Company" • "Determination" • "Doing Dirty" • "Fantasy" • "Far, Far Away" • "Goin' to Rio" • "Holiday Inn" • "I'm In Love With You" • "I'm In Tears" • "Iowa" • "Kentucky" • "Nona" • "Ode to Sorrow" • "Power" • "She's Not a Girl" • "Slipped Away" • "Still In Love With You" • "Thank You for Life" • "That Girl" • "The Sky Is the Limit" • "Too Bad" • "What's Your Life?" • "You Ain't Gonna Change Nothin'" • "Unknown Humanity Outtakes" • "A Baby Smiles" • "Got to Find a Way Somehow" • "In the Life of Chico" • "Susie" • "Under Your Skin" • "We Are the Ones" • "You Told Me Your Lovin'" • "Somewhere in Time" • "Why Can't I Be?" • "You Not Me" • "Learned My Lesson" • "MJ Melody" • "Nymphette Lover" • "Rolling the Dice" • "Set It On Out" • "Spice of Life" • "Stand Tall" • "Where Is Love?" • "Alright Now" • "Buffalo Bill" • "Happy Song" • "Make a Wish" • "Neverland Landing" • "Peter Pan" • "Pyramid Girl" • "Take My Time" • "Victory" (with Freddie Mercury) • "A Way With Words" • "Apocalypse Now" • "Bad Girl" • "Bill's African Groove" • "Crack Kills" • "Eaten Alive" (MJ & Barry Gibb version) • "Make or Break" • "New Song" • "Scream-o-Blaster" • "Song for Epic" • "Tomboy" • "Trash Can Song" • "Turnin' Me Off" • "What You Do to Me" • "You're the One" • "All My Children" • "All the Truth" • "Ask Rene" • "Bubbles" • "Call It Off" • "Can't Come Back" • "Colorblind" • "Dreams" • "Fever" • "Garbage" • "Get Up" • "Homeless Bound" • "House Groove" • "It" • "Janet and MJ Duet" • "Joy" (solo version) • "Killer Dance Teddy Riley groove" • "Lying to Myself" • "Out of the Closet" • "Pressure" • "Promise" • "Serious Moonlight" • "She's Got It Baby" • "Son of Thriller" • "Stay" • "The Choice" • "Truth on Youth" • "Fanfare 1992" • "Heal L.A." • "Innocent Man" • "Rich Girl" • "Unknown Eddie Murphy Collaborations" • "Ask DD" • "Bassouille" • "Bombay Nights" • "Circles" • "D.N.A." • "Diana Ross" • "Give All Your Love" • "Haven't Got a Lot" • "How You Like Your Love" • "Like You" • "Lost in Love" • "Love Games" • "New Jelly" • "Oh Love" • "Only You" • "Rescue Me" • "Revenge" • "Sexy Love Song" • "Starlight" (unrelated to the "Thriller" demo) • "Tears of Stone" • "The Best Thing" • "Thinking About You" • "U Know" • "What Do You Want From Me" • "Why (solo version) • "You'll Know" • "Unknown HIStory Outtake" • "Be Me 4 a Day" • "Bio" • "Children's Holiday" • "Craze" • "Ekam Satyam" • "God Don't Love Us Anymore" • "Hot Fun In the Summertime" • "I Love You" • "Oh Yeah" • "Rise Above It All" • "Thank Heaven" • "That" • "The World Is No Church" • "You Are the One" • "Unknown Tim & Bob Collaborations" • "Come Back" • "Dreaming" (with will.i.am) • "Endt It" • "He Who Makes the Sky Gray" • "I Will Miss You" (with will.i.am) • "Light the Way" • "Rocker" • "Seduction" • "World of Candy" • "Unknown Jae-R Collaboration" • "11 P.M." • "Bang Your Head" • "Beatbox 2010" • "Boy No" • "Brad Loop" • "Breath" • "Broken Chair" • "Butter Funk" • "Can't Stop Lovin' You" • Children's Hour" • "Coco Butter" • "D.I.E." • "Dance MJ McKellar" • "Dancing For Love" • "Dark Lady" • "Don't Make Me Stay" • "Don't Walk Away" • "Earth Love" • "Everybody Wants to Be a Movie Star" • "For the World" • "Frank Friday Night" • "Green Hornet Groove" • "Heaven With a Smile" • "I Am That One" • "I Love You More" • "If I Were to Wish" • "Is She Coming Back" • "King Tutankhamun" • "Lady of Summer" • "Leaving Today to Benin" • "Lonely Bird" • "Love Heals" • "Lovin' You" • "MJ / BB Orchestral Idea" • "Orchestral Holiday Songs" • "Pajamas" • "Pray For Peace" • "Red Eye" • "Remember What I Told You" • "Rock Tonight" • "Ron great industrial age song" • "She Don't Love Me" • "Shut Up and Dance" • "Silent Spring" • "Think Twice" • "Too Late To Turn Back Now" • "Walk Away" • "You Are There" • "You Were There" (unrelated to the 1990 song) • "Unknown 2000s Songs" • "Unknown Akon Collaborations" • "Unknown Ne-Yo Collaborations" • "Unknown RedOne Collaborations" • "Boots Groove" • "California Grass" • "Cry" • "Get Around" • "Granite" • "I Forgive You" • "I Have This Love of Me" • "In the Valley" • "Little Girls" • "Llama Lola" • "Lonely Man" • "Lucy Is in Love With Linus" • "Michael McKeller" • "People Have To Make Some Kind of Joke" • "Saved by the Bell" • "Sister Sue" • "Tragedy of a Cheerleader" • "Unknown" • "What's It Gonna Be" • "Who Is the Girl With Her Hair Down" • "Why Shy" • "You Are a Liar "

[1] ttps://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/911066045

[2] ttps://www.ascap.com/repertory#/ace/search/workID/911066073

[3] ttps://www.damienshields.com/i-am-a-loser-exclusive/

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Michael Jackson Wiki