Jackson first wrote and recorded "Don't Be Messin'" during the Thriller sessions with engineer Brent Averill. Around this time he was working on a variety of musical ideas, including demos of "P.Y.T." and "Billie Jean." "Don't Be Messin'" features Jackson himself playing piano ("He could do more than he ever really let people know," Forger says.) He also produced, arranged, and guided many of the instrumental parts, including the cinematic strings, Jonathan Maxey's piano part in the bridge, and David Williams funky guitar licks.
杰克逊是在与录音师Brent Averill合作《Thriller》期间首次创作并录制了《Don’t Be Messin’》这首歌。大约在这个时候,他致力于各种各样的音乐灵感,包括《P.Y.T.》和《Billie Jean》的demo。《Don’t Be Messin’》的特色是杰克逊自己弹奏了钢琴(“他能做的比他真正让人们知道的还要多,”Forger说。)他还制作、安排和指导了许多器乐部分,包括电影弦乐,Jonathan Maxey在桥接处的钢琴部分和David Williams的funky吉他乐句。
Ultimately, since "Don't Be Messin'" wasn't fully developed and so much other strong material was coming in for Thriller, Jackson decided to put the song on the back burner, having in mind to revisit it for his next album. "That was kind of how Michael developed ideas and songs," explains Forger. "He let the song unfold in its own time. Sometimes a song wasn't ready or didn't quite fit the character of an album or a project and it would stay in the vaults. And then at a certain point of time, he would pull it out again."
最终,因为《Don't Be Messin》还没有得到充分的发展,并且《Thriller》中还有很多其他强有力的素材,杰克逊决定暂且搁置这首歌,并打算在他的下一张专辑中重新审视它。“这就是迈克尔发展灵感和歌曲的方式,”Forger解释说,“他让歌曲在合适的时间开展。有时候,一首歌还没准备好,或者不太符合专辑或项目的特点,它就会被留在储藏室里。然后在某个时间点,他又会把它拿出来。”
——JOSEPH VOGEL《The Story Behind Michael Jackson's Infectious, Newly Released Song》
