Michael Jackson: The King of Pop

(40 Photos)

Kimberly Potts on Aug 18, 2009 at 8:17PM

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The Songs Are Mine

Also in 1985, Jackson proved to be a shrewd businessman. After learning from "The Girl Is Mine" collaborator—and then-friend—Paul McCartney that buying up music catalogs provided a great return for the investment, Jackson actually outbid McCartney for the famous Northern Songs catalog, which included most of the early McCartney/John Lennon collaborations. McCartney had tried to get Lennon's widow,Yoko Ono, to pool cash with him to outbid Jackson's $47 million offer, but she refused. The purchase fueled Jackson's financial security for years to come, but reportedly cost him his friendship with McCartney.