{"id":14424,"date":"2025-10-15T12:14:52","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T12:14:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mjstar.co.uk\/?p=14424"},"modified":"2025-10-15T22:01:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T22:01:38","slug":"the-truth-behind-michael-jacksons-nickname-smelly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mjstar.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/10\/the-truth-behind-michael-jacksons-nickname-smelly\/","title":{"rendered":"The Truth Behind Michael Jackson\u2019s Nickname \u201cSmelly\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A new claim has been making the rounds that Michael Jackson earned the nickname \u201cSmelly\u201d because he refused to change his clothes for fear they might be stolen by fans. This story, has been shared in a recently published book by Lionel Ritchie.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The real origin of the nickname comes from Michael\u2019s time working closely with legendary producer Quincy Jones<\/strong>. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter<\/em> <\/a><\/strong>back in April 2015<\/strong>, Jones explained exactly where \u201cSmelly\u201d came from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

During a talk at Loyola Marymount University\u2019s School of Film & TV on April 8, 2015, Quincy said:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cI used to call Michael \u2018Smelly,\u2019 because he wouldn\u2019t say \u2018funky.\u2019 He\u2019d say \u2018smelly jelly.\u2019 So when people asked who was in the studio, I\u2019d say, \u2018Smelly, Worms, and Mouse.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cfunky\u201d Michael was referring to wasn\u2019t about odor, it was about groove, rhythm, and soul<\/strong> \u2014 the kind of energy that defined his music.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This affectionate nickname became an inside joke between Michael and his collaborators during the Off the Wall<\/em> and Thriller<\/em> sessions, showing his playful personality and creative spirit in the studio.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A new claim has been making the rounds that Michael Jackson earned the nickname \u201cSmelly\u201d because he refused to change his clothes for fear they might be stolen by fans. This story, has been shared in a recently published book by Lionel Ritchie. The real origin of the nickname comes from Michael\u2019s time working closely […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14425,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14424","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-do-not-use"],"yoast_head":"\nThe Truth Behind Michael Jackson\u2019s Nickname \u201cSmelly\u201d - Michael Jackson MJSTAR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/mjstar.co.uk\/index.php\/2025\/10\/the-truth-behind-michael-jacksons-nickname-smelly\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The Truth Behind Michael Jackson\u2019s Nickname \u201cSmelly\u201d - Michael Jackson MJSTAR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A new claim has been making the rounds that Michael Jackson earned the nickname \u201cSmelly\u201d because he refused to change his clothes for fear they might be stolen by fans. 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