Michael recorded three songs with Queen legend Freddie Mercury in the early 1980s. “State of Shock,” which was eventually redone with Mick Jagger. “Victory” for the Jacksons album of the same title, which has gone unheard. “There Must Be More To Life Than This,” which Mercury eventually released as a solo song.
The latter was recorded with Michael Jackson doing lead vocals while Mercury played the piano to accompany him. Michael made up the lyrics as he went along, with Mercury encouraging him to ad-lib. This version of the song eventually leaked online in the 2000’s.
In 2014 on a greatest hits album called “Queen Forever,” a re-worked duet by William Orbit was included. He placed Mercury’s vocals with Michael’s to create the effect that the two were singing together. He also remixed the music so that it wasn’t just the original piano.
At the time, Queen guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor took steps to secure all three duet Michael made with Freddie Mercury. However only “There Must Be More to Life Than This” was allowed to be released.
There must be more to life than this
There must be more to life than this
How do we cope in a world without love
Mending all those broken hearts
And tending to those crying faces
There must be more to life than killing
A better way for us to survive
Why should it be just a case of black or white
There must be more to life than this
Why is this world so full of hate
People dying everywhere
And we destroy what we create
People fighting for their human rights
But we just go on saying c’est la vie
So this is life
There must be more to life than living
There must be more than meets the eye
What good is life, if in the end we all must die
There must be more to life than this
There must be more to life than killing
There must be more to life than this
I live in hope for a world filled with love
Then we can all just live in peace
There must be more to life, much more to life
There must be more to life, more to life than this
There must be more to life than this
There must be more to life than this
How do we cope in a world without love
Mending all those broken hearts
And tending to those crying faces
There must be more to life than killing
A better way for us to survive
Why should it be just a case of black or white
There must be more to life than this
Why is this world so full of hate
People dying everywhere
And we destroy what we create
People fighting for their human rights
But we just go on saying c’est la vie
So this is life
There must be more to life than living
There must be more than meets the eye
What good is life, if in the end we all must die
There must be more to life than this
There must be more to life than killing
There must be more to life than this
I live in hope for a world filled with love
Then we can all just live in peace
There must be more to life, much more to life
There must be more to life, more to life than this
