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"Groove of Midnight"

Date ranged confirmed in Mike Smallcombe’s “Making Michael” (“In August 1986, after more than two years of on-off work, Michael was ready to join forces with the A-Team again [for his "Bad" album]... [Michael had] rejected songs written by Rod Temperton, who had written six hits for Off the Wall and Thriller. One of the Temperton songs Michael turned down was called ‘Groove of Midnight’... Final mixes [for the "Bad" album] were completed on July 9.”)

Michael Jackson, speech transcript

[Talking about why his hair is long to songwriter Rod Temperton]:

I’ve rolled it up. I use what’s called Sebastian gel, which tightens it up. I didn’t put it in today, I do it every other day, then it gets too hard – like a brick.

Matt Forger, sound engineer, “MJ Data Bank” (October 9, 2012) (archived)

During the BAD sessions, Michael Jackson considered many songs that finally were discarded. Songwriter Rod Temperton, who was part of the A-Team behind Off the Wall and Thriller, submitted a few songs for BAD, one of them being Groove of Midnight. This song was eventually recorded by Siedah Garrett and was released on her debut album KISS of Life on Qwest Records (1988). “Rod Temperton had some songs”, remembers Matt Forger. “Quincy asked him to have songs ready. Groove of Midnight is one of these songs. However we searched and we could not find a version with Michael’s vocals. It wasn’t a song that they considered for the BAD album eventually”.