5 best songs composed by Quincy Jones

Quincy Jones, the legendary record producer, songwriter, and composer with 28 Grammy awards under his belt, passed away on Sunday, November 3, at the age of 91. According to his publicist, Jones "passed away peacefully" in his Bel-Air home, in LA. A statement shared by his family read:

"Tonight, with full but broken hearts, we must share the news of our father and brother Quincy Jones’ passing. And although this is an incredible loss for our family, we celebrate the great life that he lived and know there will never be another like him."

In light of Quincy Jones' passing, here's a look at five of his best song compositions to date.

Disclaimer: The items on this list are arranged in chronological order and are based purely on the writer's opinion.

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Strawberry Letter #23, and 4 other best songs composed by Quincy Jones

1) The King of the Gospel Singers - Little Richard (1961)

In 1961, Quincy Jones produced Little Richard's sixth studio album - The King of Gospel Singers. The album marked a bold attempt in the opposite direction, as more African-American singers were moving from religious to secular music at the time.

In the liner notes of the album, Jones said about Little Richard:

"It was truly a joy working with Little Richard in New York; though he was still very religious I noticed that he never lost his feeling for Rock ‘n’ Soul."

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2) New Wave - Dizzy Gillespie (1963)

JBL Fest 2017 - Quincy Jones in the Studio (Image via Getty)

Quincy Jones was a Gillespie fan even before the two worked together. The music producer said in his autobiography, Q, that he had:

"Dizzy since I was twelve years old. He had style, soul, technique, substance."

In 1956, Jones first started playing with Dizzy as a jazz trumpeter and eventually became his music director. Gillespie's New Wave is an album that stands out as the documentation of the singer's Afro-Cuban phase.

The album contains eight tracks, combining both studio as well as live recordings.

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3) You Don't Own Me - Lesley Gore (1964)

You Don't Own Me remains one of Lesley Gore's most successful recordings, belonging to her sophomore studio album, Lesley Gore Sings of Mixed-Up Hearts.

Gore recorded it when she was only 17. The singer heard it for the first time from its songwriters - David White and John Madara - and was immediately on board. Lesley then had Qunicy Jones hear it, who loved it equally and was happy to produce it.

Lesley Gore talked about the song with Anthony Curtis years later, saying:

"Quincy was a great mentor and a wonderful teacher, but he had a male point of view. He wasn’t coming from a female point of view. So I felt like I was sort of dealing with that issue. Who was I supposed to be out there? ‘You Don’t Own Me’ made a lot of that pretty clear for me."

With Jones' keen sense of hits, the track emerged as a popular feminist anthem in the 1960s, sending a universal message of empowerment.

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4) Strawberry Letter #23 - The Brothers Johnson (1971)

In A Perfect World Foundation Honors Quincy Jones (Image via Getty)

The Brothers Johnson - a sibling duo consisting of bassist Louis Johnson and guitarist George Johnson - were talents recognized and hired by Quincy Jones several years before Strawberry Letter #23 was produced.

However, it was the 1977 track - a cover of the 1971 Shuggie Otis track - that brought the duo their first massive success.

The premise of the track is of a couple exchanging love letters in musical form. The original track - also produced by Jones - peaked at the fifth position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, with the album going platinum at the time.

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5) Off the Wall - Michael Jackson (1979)

Released on August 10, 1979, Off the Wall was Michael Jackson's fifth studio album, and the first by Quincy Jones as a producer. Jackson met the producer a couple of years ago - when he was only 19 - while working for the movie, The Wiz.

Recalling his experience with Michael Jackson, Jones wrote in Q:

"beneath [Jackson’s] shy exterior was an artist with a burning desire for perfection and an unlimited ambition to be the biggest entertainer in the world."

The tracks on the album explore themes of loneliness, escapism, liberation, hedonism, and romance. Jones and Jackson's collaboration on the album ultimately led to the creation of his superhit track, Thriller, four years later.

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Quincy Jones was 91 at the time of his death and is survived by his seven children, including actress Rashida Jones.