Michael Jackson - If You Don't Love Me (1989)

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"If You Don't Love Me" was made with Bill Bottrell and recorded in 1989 for Dangerous. Although it ultimately wasn't in the final release, it was reconsidered in 2001 for the Dangerous: Special Edition reissue alongside other tracks in the form of Dangerous: Bonus Cuts. However, since the bonus cuts idea was scrapped, it again stayed unreleased.

During the production of 2010's posthumous Michael album, Bottrell made a new mix of "If You Don't Love Me", adding "small fixes", and according to him it "did improve the overall experience. Nothing dramatic though." He mentioned it was considered for inclusion on the album, but once again, didn't make the cut.

Bottrell returned in 2014 to make another mix of "If You Don't Love Me" for the posthumous album, Xscape. Sadly, he never heard back and the track didn't make the cut for the fourth and final time.

“I did a final mix on "If You Don't Love Me" for Xscape but never heard back. It's a mix that maintains everything about the rough one.”
– Bill Bottrell, X, September 30, 2024.

Trivia:
- Bottrell mentioned he doesn't support leaks of the 1989 version of "If You Don't Love Me", as it was unfinished "in significant ways including vocals."

- Bryan Loren is often misattributed as the song's co-writer and co-producer, although Loren confirmed this is completely false.

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