Critical Reception
"Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" has received generally positive reviews from contemporary music critics. Christopher Connelly, a writer for Rolling Stone, described "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" as being Thriller's "most combative track". Connelly noted that in the "hyperactive" song, Jackson's "emotions are so raw that the song nearly goes out of control". He further commented that the song has a "tune that's almost as exciting as seeing Jackson motivate himself across a concert stage – and a lot more unpredictable". Remarking that while the song's lyrics "won't keep Elvis Costello awake nights", they "do show that Jackson has progressed past the hey-let's-hustle sentiments that dominated Off the Wall". He added that Jackson's "raw ability and conviction make material like", citing "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", as well as other of Thriller's songs, "into first-class cuts".
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, a writer for Allmusic, listed "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", along with "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Human Nature", as being the best songs from Thriller. Eric Herderson, a writer for Slant Magazine, commented that with "three quick rimshots", he felt that "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" was like a "court fanfare". Robert Christgau, a music critic, commented that he'd "expect to bear more" of Thriller's "Wanna Be Startin' Something" and "Thriller" on the "dancefloor" rather than in his "living room". "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" received one Grammy Award nomination. The song was nominated for "Best R&B Song" at the 1984 Grammy Awards, but lost to "Billie Jean," another of Jackson's singles from Thriller.
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