| The Essential Michael Jackson |
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| Released | July 19, 2005 (2005-07-19) |
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| Recorded | 1969–2003 |
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| Length | - 78:56 (North American disc 1)
- 78:50 (North American disc 2)
- 33:07 (3.0 disc)
- 77:42 (International disc 1)
- 77:24 (International disc 2)
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The Essential Michael Jackson is a greatest hits compilation album by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on July 19, 2005, by Sony Music's catalog division Legacy Recordings as part of The Essential series. The two-disc compilation features thirty-eight hit songs by Michael Jackson, from his days at Motown Records with The Jackson 5 in the late 1960s and early 1970s to his 2001 hit "You Rock My World".
On August 26, 2008, The Essential Michael Jackson 3.0 was released in the United States as a limited edition containing an additional disc of seven songs performed by Jackson. A re-titled release in the United Kingdom was released on September 5, 2005 as The Hits. As of 2021, the album was certified 5× platinum in the United States for over 2.5 million copies sold. Worldwide, the compilation has sold an estimated 6 million copies.