You’ve heard this Michael Jackson song a thousand times. It’s bright and bouncy, and near the end a group of playful voices call out together.
One of those voices belonged to a woman you watched on television every single week.
Here’s how it happened. During the “Thriller” sessions, Janet Jackson brought a close friend along to the studio just to hear Michael’s new music. The friend was happy to sit and listen. But Quincy Jones had other ideas. He waved both young women over to the microphone and had them sing backing vocals.
Years later the friend finally told the story herself. “Me and Janet,” she said. “And I’m the kids at the end, too.”
She was never listed on the album. For a long time almost nobody knew she was on it at all.
The song with the secret voice near the end
Give it a listen with fresh ears. When you reach the part where those voices chant back and forth, that’s the moment. One of them is a face you’d know in a second.
So when did the secret come out?
It was July 2020. A DJ was spinning records at an online party, and he played this very song. The actress popped up and let everyone know that was her voice on the track. She even shared an old group photo from that day in the studio, the kind of snapshot fans would give anything to see, with Michael, Janet and Quincy all together.
The song is “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing).”
And the secret star? Her name is Mindy Cohn. If you remember a warm, funny show called “The Facts of Life,” she played Natalie, the sweet one with the big laugh that millions of families welcomed into their living rooms.
She never made a fuss about any of it. She just carried this little piece of music history around quietly for decades, then mentioned it almost by accident at a party.
Next time “P.Y.T.” comes on, listen all the way to the end. Natalie’s in there.