Michael Jackson passed away yesterday at the age of 50. Despite what negative things have been associated with his name in recent years, I will miss him.
He is always an interesting topic because everyone seems to have an opinion about him. Some see Jackson as an amazing entertainer, a cultural icon for an entire era, a lightning rod for controversy, the butt of a million jokes, a big star who fell off, or all of the above.
For me as a kid, Michael Jackson was the greatest thing on earth. He was the first singer I can remember listening to that was not from my parents generation. I liked the Beatles but for those of us growing up in the 80s, Michael Jackson was "our singer". I'm thankful that my parents never had a video camera when I was a kid, otherwise my dad would have videos of me as a 3-year-old dancing to Michael Jackson music all over YouTube.
I was born a year before MTV went on the air which was right around the time that the album "Thriller" was released. There are few to argue that without Michael Jackson, a question sparks of whether or not MTV would have even lasted. The network's ratings were always in the tank until it started playing the 15-minute video for "Thriller" once an hour and keeping "Billie Jean" & "Beat It" in heavy rotation.
And that's just a small portion of his influence on music.
No matter what is said about him, his music combined with his ability to perform sets him apart from any other musician or singer in history. He's been on stage since he was 5 years old as the standout star of The Jackson Five. As the original "boy band" The Jackson Five's influence on every similar group to come from New Edition to New Kids On The Block, from Backstreet Boys to N'Sync is obvious. As a solo artist his influence extends to Kanye West, Usher, Justin Timberlake, the Black Eyed Peas and so many more. Even rock bands like Alien Ant Farm and Fall Out Boy have covered his songs and legendary guitarists like Slash & Eddie Van Halen have worked with Jackson on some of his biggest hits.
People have imitated him but have never duplicated him; and probably never will. "Thriller" has sold over 100 million copies world-wide. With the age of digital music downloads and people's lack of interest with the concept of an entire album, this will never happen again.
So how do you follow an album like "Thriller"? He released "Bad" nearly 5 years later. Looking back some may frown on this follow-up, but this album and tour made Michael Jackson THE rock star of the 1980s and into the 90s. To date "Bad" is also the only album in history to yeild 5 #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100.
In the 1990s, admist the controversy that surrounded him, the album "Dangerous" was a huge success debuting at #1 with "Black Or White" quickly going to the top of the charts. In 1995 "You Are Not Alone" was the first single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 to actually debut at #1.
He was the reason for MTV's success and his music videos were always epic events. "Thriller" was directed by John Landis; "Bad" by Oscar winner Martin Scorsese. Often his videos would feature stars such as Wesley Snipes, Michael Jordan, and even Marlon Brando as co-stars. When MTV and VH1 started favoring actual shows to music videos, Michael Jackson's videos still got huge premieres on network television and even gathered higher ratings than either music network received during their respective broadcasts.
Michael Jackson is the first TRUE LEGEND from my generation who has died. While stars of the 80s and 90s have died here and there, many before their time, there were none as big as Michael Jackson.
He wasn't some junkie rock star who made one good album and blew his brains out. He wasn't a one-hit wonder who faded away overnight.
He is an artist, performer, and cultural icon on par with Elvis Presley a generation before.
There is really no other public figure from my generation who's death would be as significant as Michael Jackson's and affect so many people. Maybe Madonna? Possibly Michael Jordan? That's about it and that may even be a stretch. The point is that there are few public figures who can draw the attention and admiration that Jackson has earned.
Unfortunately, he was in the middle of planning what was to be his comeback tour. I for one was someone who didn't laugh at the concept and was actually pulling for him. Despite the accusations of his alleged crimes, controversy, bad press, and general scrutiny, there is one thing Michael Jackson can do better than any other human being on the planet: perform. I believe that those series of concerts would show the world that same point and drive it home for good. Sadly it will not happen.
In closing, we'll always have the music which will last forever. Turn on your radio today, relive some great memories and rock out! Sing loud; even dance if you feel the urge. But if you try the moonwalk, make sure your neighbors don't see you. But who knows, they may join you.
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