Michael Jackson's Musical History

Michael Jackson dies, leaves behind rich musical legacy

Originally posted: June 25, 2009

When Michael Jackson collapsed and died Thursday in his Los Angeles home, the 50-year-old singer was preparing to do the one thing that sustained him through a lifetime of travail: Perform on stage as one of the most singular dancers and singers pop music has ever produced.

Jackson was readying a major series of comeback concerts, beginning July 13, in London. All 50 shows, extending into 2010, had sold out in advance. Though his musical contributions were immense, and in many ways changed the pop landscape, he was in the news far more often in the last decade because of his increasingly controversial private life, including allegations of child molestation. The London shows were designed to redress the balance, to put the focus back on his immense skills as a dancer, singer and showman --- perhaps the greatest of his generation.

As a pre-teen from Gary, Ind., he was the lead singer of the Jackson 5, with his older brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon. The group scored eight top-10 singles that bridged exuberant bubblegum pop and Motown soul. His 1982 solo album, "Thriller," sold more than 100 million copies worldwide, and he moon-walked his way into the public consciousness with a spectacular performance on the nationally televised "25 Years of Motown" special in 1983.

At about the same time, he turned the music video into an art form with choreography, story lines and special effects that suggested mini-movies in the likes of “Beat It,” “Billie Jean” and “Thriller.” Their impact was cultural and political as much as musical; their undeniable power broke down doors for artists of color to rock radio and MTV. His single glove, his white socks beaming out from tapered pants, and most of all his combination of style and physicality as a dancer took his profile beyond music and into the realm of cultural celebrity, one of the most famous and recognizable names and faces in the world.

In recent years, even as his sales flattened and his public profile was stained by a mounting series of scandals, his soul-seasoned, danceable brand of pop provided a template for the careers of Justin Timberlake, Usher, Chris Brown and countless others. His songs were covered by artists as diverse as Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, Fall Out Boy, and James Chance and the Contortions.

The album title that suited him best was "Off the Wall," his brilliant 1979 release, and that is not intended as a slight. With "Off the Wall" and large portions of the more calculated but still thrilling "Thriller" (1982), Jackson took artistic risks that paid off handsomely in commercial success. His music felt daring, provocative and exuberant, crossing lines of gender and genre.

Under the guiding hand of producer Quincy Jones, Jackson poured his personality quirks into music that bridged hard rock and disco, funk and pop, fantasy and reality. He made the personal, no matter how eccentric, seem endearing and universal. In his hands (and feet), a paranoid nightmare about a paternity suit, "Billie Jean," was transformed into an edgy, irresistible call to dance.

After “Thriller,” however, Jackson seemed trapped by his outsized fame, and consumed by his desire to do whatever it took to maintain his self-proclaimed “King of Pop” status. “Thriller” was recorded in two months, but subsequent records took years, and sounded labored in comparison.

In 1995, Jackson released a bloated, much-hyped career overview called “HIStory,” and Jones told the Tribune that his old protégé had become too enamored with serving the marketplace.

“Paralysis through analysis,” Jones said of Jackson. “You make up your mind on the tunes you're going to do and you do it. Everybody wants to sell millions of records, but the idea of trying to pick out what people are going to like and buy is garbage."

Jackson’s output slowed to a crawl in the last two decades as his private life spun out of control. After 1991, he released only one album of entirely original music, “Invincible,” in 2001.

In the `90s, Jackson was briefly married to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley, and fathered three children by two other women from whom he later separated. He dangled one of the children from a Berlin hotel balcony in 2002, to the horror of the crowd below. In 1993, he settled out of court with the parents of a 13-year-old boy who claimed that Jackson had sexually molested their son.

In a TV special on his private life in 2003, the singer discussed sharing a bed at his mansion with underage boys, although he denied any impropriety. Two years later, he went on trial in California in connection with molesting a 13-year-old boy. A jury acquitted him, but his career never recovered.

The notoriety reduced Jackson’s considerable accomplishments as an entertainer to an afterthought.

Henry Diltz, who photographed a pre-teen Michael Jackson in the early ‘70s as his career was just beginning with the Jackson 5, remembered a quiet, thoughtful boy. Jackson wore an expression of vulnerability and seriousness in one of Diltz’s portrait that suggested he was far older.

Jackson’s brothers “were more easygoing, laughing and talking,” Diltz said in a 2004 interview. “Michael wasn’t hiding, he was just quiet, thoughtful. He came alive on stage. I remember being up front at an auditorium show they did for blind kids who were sitting cross-legged on the floor, and Michael did one song and tears started rolling down my face. I was in awe of him as a singer.”

During this era, each Jackson 5 show would include a little monologue from Michael: “I’d like to talk to you all tonight about the blues. Yeah, the blues. Don’t nobody have the blues like I do. I may be young, but I know what it’s all about.” His brothers would crack up on stage because they knew later on that their blues-loving brother would be leading a pillow fight back in the hotel room. But given the legal and personal controversies that would dog Jackson in his later life, the words now sound strangely, sadly prescient.

“Did I have any sense of where it would all lead? Heck, no!” Diltz said. “He was just this young, quiet kid who sang like an angel.”

greg@gregkot.com

Michael Jackson: How Jacko got his wacko tag

By Mirror.co.uk 26/06/2009

Michael Jackson's often eccentric behaviour saw him dubbed "Wacko Jacko" by the tabloid press.

He was rumoured to have shared a bed with a chimp and married the daughter of another pop culture giant in a lifetime spent in the public eye.

Over the years, his image changed from cute child star to that of a secretive singer who was the target of ridicule and devotion in equal measure.

The release of Thriller in 1982 made him a massive international superstar and the first cracks in his public persona began appearing not long afterwards.

While filming an advertisement for Pepsi in 1984, an explosion set his hair on fire and he was stretchered from the studio.

Around the same time, wild stories about his personal life began to circulate, including that he slept in an oxygen tent and had adopted a chimp called Bubbles.

The last was certainly true and the animal sat in on the recording sessions of the Bad album.

Soon the tabloids were dubbing him "Wacko Jacko" and he retreated to his Neverland ranch, complete with its own zoo and funfair.

The video for his single Bad in 1987, which saw the star with distinctly lighter skin, led to rumours he had undergone plastic surgery and skin bleaching.

Four years later, he admitted to talkshow host Oprah Winfrey he had had plastic surgery but insisted his changing skin tone was the result of a "disorder that destroys the pigmentation of my skin".

His appearance at the Brit Awards in 1996 again pushed him on to the front pages when Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker took exception to his bombastic performance of Earth Song and ran on to the stage.

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In 2002, he was criticised when he dangled his 11-month-old son Prince Michael II from the window of a Berlin hotel in front of an astounded crowds.

The same year he made an appearance before disbelieving fans of the English third division football club Exeter City with his friend - and Exeter fan - Uri Geller.

In March this year he unveiled a string of dates in London.

In what would prove to be his last public appearance in the UK, he put on a bizarre display that left the assembled journalists baffled.

When he finally appeared he repeatedly walked away from the microphone before saying: "Thank you all. This is it. I just want to say these will be my final shows, performances in London. This will be it.

"When I say this is it, I really mean this is it."

During a speech littered with long pauses, Jackson said: "I'll be performing the songs my fans want to hear.

"This is the final curtain call, okay, and I'll see you in July."

He waved to screaming fans gathered in the O2 arena and told them: "I love you. I really do. You have to know that.

"I love you so much, really, from the bottom of my heart."

Michael Jackson's musical legacy: Tell us how you remember him

Jun 25, 2009, 07:47 PM | by Leah Greenblatt
Categories: Michael Jackson, R.I.P.

No matter what you may think of his personal troubles or legal travails, Michael Jackson was, indubitably, one of the brightest supernovas in a dazzling pop galaxy -- regarded as a musical prodigy with the Jackson 5 when he was just a child, a burgeoning solo star by the '70s, and a bona fide international phenomenon with the advent of 1982's Thriller, 1987's Bad, 1991's Dangerous, and beyond.

It's nearly impossible to capture the scope of his legacy, but we would love to hear from you, Mix readers, and learn what his music meant to you.

Did you first get to know him as the little boy with the impossibly clear, high voice singing "I Want You Back" with his brothers in the Jackson 5? Lighting up those glowing sidewalk squares in the video for "Billie Jean"? Moonwalking across the stage at 1983's now-legendary Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever broadcast? What about the then-groundbreaking film-morph technology in the '91 "Black or White" video?

Share your memories of the King of Pop below, and help say goodbye to one of the most controversial, gifted, boundary-pushing performers the world has ever seen.

Hear what people got to say about him. The Last Words..

in Michael Jackson

Comments
im so shocked, he was such a legend

Posted by: becca | Jun 25, 2009 5:45:35 PM
Sorry...but the man should have been in prison. Your omission of his predatory nature is shameful. This "man" preyed on young boys..tell the truth.

Posted by: tomkandrews | Jun 25, 2009 5:45:39 PM
He was still a relatively young man! He sure didn't look like he was prone to cardiac problems. He was not overweight and he kept active. This doesn't make sense.

Posted by: Chicagoboy | Jun 25, 2009 5:58:10 PM
Farrah - Rest in Peace

Michael - Good Riddance

I wonder if they do the same thing to child molsters in the after life as they do in prison.......

All the children of the planet (including his own) are just a little bit safer now....

Posted by: Good Riddance | Jun 25, 2009 6:00:25 PM
Regardless of his controversial personal life, this is no doubt a huge blow to the world of music, as a great man who created true harmony has been lost

Posted by: sam | Jun 25, 2009 6:01:09 PM
death by celebrity

Posted by: billy jean | Jun 25, 2009 6:01:36 PM
Bastered. I hope he rots in hell. Scumbag. SOB got away with everything, but not anymore. Good he is finally friggen dead.

I am sure god chuckled right in his face at the front gate and pushed him right down to the devil that scumbag. Got what he deserved.

Posted by: John | Jun 25, 2009 6:04:31 PM
Im saddened and shocked. I sit here at work completely numb with wet eyes, with a huge pain in my throat that my legend I grew up with..is gone. We bought the jacket, wore the glove, "tried" to moonwalk..lol., and most of all we were there for that amazing journey. Rest in Peace Michael. We love you. A sad day in the world for sure.

Posted by: sohni | Jun 25, 2009 6:04:58 PM
A great musical legend, Michael is gone but will never be forgotten in the minds and hearts of many.I pray his soul has found peace with Christ.

Posted by: Tamara Jackson | Jun 25, 2009 6:05:39 PM
RIP Michael Jackson! No longer facing the slings and arrows of people who judge!

Posted by: Tara Morris | Jun 25, 2009 6:06:21 PM
This is an absolute tradegy and we should respect the family and friends of Michael Jackson, no matter what your opinion of him may be.

To me, he was and always will be a legend of pop music - I will miss him greatly and im sure im not alone in that view.

Michael Jackson RIP

We may have lost you in body - but your spirit and life will live on in all our hearts (1)

Posted by: Richie | Jun 25, 2009 6:09:02 PM
I'm very shocked about M.J.passing that way.I'm a very big fan of him and Janet.I know she's very heartbroken and upset that her brother is gone.They were very close!I'm also in the peforming arts myself.and everyone should be careful on how they take care of their bodies in and out!

Posted by:Daneen-Yvonne Batts-6/25/09 7:12PM
(Singer,Dancer,Actress)

Posted by: Daneen-Yvonne Batts | Jun 25, 2009 6:10:21 PM
Micheal Jackson is a legend, the best of all times. Every one has their short comings. SO no matter what we will always here the name Micheal Jackson, he has done so much - helping the people in Africa, India, bring joy by just listening to his music and much more.
He has gone to a better place away from all this hatred may God bless his soul.

The Moon walk will live forever!!!!! Cant Touch This

Posted by: Qt | Jun 25, 2009 6:12:13 PM
Totally shocked and heartbroken to hear of Michael's passing, the world will be a sadder place at his very premature loss.
Rest in peace Michael, I love you.
XXXX

Posted by: Cheryl | Jun 25, 2009 6:13:23 PM
I'll always remember him from the Motown days and the eightys. I remember "Never Can Say Goodbye" was our senior prom's theme. Although his last ten years or so and his behavior were disturbing to me, nothing can take away his great contributions to music as a Jackson 5 member and his solo efforts. I hope that is how he is remembered.

Posted by: Wendy C | Jun 25, 2009 6:15:56 PM
I am saddened at such a great loss. When he was black he was an amazing artist. Condolences to his family and children. Truly an icon. Even if he was a pedi.

Posted by: dawn | Jun 25, 2009 6:25:45 PM
Man... some of you people need to learn to show some respect.

Posted by: P Fox | Jun 25, 2009 6:27:00 PM
What a fabulous talent, though plagued by demons. A bittersweet life. His father teased young Michael about his large nose, and it led to a life-long sickness make it smaller and smaller. And while he was at it, he had to get everything else done: eyes, cheeks, chin, etc. It could never be good enough.
The only entertainer in the world more famous is Paul McCartney, but McCartney's fairly normal disposition and personal life seem prosaic in comparison to Jackson's.
The title "Genius" is overused, but Jackson truly was one.

Posted by: Carl | Jun 25, 2009 6:30:41 PM
Born in 71, I used to dress up like him, where the one glove, beg my mother to buy his music and get me all the Michael Jackson anything on the market at the time. All those kids he ruined. Heartbreaking. I had only wished he had gone to prison to let the system take his soul. Sorry call him a legend or a star if you will but, I can't get over the horror and tragedy those kids went through. I really do hope he suffered and did not go peacefully. For those of you who "forget" those tragic moments, he is a scumbag. I am convinced he is paying for it now. :-)

Posted by: John | Jun 25, 2009 6:32:09 PM
As much as I see death every day. I can't help but say. I cried when I heard the news. Michael Jackson was an excellent entertainer and humanitarian. With the exception of Bill Gates, no one has given more of there own money to help children charities around the world. He was not only alright in my book, he will be missed.

Posted by: Military Doctor | Jun 25, 2009 6:36:05 PM
Well Where shall we start on this .................
Jacksons... legends you are brilliant hope micheal rests well. No matter how he portrayed his life. Everyone deserves life. Prayers are with your people through your hard times.Love his music forever the guy deserves at least time to rest.The moonwalk will continue
Thanks micheal
Rip Jacko

Posted by: steve | Jun 25, 2009 6:41:30 PM
Stunned is the word! I've been away from news and have only just found out. I had his posters on my wall when I was 13! Loved all his music, there wasn't 1 that I didn't like. RIP MJ.xxxx

Posted by: Nikki Hatwell | Jun 25, 2009 6:47:44 PM
A couple things I'll remember:

1) He was one of the most unique and fascinating dancers ever. Nobody else moved like him.

2) His eternal sense of humor. He let Weird Al have fun with his songs, and he appeared as himself as an alien in Men in Black 2. Prince would never do either.

RIP, MJ. You had a tough life, but until the sun goes nova, people will smile when they hear one of your songs start up on the radio, because your best music was both great and fun. Now you can get together with James Brown and make music not meant for the living.

Posted by: Calidore | Jun 25, 2009 6:52:42 PM
Michael Jackson left a legacy of music, in which will never be lost. The king of pop lives on in our hearts

Posted by: fsgfoeva | Jun 25, 2009 6:58:47 PM
RIP Michael Jackson

Posted by: Jacko fan | Jun 25, 2009 7:02:19 PM
i love you micheal, i will miss you so much. this is diversating to me i can`t deal with this death.. byeee

Posted by: Clarisa | Jun 25, 2009 7:02:44 PM
Even though he may or may not have done wrong he will greatly missed, he is a legend and his music will be played forever. May he have died with peace in his heart. You will never be forgotten.

Posted by: Carmela | Jun 25, 2009 7:04:23 PM
I am really sick of the MJ jokes but, I got a good one....

What were Michael Jackson's last words?

Take me to Children's Hospital..

Posted by: cc | Jun 25, 2009 7:48:49 PM
Off The Wall is one of my favorite records of all time-- Quincy couldn't have spun those arrangements any tighter, the production breathed (you can't say this of his later records), and the songwriting showcased his amazing singing skills. I always thought that Michael betrayed his talent later in life-- he never made a great record after Thriller. Once he ditched Quincy, he let all of the fame and fortune get to him. It's kind of sad.

Posted by: Jeff | Jun 25, 2009 7:49:31 PM
Michael, you moved people from multiple generations, you broke barriers and you inspired. You've puzzled us all with your strange ways yet you mesmerized us with your gifts. I was looking forward to hearing about how the tour went and hoping that somehow i'd see you live in concernt! YOu have shocked us once again by dying so young. Bless your soul and may you rest in peace.

Posted by: Jeremy | Jun 25, 2009 7:52:30 PM
Doubtless one of the icons of rock music. Often imitated, never duplicated.

And yet...the man had gravely serious psychological issues. I firmly believe Michael Jackson beat a child-molestation conviction only because the family of the boy was more twisted than he was (i.e., did they traffic their son for Jackson's $$$?).

Posted by: kate in oak park | Jun 25, 2009 9:33:51 PM
We will surely miss Michael Jackson most especially with his music. He was able to give an inspiration and joy to a lot of people despite the bad issues about him. We all pray for the soul of Michael Jackson.

Posted by: long island gal | Jun 25, 2009 9:38:16 PM
This piece of tish hadn't been relevant in music since Thriller. Great, he was a giant in the '80s. Perhaps the worst music decade of all time.
He was a child molester and a creep. He wasn't nearly the talent he's made out to be. He hated that he was black and slept with children.
He is/was scum. I'm glad he's gone. The children of the world are safer for it.
If I believed in the mythical place, I'd wish him to hell!!!

Posted by: lappy03 | Jun 25, 2009 10:00:38 PM
@Greg Kot... supremely written article, as usual. Kudos.

Top Stories

Pop icon Michael Jackson dead

Pop icon Michael Jackson has died of a cardiac arrest, a Los Angeles County Coroner's office spokesman confirmed Thursday, sending shockwaves rippling across the entertainment world.

Lieutenant Fred Corral told CNN Jackson, 50, was pronounced dead at 2:26 pm (5:26am Singapore time) local time after reportedly suffering a cardiac arrest.

"I can tell you at this time that we were notified by West Los Angeles Police Department detectives that Mr Jackson was transported ... to the hospital, and upon admitting, he was unresponsive and was pronounced dead at approximately 2:26 this afternoon," Corral told CNN.

Corral said an autopsy would "most likely" be carried out on Friday but would not speculate on the exact cause of death.

"Everything is still ongoing. We will be responding to the hospital to move Mr Jackson to our facility where he will be examined to determine the cause of death," Corral said.

Jackson's manager Tohme E. Tohme was not immediately available for comment when contacted by AFP. Officials at UCLA Medical Center where Jackson was treated also could not be reached for comment.

National and local television networks showed hundreds of media and onlookers gathered at UCLA Medical Center, while CNN showed police motorcycle riders surrounding Jackson's rented mansion as crowds of tourists and fans gathered.

Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Devin Gales said paramedics went to an address corresponding to the star's home at 12:21 pm (3:21 am Singapore time) and the person was taken to UCLA Medical Center.

An unidentified family member earlier told TMZ -- the first outlet to report Jackson's cardiac arrest -- that the star was in "really bad shape."

CNN reported that several of Jackson's siblings had gathered at the hospital.

The reports came as Jackson prepared to make a keenly anticipated concert comeback in London, his first series of shows in more than a decade and the first since his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges.

However those concerts -- billed as the "final curtain" -- had been thrown into doubt after Jackson pushed back the opening dates last month.

Organizers of the concerts at the time stressed the delay was not linked to Jackson's health.

When asked about Jackson's physical condition, Randy Phillips of concert backers AEG Live said: "I would trade my body for his tomorrow. He's in fantastic shape."

While Jackson reigned as the "King of Pop" in the 1980s, his once-stellar career had been overshadowed by his colorful public behavior, his startling physical transformation and multiple allegations of child abuse.

Jackson lived as a virtual recluse following his 2005 acquittal on charges including child molestation and plotting to kidnap his young accuser.

Despite his acquittal, the trial was a body blow from which the pop music superstar struggled to recover.

Four years later, Jackson is still worshipped by fans for revolutionizing music, dance and music videos at the peak of his success.

The attention however paid to him in recent years has been less flattering, focusing on apparent cosmetic surgery -- which he denies -- his baby dangling antics and a decade of swirling child abuse allegations.

Born on August 29, 1958, Jackson made his show business debut with four of his older brothers in the Jackson Five pop group, and went on to lead the stage clan with a piping soprano and dazzling dance moves.

By 1969, the group had signed a contract with Motown Records, becoming one of the last great acts to emerge from the legendary label.

The Jacksons produced seven platinum singles for Motown, selling over a million, and three multi-platinum albums, selling more than two million. They moved to CBS's Epic Records in 1976.

Despite the early success, Jackson was to recall those years as unhappy and lonely ones. Eventually the family act broke up, as Jackson went solo.

In 1979, Quincy Jones produced Jackson's first solo album for Epic, "Off the Wall," a huge disco-oriented success that sold 10 million copies.

They teamed up again in 1982 for what would be Jackson's breakthrough album as a composer and co-producer, "Thriller," which became the top-selling album of all time, with sales exceeding 41 million.