On Friday, Michael Jackson died of a heart attack. With him died an era of music, and a musical genius the like of which will probably never be seen again. His death was sudden and unexpected, more so because he was so well known for his vitality and powerful presence, especially on the stage.
To fully understand why people of all age groups care so deeply about the death of one single pop star, it is necessary to separate the two parts of his life from each other, and to look at them separately. On the one hand, he was a brilliant musician and performer. However, this was marred by the other side of his character - his eccentricity and accusations of child molestation.
Michael Jackson is now the unreachable benchmark that every musician should aspire to. He wasn't just a musician. His ability and control over the entire musical process made him much more than this. From writing many of his songs, to recording these songs, deciding which ones would go on an album, then performing these songs with aplomb, Michael Jackson was, simply put, a musical genius. His vocal ability and technical proficiency was superb, while his ability to spot hits made his albums sell. Thriller, to this day, remains the highest selling album globally. While much of his music makes you just want to tap your feet and move, he also had an ability to write and perform ballads. By fusing rock, funk, and a myriad of other genres into his own music, MJ created pop music as it is today. Many artists, such as Justin Timberlake and Usher, are clearly inspired by his music.
Singing was only one aspect of his art. His dancing speaks for itself. The most iconic dance move in history, the Moonwalk, will be forever attached to his name. He could not stand still while performing, and when he moved, it was with liquid grace. His dynamic, high-tempo and intricate dancing was done will singing his songs live, which in itself is a feat that not many artists today can do. While Usher comes close, he lacks the charisma and dancing ability of Michael Jackson. He also made an artform of the music video. The MV for Thriller was seminal because of it's movie-like effect.
However, all of his achievements and enormous talent were perhaps overshadowed in later years by his strange habits and controversy which he courted. Child molestation accusations notwithstanding, Michael Jackson still managed to create a stir with instances of peculiarity. His obsessive and compulsive spending would eventually saddle him with a $480m debt and would send him bankrupt. The building of his Neverland Ranch, where he surrounded himself with children and animals, was probably a result of his deprived childhood where he was overworked. He may have dreamed of owning such a place as a child. His treatment of his children was also suspect. Dangling a child off a balcony is not exactly what one would call responsible parenting. His ever-stranger physical appearance, and his miscellaneous eccentric habits, such as insisting on recording songs in pitch-darkness, fuelled the rumours and accusations that dogged him.
Whether you liked him as a person or not, Michael Jackson must at least respected for his contribution to music. The number of fans he had, and still has, tell its own story. His planned 50 concerts in London sold out within minutes of going on sale. That kind of dedication is not the blind following of a flash-in-the-pan artist. It acknowledges that his music resonates with all sorts of people.
Single-handedly, he forever changed pop music and how it was delivered. Although he may or may not make it to heaven, his legacy as a musician will live on.
Word of the day: Michael Jackson
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