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Perhaps being the king of anything is a curse that causes
you to die young. After all, the self-proclaimed “King of
Pop” died at the age of 50 while the “King” Elvis Presley
died at 42. Regardless of the circumstances of Jackson’s
death or if his career was in a sharp decline, Jackson captivated
his fans and the world for 39 years of his life. ***
Jackson began as a member of the family singing group
The Jackson 5. Although he wasn’t the star of the group
early on, he quickly took the spotlight from his brothers
including Jermaine Jackson his older brother who also sang
lead vocals. The Jackson 5 were from Gary, Indiana and were
discovered by singer Diana Ross. Berry Gordy was impressed
with the charisma and vocal ability of the group particularly
Michael who stole the spotlight with his dancing and his
expressive singing style. The singing group struck gold
with a series of incredible singles beginning with “I Want
You Back” which sold 6 million copies worldwide 2 million
in the United States alone. “ABC”, “ The Love You Save”,
“I’ll Be There”, “Little Bity Pretty One”, “Never Can Say
Goodbye” all topped the charts selling in excess of 15 million
copies worldwide. Michael Jackson’s distinctive soulful
vocals immediately made The Jackson Five distinctive. ***
By 1972 Michael was ready to go solo and while he occasionally
recorded and even toured with his brothers, he branched
out recording a number of solo albums and singles that did
well in the charts. “Got to Be There” and “Ben” began Michael’s
ascent as a solo artist. Jackson worked with veteran Motown
songwriters Edward Holland and Brian Holland continued their
association with Michael and his solo career penning a number
of album tracks and hit singles for him. “Forever, Michael”
his fourth album was delayed coming to market when The Jackson
5’s single “Dancing Machine” flew up the charts returning
the Jacksons to the top of the charts. As a follow up single,
“Just a Little Bit of You” was released as a single from
“Forever, Michael’ becoming a big top 40 hit for the artist.
***
Jackson made his debut film with Diana Ross appearing
in “The Wiz” an African-American variation on “The Wizard
of Oz” that was also a huge Broadway hit. The song “Ease
on Down the Road” was a big hit for Jackson but the film
career that he envisioned never quite took off. Jackson
made the 3-D short film “Captain EO” directed by Francis
Ford Coppola for a Disneyland attraction in the redesigned
Tomorrowland. Jackson’s film career never quite took off
as planned. *** Jackson’s career went into overdrive with
his next two albums. 1979’s “Off the Wall” marked the beginning
of a long association between Jackson and producer/musician/writer
Quincy Jones. Jones channeled Michael’s song ideas helping
him to shape them into structured songs that were catchy
with memorable hooks and melodies. Michael an untrained
songwriter would often hum the melodies and give Jones vocal
versions of the riffs he wanted in his songs. Jackson hit
big with his song “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough” and Rod
Temperton’s “Rock with You”. ***
“Thriller” released in 1982 established Jackson as
a major commercial and creative force the likes of which
America hadn’t seen before. While African-Americans had
sold millions of albums before and been high profile, Jackson
dominated the charts with “Thriller” freezing out many other
artists from the top of the charts. Even the new powerhouse
band the Police couldn’t prevent Jackson’s ascension to
the charts and dominance of the Grammy Awards in 1983. The
biggest selling album non-greatest hits album of all time,
“Thriller” also impacted music videos with groundbreaking
videos for the album which cost millions to produce. The
title track, “Billie Jean”, “The Girl is Mine” a duet with
Paul McCartney, “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” and “Beat
It” which managed to cross music boundaries courtesy of
a scorching guitar solo by Eddie Van Halen. The short film
“Thriller” directed by John Landis broke boundaries by moving
videos from an after thought into a promotional tool almost
as important as the song itself. Time magazine called Jackson
“the biggest thing since The Beatles” which turned out to
be an ironic statement because Jackson ended up buying rights
to John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s Northern Songs/Maclen
Music after McCartney and Yoko Ono couldn’t agree on a price
for the band’s back catalog allowing him to profit from
The Beatles’ songs while, at the same time, continuing to
ride the top of the charts. ***
Jackson penned the song “We Are the World” a charity
single with Lionel Richie that attracted the participation
of some of the biggest stars in the music business at the
time. The proceeds from the song were given to charity to
help feed the hungry. ***
“Bad” Jackson’s next album didn’t quite reach the sales
heights of “Thriller” but still managed to be a #1 album
and generate both a huge amount of airplay and hit singles.
Jackson found his life dogged by rumors that he was a pedophile
when accusations were made that he had abused children that
visited his Neverland ranch. He ended up settling out of
court in one case and was put on trial but he was found
not guilty of the charges. Nevertheless, the rumors continued
to dog his career along with news of the plastic surgery
he was constantly having done to alter his appearance. Reportedly
he bleached his skin although Jackson’s representatives
later claimed that he had vitiligo an auto immune condition
that occurs where the pigmentation fades from the skin.
Suddenly, Jackson became known as “Wacko Jacko” by the news
media and tabloids and increasingly bizarre stories began
to appear about him. ***
Jackson who was briefly married to Lisa Presley divorced,
remarried the assistant of his plastic surgeon fathered
children (and dealt with rumors that they weren’t his kids).
He also faced charges that he endangered the life of one
of his children by dangling him over a balcony to show fans
overseas. ***
“Dangerous” found Jackson struggling in a new market
place that reflected his influence in mainstream pop music.
The album was far from a flop selling 7 million copies in
the U.S. alone but it didn’t move as many copies as his
previous albums. Following up “Dangerous” with “HIStory”
a “Best of” collection with a disc of new music and building
statues that towered over fans and placing them all around
the world was either the boldest marketing move ever made
or as appeared to some related to his larger than life ego.
***
Before his death at age 50 Jackson had planned a series
of 50 shows in England and then a world tour to follow.
It was Jackson’s attempt to catch the spark that had lit
his career when he was in his 20’s as a solo artist and
it might have worked. As strange as Michael Jackson sometimes
appeared with his man-child attitude/personality it was
perfectly normal for him in his own little bubble of a world.
Jackson’s legacy looms larger than the tragic circumstances
of his death (speculation is currently about whether or
not his addiction to pain killers may have triggered the
electrical dysfunction of his heart) and he leaves behind
a large musical legacy influencing everyone from R. Kelly,
Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears to Prince. ***
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