Remembering Michael Jackson: A Musical Phenomenon
“In the world of Pop music there is Michael Jackson and then there is everybody else.”
Today marks the ninth death anniversary of the King of Pop Michael Jackson. The legendary pop star led a life that was so fascinating that the pop star moonwalked his way into the hearts of his fans. His passing away came as a big shock to his loyal fans and just like his enigmatic life his death too remains shrouded in mystery.
The King of Pop who was born on August 29, 1958, in Gary Indiana was only a teenager when he was thrown into the limelight. He was the fifth son of his father Joe Jackson. His father who had a reputation of a strict disciplinarian worked with the boys to create the famous musical group ‘Jackson 5.’ Michael made his first professional debut in 1964 through ‘Jackson 5’.
The young boys worked day and night to achieve fame and it is said that the youngsters even missed out on experiencing a normal childhood. But it was Michael, the youngest of all who stole the limelight. His solo career began in 1971 with Motown Records. His performance captured the hearts of not only the black community but also captured the hearts of white audiences as well. His solo career skyrocketed like no one else’s. On stage, it was like he was on fire and in no time Michael went on to become the most influential artist of all time.
Jackson 5
Producer Quincy Jones helped him produce his first solo album ‘Off the wall’ which sold seven million copies. His masterpiece ‘Thriller’ is known as biggest selling album of all time. It remained on the Billboard chart for an entire year. After that Michael kept delivering successful albums one after the another like Bad, Dangerous, ET- The Extra-Terrestrial, History and so on. The immense popularity of his videos like Beat It, Billie Jean and Thriller broke all racial barriers and brought back channels like MTV into fame.
A Musical Phenomenon
Michael Jackson’s fame surpassed the fame of many of the world’s leading political and spiritual leaders. The legend penned many of his songs but instead of writing it down he would record the words using a tape. He sometimes penned down many songs by sitting on a tree called “The Giving Tree.” While recording songs he would sing it from memory rather than read the words.
Michael Jackson revolutionized music videos and they were way ahead of its time. The Making of Thriller video became the world’s largest selling home video. And then came his new dancing techniques like the ‘Moonwalk’ and the ‘Robot.’ During the televised 25th anniversary of Motown in 1982, Michael Jackson unveiled the famous “Moonwalk” for the first time that got worldwide media coverage. He literally defied gravity.
Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into rock and roll hall of fame twice. He’s achieved eight Guinness world records, 13 Grammy awards, 13 number one singles in his solo career and sold off 750 albums worldwide.
Major twist in Michael’s journey
As Michael’s career kept skyrocketing, his personal life too increasingly garnered a lot of attention. It all began with stories of his plastic surgeries, his friendship with a chimp named Bubble, his California Estate called ‘Neverland’ and the star likening himself to Peter Pan. He was popularly declared “Whacko Jacko” once his strange acts started gaining attention. But what turned Jackson’s life topsy-turvy was when a thirteen-year-old boy - Jordan Chandler accused Michael Jackson of molesting him. Though the case was settled and all the charges were dropped against him, he never really recovered from this event. It was the turning point in Michael Jackson’s life and things got complicated from there on.
On June 25, 2009, the legendary star died of acute propofol and benzodiazepine intoxication at his home in Los Angeles and his death was considered a homicide. The pop star is undoubtedly one of the most influential and enigmatic entertainers to have ever walked the earth. His impressive work will be etched in our memories forever. The New York Times summed him up as a musical phenomenon stating “In the world of Pop music there is Michael Jackson and then there is everybody else.”