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The world will remember Michael Jackson's unrivalled greatness
TEEN EDITORIAL
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Our TEENagers were not alive when Michael Jackson was at the pinnacle of his career. However, the sudden death of the 'King of Pop' cannot be overlooked this week, given the inspiration he gave to millions of people around the world.
Born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958, he was the seventh of nine children, five of whom later formed the boy band - The Jackson 5 - which had the youngest of the group, Michael Jackson, as the lead singer.
After a few years of touring, The Jackson 5 was signed to the historic Motown Records in 1968. After a string of hit singles, including ABC, I Want You Back and I'll Be There, the group's success began to decline. This decline along with a lack of creative control prompted their departure from the label.
Although Michael Jackson had solo albums as a TEENager at Motown Records, it wasn't until he began to collaborate with record producer Quincy Jones that he became a successful solo act. They met at the movie set of The Wiz, in which Michael Jackson starred as 'The Scarecrow'. The musical score was done by Quincy Jones.
Michael Jackson's debut effort on Epic Records - Off The Wall - was produced by Quincy Jones. This album proved to be the birth of his superstardom; it sold more than seven million copies in the United States alone and had several hit singles including Rock With You, Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough and, of course, the title track.
But it was Michael Jackson's next album that cemented his place in pop culture history. The album, Thriller, was released in 1982 and included pop gems such as Billie Jean, Beat It and the title track. The album spawned its own era due to the immense cultural impact it has had since its release.
During the 'Thriller Era', Michael Jackson became the first artiste to employ music videos of a short film nature that had groundbreaking visuals and established several fashion trends which are still followed to this day. These trends included the rhinestone-studded glove, black fedora hat, the red zipper jacket and aviator shades. Michael Jackson also became the first black artiste to have his music videos played on the television station MTV.
His monumental dance moves, such as the 'Moonwalk' and the scintillating ballerina-like stand on his tippy toes influenced almost every pop artiste of his generation and the present generation, including Usher, Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake, Ciara and many more.
Thriller went on to become the largest selling album of all time. The albums released after Thriller, notably Bad, Dangerous and HIStory, did not mimic the exact success of their predecessor but still sold a considerable number of records. It was also in this time that he became engulfed in several scandals.
Michael Jackson's philanthropy must also be commended. He organised charity songs of all-star casts such as We Are The World and Heal The World, and donated tremendous amounts of money and time to those in need.
He will go down in history as achieving the zenith of superstardom, a man who, from an early age, achieved and maintained long-lasting success.
Although his faults cannot be overlooked, the world will remember his unrivalled greatness in artistry and the global impact he has had.
Michael Jackson, arguably the greatest singer/songwriter/dancer/trendsetter of our time, August 29, 1958 - June 25, 2009. Gone Too Soon.
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