It’s been a while since I last wrote about music. Listening to music, like the appreciation of all art forms, is a very personal and subjective thing. You might like rock and I might like soul, but as long as we both get what we’re looking for, who cares? Well, I care! I listen to contemporary pop and sigh. It saddens me to think that, for some people, this is as good as it gets.
If we’re not careful the King of Pop will be nothing more than an honourific title thrown around by future generations in the playground: ‘Dad says the King of Pop died recently.’ ‘Yeah, sucks. Did you hear the latest Britney Spears song? It rocks!’ Unless someone — you or I — steps in and reminds children of what real music once sounded like and where their music originally came from, we can forget all hope of there ever being another King of Pop, Soul or Rock ‘n’ Roll.
* * *
The King of Pop, Michael Jackson. Not the Baron or Prince or Godfather — the King; the top dog upon which all comparisons are made and will be for years to come. I’m not going to talk about the last 20 years of his life but instead I will focus on the first 30, the three decades that revitalised a flagging music industry. In those thirty years, Michael Jackson became the greatest and most influential musician of our time. To those amongst us that appreciate music and its power; to those of us that are prone to bouts of aural sex: we have a lot to be grateful for! I just hope I can do Michael justice and nail the most important aspects of his influential and protean career.
While certainly successful, the first ten years of his life as the lead singer of The Jackson 5 were hardly monumental. The Jackson family were recognised as a musically-gifted family and Michael was nothing more than a charismatic and spectacular performer. But he could only grow so much, restricted by Motown’s draconian production rules and an oppressive father. The Jacksons were destined, unless something changed, to be a flash in the pan — certainly one of Motown’s biggest success stories (four successive number ones is nothing to be ashamed of!), but minuscule compared to what the Jackson family in general and Michael in particular were capable of. Perhaps the most important role of the Jacksons would be to become the first black teen idols. Breaking down barriers would be a recurring aspect of Michael Jackson’s life at the forefront of the music industry.
Stifled by Motown, The Jacksons jumped ship to CBS in 1975, a move that would finally grant the band the creative freedom it required. The Jacksons produced lots of albums in the following decade, but none of them approaching the success of their early Motown hits. But for Michael, it would be a different story indeed: in 1978 he met Quincy Jones on the set of The Wiz — “I hated doing The Wiz… I did not want to do it,” Quincy said later — they didn’t know it then but Quincy’s involvement with the film would soon change musical history and forge the greatest, most influential and successful collaboration in music history. Quincy Jones is a musician and conductor whose career and incredible influence spans five decades. With 27 Grammys and countless other awards, Quincy, like the Jacksons, broke down barriers that would allow future African-Americans to succeed in the culturally-biased media industry. The scope of Quincy Jones’ work is so varied and vast that it’s hard to comprehend: we’re talking about a legend that played alongisde Miles Davis during the creation of modern jazz and bebop, but then later produced the largest-selling album of all time (Thriller). He’s worked with Sinatra, Spielberg and even Bill Cosby. However, after Bad, his production and arrangement days were over — perhaps, after five decades of musicianship, the impresario had finally set down on paper the notes and themes that had run through his head for fifty years. Perhaps it was time to make way for future generations?
But I digress: it was on the set of The Wiz that this partnership of mentor and young prodigy begun. Off The Wall was born from the marriage of orchestral jazz, soul and 70s disco. Off The Wall fused sounds and melodies and dazzlingly energetic themes that had been building up for decades but never fully exemplified until this album was mastered and distributed. It’s worth noting, though their influences were not particularly significant, that both Stevie Wonder and Paul McCartney wrote tracks for Off The Wall — perhaps this shows just how much confidence these musical geniuses had in Michael?
If Quincy and Jackson’s first collaboration hadn’t quite cemented things — Off The Wall only sold 20 million copies! — their next album would prove beyond doubt that they’d hit the spot. Thriller would be the first and only album to become something more than just a finely-crafted collection of songs. The astronomical number of sales — 109 million — would thrust Thriller into the category of ‘household staple’ rather than ‘commodity’ — families would go to the supermarket to buy bread, milk and a copy of Thriller. To this day, Thriller has more than doubled the next-largest album (45 million — Dark Side of the Moon) and its universally popular appeal will no doubt continue its reign of supremacy.
The bone of contention that one usually comes across when examining Jackson’s career is thus: how much of the success was actually due to him? Did Michael’s career begin as a vehicle for Motown’s music machine and end as nothing more than the pop industry’s poster child? Is it important? If we can learn one thing from history it’s one thing: for better or worse, the outcome is what counts, not the minutia, not those that fall by the wayside. If you discount his later work and simply focus on his early-adult albums — Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad and Dangerous – you have a body of work that was not only phenomenally successful but also more influential than the creations of any other artist in the last 40 years. It’s because of Jackson that we have hip-hop and rap music. Jackson revitalised a pop industry that was suffocating under the burgeoning force of uncreative, uninspired electronica. The phenomenon of Michael Jackson caused a rebirth of popular music that inspired and influenced almost every modern R&B, funk and pop musician.
I haven’t even begun to touch on the immortal influence that Michael Jackson had on both the youth and adults of the world with his music videos and live performances. Jackson created the music video that we know today; he single-handedly launched MTV to stardom with Thriller. Jackson, through sheer artistic brilliance, destroyed the last vestiges of African-American inequality in the media. Michael Jackson’s choreographic style — oh, that white trilby, those hip-thrusts and those gloves — had an effect more profound than anything since Fosse’s jazz or Jerome Robbins’ West Side Story.
I hope that the world, the media-consuming public, can in the next few years put aside any moral objections they have to the man himself and simply focus on what he created. It is irrelevant to wonder whether he is solely to thank for his wondrous advances in music or if he was merely the focus of myriad prodigious input from Quincy Jones. The matter of the fact is thus: Michael Jackson pioneered and sat atop the pinnacle of a musical, a rich cadence that had been bubbling and building up for decades. It finally exploded with Michael Jackson’s solo albums and the world is a richer place for it. From Miles Davis to Stevie Wonder and the entire R&B, jazz and soul libraries that flutter and reside in between, Michael Jackson created, embraced and become the very embodiment of modern pop music.
* * *
The two best albums you could buy a child or musical neophyte are Davis’ Kind Of Blue and Jackson’s Off The Wall. There is no better way to be quickly brought up to speed on the roots and direction of modern music. And if you haven’t heard either of them, you are doing yourself and rest of the world an injustice!
RIP, Michael Jackson. Surely one of your sons must be reaching the age where he might show an interest in singing or dancing…
shuping
Jun 29, 2009
One of the most decent tributes I’ve read so far. Thanks Seb.
chele
Jun 29, 2009
wonderful tribute seb.
Lynda
Jun 29, 2009
Pedant’s Corner: supermarkets didn’t use music and video as loss leaders till CD’s arrived (smaller, less shelf space required, not so easy to damage – easier to nick!). Most people would have gone to -gasp! – record shops or Woolworths to get their copy of Thriller. (I have a theory that the decline of the record shop can be traced back to the decision to sell the most popular releases in supermarkets – no, not piracy or the Internet- and one day, will expand on it.)
One of the few pieces to try and put the late Mr Jackson into musical context and, for that, I thank you.
sebastian
Jun 29, 2009
Lynda! CDs existed when Thriller was launched, so it’s entirely possible that a supermarket, somewhere, might’ve stocked it. I did realise though, as I wrote that sentence, that it might feel a little out of place… but it got the point across. Perhaps some people reading this don’t know what a ‘record shop’ is; but everyone knows what a supermarket is…!
I don’t think any sensible person believes for one second that piracy has damaged the music industry. I think you are probably right about supermarkets destroying the record shops tho’ — but then again, supermarkets and shopping malls are apparently to blame for just about every commercial woe in the last 50 years
the girl in stiletto
Jun 29, 2009
totally agree on the media should focus on what he created than what he (allegedly) did. excellent tribute, seb
sebastian
Jun 29, 2009
(Oh, and thank you… yes, I hope it was a fitting tribute! I’m not actually a massive Michael Jackson fan, but like every music enthusiast, I’m aware of his influence on every other kind of music!)
sebastian
Jun 29, 2009
The media are DEPRESSING, Stiletto. Papers over here are already saying ‘WE’LL MISS YOU JACKO’… ‘LONG LIVE THE KING’…
It saddens me to think that the media probably played a huge part in Jackson’s life, and death. We’ll never know for sure, obviously — but, I guess that’s part of living in the modern world. Dealing with the media…
Damn instantaneous and free flow of data… *grin*
Helen
Jun 29, 2009
It’s nice to see someone actually giving credit for what he’s meant to the music world. The bad jokes are starting to get to me a bit! Nicely done!
Lynda
Jun 29, 2009
one day, Seb, they won’t even know what record shops were…. and will have to download “High Fidelity” to find out. (Book or film, doesn’t matter for once; both are accurate on the personalities involved.)
Alison
Jun 29, 2009
A very nice and well written post, and I agree with your sentiments. I remember buying Off the Wall and Thriller on *shock*! vinyl, in a record store. And back in primary school, along with a bit of encouragement from my best friend, we put on a performance of Thriller for the rest of our year level (Somehow I don’t think our dancing was quite up to scratch though.)
I think you can credit Michael directly with the majority of his achievements, after all, it wasn’t until he left motown and broke out on his own that he was really able to stretch his creativity, and he was very much in the driver’s seat. Many things about his life are incredibly sad. I think Dangerous (IMHO) was the end of that particular peak, and perhaps sadder still, I suspect this upcoming tour may really have been a comeback to really blow people away. Cheers
sebastian
Jun 29, 2009
Ach, VINYL… Isn’t that what they used to make clothes out of?!
I was looking at the writing credits and Michael wrote and composed most of the big hits. There’s some really awesome ‘home demos’ available too, if you pick up the special edition albums — recordings of his whole family, in their kitchen, banging milk bottles and cow bells, while he sings the opening lines from Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough…
He also managed most of his PR — but looking at how that ended up, he probably should’ve got some outside help for that … *wry grin*
I’m sad that I never got to see him live! But I guess, considering he’s sold 750 million albums, a very small percentage of people ever saw the King live…
jo
Jun 29, 2009
Really great tribute. I love the fact that you souce his influence back to Mile Davies too.
I am fascinated to know which songs were written by Paul McCartney and Stevie wonder?
sebastian
Jun 29, 2009
McCartney wrote Girlfriend, and Wonder wrote I Can’t Help It.
McCartney sung on Thriller in This Girl Is Mine, but he didn’t write it — by that stage, it was all Jackson and Temperton (of Heatwave fame) really.
Did you know that Temperton wrote 5 or 6 songs from Off The Wall and Thriller…? A British songwriter wrote some of the most famous songs from the most famous albums of all time…
jo
Jun 29, 2009
Wow, I did not know about Temperton. Interesting point actually, MJ did not write any of his songs…. but he had excellent taste in chosing good ones to sing!
‘Girlfriend’ is quite different to the other songs on the album, very cute!
sebastian
Jun 29, 2009
(If I wasn’t clear, MJ wrote about 60-70% of the songs on those first four albums, and I assume the majority of his later ‘not so great’ stuff.)
floreta
Jun 29, 2009
GREAT article, Seb!! music is definitely more of a commodity these days and it is sad, really. It is true that genius is hard(er) to come by … in any genre. he was definitely a world sensation! thanks for writing this
sebastian
Jun 29, 2009
You’re welcome, and it was my pleasure!
andhari
Jun 29, 2009
Aweet tribute, Seb. MJ’s songs are basically the soundtrack of my childhood.
LiLu
Jun 29, 2009
Very thorough tribute… well done. And I’m with ya- ONE of his kids has to have an inkling of his talent, right??
Matt
Jun 29, 2009
Good stuff, you captured exactly the part of MJ’s life that really provided some of the best album’s produced (and my favourite albums!). The Thriller album and its popularity single-handedly causing MTV to finally play black artists after snubbing them was quite an effect!
Hezabelle
Jun 29, 2009
Nice tribute, not just to Mr. Jackson but to music in general. Definitely agree with the importance of raising your kids on good music!
sebastian
Jun 29, 2009
The soundtrack of almost everyone’s lives, Andhari! At least everyone that’s 60 or younger, anyway! My mother rocked out to I Want You Back — she even bought the single… and she’s Michael’s age
Lilu — I hope his kids aren’t just secreted away somewhere, though they probably will be. I don’t imagine we’ll see them pop up before they’re 21… what a shame! Fame rarely lasts more than one generation nowadays, eh? Not like the olden days…
Damn the media.
MTV hardly even existed before Thriller, Matt. I was always sad that we never had Sky, and thus no MTV… hmpf.
And just doin’ my bit, Hez
Hannah
Jun 30, 2009
I’m not a fan of MJ. He was talented yes. I will agree with that. However, I could never get past *him* to really enjoy his music. And I don’t think I can set aside my “moral objections”. Which is sad. It’s terrible and unfortunate that his life played out like it did (I mean his personal life, which really, most of us never really know what was true and what wasn’t). I have a hard time with it, personally.
I wish all we had was his music.
Still, you did a nice job talking about his music and talent without a lot of the other bullshit I’m tired of hearing. Thanks for that. I might even appreciate him a little more now than I did before.
Jossie Posie
Jun 30, 2009
Seb this was a great post, it made me all misty eyed, I’m just sorry it took me so long to read it.
Eleni
Jul 1, 2009
The thing that always stands out in my mind about Michael Jackson’s music is how good it is to dance to. I took dance classes for 14 years, and at the end of every year my dance studio would put on a dance concert, with each dance class performing one number. And there would almost always be at least one jazz dance to a Michael Jackson song. It was the choreographers’ fallback. I’d hear their discussion:
-I’m trying to decide what song to use for the Jazz III class. They all love Britney Spears (or whomever), but I’m just not feeling it.
-You could always do some Michael Jackson.
It’s the kind of music that I just can’t listen to without moving.
Whatever happened in his personal life, you can’t deny that he made some amazing music.