Michael Jackson Music Video Spotlight Extravaganza!

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Michael Joseph Jackson (born August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ[1] as well as "The King of Pop",[2] is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and personal life have been a part of pop culture for almost 40 years.[3]

Michael Jackson is widely regarded as one of the greatest entertainers and most popular recording artists in history, displaying complicated physical techniques, such as the robot and the moonwalk, that have redefined mainstream dance and entertainment.[4] His achievements in the music industry have included a revolutionary transformation of music videos,[5] establishing high-profile album releases and sales as a new trend for record companies to generate profits,[6] dominating pop music during the 1980s,[7] and becoming the first black entertainer to amass a strong following on MTV while leading the relatively young channel out of obscurity.[8] His distinctive style, moves, and vocals have inspired, influenced, and spawned a whole generation of hip hop, pop, and R&B artists. He has been named the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time" by Guinness World Records.[9]

Jackson began his musical career at the age of five with the Jackson Family vocal group[10]. He released his first solo recording, Got to Be There, in 1971, while remaining a member of the group.[11] In his solo career, Jackson recorded and co-produced the best-selling album of all time, Thriller, which has worldwide sales exceeding 104 million.[12] After Thriller, Jackson continued to release internationally chart-topping albums like Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory (1995), and Invincible (2001), his latest album of fully original material. Michael Jackson has received thirteen Grammy Awards[13] and charted thirteen #1 singles in the United States, more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era.[14] In November 2006, the World Music Awards announced that Michael Jackson had sold over 750 million units worldwide and given $300 million to charity,[15] making Jackson one of the best-selling music artists and one of the most charitable humanitarians of all time, whose efforts on the latter front have been acknowledged with a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.[16]

From 1988 to 2005, Jackson lived on his Neverland Ranch property, where he built an amusement park and private zoo that was frequently attended by disadvantaged and terminally ill children. Rumors of sleepover parties received negative media coverage after it was revealed that children frequently slept in his bed or bedroom. These first came to light when he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. Michael Jackson's relationship with children was brought into the spotlight again in 2003 when the TV documentary Living with Michael Jackson was broadcast. This resulted in Jackson being tried, and later acquitted, of more child molestation allegations and several other charges in 2005. Since then, Michael Jackson has lived in countries such as Bahrain and Ireland, but has since returned to the United States.

 

 

Career

1958-1979: Musical prodigy

Main article: The Jackson 5 Michael Jackson, front left, as a part of Jackson 5 in 1970

Michael Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana to a working-class family, the second-youngest brother of seven and the eighth of ten children of Joseph (Joe) and Katherine Jackson. Katherine, a Jehovah's Witness, raised the children in that faith, while Joe, who initially started studying with the Witnesses, eventually decided not to join.[17] Jackson's father was a steel mill employee who often performed in an R&B band called "The Falcons" with his brother Luther. The father was a strict disciplinarian, and many of the Jackson children recall being spanked or whipped by their father for misbehaving.[18]

Jackson showed musical talent early on and joined his brothers when they formed a group in 1964. Rolling Stone says of his early years: "First he was a prodigy" who had "...overwhelming musical gifts," and notes that after Jackson joined the Jackson Family vocal group at age five, "he quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer."[19] Even though he sang with a "child's piping voice, he danced like a grown-up hoofer and sang with the R&B/gospel inflections of Sam Cooke, James Brown, Ray Charles, and Stevie Wonder."[19] During this period, the boys toured Indiana extensively, and after winning a major local talent show in 1966 with a rendition of The Temptations' "My Girl", led by Michael, they began playing professional gigs in Chicago, Illinois and across the mid-eastern U.S. Many of these gigs were in a string of black clubs and venues collectively known as the "chitlin' circuit," and the young kids sometimes had to open for strip teasers and other adult acts in order to earn money.[20]

The young Jackson had taken co-lead singing duties with brother Jermaine when the group's name changed from "The Jackson Brothers" to "The Jackson 5" in 1966. The group eventually auditioned for, and signed a contract with, Motown Records in 1968.[21] They hit stardom with their first four singles, "I Want You Back", "ABC", "The Love You Save", and "I'll Be There", which charted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, the first time ever a group had pulled off that feat.[20] As a solo artist, Jackson released a total of four studio albums with Motown, among them Got to Be There in 1971 and Ben in the following year. These were released as part of the Jackson 5 franchise and produced successful singles such as "Got to Be There", "Ben", and a remake of Bobby Day's "Rockin' Robin". Between 1971 and 1975, Jackson's voice "descended ever so slightly from boy soprano to his current androgynous high tenor." [22]

The group's sales declined after 1973 and they chafed under Motown's strict refusal to allow them creative control or input. In 1976, the group signed a new contract with CBS Records (first joining the Philadelphia International division and then Epic Records).[23] When this became apparent to Motown Records, they sued the group for breach of contract.[17]

As a result of the legal proceedings, which were complicated further by the fact that Jermaine Jackson was married to the daughter of Motown president (Berry Gordy), the Jacksons lost the rights to use the "Jackson 5" name and logo.[17] Jermaine left the group, choosing to stay at Motown.[24] They changed their name to "The Jacksons", featuring youngest brother Randy in Jermaine's place, and continued their successful career, touring internationally and releasing six more albums between 1976 and 1984, with Jermaine eventually re-joining in 1983, making them a sextet. From 1976 to 1984, Michael was the lead songwriter of the group,[25] laying down such hits as "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)", "This Place Hotel", and "Can You Feel It". In 1978, Jackson starred as the scarecrow in The Wiz with former-label mate Diana Ross playing Dorothy.[26] The songs for the musical were arranged by Quincy Jones, who established a partnership with Jackson during the film's production and agreed to produce his first solo album in four years.[17]

 

1979: Off the Wall

Main article: Off the Wall

Off the Wall, released in 1979, was a worldwide success story that made music history, becoming the first album ever to spawn four top-ten hits, including the number-one hits, "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "Rock with You".[11] It reached #3 in the Billboard album charts, spending 48 consecutive weeks inside the Top 20.[27] Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson jointly produced the album, with lyrics and music by Jackson, Heatwave's Rod Temperton, Stevie Wonder, and Paul McCartney, among others. The album signaled the arrival of a new Michael Jackson, one not reliant upon his brothers to further his career.[28] Off the Wall, buoyed by its catchy dance rhythms and avoidance of the "shallow excesses...of the period's disco,"[28] eventually sold some 20 million copies worldwide.[29] Despite its commercial success, Jackson felt the album should have made a much bigger impact and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release.

In January 1980, Jackson won his first awards for his solo efforts at the American Music Awards. He won "Favorite Soul/R&B Album" (for Off the Wall), "Favorite Male Soul/R&B Artist" and Favorite Soul/R&B Single (for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough").[11] Later that month, he also won two Billboard Awards (for "Top Black Artist" and "Top Black Album").[11] On February 27, 1980, Jackson won a Grammy Award for "Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male" (for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough").[11] In 2003, the TV network VH1 named Off the Wall the thirty-sixth greatest album of all time.[30] Rolling Stone ranked it #68 in their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[31]

 

1982: Thriller

Main articles: Thriller (album), We Are the World, and Captain EO

In November 1982, the storybook for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial was released. It included Jackson reading the story as well as one original song ("Someone in the Dark"). The album later won a Grammy for "Best Album for Children".[32] On the first day of the following month, Jackson released his second Epic album, Thriller. Thriller became by far the biggest selling album of all time with worldwide sales reaching over 104 million copies.[33]

The album also became the first in history to spawn seven top-ten Billboard Hot 100 hit singles,[34] including "Billie Jean", which was the first music video by a black artist to receive regular airplay on MTV,[35] "Beat It", and the album's title track, which was accompanied by a revolutionary music video. The thirteen-minute "Thriller" video was critically acclaimed and massive airplay lead to it being packaged with the featurette Making Michael Jackson's Thriller on VHS, where it became the best-selling music home video ever.[34] Thriller spent 37 weeks at #1 and remained on the Billboard album chart for 122 weeks. It was eventually certified 27x Platinum in the U.S.[36]

In 1983, while performing "Billie Jean" at the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever concert, Jackson debuted what can be regarded as his signature move: the moonwalk.[34] The performance sparked a new wave of interest in Thriller, which continued to sell well throughout the year. In 1983, he started a sponsorship deal with Pepsi-Cola, and, as part of the deal, he agreed to star in a commercial. While filming the commercial in front of 3,000 fans the following year, a fireworks display behind him malfunctioned, shooting a shower of sparks down upon the singer's head and setting fire to his hair. He suffered second-degree burns and later wore a hairpiece when collecting Grammys that year.[37]

In February 1984, Jackson was nominated for twelve Grammy awards - of which he won eight[34] - breaking the record for the most Grammy awards won in a single year.[38] Seven were for Thriller and the other for the E.T.: The Extra-terrestrial storybook. In 1984, he also won eight American Music Awards and the "Special Award of Merit" and three MTV Video Music Awards.[34]

Thriller was a gigantic hit that made Michael Jackson the seminal icon of American culture at the time. At the age of 25, the New York Times called him a "musical phenomenon", further commenting that "in the world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else".[39] Time magazine explained that "the fallout from Thriller has given the [music] business its best years since the heady days of 1978, when it had an estimated total domestic revenue of $4.1 billion."[40] Thriller also helped to bring music from African-American artists back into mainstream radio for the first time since the mid-1970s.[40]

Jackson also became something of a sexual symbol, as he was described by Time magazine: "Undeniably sexy. Absolutely safe. Eroticism at arm's length".[40] Additionally, Michael Jackson's rhinestone glove and Thriller jacket became iconic aspects of his outfits which American youth sported all too eagerly. As a sign of his stature at the time, Republican officials considered inviting Jackson to their national convention, in 1984, where they would renominate Reagan, but a change of plans left Ron Walker, the convention manager, stating that "We never thought we had a ghost of a chance."[41]

Jackson (middle) with the Reagans in 1984. This was Jackson's first trip to the White House; in his second, six years later, he would meet with then President George H. W. Bush.

After reuniting with his brothers, he helped to write and produce the Victory album. He then performed and starred in the Victory Tour, which started on July 6, 1984 and lasted for five months.[34] That year, Jackson was invited to the White House and was thanked by President Ronald Reagan at a White House ceremony for allowing the song "Beat It" to be used in drunk driving prevention television and radio public service announcements.[42]

Jackson continued his charity work in 1985 by co-writing with Lionel Richie the hit song "We Are the World", and singing a featured solo on the charity single. The record helped to raise money and awareness for the famine in East Africa and was one of the first instances where Jackson was seen as a humanitarian. The song also won a Grammy for "Song of the Year".[34] "We Are the World" became one of the top five best-selling singles of all time and the best selling single of the 1980s[43]

Controversy began when Jackson purchased shares in ATV Music Publishing (a company which owned the publishing rights to most of the Beatles' songs), making himself the majority shareholder. This move angered close friend and songwriter Paul McCartney, who had also made a bid for the company.[17] Ironically, it had been McCartney who advised Jackson on the merits of song ownership.[44] Their creative co-writing ended after this event. Following this controversial business deal, tabloid stories of Jackson sleeping in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to stall the aging-process, and an allegation claiming Jackson attempted to purchase the bones of the Elephant Man inspired the pejorative sobriquet "Wacko Jacko" (wacko meaning eccentric or irrational)[45]. The name "Wacko Jacko," first used by British media, would come to be detested by Jackson.[46]

In 1986, Jackson starred in the George Lucas-produced, Francis Ford Coppola-directed 3-D film Captain EO. The film lasted 17 minutes but had costs estimated at $17 million.[47] At the time, it was the most expensive film produced on a per-minute basis. In the U.S., the Disney theme parks hosted Captain EO. Disneyland featured the film in Tomorrow-Land from September 18, 1986 until April 7, 1997.[48] It was also featured in Walt Disney World in Epcot from September 12, 1986 until July 6, 1994.[48] Two new songs featured in the film. These were "Another Part of Me", which later appeared on Bad, and "We Are Here To Change The World", which was officially released in 2004 as part of Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection.

 

1987: Bad

Main article: Bad (album) Michael Jackson in 1988 during the Bad era.

In 1987, Jackson released Bad; his third album for the Epic record label, and final album with producer Quincy Jones.[34] He initially wanted to make the album 30 tracks long, but Jones cut this down to 11. According to Jones, Jackson wanted the title track to be a duet with Prince who later declined the duet.[49] Jones said the reason given by Prince was that he thought the song would be a hit whether he was in it or not.[50] With the industry expecting another monster hit, the release was heavily anticipated as it was Jackson's first album in five years.[51] The album had over two million advance orders.[51]

Bad had lower sales compared to Thriller, but it was still a huge commercial success. In the U.S. it spawned seven hit singles,[34] five of which went to #1: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You",[52] "Bad",[53] "The Way You Make Me Feel",[54] "Man in the Mirror",[55]" and "Dirty Diana".[56] Two decades after it was released, Bad still holds the record for generating more #1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 charts than any other album.[57] It went on to sell over 32 million copies worldwide and the RIAA certified Bad at 8x Platinum. In 1993 at the grammy awards it was acknowledged as the second best selling album of all time but has since been overtaken.[58] [59]

 

1987-1989: Bad World Tour

Main article: Bad World Tour

In September 1987, Jackson embarked upon his first solo world tour, the Bad World Tour, which was greeted with worldwide mania and record-breaking attendance figures. In Japan alone, Jackson had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record of 200,000 in a single tour.[60] The tour lasted sixteen months and saw Jackson perform in 123 concerts to over 4.4 million fans worldwide. Jackson had a personal bus, plane, and helicopter to be available to him all at the same time throughout the tour.[61]

Jackson hired film director Martin Scorsese to direct the video for the album's title track.[62] When the 18-minute music video debuted on TV, it sparked a great deal of controversy as it became apparent that Jackson's appearance had changed dramatically.[63]

The success Jackson achieved during this period in his career led to him to be dubbed the "King of Pop",[2] a nickname which he continues to be referred to by fans and the media.[64] The nickname was conceived by actress and friend Elizabeth Taylor when she presented Jackson with an "Artist of the Decade" award in 1989, proclaiming him "the true king of pop, rock and soul." In 1990, recognizing Michael Jackson's musical influence in the 1980s, the White House presented the singer with its own special "Artist of the Decade" award, delivered to Jackson by President George H. W. Bush, who commended Jackson for acquiring a "tremendous following", among other things.[65] This period saw Jackson enjoy "a level of superstardom previously known only to Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Frank Sinatra."[66]

 

1991: Dangerous

Main article: Dangerous (album) Main article: Dangerous World Tour

In November 1991, Michael Jackson released Dangerous, which, at roughly 30 million copies worldwide,[29] registered sales figures almost identical to those of Bad and became one of the most successful New jack swing albums of all time. Dangerous featured several major worldwide hits, including "Black or White", "Remember the Time", "In the Closet", "Give In To Me", and "Heal the World". Dangerous was heavily anticipated, as highlighted by an incident at the Los Angeles International Airport that witnessed a group of armed robbers stealing 30,000 copies of the new album before its official release.[67]

The biggest hit single in the United States from the album was "Black or White", which reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for seven weeks,[68] with similar performances around the world. The single was accompanied by a controversial video, premièring as a simulcast on the Fox network, MTV and BET, which featured scenes construed as having a sexual nature as well as depictions of violent behavior. The offending scenes in the final half of the fourteen minute version of "Black or White" were edited out to prevent the video from being banned.[2] Controversial entertainment has always attracted the masses, and on November 14, 1991, the video for "Black or White" simultaneously premièred in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500 million people, the largest viewing ever for a music video.[14]

The second single released from Dangerous was "Remember The Time" which spent 8 weeks in the top 5 in the U.S.[69] The song hit a peak at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on Billboard's R&B Singles chart. In 1993 Jackson performed the song at the Soul Train Awards in a wheel chair saying he had an injury in rehearsals[70] and at the ceremony he was given three awards Best Male Single of the year for "Remember The Time", Best R&B Album for Dangerous and a Humanitarian Award for his charitable contributions to date.[71]

In the UK as well as other parts of Europe "Heal the World" was the biggest hit from the album. In Britain, it sold 455,000 copies alone and spent 5 weeks at #2. It was the Christmas #2 of 1992 and because of extra seasonal sales it outsold "Black or White [72].

On February 10, 1992, MTV kicked off its first global sweepstakes with "My Dinner with Michael". Winners from around the world attended a dinner party hosted by Michael Jackson on the set of his "In the Closet" music video.[73] Later that year, a biopic, The Jacksons: An American Dream, debuted on ABC; it was based on the true story of the rise of The Jackson 5.

The year 1992 also witnessed one of Jackson's most high-profile international visits: a trip to Africa in which he visited several countries, among them Gabon and Egypt.[74] This was the singer's second arrival on the continent, his first having occurred as a 14-year-old with the Jackson 5.[74] His first stop to Gabon was greeted with a sizable reception of more than 100,000 people in "spiritual bedlam", some of them carrying signs that read, "Welcome Home Michael".[74] In his trip to the Ivory Coast, Jackson visited the gold-mining village of Krindjabo, populated by the Agni tribe and located near the capital of Abidjan, and was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief.[74] He then thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed official documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances.[74] Jackson finished his stay in Africa by going to Egypt and promoting the Dangerous album. In January 1993, he performed during the halftime show at Super Bowl XXVII. It drew one of the largest viewing audiences in the history of American television.[75] Jackson was given the "Living Legend Award" at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.[76]

 

1995: HIStory

Main article: HIStory Main article: HIStory World Tour

In June 1995, Jackson released HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I,[76] which went on to sell 18 million copies (36 million units) worldwide,[29] making it the greatest selling multiple-disc album of all time.[14] To promote the album, Jackson embarked on the successful HIStory World Tour,[76] which was attended by more than four and a half million people, a record for concert attendance outside of the United States that still stands. Jackson also made a promotional "teaser" music video showing him marching with thousands of military personnel as well as shipping statues of himself on boats around Europe.[77]

The first disc, HIStory Begins, was a fifteen-track greatest hits album (this disc was later released as Greatest Hits - HIStory Vol. I, in 2001 selling an estimated 3 million copies).[78] The second disc, HIStory Continues, contained fifteen new songs. The first single released from HIStory was "Scream," sung and performed with his sister Janet Jackson. The single had the best ever debut at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video for "Scream" is one of his most critically acclaimed winning three MTV awards in 1995 and a Grammy in 1996.[76] "Scream" is currently the most expensive music video ever made.[79] "You Are Not Alone" was the second single released from HIStory and would become the first song ever to debut at #1 on the Hot 100,[80] beating his previous single "Scream". It reached #1 in various international markets, including Britain. It was seen as a major artistic and commercial success.[17]

"Earth Song" was the third single released from HIStory and was accompanied by one of the most expensive and lavish videos of Jackson's career. The song topped the U.K. singles chart for six weeks over Christmas in 1995 and sold one million copies there, making it his most successful U.K. single, surpassing the success of "Billie Jean". At the 1996 BRIT Awards Jackson was awarded as the Artist of A Generation.[81] At the ceremony Jackson performed the track "Earth Song", dressed in white and surrounded by children and an actor portraying a rabbi. During the performance it was alleged that Jackson was making Christ-like poses while being lifted into the air by a crane. Pulp lead singer Jarvis Cocker and his friend Peter Mansell mounted a stage invasion in protest. Cocker leapt onstage, pretended to expose his rear and danced around. In the ensuing scuffle to remove Cocker from the stage, it was claimed that up to three children received minor injuries.[82] The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), who ran the awards, qualified this by stated that "We are extremely concerned that Jarvis Cocker's actions last night resulted in injury to three children who were performing with Michael Jackson".[82] Cocker responded, "My actions were a form of protest at the way Michael Jackson sees himself as some kind of Christ-like figure with the power of healing".[82] A spokesperson for Jackson and Sony said that "Michael feels sickened, saddened, shocked, upset, cheated [and] angry".[82] Cocker's actions were met with mixed reactions from the British press.

"They Don't Care About Us" was the fourth single released from HIStory and caused controversy over alleged anti-Semitic lyrics. The song contained the lyrics "Jew me, sue me" and "kick me, kike me." After significant pressure from the Jewish community, later releases changed the verse to the same-sounding "do me, sue me" and "kick me, strike me" or censored it with a thumping sound.

 

1997: Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix

Main article: Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix

In 1997, Jackson released an album of new material titled Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix with remixes of hit singles from HIStory;[76] it sold six million copies worldwide and became the greatest selling remix album ever, reaching #1 in Britain. The album's five original songs were named "Blood On The Dance Floor", "Is It Scary", "Ghosts", "Superfly Sister", and "Morphine". Of the new songs, three were released globally: the title track, "Ghosts", and "Is It Scary". The title track reached #1 in the UK. The singles "Ghosts" and "Is It Scary" were based on a film created by Jackson called "Ghosts".[83] The short film, written by Michael Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston, features many special effects and dance moves choreographed to original music written by Jackson.[84] The music video for "Ghosts" is over 35 minutes long and is currently the World's Longest Music Video.[85] Jackson dedicated the album to Elton John, who reportedly helped him through his addiction to painkillers and tranquilizers.[17]

 

2001: Invincible

Main article: Invincible (album)

In October 2001, Invincible was released[86] and debuted at number-one in thirteen countries.[75] Invincible went on to sell nearly 8 million copies worldwide.[29] The album spawned three singles: "You Rock My World," "Cry," and "Butterflies." Around the same time that Invincible came out, Jackson and 35 other artists recorded a charity benefit single entitled "What More Can I Give", designed to raise money for 9/11 victims, which was never released.

Just before the release of Invincible, Jackson informed the head of Sony Music Entertainment, Tommy Mottola, that he was not going to renew his contract;[2] the contract was about to expire in terms of supplying the label with albums of full-new material for release through Epic Records/SME. In 2002, all singles releases, video shootings, and promotions concerning the Invincible album were canceled. As a result of this, Jackson made allegations about Mottola not supporting its African American artists.[2] Jackson referred to Mottola as a "devil" and a "racist" who used black artists for his own personal gain.[2] He cited that Mottola called Jackson's colleague Irv Gotti a "fat nigger".