Note: To commemorate the 1 year anniversary of the death of Michael Jackson (who passed away on June 25, 2009), I am re-posting the following. This was originally posted on July 3, 2009
Although I wrote about Michael Jackson over at my pop culture blog on the day he died (which you can read by clicking here), I had been meaning to put together a separate post about MJ for Diversity Ink. For various reasons, I was unable to get one up until now.
The day after Michael's death, I was preparing for my radio show that night which was a tribute to him. As I was getting ready to head to the radio station, I was pondering Michael's place among the greats of popular music. To me, Michael is in that exclusive club of ultra-megastars (along with Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley and The Beatles). The criteria I used for inclusion is: name recognition on a global level, influence on performing styles and fashion/pop culture (not only on other artists, but the general public), the power to create fan hysteria, and the ability to maintain all of these factors over a long period of time. There are others who come close to this status, but they aren't quite there in my opinion. As a sidebar, I think that Prince could have achieved ultra-megastar status if he wanted it; Madonna would probably sell her soul for entry into that club.
Even within the ultra-megastar club, Michael Jackson rises above the others in one regard: the ability to obliterate racial lines in a way that was unprecedented and has never been duplicated. Just to be clear, I am not saying that the appeal of Sinatra, Elvis, and The Beatles was strictly a "white thing" because I enjoy all of them as I am sure others do too who aren't white. Still, Michael Jackson's crossover appeal puts him in a class by himself.
There have been countless black artists who've had racially diverse fan bases (for example, James Brown, Aretha, and artists on the Motown roster). Having said that, the era's social climate dictated that there were certain boundaries that weren't to be crossed. If Suzie from the suburbs let it be known that she was madly in love with "The Godfather of Soul" after seeing his dazzling performance in Ski Party, I doubt that it would have went over well with her parents. Even though by the 1980s, race relations had improved to a point where it was possible for Michael Jackson to have the type of crossover appeal he had, there were likely non-black parents who weren't thrilled that their kids' bedroom walls were covered with images of "The Gloved One". Still, it was something about Michael Jackson that made it OK for people of all races to scream in delight at the very sight of him. Consider this... if New Edition had the massive crossover appeal of Michael Jackson, do you think Maurice Starr would have found it necessary to create New Kids On the Block?
Over the past week while pondering Michael Jackson's diverse appeal, I thought to myself, "How did he do it?" Although I don't think there's a right or wrong answer, I have a couple of theories. I feel that the grooming Michael received during his years at Motown helped lay the groundwork for his later solo success. I think he also appealed to the kid in us with his Peter Pan persona and ability to do things on stage that appeared magical. Whatever the reasons for Michael Jackson's global appeal, we will never see an artist achieve that level of fame again.
Below is one of my favorite Michael Jackson performances and one that really illustrates the title of this post. It's from one of two 30th anniversary concerts that Michael did at Madison Square Garden in 2001. These are the last shows he ever did.
Michael Jackson 30th Anniversary Billie Jean
Uploaded by Tandem93zoo - News videos hot off the press.
10 comments:
I really like that you didn't focus on the negative here. There's plenty to say if you want to get into the allegations, etc.
In terms of global appeal, I think you hit it right on the head when mentioning the Peter Pan side of him. That innocence and child-like charm is endearing to everyone. What person doesn't want to have that Peter Pan moment?
Ultimately though, I think he was able to appeal to everyone because of the music. I would put him above the Beatles on a pure talent/musicianship/showmanship level. Also, his passion for the business and entertaining resonates and that strikes a chord to fans.
No matter what is true or false about his personal life, there will never be another like MJ.
Great post!
I'm not sure that Michael Jackson "did" anything to make himself a megastar, Michael Jackson "is" (and always will be) a megastar. I don't mean to imply that he didn't work incredibly hard to get where he did, of course he did-that goes without saying, but there was something almost magical about Michael Jackson that made him incredibly captivating. The depths of his talent was so genius that I don't believe most humans could achieve that kind of skill, talent, artistry (whatever you want to call it) no matter how hard they tried, worked, practiced, etc. That came from within him and I agree with you, Michael Jackson is in a class by himself. I love Sinatra, The Beatles and I'm even crazy about Elvis via my mother's obsession and it might be that because Michael Jackson was during "my time", but his celebrity and talent, to me, just blows the others out of the water. Michael makes my much adored Bon Jovi look like open-mic night at some scrappy bar. (and you know how I love my Jovi!!)
There's a lot that's been said about Michael's crossover appeal and maybe people will call me a naive Suzie from the suburbs, and so be it. Michael's appeal came from being one of the most creative, talented and captivating human beings this world will ever see. Not just as a black performer, but as a person with such a gift that reached almost unbelievable proportions. That's why he's a megastar and that's why he always will be.
It's no secret in my family that I've long been a fan of Michael Jackson, so much so, my mother called to "see how I was coping" with his death (LOL). But as much as I respect MJ's talent and think he was one of the finiest entertainers ever, there was a lot about him that deeply troubled and disturbed me.
No, I'm not going to drag it all up here. But in the days since his death I've thought a lot about his "diverse" appeal and I must say, I have often wondered if the "old" Michael, the one with the darker skin, the kinker hair and the wider nose would have risen to the same heights as the one with the colorless skin, straight hair and horribly mutilated nose. Obviously, we'll never know . . .
But I think young entertainers/artists need to really take a hard look at Michael's life and consider the things they may be required, feel pressured or compelled to give up in order to achieve that level of stardom and then ask themselves--is it worth it?
Thank you for visiting my blog and for the comment about my "ground level" shots.
I hated it that MJ passed. I remember when Elvis did too. What a sad day that was.
I watched the memorial today and thought it was really well done. My favorite MJ song is "Will You Be There?" and I was excited that Jennifer Hudson chose to sing this one.
Dane: Thanks for your kind words about this post. Good call on your part about his passion for the business and entertaining. I like how he took his influences (people as diverse as Fred Astaire and James Brown) and melded it into a style of his own.
The Chick Who Rocks and Rides the Boogie: Thanks for what you said about Bon Jovi... it saves me the trouble. :-) As for why you think Michael is in a class by himself, I wouldn't call that naive at all.
Lori: Whether or not MJ could have achieved/maintained the massive appeal that he did w/o the dramatic physical changes of the past 20 years or so is something I've often asked myself. I think he could have because he had already achieved global icon status by 1985. Although by that time, he had made some changes (nose and jheri curl) from the "old Michael".
Abe: Thanks for stopping by and commenting. It's been almost two weeks and I still find it hard to believe that Michael Jackson is dead.
Mama PJ: Welcome back! Whenever I hear "Will You Be There", I can't help but clap my hands/sway back and forth. Jennifer's rendition of the song for the memorial was amazing.
MJ's loss was a sad thing. I agree with your post about crossing all the racial lines.
In regaurd to your therories as to how he did it, I think it was because he was happy to entertain. He did not have to scream in the cameras in his video's, or throw money, or cruise around in a bentley. He had nothing to prove to anyone.
He was happy to sing and dance, and the rest fell into place.
Singers and bands today could take a lesson in that
Lot 2 Learn: I agree that Michael didn't have anything to prove to anyone. Sadly, I don't think he realized that.
Michael Jackson was indeed the "Greatest of All Times" in the world of popular music and culture. May he now rest in peace.
Oops! I failed to read all of the comments before posting mine, my bad. Lori, Michael would have definitely been the icon that he became. His biggest successes actually took place before the mutilation (as I like to call it). Thriller was his biggest contribution (although I feel that "Off the Wall" was better) and he failed to match the magnitude of that offering regardless to how light his skin or how slim his nose became.
In my opinion the license of anyone in the helping professions should be revoked when they fail to adhere to the ethical creed of "first do no harm". The surgeon(s) that did that to Michael Jackson need their asses kicked! Pardon my language:-)
Post a Comment