Everyone knows who Michael Jackson is, it doesn’t matter how old you are or when you were born. You could be 5 years old or even 60 years old but youre going to know who Michael Jackson is; that’s the impact Jackson left on this world. Michael was born in Gary, Indiana on August 29, 1958. Michael’s musical carreer started at a very young age, just at the age of 5 he started a band with his brothers. The band ended up becoming big, we know them as the Jackson 5, Michael was the lead singer of the band. Michael was the youngest out of the 5 in the group, but his voice was so charasmatic, everyone knew he had something in him.
Jackson fame at a young age didn’t come easy, there was a price. His father was very abusive and controlling, Jackson didn’t have a normal childhood. He wasn’t aloud to go outside and play with friends, one because he didn’t have any but the reason he didn’t have any is due to his father. His father didn’t allow them to go outside and play because in his mind all he wanted the kids to do was record music non-stop. All Michael’s father wanted was for his kids to become famous no matter the extent, his intentions were good but the way he did it was wrong.
Michael finally got out from his fathers leash and became a solo artist. His first solo song that hit No. 1 was ‘Ben’ but Thriller and bad is what blew Jackson up and changed how we view music. Michael’s goal was to make music that everyone could listen to; diverse. A pop record (Thriller) has never done so well and incooporated so many different genres of music. The record then went onto win 8 grammy awards and was the best-selling album of all time; it sold over 100 million copies and had six hit singles and that was unheard of during that time.
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Before Thriller african american artist and Michael Jackson were rarley featured on MTV, claimed to be a “rock station” but because of Michael Jackson MTV started to showcase african american artist. Before thriller came out rock guitarist didn’t tend to collaborate with soul, R’n’B, and disco singers, but that changed once Jackson did that. In 1983 Michael Jackson blew people away because no african american artist has ever achieved as high of success as he did, people tend to say it was revolutionary. Michael Jackson didn’t create music that was “ordinary” it was more unorthodox. His music went beyond the boundaries unlike anyone else’s; he changed the worlds perspective on what music videos/dancing is today. His music wasn’t enjoyable just because it had a good beat or tune to it, Jackson’s music also brought light onto some issues that were going on during that time.
In his duet with Paul McCarthy “The Girl Is Mine” was an extremely bold move at the time. It was such a bold move due to it being about interracial affair; it not being talked about much during that time period. Two of his other songs “Bille Jean” and “Beat It” not only brought social awarness but had an amazing guitar/rock vibe to it; it showed problems within their society but was also very enjoyable to listen to. Jackson’s song “Human Nature” can have an impact on people to this day, especially teens. As teenagers we tend to struggle with who we are and accepting ourselves for who we are and in that song Michael goes to tell how he finds freedom and acceptance with who he is, and I think it’s beautiful how this song can really speak to people a decade later.
Michael was defined by his ability to think outside the box when it came to his music and dancing. “Thriller” changed so many lives, not only was it a short film that modernized the medium, making it a more credible art form but opened up many opportunities not only for himself but many other artist. Jackson broke MTVs “color barrier” meaning they finally started to play and showcase afrian americans, he also overturned the ideal rock world in the 80s, in the world’s eyes white people ruled the rock world; then came Michael Jackson switching everything up, because of him he opened many doors for diminished artist. MTV tended to only play brisitsh dance music, then came along… you guessed; Michael Jackson.
After “Thriller” came out, MTV finally started to embrace hip-hop and eventually rap. Jackson’s legendary dance move known as the “moonwalk” was a phenomenon, kids across the globe were imitating Michael Jackson; wanting to be just like him. With Jackson’s unique dance style it closed the gap between west coast street dance and east coast break dancers; bringing them together and combining styles. In Jackson’s music video “Smooth Criminal” he introduced a dance trick where he kept his body straight while leaning at a 45 degree angle. I remember when I first saw that as a kid I would always want to be just like Jackson, it was just so mesmerizing to me; I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it, I would watch the video over and over. That’s the impact Jackson had on people, if someone like me who knew they didn’t want to get into the music/dance industry what so ever but in those few minutes while watching the music videos, I felt like I was apart of something, so imagine the impact he made on someone whose passion is music/dance.
Michael Jackson is such an inspiration to many people, like Justin Bieber. Bieber got many of his dance ideas, song ideas, and style from Jackson; Justin used to wear a glove while performing just like Jackson did. Britnney Spears and Beyonce were influenced by Jacksons meticulous dance moves, Spears and Beyonce rely heavy on their dancing so why wouldn’t they grab ideas from the “King of Pop.” Due to all of this Michael Jackson impacted the world with his music and dance style; we now call him “The King of Pop” and he forsure earned that title.
