Michael Jackson was given the title, the “King of Pop”, for a very good reason; he captured audiences with his catchy lyrics, amazing dance moves, and his dazzling outfits. His legacy has lived beyond the grave, as his music is still played on the radio. Michael inspired many and was adored by many, but his music did much more than just entertain. He sang about racial and social injustices and broke down the musical barriers of his time. In countless ways, Michael Jackson has contributed to many aspects of American life as he changed the face of music, influencing countless artists, and still stands to be one of the most influential artists ever.
Michael Jackson has had a huge impact on music in several ways and still stands to be the “king of pop”. Michael deserves this name. As his 1982 album “Thriller” became the best-selling album of all time, and his very unique videos that went along with the songs that made it on MTV, Jackson broke the music color barrier(Rosen). In Jackson’s time, TV music videos were mostly videos of bands playing or singers singing alone on a stage. Jackson’s biggest hit “Thriller” had a very unique video. It was 14 minutes long , and costed nearly $500,000. His other big hit from the album, “Beat it” cost about $150,000. It influenced artists to make actual videos for their songs, and changed how artists would advertise their music(Tompkins).
Jackson changed pop music in many ways. As stated before, he was one of the pioneers of highly produced music videos, such as “Billie Jean”, “Beat it”, and “Thriller”. There were simply no other music videos like “Thriller” when it was released in December 2, 1983, it was very unique, and is still played very often today. Jackson was very influential with his music. He popularized new ideas and methods that transcended genres. Two of Jackson’s biggest hits, “Beat it” and “Black or White” brought rock guitar to the dance floor and social consciousness. Both of these songs spent several weeks at the number 1 spot on charts. Jackson combined multiple genres to become unquestionably one of the most transcendent performers in pop music(“Michael Jackson: The Legend Lives On”). The New York Times had a podcast called, “Reckoning with the real Michael Jackson”.
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An important line from the podcast states, “This man was changing everything. In terms of historical American events, you know on the one hand, you have the moon landing. And then you have and I would argue there is probably no other artists who is as important to where popular music currently is then Michael Jackson”(Barbaro). Jackson inspired countless modern artists including Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Usher, and Kanye West.. His 1982 album, “Thriller”, was certified platinum 28 times by the RIAA(Recording Industry Association of America). Jackson’s fashion was also influential and astounding to the people of his time. He outfitted himself to show off his moves.
