Michael Jackson, born August 29, 1958, became a global celebrity in the early 1980s, but his legacy as King of Pop rests on something more. Famous from the age of 11, he became a superstar in his mid-20s and continued to be a beloved, albeit imperfect, phenomenon until his death on June 25, 2009.
He won over 800 awards in total. make the most awarded artist in the history of music. As one of the most prominent and popular entertainers of the 20th century, he has had dozens of noteworthy and career-defining moments: Here’s a look at 10 of the most iconic. The album and music video “Thriller”
The Thriller album reinvented all the standards of commercial pop success. Released on November 30, 1982, debut at no. 1, featuring seven top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Beat It” and “Billie Jean”, as well as the spooky but danceable “title track”. The album made Jackson the first artist to win eight Grammy Awards in one night.
Thriller stayed at the top of the charts for 37 weeks, which was an absolute novelty, and even as its rank dropped, it returned to No. 1 when his macabre video was released a year later. The video’s zombie dance in unison still inspires mass groups to try choreography, and the album continues to be the best-selling album in the world with estimated sales of at least 66 million, according to Guinness World Records, albeit some estimates. they set the much higher number.The debut of the moonwalk and its signature glove
On May 16, 1983, Michael Jackson amazed the world with the moonwalk, the backward sliding step suitable for street dance. He debuted the move as he performed the song “Billie Jean” to wrap up NBC’s broadcast of Motown 25, a tribute to the label’s anniversary. Even though the moonwalk had already been seen on the street, Jackson perfected the move and took it to a more acute level, adding his rotation and toe position.
The moonwalk became a signature and a dance step that he called a generation. In the same performance, Jackson debuted his one-of-a-kind, rhinestone-covered white glove, a costume choice that would define his look for years.When Michael Jackson’s hair caught fire
In a shocking accident, Jackson’s hair caught fire while filming a Pepsi commercial on January 27, 1984. The singer was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles with burns of second and third degree. The incident made headlines around the world and probably changed his life: To help him sleep, he was given painkillers and sedatives, which are believed to have led to regular use and tragic overdose of him. The music videos he danced in
Before videos like “Beat It” and “Thriller”, singers rarely produced fully choreographed video clips. But Jackson’s exceptional ability to pair fresh rhythms with precision movement added captivating depth to her videos. In “Beat It,” her kicks and her finger snaps guided her making it all more dynamic, true. In “Billie Jean,” Jackson glides through the city streets with graceful footwork and spins. The zombies obey him in “Thriller,” dancing behind him with frighteningly stylized arms. “Smooth Criminal”, however, best captures its combination of Fred Astaire softness and sharp, precise popping, with that skilful 45-degree forward lean, aided by patented peg shoes, which locked dancers in place. .Music Videos He Didn’t Dance
In When he wasn’t dancing in his videos, Jackson used the nascent art form to make political and cultural statements. The video for “Man in the Mirror,” from her 1987 album “Bad,” features a sometimes strangely juxtaposed montage of historical world events, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., and children in poverty.
Later, her video for her 1991 song “Black or White” used new technology to morph the faces of a variety of people to show that all races and ethnicities have similarities. The visual effect may have become “obvious” later, but at the time it was innovative. Leading the Jackson 5
As adult Jackson dominated the 1980s, it’s easy to forget that adorable preteen Jackson was a Motown diamond in the 1970s. A child prodigy with a cheerful charisma and a natural talent for dance, he led his band of brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon. With four singles topping the Billboard charts, the Jackson 5 were among the first black bands to attract a racially diverse audience.
With hits like “ABC” and “I Want You Back,” Michael Jackson established his path to global stardom. Its unique fashion
The hat. The sparkling white socks with the black shoes. The giant sunglasses. The glove. The official jackets. Whatever Jackson wore was fashionable. But somehow, his choices were practical: his big jackets added shape to his slim frame, while his thin black pants helped show off the perfect poses he did in the dance. The Super Bowl XXVII halftime show
He took to the Super Bowl stage on January 31, 1993. He made history because his performance completely changed the history of television. The King of Pop, who by 1993 had vanished from glory, earns that title again with a quick show, but of indescribable impact. Until 1993, intermission entertainment (the so-called Halftime Show) was mundane, mostly led by marching bands. With Jackson’s performance, the NFL had a new standard: only great artists. At the helm of “We are the World”
In 1985, Michael Jackson used his international mega-stardom for good when he and Lionel Richie wrote the song “We are the World” to support hunger relief in Africa. With producer Quincy Jones, they recorded the song with about three dozen of the hottest and most famous vocalists of the time, including headliners Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Billy Joel, Tina Turner and Ray Charles. The charity recording, released in 1985 as a single, raised more than $ 60 million under the auspices of USA for Africa, which continues to operate today. Jackson’s solos on the album, and his black gold jacket in the video, still stand out as the highlight of the ultimate supergroup. Protagonists of ‘The Wiz
In 1978, the musical The Wiz was pivotal to Michael Jackson’s career. I showed his versatility and kept his post-Motown status as a national entertainer alive, playing the Scarecrow opposite Ross as Dorothy. More importantly, I introduce it to Jones, who produced The Wiz and was already a major record producer, most notably of Frank Sinatra. Before meeting Jones, Jackson’s career was failing in his post-Jackson 5 years, late teens. But with Jones, Jackson finds a partner who takes him to the next level. Their albums began with Off The Wall, then Thriller and Bad – and the history of the show was never the same.
Stella Grillo
