News of Michael Jackson's death reached me yesterday at work through a coworker. As the consummate professional, I echoed sympathies to my coworkers, but remained focused on finishing the tasks at hand. One allows time and introspection to occur when one has the time, which isn't until now as I watch a variety of news stations cover his death hour after hour after hour.
Michael Jackson was not just a superstar, he was the pre-eminent pop icon. He was one of the most widely influential singers not only of his generation, but of all time. His pop musical genius is evident by the 13 #1 singles:
- 1972: "Ben" (1 week)
- 1979: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (1 week)
- 1980: "Rock with You" (4 weeks)
- 1983: "Billie Jean" (7 weeks)
- 1983: "Beat It" (3 weeks)
- 1983: "Say Say Say" (6 weeks)
- 1985: "We Are The World" (4 weeks) (this track is counted extraofficially, considering that was credited to USA for Africa)
- 1987: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (with Siedah Garrett) (1 week)
- 1987: "Bad" (2 weeks)
- 1987: "The Way You Make Me Feel" (1 week)
- 1988: "Man in the Mirror" (2 weeks)
- 1988: "Dirty Diana" (1 week)
- 1991: "Black or White" (7 weeks)
- 1995: "You Are Not Alone" (1 week)
For me, my strongest sense memory of Michael Jackson was in junior high school and realizing the impact this man was making on youth. Music videos were just beginning to emerge and Michael took full advantage of the medium, from videos like Thriller, Billie Jean, and Beat It. All of the kids marveled at how he moved, studied his music videos religiously, and began to mimic him as they were standing around waiting in line at the cafeteria. On a production budget of $750,000, the Thriller album which was released November 30, 1982 went on to sell an estimated 100-109 million copies worldwide. Even as other music videos were released off other albums, I recall how much anticipation my friends and I had about what we would see, what new moves he would show us, and what new special F/X would be introduced.
While the death of a loved one is devastating, death is also quite poignant when it happens to someone you grew up with, and most of us feel like we grew up with Michael Jackson. How did he affect you? Post a comment.
RIP Michael Jackson (1958-2009)
Post script: An inside look at the making of We Are the World as well as the finished music video.
Punchlines
So! How bout those Dodgers!
Aren't we done talking about Washington politicians?
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