Jun 27 2009
Michael Jackson - Natural Born Thriller - The Music and His Influence
Photo by Fabio Ikezaki
Born in 1958, Michael Jackson was a man that influenced many throughout the years, and always had a lot to offer. With his music, his dance moves, and his videos also; Michael Jackson was able to reach out to millions all around the world, gaining fans of all different ages and ethnicity.
With number one hits in the 70s, 80s, and 90s; Jackson was able to sustain success throughout the ages, and even enjoyed some reasonable success in the early 2000s also.
A prolific start to his career saw Michael Jackson release five albums throughout the 70s, and whilst the 80s would see him release only two albums; these two albums would spawn eight US Number One singles, including ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Beat It’, and ‘Bad’.
‘Thriller’ and ‘Bad’ were Jackson’s two albums in the 1980s, and ‘Thriller’ still stands strong as the best selling album of all time. A lot of artists have covered Michael Jackson’s songs throughout the ages, with ‘Thriller’ tracks ‘Billie Jean’, ‘Beat It’, and title track ‘Thriller’ all very popular choices.
Moving on into the 90s and Michael Jackson was still an absolutely relevant musical superstar. ‘Dangerous’ and ‘HIStory’ were both hugely successful albums, and both of these albums provided Jackson with another US number one. ‘Black Or White’ hit the top spot from the ‘Dangerous’ album, whilst ‘You Are Not Alone’ was the one to do it from ‘HIStory’. Michael Jackson had now had 13 US Number One’s, and his last four albums had hit Number One in the album charts. Michael Jackson could seemingly do no wrong with his music, with his fan base remaining as loyal as ever.
‘You Are Not Alone’ was to be Jackson’s last US Number One single in his lifetime, in 2001 he had his fifth consecutive US Number One album however, as his tenth studio album ‘Invincible’ hit the top spot in countries all around the world. The album performed well, sadly this was to be the last released studio album in Michael Jackson’s lifetime though, and never again would Michael Jackson see his music hit the top.
Michael Jackson’s death was announced on June 25th 2009, less than a month before Jackson was due to appear at the O2 Arena for the start of the ‘This Is It’ tour. ‘This Is It’ was meant to run from July 13th 2009 until March 6th 2010, during which time Jackson would have played 50 sold out shows over the course of the five month period. Had the tour gone ahead then Michael Jackson would have played in front of more than a million people throughout the period; sadly the much anticipated Michael Jackson concert comeback was not to be though, and instead the world has lost a musical superstar.
Justin Timberlake is just one of many to have been influenced by Michael Jackson’s work, and when Jackson’s death was announced on June 25th, Justin Timberlake had the following to say; ‘We Have Lost A Genius’. Genius is a very apt word to describe Michael Jackson, he was a fine musician and businessman, and the music world is in mourning right now as the news of Jackson’s death slowly sinks in.
As a tribute to Michael Jackson, The Game quickly put together an absolutely beautiful track with a number of other artists after Jackson’s death was officially announced. Featuring Chris Brown, Diddy, Polow Da Don, Mario Winans, Usher, and Boyz II Men; ‘Better On The Other Side’ is a truly exceptional piece of music, and it really is amazing how quickly this hugely positive piece of music was put together. A fitting tribute for an artist that will be sorely missed.
This is The Game’s Michael Jackson tribute ‘Better On The Other Side’:
‘Better On The Other Side’ has also been officially shared on Box.net for those that would like to download this incredible track.
The world of music would be a much less interesting place without Michael Jackson’s influence, and without his songs and dance moves; there are a lot of popular artists today that would have a lot less edge. Michael Jackson has had a huge influence on popular culture, and despite his death; Michael Jackson’s music will continue to live on, and many more people will watch his videos in the future.
Michael Jackson wasn’t just a pop or rock icon; his music is appreciated by music fans of all sorts, and people will no doubt continue to listen to Michael Jackson’s music for many generations to come.
Click on the following link to see Michael Jackson’s iconic music video ‘Thriller’ in its full 13 minute length glory at YouTube: Michael Jackson – Thriller Video
