Michael Jackson - Remember The Time

The King of Pop, Michael Jackson, has died following a cardiac arrest. The news stunning his fans around the world.

Michael Jackson had a turbulent - though musically successful - life, from his humble beginnings in Gary, Indiana, to his time in the Neverland Ranch, there was constant pressure to perform and an inability to truly connect with reality. There were stories of him being bullied by his father; sleeping in oxygen chambers; he had a pet chimp; rumours of child abuse; and, his bizarre marriages.

However, Michael Jackson will be remembered for his extraordinary music and dance videos that revolutionised the music industry. His Thriller album is officially the best-selling, with sales in excess of 50 million.

His career had began over a decade earlier with the Jackson 5 in 1969, whilst his first solo offerings came in 1971. Set for a comeback 50-date tour at London’s O2 Arena that had broken all ticket-sales records, it was clear that Michael Jackson still had aspirations to carry on defining music.

Perhaps, Michael Jackson’s greatest achievement was to transcend the racial divide in the USA and become a true global icon. Whilst already famous and highly successful, his appearance at Motown 25 gave Thriller’s sales a whole new dimension after his groundbreaking performance of Billie Jean. The Moonwalk inspired a million imitators.

With an impressive back catalogue, Michael Jackson has a legacy that will remain important even in a century’s time. As the fourth best-selling English-language music act (after The Beatles, Elvis Presley, and Bing Crosby) and the best-selling artist of the last 30 years, it is clear Michael Jackson has massive appeal.

Many people have a favourite Michael Jackson song, mine is Give in To Me, from his 1991 Dangerous album. Over 30 million copies of Dangerous have been sold to date and the album was followed by a successful world tour. I was fortunate to see Michael Jackson in concert at Wembley stadium in August 1992.

The concert was a stop-start affair, punctured with costume changes with the gaps filled by music videos to introduce the songs. The effects were spectacular and everything was very impressive. There was rumour the concert may have been cancelled, it certainly started over an hour late, due to Michael Jackson’s health. The UK media had speculated that Michael Jackson’s face may melt and this explained his frequent absences from the stage.

His recent albums did not receive great critical acclaim or impressive sales figures by his standards. Partly this can be put down to his tarnished reputation - who wishes to associate with a man accused of child abuse? -, but fundamentally it was because he had been superseded by newer acts. Though Jackson often worked in collaboration with stars for his own songs, the musical style probably betrayed his own roots and did not appeal to many of his early fans, especially so with the Blood on the Dance Floor album.

There was perhaps an element of inflated self-importance with 'HIStory’; whilst ‘Invincible’ was very reflective, in part sad, yet defiant. He could and would go on. If only that were so…