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Pop’s most spectacular act
“In the world of pop music,” an American newspaper once proclaimed, “there is Michael Jackson and then there is everyone else.” He was probably (as the Guinness Book of World Records claimed) the world’s most successful entertainer of all time. When related by number, his achievements are unparalleled: an estimated 750 million albums sold worldwide; 13 Grammy Awards; another 13 number one singles; two inductions into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In assessing his place in the history of pop, it is important to remember that Jackson was not just a musician. He was a spectacular act. Viewed in isolation, his music was not path-breaking; he did not invent or even heavily influence a musical genre as Chuck Berry or Led Zeppelin or Bob Dylan did. In 2004, when Rolling Stone magazine compiled a list of the 500 greatest songs of all time, Jackson had only one listing. But with his stunningly syncopated dance moves, signature moonwalk, androgynous allure, white fedora, and crystal gloves, he transformed his music, including runaway hits such as Billie Jean and Beat It, into iconic pieces of pop art. The magnetism he brought in changed the shape of the music industry. He lent an altogether different dimension to music videos, influenced the way people danced, and gave a whole new meaning to the term ‘live performance.’ Michael Jackson was not someone you merely listened to; he was someone you experienced.
Even as a child star performing with his siblings as the Jackson Five, which earned a name for its rendition of classic Motown hits, Michael showed he was exceptionally blessed. His big break came in the early 1980s when Thriller — the biggest selling album of all time — launched him as the King of Pop. Superstardom brought with it a slow descent into eccentricity, bizarre behaviour, and scandal. His reclusive private life in Neverland, his California ranch where he surrounded himself with children, became the subject of feverish media interest. A string of plastic surgeries on his nose and his strangely lightening skin tone (which he attributed to the disease vitiligo, not to bleaching) led to allegations of ethnic self-hatred. Charges of child sex abuse, which were never proved, left a stain on his reputation. He got into big financial problems. The end was as poignant as the humble beginning. The 50-year-old was rehearsing for a huge musical comeback when he collapsed. The 50 shows scheduled at the O2 arena in London, which were to start next month, had sold out within hours. Now we will never know what might have been but we can celebrate and enjoy what Michael Jackson’s flawed genius has given the world.