Michael Jackson Essay
The king of pop! Michael Jackson the new exploding artist, known for writing and singing his own music. As a kid his dad always pushed him to be something big, now he is able to say he made it. Michael Jackson a legend for many because, where he started as a kid, what made his popular, and what carried his legacy after his death.
Michael Jackson’s start of his success through his childhood, the reasons his music was such a hit. “Michael Joe Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, the fifth of Joe and Katherine Jackson's nine children. The house was always filled with music. Jackson's mother taught the children folk and religious songs, to which they sang along. Jackson's father, who worked at a steel plant, had always dreamed of becoming a successful musician. When this failed to happen, he decided to do whatever it took to make successes of his children. He tried to control his children's careers even after they were adults. The struggle for the control of the musical fortunes of the Jackson family was a constant source of conflict. ” (Michael Jackson Biography n.d.) Son of Joe and Katherine, they decided to take one more of their children under the arms of music, not knowing this one was going to leave an everlasting impact on pop music to this day. Joe, Michael’s dad lived through his children hoping one day one would make it just like he wanted to do. ”You are one of the most famous child stars that has ever existed. You have fame and fortune and all anyone could really ever ask for. Except, for a childhood. Your childhood was full of neglect and abuse. You didn’t have time for friends. Your best friends were your older brothers. Instead of playing outside with other kids, you’re stuck in the studio recording music or practicing for an upcoming show for hours. Meanwhile, your father is standing no less than ten feet away from you with a belt in his hand. You are the example because you are the star. So, you better not mess up a step or miss a note because that belt will strike you.” (Michael Jackson: A Tragic Childhood n.d.) Joe saw the potential in Michael and stated to associate him into the music. His dad didn't want him to have a life outside of the music, and punished him when he stepped outside the music. Even though his dad was hard on him, this could have been a main reason he pushed so hard to be where he was with his music.
Some of the things that helped him take off and what helped him blow up as a artist. “No single artist – indeed, no movement or force – has eclipsed what Michael Jackson accomplished in the first years of his adult solo career. Jackson changed the balance in the pop world in a way that nobody has since. He forced rock & roll and the mainstream press to acknowledge that the biggest pop star in the world could be young and black, and in doing so he broke down more barriers than anybody.” (Michael Jackson Biography n.d.). Soon when Michael Jackson was better known people started to view him as a massive accomplishment. People were amazed by his music, he being the writer, and singer of al his music. Many were able to see he didn't need anyone's help and he excelled into his own type of rock and roll with a twist. “Around 1964, Joe began entering the Jackson brothers in talent contests, many of which they handily won. A single they cut for the local Steeltown recording label, "Big Boy," achieved local success. The most famous site on these tours was the Apollo in New York, where the Jackson 5 won an Amateur Night show in 1967. Joe had invested everything he had in his sons' success, though of course any real recognition or profit would be his success as well….In 1959, Gordy founded Tamla Records – which soon became known as Motown – in Detroit. By the time he signed the Jackson 5, Motown had long enjoyed its status as the most important black-owned and -operated record label in America, spawning the successes of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Temptations, Mary Wells, the Four Tops, and Diana Ross and the Supremes, among others. In contrast to Stax and Atlantic, Motown's soul wasn't especially bluesy or gritty, nor was it a music that spoke explicitly to social matters or to the black struggle in the U.S. By its nature the label exemplified black achievement, but its music was calibrated for assimilation by the pop mainstream – which of course meant a white audience as much as a black one.” (Michael Jackson Biography n.d.) Michael started small and slowly found his way into concerts which he won, record labels saw his talent and wanted this upcoming star. Joe soon released that it was taking off and he put everything into him so it could be Michael’s future.
There were many things he did and accomplished but there were a few that made him stand out from the rest. “Following the release of his 1979 hit album Off The Wall, Jackson released Thriller on Nov. 30, 1982. Both albums were inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2008, but Thriller is widely considered Jackson's most successful album. Co-produced by Quincy Jones and Jackson, the landmark album became the first album to generate seven Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. With sales of 29 million copies, Thriller is tied with the Eagles' Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 as the best-selling album of all time according to the RIAA.” (10 Reasons Michael Jackson Became the King of Pop n.d.) Soon his music was blowing up, he was receiving awards left and right. He began to feel the dream, the american dream having it all spotlight on his everything people wanted. ”Jackson debuted what would become his signature dance move, the moonwalk, during a performance of "Billie Jean" on the May 16, 1983, TV special "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever" in celebration of the label's 25th anniversary.” (10 Reasons Michael Jackson Became the King of Pop n.d.) aside from writing all his lyrics and singing therm he also came up with his dance moves for when he performed. The dane move “the moonwalk” became his famous move while he would perform, people still use it to this day.
Even though his life ended, he continued to carry his legacy through music and people.
“Michael Jackson died, aged 50, in his rented home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles on June 25, 2009, as he was preparing for a series of comeback music concerts at London’s 02 Arena. The cause of death was an overdose of the drugs Propofol and Benzodiazepine, following a cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner subsequently pronounced his death a homicide, and his personal physician, Conrad Murray, was tried and convicted of involuntary manslaughter on November 8, 2011.” (When, Where, How, Why Did Michael Jackson Die? Is He Still Alive Or Dead? n.d.). Many of his fans wanted to know why he took his own life. Media played a big role in his death due to mass media saying different things, it was suicide, he had a panic attack, he faked his death. No matter all the accusations people would forever carry his title, “King of pop.”
”The single "Love Never Felt So Good," which included tracks added by Justin Timberlake, was certified gold and a top 10 single in the United States the week leading up to the fifth anniversary of Jackson's death. That makes Michael Jackson the only artist to chart in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 in five different decades. Michael did it in six decades when you count his Jackson 5 singles.
The highlight of the 2014 Billboard Music Awards was a Michael Jackson "hologram" performance of one of his new songs -- although technically it was not a "hologram" nor Jackson, but a video illusion created to appear as a live performance.” (Michael Jackson's Legacy Five Years Later: What If? 26 June 2014.). This shows the amount of people coming together to carry his name even though he passed away. He was honored at concerts and was still taking titles in the top 20’s list of music. His music will continue to rock and roll people for centuries to come.
Michael Jackson a self driven artist in his day now a icon in our day. The multiple things that helped push his to this level was, his rough childhood, his success, and the legacy he left. Michael Jackson even though he passed away he was able to do many things, found his american dream through music.
Michael Jackson’s start of his success through his childhood, the reasons his music was such a hit. “Michael Joe Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana, on August 29, 1958, the fifth of Joe and Katherine Jackson's nine children. The house was always filled with music. Jackson's mother taught the children folk and religious songs, to which they sang along. Jackson's father, who worked at a steel plant, had always dreamed of becoming a successful musician. When this failed to happen, he decided to do whatever it took to make successes of his children. He tried to control his children's careers even after they were adults. The struggle for the control of the musical fortunes of the Jackson family was a constant source of conflict. ” (Michael Jackson Biography n.d.) Son of Joe and Katherine, they decided to take one more of their children under the arms of music, not knowing this one was going to leave an everlasting impact on pop music to this day. Joe, Michael’s dad lived through his children hoping one day one would make it just like he wanted to do. ”You are one of the most famous child stars that has ever existed. You have fame and fortune and all anyone could really ever ask for. Except, for a childhood. Your childhood was full of neglect and abuse. You didn’t have time for friends. Your best friends were your older brothers. Instead of playing outside with other kids, you’re stuck in the studio recording music or practicing for an upcoming show for hours. Meanwhile, your father is standing no less than ten feet away from you with a belt in his hand. You are the example because you are the star. So, you better not mess up a step or miss a note because that belt will strike you.” (Michael Jackson: A Tragic Childhood n.d.) Joe saw the potential in Michael and stated to associate him into the music. His dad didn't want him to have a life outside of the music, and punished him when he stepped outside the music. Even though his dad was hard on him, this could have been a main reason he pushed so hard to be where he was with his music.
Some of the things that helped him take off and what helped him blow up as a artist. “No single artist – indeed, no movement or force – has eclipsed what Michael Jackson accomplished in the first years of his adult solo career. Jackson changed the balance in the pop world in a way that nobody has since. He forced rock & roll and the mainstream press to acknowledge that the biggest pop star in the world could be young and black, and in doing so he broke down more barriers than anybody.” (Michael Jackson Biography n.d.). Soon when Michael Jackson was better known people started to view him as a massive accomplishment. People were amazed by his music, he being the writer, and singer of al his music. Many were able to see he didn't need anyone's help and he excelled into his own type of rock and roll with a twist. “Around 1964, Joe began entering the Jackson brothers in talent contests, many of which they handily won. A single they cut for the local Steeltown recording label, "Big Boy," achieved local success. The most famous site on these tours was the Apollo in New York, where the Jackson 5 won an Amateur Night show in 1967. Joe had invested everything he had in his sons' success, though of course any real recognition or profit would be his success as well….In 1959, Gordy founded Tamla Records – which soon became known as Motown – in Detroit. By the time he signed the Jackson 5, Motown had long enjoyed its status as the most important black-owned and -operated record label in America, spawning the successes of Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, the Temptations, Mary Wells, the Four Tops, and Diana Ross and the Supremes, among others. In contrast to Stax and Atlantic, Motown's soul wasn't especially bluesy or gritty, nor was it a music that spoke explicitly to social matters or to the black struggle in the U.S. By its nature the label exemplified black achievement, but its music was calibrated for assimilation by the pop mainstream – which of course meant a white audience as much as a black one.” (Michael Jackson Biography n.d.) Michael started small and slowly found his way into concerts which he won, record labels saw his talent and wanted this upcoming star. Joe soon released that it was taking off and he put everything into him so it could be Michael’s future.
There were many things he did and accomplished but there were a few that made him stand out from the rest. “Following the release of his 1979 hit album Off The Wall, Jackson released Thriller on Nov. 30, 1982. Both albums were inducted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2008, but Thriller is widely considered Jackson's most successful album. Co-produced by Quincy Jones and Jackson, the landmark album became the first album to generate seven Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. With sales of 29 million copies, Thriller is tied with the Eagles' Their Greatest Hits 1971–1975 as the best-selling album of all time according to the RIAA.” (10 Reasons Michael Jackson Became the King of Pop n.d.) Soon his music was blowing up, he was receiving awards left and right. He began to feel the dream, the american dream having it all spotlight on his everything people wanted. ”Jackson debuted what would become his signature dance move, the moonwalk, during a performance of "Billie Jean" on the May 16, 1983, TV special "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever" in celebration of the label's 25th anniversary.” (10 Reasons Michael Jackson Became the King of Pop n.d.) aside from writing all his lyrics and singing therm he also came up with his dance moves for when he performed. The dane move “the moonwalk” became his famous move while he would perform, people still use it to this day.
Even though his life ended, he continued to carry his legacy through music and people.
“Michael Jackson died, aged 50, in his rented home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles on June 25, 2009, as he was preparing for a series of comeback music concerts at London’s 02 Arena. The cause of death was an overdose of the drugs Propofol and Benzodiazepine, following a cardiac arrest. The Los Angeles County Coroner subsequently pronounced his death a homicide, and his personal physician, Conrad Murray, was tried and convicted of involuntary manslaughter on November 8, 2011.” (When, Where, How, Why Did Michael Jackson Die? Is He Still Alive Or Dead? n.d.). Many of his fans wanted to know why he took his own life. Media played a big role in his death due to mass media saying different things, it was suicide, he had a panic attack, he faked his death. No matter all the accusations people would forever carry his title, “King of pop.”
”The single "Love Never Felt So Good," which included tracks added by Justin Timberlake, was certified gold and a top 10 single in the United States the week leading up to the fifth anniversary of Jackson's death. That makes Michael Jackson the only artist to chart in the top 10 of Billboard's Hot 100 in five different decades. Michael did it in six decades when you count his Jackson 5 singles.
The highlight of the 2014 Billboard Music Awards was a Michael Jackson "hologram" performance of one of his new songs -- although technically it was not a "hologram" nor Jackson, but a video illusion created to appear as a live performance.” (Michael Jackson's Legacy Five Years Later: What If? 26 June 2014.). This shows the amount of people coming together to carry his name even though he passed away. He was honored at concerts and was still taking titles in the top 20’s list of music. His music will continue to rock and roll people for centuries to come.
Michael Jackson a self driven artist in his day now a icon in our day. The multiple things that helped push his to this level was, his rough childhood, his success, and the legacy he left. Michael Jackson even though he passed away he was able to do many things, found his american dream through music.