Michael Joseph Jackson. MJ (or MJJ, as I often refer to him as). The Gloved One. The King of Pop, Rock, and Soul (in the words of Elizabeth Taylor). Where do I begin with this man? Born on August 29, 1958, he was a true Virgo in every sense. He is and has always been my favorite artist…of all time, from any era. I mean, the name of this blog is a song of his, after all. Today, June 25th, marks 11 years to the day since his death, literally. June 25th fell on a Thursday in 2009, just as this year, and I still remember in detail what I was doing when I heard the news. I doubt that I will ever forget.
Michael’s artistry and catalog are still as relevant as ever, specifically his socially conscious songs, along with his trademark vocal style, live performances, and pioneering the music video (or short films, as he called them). I debated all this week (with myself) about whether or not I would write an entry for today. Of course, I plan to publish one for this birthday, as I have for several other of my favorite artists so far. However, seeing as it is Black Music Month and there is plenty of material to choose from (his discography though!) so I was likely going to have to do multiple entries for his birthday anyway, I decided to go ahead with a tribute entry. I’ve decided to frame it primarily around the earlier years of his career, and I will progress through the years of his life and career in future entries.
“Music And Me” by Michael Jackson truly fits my relationship with music perfectly. I first heard it while watching Michael’s Moonwalker as a child. It was prominently featured in the film in a way that really made the viewer grasp its meaning. Little did I know, I would feel so strongly about the song as I progressed in life and it would come to mean so much to me. From the very first word to the last, it is as if it was written for me: We’ve been together For such a long time now Music, music and me All I know Wherever I go We’re as close as two friends can be There have been others But never two lovers Like music, music and me
Grab a song and come along You can sing your melody In your mind you will find A world of sweet harmony Birds of a feather We’ll fly together Now, music Music and me Where do I even begin? The very beginning of the song sums up my relationship with music in a nutshell, which is that we have been together for a long time: my entire life. Music has indeed been a friend to me, quite possibly the best one I have ever had. It has always been there, has never failed me, and my closeness with it has never changed. The words “grab a song”, “sing your melody”, and “find a world of sweet harmony” pretty much encompass the notion of finding refuge in a song. Being two “birds of a feather” and able to “fly together” through any and everything is the epitome of my connection to music.
The Jackson 5 vs. The Jacksons
The Jackson 5 during their popular Motown period.The group after having changed their name to The Jacksons after leaving Motown.
Pictured above are the two incarnations of the group that introduced Michael Jackson to the world, The Jackson 5 and The Jacksons, respectively. For anyone who may not know, the group changed its names for legal reasons when they left Motown Records in the mid-1970s; Jermaine also left the group to remain at Motown during this time, which was understandable since he was married to Berry Gordy’s daughter Hazel then. Randy replaced Jermaine when the group began its Jacksons period. In my mind, I put the groups into two categories: “youngster” (J5) and “young adult” (Jacksons). I have a heavy love and appreciation for the Jacksons era; to me, the albums released by the group between 1976(self-titled album simply entitled The Jacksons) and 1980(Triumph) are among their best, and those albums contain several of my favorites out of Michael’s entire catalog.
The Jackson 5 burst onto the scene in 1969 with their debut album Diana Ross Presents The Jackson 5 on Motown Records, although they had recorded and been performing prior to signing with Motown. This is just one reason why I don’t always take kindly to people comparing random artists to Michael. His trajectory is unmatched by any other artist: from humble beginnings in Gary, Indiana to performing in talent shows with his siblings, to getting signed with Motown, to going solo as a child on Motown, to exploring his songwriting and producing skills as a late teen and young adult while honing his trademark vocal and performance style after leaving Motown, to embarking on an adult solo career during which he released the most successful album of all time, to revolutionizing the music video, to tackling social justice issues through his music, to essentially becoming the GOAT. He literally started performing professionally before he was a double digit age, and was a child prodigy in every sense. No one compares. Period.
That was a tangent that I didn’t intend to go on, but blame my passion. As I stated before my tangent (haha), I will be focusing on favorites of mine by Michael and the Jackson 5 or Jacksons only in this entry.
The Songs
There are so many songs by little Michael as a solo artist as well as by the Jackson 5 and Jacksons that I absolutely adore. Here are a few, in no particular order or ranking:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2xc8xZ0tV0
“Who’s Lovin’ You”: How many 10-11 year olds are singing with this much emotion? This much conviction? You would think that he had experienced the heartbreak expressed in the lyrics himself. Definitely the best example of Michael’s innate talent as a vocalist from the time he was a child. #Prodigy
“Got To Be There”: I heavily associate this song with my sister Nikki, who absolutely loved this song when we were younger. It’s a prime example of Michael’s gift as a vocalist.
“With A Child’s Heart”: MJ’s The Legend Continues is what introduced me to this beautiful song as a child. Lyrically and vocally, it is astounding. My mom has also always loved this song a lot. I feel that it describes Michael really well, and it was a long time before I could listen to it without crying after he passed away.
“I Wanna Be Where You Are”: Just another one that I love. It always puts me in such a great mood. It’s so upbeat and Michael’s vocals are so vibrant and energetic. The song also usually reminds me of a friend of mine.
“It’s Too Late To Change The Time”: You can hear Michael’s changing voice so well on this tune. He was in that transition period between his “little Michael” vocals and his trademark adult vocals. The tone is there already in this song. I love it.
“Dancing Machine”: Classic joint right here. The opening lyrics “automatic, systematic, full of color, self-contained” are responsible for me knowing the meaning of the word “systematic”. I looked it up as a child because of this song, and more specifically a clip of the group performing it with Cher that was also in The Legend Continues. Haha. #Memories
“I Am Love”: Such a tuuune! I love this song, especially the live performance of it on the Jacksons’ Destiny Tour; it is actually a pretty mature song by the group for this point in their career. I love the instrumentation on it, and the vocals and lyrics are everything. Jermaine leads it with Michael coming in and killing the latter part of the song with just his adlibs, on both this album version and the live version. You can hear future adult Michael on those adlibs. Sidenote, Marlon sang lead in later live performances of this song since Jermaine was no longer in the group by then.
“Show You The Way To Go”: This song is from the first album the group did after leaving Motown, after being renamed The Jacksons, and on CBS/Epic Records. Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, who I love and have mentioned in previous entries, produced this self-titled album in 1976 as well as the following year’s Goin’ Places. I adore both albums so much. “Show You The Way To Go”, along with other songs on the album, echoed a lot of the socially conscious themes and messages in the work of Gamble and Huff at the time by artists like The O’Jays and Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes. It is definitely one of my favorite vocal performances of Michael’s, and I just love the instrumentation and the breakdown. The song has also been sampled in a current popular song, which I’ll cover in another soon-to-come entry on sampling.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtVmTrZE6T4
“Blues Away”: The first song written by Michael to make it onto an album. Deep song lyrically, especially considering that he was so young when he wrote it. You can already hear a lot of his future vocal trademarks on this song.
“Good Times”: A poignant song about endings, specifically about a relationship, but also about the importance of remembering the good times it included. I consider this song and following one to be really fitting for Michael’s life and death.
“Even Though You’re Gone”: Just a beautiful song about heartbreak. As always, wonderful vocal delivery from Michael.
“Find Me A Girl”: The vocals though! Michael was well on his way to all of his vocal trademarks on this one, and his distinct tone had matured a lot by this point. I think of this song as a precursor to “The Lady In My Life” in terms of meaning and his vocal delivery.
“Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)”: Classic joint right here! No other words needed, except “that bass though”. 8 minutes of perfection that I spent a lot of time listening to on vinyl as a kid…and gazing at the album cover, which fascinated me in many ways.This is the actual Destiny album that I grew up listening to, with its cover that fascinated me so much. Clockwise from top left: the front cover, the back cover, the sleeve that held the record itself, and the inside cover. From the tornado on the front cover, to the peacock on the back, to the pictures of the brothers, I just loved it so much.
“That’s What You Get (For Being Polite)”: I could write a book about this song! But I’ll try not to. I take the title itself to basically mean that one’s kindness (politeness) can be taken advantage of in various types of relationships. The verses and Michael’s adlibs (particularly “don’t you know he cries”) clearly depict the feelings, thoughts, and actions of someone (“Jack”) who is displeased with the state of his life, particularly the lack of love in his life. I interpret love in this instance to be platonic or romantic; he just desires love and the feeling that someone cares at all. Lyrics like “I wish to God that he would see just love, give him love” make that abundantly clear to me. Preceding that part are lyrics that include “he wants to be so bad”. This does not mean that Jack wants to be a bad person; it is saying that he wants so badly to be different(as in, happy and loved). I always thought that the title of the song was sort of tongue in cheek; it’s as if it’s saying that you get nothing more than disappointment and frustration for being a good person, or “polite”, as it is put in the song. That is probably an overly simplified and negative interpretation of it, but it is my interpretation. The truthfulness of it is probably what is the most heartbreaking. It is such a beautiful, sad, and interesting song to me, especially given that “Jack” is understood, at least by me, to be Michael.
“Can You Feel It”: One of the best “feel good, inspirational, make you wanna get up and tackle the world” type of songs ever made. Between the horns, the bass, the strings, and the choir (made up of some of the best and most often used background vocalists of the time, by the way), it never fails to get me going. I especially love when Michael comes in during the second verse. His vocals are so exuberant, and the way it is underscored by the guitar and violin – whew! That song has always filled me with a sense of pride, as well as one of unity and inspiration. Lyrically, it is an extension of songs like “Show You The Way To Go” and “Living Together”, as well as a precursor to solo MJ songs like Black or White. I could really just highlight the entire Triumph album, but I will have to do that in a future entry.
King Status
I am a firm believer that the work put in to create the wonderful work of the Jacksons and Jackson 5 era contributed greatly to Michael becoming the legend that he did. It laid the foundation. At Motown, he was surrounded by greatness from a young age, whether he was observing Berry Gordy at work, studying Stevie Wonder in the studio, or visiting Diana Ross’ home. At CBS/Epic, he was able to learn from and collaborate with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and, along with his brothers, embrace creative freedom in songwriting and producing. He was already a child prodigy, and this only added to that work ethic. It was during the Thriller era that he was first referred to as the “King of Pop”. Contrary to what some believe, he did not give himself that name. He did, however, earn it. Later in the ’80s decade, Elizabeth Taylor would actually refer to him as the “King of Pop, Rock, and Soul”. There you have it.
Continue to rest in peace, MJJ!
This photo was taken by photographer Todd Gray at the Peachtree Hotel in Atlanta during the Triumph album era. It is a part of a collection of photos that make up Gray’s photo book entitled “Before He Was King”. I own and love that book so much for the wonderful pictures and stories that Gray shared during the time that he spent photographing Michael and the Jacksons. These are easily among my favorite pictures of MJJ.
4 thoughts on “Black Music Month: Tribute to Michael Jackson on the 11th Anniversary of His Death”
I will never forget the day he passed…where I was and what I was doing. It was unreal. I couldn’t believe it…didn’t want to believe it. I was glued to the tv, waiting to hear that he was revived; that he passed out but he’s going to recover. ….I never heard any of those words.
About a little over a month prior to his death, I had a very enlightening and fun-loving conversation about Michael with a few family members. We were talking about the “Speed Demon” video in particular and about how much one of the family members really loved the dancing scene at the end between Michael and “Spike, the bunny rabbit.” Lol…
I won’t ever forget going to Florida the next week on vacation and hearing ALL of Michael’s hits being played on mainstream radio stations. I won’t forget watching the BET Music Awards and seeing the artists change their performances to pay tribute to Michael. I won’t ever forget sitting in Hard Rock Cafe Orlando, and watching the Thriller video when it came on, and seeing EVERYONE in the restaurant go silent and eyes glued to the screen. You could’ve heard a pin drop that night. I won’t ever forget being adamant about finding a store that had a Michael memorial tshirt, and actually finding that merchant on International Drive Orlando. Lastly, I won’t ever forget sitting in a restaurant a few weeks later, having dinner and hearing a group of folks at another table comparing Michael to Elvis, and favoring Elvis and speaking ill of Michael. As we were leaving out, I stopped by their table and fussed them out and walked out. It felt so good. I felt like I was defending a family member. To me, he was. I grew up watching him on VHS and loved everything about him. I won’t ever forget him.
Rest in peaceful paradise Michael.🙏🏾❤🕊
Thanks for your heartfelt comment, sis. I remember your anecdotes well. <3
Yes, Nikki I echo everything you have said. I still remember that day too…when the world seemed to stop. We were all glued to our television sets waiting to get the news that a mistake had been made…that our beloved Michael was alright. But sadly, that was not the case. The news stunned America…we were all in disbelief. The King of Pop was gone…just like that a light went out in the music industry. He is truly missed and no one else will compare to the genius of Michael Jackson. I will always carry Micheal in my heart. Rest in peace Micheal. I know that my Jamie is still loving you in heaven. Maybe you all have met in the after life. That would be a dream come true! Much love! !!
“A light went out in the music industry”…great way to put it! I’ve had the same thought about Jamie too. <3
I will never forget the day he passed…where I was and what I was doing. It was unreal. I couldn’t believe it…didn’t want to believe it. I was glued to the tv, waiting to hear that he was revived; that he passed out but he’s going to recover. ….I never heard any of those words.
About a little over a month prior to his death, I had a very enlightening and fun-loving conversation about Michael with a few family members. We were talking about the “Speed Demon” video in particular and about how much one of the family members really loved the dancing scene at the end between Michael and “Spike, the bunny rabbit.” Lol…
I won’t ever forget going to Florida the next week on vacation and hearing ALL of Michael’s hits being played on mainstream radio stations. I won’t forget watching the BET Music Awards and seeing the artists change their performances to pay tribute to Michael. I won’t ever forget sitting in Hard Rock Cafe Orlando, and watching the Thriller video when it came on, and seeing EVERYONE in the restaurant go silent and eyes glued to the screen. You could’ve heard a pin drop that night. I won’t ever forget being adamant about finding a store that had a Michael memorial tshirt, and actually finding that merchant on International Drive Orlando. Lastly, I won’t ever forget sitting in a restaurant a few weeks later, having dinner and hearing a group of folks at another table comparing Michael to Elvis, and favoring Elvis and speaking ill of Michael. As we were leaving out, I stopped by their table and fussed them out and walked out. It felt so good. I felt like I was defending a family member. To me, he was. I grew up watching him on VHS and loved everything about him. I won’t ever forget him.
Rest in peaceful paradise Michael.🙏🏾❤🕊
Thanks for your heartfelt comment, sis. I remember your anecdotes well. <3
Yes, Nikki I echo everything you have said. I still remember that day too…when the world seemed to stop. We were all glued to our television sets waiting to get the news that a mistake had been made…that our beloved Michael was alright. But sadly, that was not the case. The news stunned America…we were all in disbelief. The King of Pop was gone…just like that a light went out in the music industry. He is truly missed and no one else will compare to the genius of Michael Jackson. I will always carry Micheal in my heart. Rest in peace Micheal. I know that my Jamie is still loving you in heaven. Maybe you all have met in the after life. That would be a dream come true! Much love! !!
“A light went out in the music industry”…great way to put it! I’ve had the same thought about Jamie too. <3