Michael Jackson: the king of popularity
The great lady Elizabeth Taylor gave Michael Jackson his popular nickname King of Pop. By its essence, this would mean Popular Music. But with the extent of MJ’s influence, this has turned into popularity. And what a king he is, as evidenced by the global depression of all his fans.
Imagine that twelve people were reported to have committed suicide due to their sudden death.
Popularity has always been a double-edged sword because, while it attracts fame and fortune, it also attracts negativity and rumors. MJ over the years has experienced everything from all the musical accolades to the most pressing scandals.
Of course, his worldwide popularity was helped by his early start in the name of show business. In fact, he was too young. Michael has been acting since the age of five and has continued to the success of the Jackson Five.
He then embarked on a solo career with the 1978 album Off the Wall. This propelled him to new heights when he released the Thriller album in 1982. He became a household name around the world from there. He was in every respect an icon of popular culture.
Here’s an interesting aspect of its popularity in the eyes of normal people. One disc jockey, who was working in a record bar when Thriller was released, related that the types of people who brought Thriller were actually from various niches and groups of people. Punk rockers, old women, young children – the spectrum was truly limitless.
MJ also used his popularity to communicate strong messages against poverty, hunger, injustice, and the like. This was one of the most influential people to take a stand, challenging ordinary people to do the same. This is one of his memorable acts for humanity, embodied in the songs Heal the World, We Are the World and Earth Song, among others.
He communicated all his emotions and beliefs through his music. In the end, all the negative rumors and problems thrown at him will be forgotten, but his music will remain in people’s hearts. He was creativity embodied, truly a bundle of joy that he gave us when we were kids with the Jackson 5.
In fact, MJ has given us the roller coaster of our lives. It was a mixed and convoluted collage of contributions to popular culture that will be well remembered for a long time.
I guess with the way the world mourned his death, it’s only fair to include MJ on the rung of names that have truly shaped a century. Elvis, The Beatles – there really were a few and Michael is now one of them.
We may never know what Michael still has up his sleeve for his 50-date comeback concert set to kick off in London. We really wouldn’t know. Even if a 2-minute video of his dress rehearsal performing They Don’t Really Care About Us appeared two days before his death, it wasn’t enough to satisfy our need to see him perform again.
But here was someone who saw it up close. Ken Ehrlich, the executive producer of the Grammys, was invited by Jackson to see the rehearsal the night before MJ’s death. This is what he had to say:
“Watching him rehearse these signature dance moves that he created, that no one did before, you could say that James Brown, but created [them], they belong to you. And then you’ve seen 25 years or more, 30 years or more people doing those moves and remembering that they all came from him. That is his legacy. “
The King of Pop will live forever in our hearts.