The undisputed 'King of Pop' and one of the largest selling artists in the history of modern pop music Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest in California today. The death of this star leaves a huge void in the minds of his fans. Michael Jackson was the undoubted leader in fan following whose life was very controversial but never his music. MJ is the winner of 13 Grammy awards and is rumoured to have sold 750 albums across the globe.
Bad, Thriller, Dangerous, Blood on the dance floor, History turned into record breaking albums as did Michael's popularity. With such great hits as 'Bad', 'Smooth Criminal', 'The way you make me feel', 'Beat it', 'Billie Jean', 'The girl is mine', 'Jam', 'Dangerous', 'Heal the world', 'Remember the time', 'Black or white', 'You are not alone', 'Scream', 'Stranger in moscow', 'Earth song', 'Cry', 'Speechless', Michael's knack for churning out lilting melodies and beat heavy songs earned him millions of fans.
My brother and I used to wonder if Michael would ever get back to his old self and give his fans one more best selling album despite the lacklustre sales of 'Invincible' which was released after MJ walked out of Sony over a dispute about publishing rights of his music. The music company which has a separate division for MJ (Epic Records) didn't take this kindly and a lot of bad blood was spilled over in the media.
Jam JamHere Comes The ManHot DamnThe Big Boy StandsMovin' Up A HandMakin' Funky TracksWith My ManMichael JacksonSmooth CriminalThat's The ManMike's So RelaxedMingle Mingle JingleIn The JungleBum Rushed The Door3 And 4's In A BundleExecute The PlanFirst I Cooled Like A FanGot With JanetThen With GuyNow With MichaelCause It Ain't Hard To...
That was Heavy D's rap in 'Jam' from the album 'Dangerous'. To call MJ a phenemenon would still be an understatement. His command over rhythm programming and orchestration was second to none in the pop arena. In an age where an artist had to depend on a producer to score the music, MJ belong to a elite group who most often wrote their own music. MJ started off his career with Quincy Jones producing his songs. This trend changed with 'Dangerous' after which he co-produced his albums with Bruce Swedien, Bus Kohen, Ted Riley. R Kelly started working with MJ from History onwards, 'Cry' from 'Invincible' was also a collaboration with R Kelly.
MJ's song 'Will you be there' featured in the movie 'Free Willy' was counted to be one of the all time best songs to be associated with a movie. MJ's personal life was troubled all through. He converted to Islam in November last year and came to be known as Mikaeel. He was working on an album with Steve Porcaro in Bahrain, he's known Steve since his Thriller days. MJ was on track to perform live from the 13th of July which would have signalled his return to the live stage. The voice has been silenced, we won't get to see any more moon walks. I've seen the legend at it's peak and then being overshadowed by lesser mortals whose music though mediocre in quality was louder than MJ.
Did MJ not anticipate the changing tastes of new generations? Why couldn't he transform into a trendsetter like he did in the late seventies, eighties and early nineties? Was there ever a performer like MJ who could set the stage on fire? Will there ever be one? I sincerely hoped MJ would come out with just one more album and silence his critics, captivate this generation and cast a spell on them, but alas that's not going to happen anymore. This not even if the album he's been working on is released. With hearfelt prayers I mourn the loss of my musical hero, someone whose string and voice arrangement still gives me goosebumps, whose moonwalk on stage could prompt me to get up and shake despite the fact that I have clay feet. Michael, we'll miss you, our prayers will always be with you.
Like A CometBlazing 'Cross The Evening SkyGone Too SoonLike A RainbowFading In The Twinkling Of An EyeGone Too SoonShiny And SparklyAnd Splendidly BrightHere One DayGone One NightLike The Loss Of SunlightOn A Cloudy AfternoonGone Too SoonLike A CastleBuilt Upon A Sandy BeachGone Too SoonLike A Perfect FlowerThat Is Just Beyond Your ReachGone Too SoonBorn To Amuse, To Inspire, To DelightHere One DayGone One NightLike A SunsetDying With The Rising Of The MoonGone Too Soon
(This song was written for Ryan White, a young victim of AIDS, by Michael Jackson in 1993)
