Michael Jackson is the 80’s

It was the early days of MTV, New Wave music, and breakdance, when the man with the glove and the leather jacket was causing a serious impact on the music world as he Moonwalked across stages around the world.  Twenty five years ago, at the Grammy Awards ceremony, Michael Jackson confirmed his artistic grandiosity to the world by winning all the eight different categories he was nominated for with his album “Thriller;” making it a memorable day in music history, and one the brightest highlights of his career and his life.  The eighties had somebody to represent them now.

     It didn’t matter if you liked his music or not, or whether you’re old or young, Michael Jackson was going to become part of your life one way or another.  Who’s going to forget the historic night of March 25, 1983 (the night of Motown 25), when our eyes were fixed on the television screen, following every single move of Jackson’s body as he danced while lip-synching “Billie Jean.” 

     That night was unforgettable for two main reasons: the electrifying moment he regaled us with and because, although some of us didn’t care for him at the time, he kept us captive watching and listening, and cursing him out because we had other musical interests and there we were “wasting” our time on some “nonsense,” like watching this gloved-dude-in-dark-bright-clothes dance uniquely. 

     He had been around a few years, but it wasn’t until 1979 that Jackson reached his musical maturity with the album “Off the Wall.”  I remember hearing “Rock with You” for the first time, and being very impressed by the longing in Michael’s voice and Quincy Jones’ wonderful orchestral arrangements.  Dance-music wasn’t just about shaking your booty anymore, but it was something you could actually listen to and taste.  Then along came “Thriller,” with all its subsequent stir that dragged through the next decade.  The rest is history.

     But, what’s all that have to do with the price of tea in China?  Well, I am writing this piece on the day that Michael Jackson would be celebrating his 51^st birthday (August 29, 2009) if he was alive.  And like many others whose lives were touched by this man’s genius, I feel the need to express my feelings about his music and his life, without having to dwell on the scabrous side of it --that’s what we have the media for.

     I was never his fan.  In fact, there were a lot of things I didn’t like about him. For instance, I never forgave him for acquiring part of The Beatles catalog, especially after hearing “Revolution” used on a Nike commercial; but businesses is business, and let’s not forget that Michael was also a business man.

     And what about all those controversies that this tormented soul created around his own persona, that left a big stain even on his musical legacy?  Well, one thing that we need to keep in mind about his upbringing is the fact that he never had a normal childhood --the formative years-- because, as a child prodigy he couldn’t afford one. And besides, it is his art what I try to think about --hard as it is-- when I think about Michael Jackson, and not the things that made him tabloid material.   

     I am not trying to make an apology, but, honor where honor’s due. One thing we can acknowledge about Michael is that, unlike most children prodigy, he didn’t run out of talent as he grew up.  That’s why the world got to hear about him, and in such a way that, if John Lennon is the sixties and Kurt Cobain is the nineties, Michael Jackson --for better or worse-- was the eighties, and that is something.

 Note: This article, that I wrote on account of Michael Jackson's birthday, appeared originally on a now defunct online magazine.