MJ and Diana Ross 1973
Today, me and the rest of the world were shocked to learn the passing of the most successful pop entertainer - Michael Jackson. He passed on at 2.26pm Thu 25 June 2009 LA time, 5.26pm Fri 26 June 2009 Malaysian time. I learned about it when I was checking on Facebook when I woke up today Friday 5.45am, and saw a friend in Cairo (5 hours behind Malaysia) who updated her status with "Michael Jackson dies at 50?".Sure, he's weird and eccentric, but no one can deny that he is the most recognized world entertainer with the best record in album sales, ever.
Anyone will agree that Michael Jackson was phenomenal, original, whimsical, magical, passionate, talented, poised, creative and charismatic.
He epitomised the X Factor and he truly lived the life of an enigmatic legend.
My sisters and I grew up listening to The Jacksons and MJ back in the 70's. We would put on the LP and danced like mad together! The Jacksons music was actually the first taste of Motown music we had so it's no surprise that other Motown artists like Smokey Robinson also left some impression. That also set our preference for soul and R&B music as we grew up.
As I entered adolescence, Off The Wall and Thriller made a big impact as MJ made his career statement, breaking away from his siblings to be a full-fledged entertainer in his own right. And he became a world-class entertainment overnight at the 1983 Grammys with Thriller - I still recall the pictures of him cradling his Grammys when I was in secondary school. And that year's Grammys was the biggest ever due to MJ's Thriller, The Police's Synchronicity, Roxette and Eurythmics. The 1983 Grammys compilation album was the hottest selling ever. That event changed the music landscape and pop culture worldwide, literally overnight.
As I entered the job market in the 90's I listened to Bad and learned a lot about brand endorsements since MJ was associated to Pepsi. I must say that was one of the most successful endorsements ever. Even now I have some mental picture of MJ-Pepsi campaign, and it pushed Pepsi's brand image up in the minds of the Generation X's. After Dangerous, I listened less of his music and heard mostly of his court cases, which was really really sad.
MJ revolutionised the music industry and made "short movies" a.k.a. music videos. I like to think that MTV might not have existed without MJ's music videos! I remember Thriller and Billie Jean videos debuted with a big bang and we were in front of the TV copying his dance moves. My sister Ita had the flair in doing the moonwalk. Hahaha..Oh those were the days! His videos were always highly anticipated, and people would be running to the TV when Bad and Black or White were newly launched on Malaysian TV. All MJ videos are big favourites, but my favouritest has got to be Remember The Time. I swooned to see MJ - he was especially strikingly handsome in that one - , love the Pharoah Palace set, love Eddie Murphy and Iman's cameo, the costumes, special effects and who would forget the choreography!
Since MJ was an influence in my growing, formative years, his passing is very much felt and I'm sure my sisters feel the same way. As a person, I felt that he was misunderstood by the media, not many would understand the mind of an eccentric, right? Not that I understand him, just that I felt that things are not what they seem to be and only he, his family and friends would know better.
The whole world mourns his departure and he will remain to be unique and irreplaceable. Rest in peace, Michael.
You will be remembered for your immense, diverse talents and uplifting music.
