On this day in 1958, Michael
Jackson was born. The “King of Pop” would have been 59 today.
Michael Jackson led an amazing and prolific life and music
career. Starting out at just five years old with his brothers in The
Jackson 5, Michael’s career took off. His talent at such a young age stood
out and by the time he was 14 made the transition to solo artist. Over
the next four decades, he released hit after hit, breaking numerous records and
making history. Even after his sudden passing in 2009, his career continued to
flourish as continuous praise and several posthumous releases kept him in the
public eye.
Vinyl Bay 777, Long Island’s music outlet, would like to
honor Michael Jackson’s legacy by taking a look back at his groundbreaking
music career. Here are seven singles that changed music, music videos, and
popular culture forever.
1.
“Thriller”: “Thriller” is one of Jackson’s most
iconic songs and its video is even more iconic. Known for its graphic content,
its epic graveyard dance scene and Jackson’s red leather jacket, the short horror
film runs 14 minutes, longer than your typical music video. But because of its
length and level of detail, it also revolutionized what a music video could be.
It is also the only music video to have been selected for inclusion in the
National Film Registry. There is still major interest in the video as well,
with a 3-D upgrade of the video coming to movie theaters soon.
2.
“Billie Jean”: When MTV launched in 1980, they
didn’t really play much music from black artists, usually just the ones that
were integrated with white artists. This changed in 1983, after complaints from
not only music fans but VJ’s and artists themselves made MTV reevaluate their
line-up. Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” was the first video from a black
artist that the network deemed appropriate to put in rotation. The song’s
inclusion and success opened up a new platform for black artists to get their
music heard by a new and wider audience.
3.
“We Are The World”: With large-scale charity
singles en vogue in 1985 following the success of “Do They Know It’s
Christmas?,” Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie were tasked with writing one for
an American audience. What transpired was the hit “We Are The World,” which featured
more than 40 performers singing about the famine in Africa. Once released, the
song broke records, becoming the fastest-selling American pop song in history
and the first single to ever go multi-platinum.
4.
“Love Never Felt So Good”: Michael Jackson has
even been breaking records posthumously. In 2014, Jackson’s estate released an
8-song album of unreleased material called ‘Xscape,’ with “Love Never Felt So
Good” as its first single. The song ended up peaking at number nine on the
Billboard Hot 100, breaking two records. The first was for having top 10
singles in five different decades as a solo artist, a record he still holds
alone to this day. The other was for the most amount of time spent in the top
10 to more than 42 weeks (this record has since been broken).
5.
“Dirty Diana”: Jackson’s 1987 album ‘Bad’
featured the singles “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” “Bad,” “The Way You Make
Me Feel,” “Man in the Mirror” and “Dirty Diana,” released consecutively and
each hitting number one on the Hot 100. This record stands to this day, with
the only artist to even tie the record being Katy Perry.
6.
“Black or White”: When Michael Jackson released
the video for “Black or White” in 1991, it was a television event. It was the
first time a video was shown simultaneously on a global scale, with the MJ
website noting that 500 million people tuned in to watch.
7.
“You’re Not Alone”: We all know that Michael
Jackson is a number one-selling artist. But he is also the first artist to have
a single debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. “You’re Not Alone,” the
second single from Jackson’s 1995 album ‘HIStory,’ sold more than 120,000 units
in its first week, leading it to take the top spot on the chart, something that
hadn’t happened in the 37 years the chart had been around.
Michael Jackson released some of the most important music in
pop history. From the contributions he made to the art of the music video to
the impact he had on black representation in music, his career has been filled
with innovation. His talent landed him countless chart successes that have made
him one of (if not THE) the best-selling artists to date. Michael Jackson’s
legacy proceeds him, as his continued popularity only shows that his music and
cultural impact have gotten stronger.
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Celebrate iconic artists like Michael Jackson at Long Island’s
top new independent record shop, Vinyl Bay 777. We have thousands of titles to
choose from in an array of genres. Browse our wide selection of new and used
vinyl records, CDs, cassettes, music DVDs and memorabilia. Stop by our Plainview
store at 101-14 Dupont Street or check us out online at vinylbay777.com. With
more titles being added to our selection all the time, you never know what you
might find at Vinyl Bay 777.
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