Michael Jackson

He was only five years old when you are a child who brings money to the grown ups you don't understand much but he did it with an amazing passion and talent.

Music had been his first contact with the world and maybe his only refuge. He started singing long before he could talk. An ordinary day for him included a lot of music. The whole house, the entire family was very musical. The parents were both professional musicians and their rehearsals used to take place in their own living room and yet they were ordinary people with too little money for their big family. Michael doesn't remember much of his childhood, he only knows he was singing and dancing with joy. The parents took advantage of their children's talent and launched them into this beautiful but cruel music.
The Jackson Five's style was unique, with a lot of influences of James Brown to Diana Ross and The Supremes. Young Michael was extremely talented at dancing. His father later said: "He had this gift of making the crowd go crazy. We all envied him for it". They soon became a world wide sensation. We don't have any gold records, we only have platinum ones.

The world didn't seem to get enough of them. Michael was the most adored of them all. When he turned 18 it was time for a new Michael. He started off on his own back in 1978 with a new style, a new image more personal album and new collaborations (one of which: Quincy Jones). The work lasted for two years and in fact was more than well earned: all most every single has been a number one all over the world and the prizes didn't stop coming one after another. The ballads made it a true Michael Jackson album. Then, there came in 1982 the "Thriller" album which, as everybody expected had to complete with the first one, "Off The Wall". Luckily so it was.

Even today "Thriller" is the best selling album in history reaching over 50 million copies nowadays. The new sound and the original theme that Michael used were so incredibly welcomed by the audience. After "Thriller" came out on video people went crazy. They were now wearing short pants to show the ankles and white socks where on vogue again. We have to take into account the fact that Michael was the first black singer ever to appear on MTV.

After this strange scary new sound the style changed again in 1987 with the "Bad" album. Michael has been able to reinvent his style every time according to the audience's that is why "Bad" is another original and genuine product with a lot of new sounds and pop influences.

In 1992 "Dangerous" became the best known Michael Jackson album by teenagers all over the world. Titles like "Black and White", "Remember the time", "Heal the World" are unforgettable. They say they come once every generation.

The next two albums were especially made for the fans, including a lot of remixes and futuristic sounds and videos.

Personally I don't think we can define Michael Jackson's style. It is a mixed style, as the artist himself is a very complex person. He has already starred three major movies in which he played his own role. He has helped children all over the world so many times that it even turned against him. He founded a hospital and foundations for children with aids and for people with skin diseases and burning wounds.

Stoica Dana
National College "I.C. Bratianu" Pitesti, Romania
Teacher: Otilia Eremia <otilia@conicb.edu.eu.org>