The media attention has been hard to escape. The death of Michael Jackson has commandeered the airwaves, internet and even those 140 character shots of off-the-cuff chatter known as Twitter. While the methods have changed and the players aren’t quite the same, there was another death in pop culture history that commanded the same amount of attention over 30 years ago.
When Elvis Presley died on August 16, 1977, there was no dot com to break the news. No Perez Hilton speculating about a hoax and the closest thing to Twitter was overhearing a stranger’s comment in the supermarket. Despite all that, the similarities are there and they are strong. Presley’s death was immediately the stuff of tabloid fodder. Mourners crowded Elvis Presley Blvd. in Memphis as the world mourned the King of Rock and Roll.
The similarities don’t end there. The King of Rock and Roll and the King of Pop had many similarities and one would think, if the two could get together for a chat sometime soon, they’d have lots to talk about and compare.
Both had “eccentric” tastes – Elvis had the Jungle Room. Michael had Neverland. While Elvis decorated Graceland in lavish fabrics (even completely ensconcing the billiard room in wildly patterned fabrics) and created a TV room complete with multiple televisions, mirrored ceilings and wild yellow accents, Michael recreated Disneyland as his home. His estate, Neverland, became the stuff of pop culture legend. Much like Elvis’ eccentric Memphis home.
Both suffered from the loneliness caused by mega fame – In Peter Guralnick’s book, Careless Love: The Unmaking of Elvis Presley, Billy Smith, Elvis’ first cousin, recounts how Elvis retreated to his room and became more like Howard Hughes than the electrifying Elvis of his youth. He surrounded himself with the people he knew and used them as a buffer between himself and the ever-scrutinizing eyes of the world at large. Like Elvis, Michael Jackson enveloped himself in a self-made world away from the prying eyes of the media. Because of his troubled childhood, or complete lack of one, he frequently regressed to a state of perpetual childlike behavior that caused him even more trouble as accusations of pedophilia and inappropriate behavior surfaced in the media. This scrutiny further encapsulated him in the world he made to escape the larger, more sinister world around him. Robert Hilburn, journalist for the Los Angeles Times who covered many of Jackson’s most defining moments, says of Jackson, “Michael struck me as one of the most fragile and lonely people I've ever met.”
Both had Lisa Maries in their life – Perhaps one of the most obvious parallels in both Jackson and Presley’s lives was a woman by the name of Lisa Marie Presley. She was known as daughter to Elvis. She was once known as wife to Michael. Though the roles were extremely different, the role she filled in both lives was a monumental one.
Both had plastic surgery – While Michael’s adventures in plastic surgery have become a pop culture punchline in the past two decades, Michael wasn’t alone in his quest for perfection. In Alanna Nash’s book, Elvis and the Memphis Mafia, Marty Lacker recounts how Elvis showed him his new face after having a face lift. “He couldn’t take seventy-five pounds off overnight, but he could do something about looking tired. So he scheduled a facelift for June, to take the bags from his eyes and to tighten his facial tone.”
Both held addictions to prescription drugs – Few people can handle the extreme fame that comes with the talent exercised by both Presley and Jackson. In fact, like Icarus’ ill-fated flight and its close proximity to the sun, it seems that no one can truly withstand such a bright spotlight fixated on one’s life – both public and private. Finding a way to deal with such scrutiny is near impossible and, unfortunately, both Presley and Jackson eventually turned to prescription drugs in order to temporarily dull the pain that came with the loneliness and acute self-awareness of mega fame. While authorities are still unsure how much of a role Jackson’s addiction played in his death, his addiction had become well known and had been the subject of much tabloid fodder for years. Elvis’ notorious prescription drug addiction has been documented in numerous biographies and firsthand accounts of those who surrounded him in his final years.
Both died before giving a concert to which fans held tickets – When Elvis died in August of 1977, many fans held tickets to concerts that were just days away. Some fans opted to get refunds while others chose to keep the tickets as a souvenir or, in some cases, in hopes that the unused ticket would one day be worth substantially more than the original ticket cost. Likewise, many fans left holding tickets to the shows that Michael was preparing for just before his death are faced with the same dilemma. While promoter AEG has promised a refund to all ticket holders, many are choosing to keep the tickets as a final keepsake of Michael’s musical legacy.
Both were laid to rest in a “Forest” – Well, not exactly, but both were laid to rest in similarly named cemeteries. Before later being moved to Graceland by father Vernon, Elvis was laid to rest in Forest Hill Cemetary in Memphis, TN. Michael was recently laid to rest at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Hollywood, CA.
Both were the subject of rampant speculation regarding the actual contents of their coffins – When Elvis Presley passed away in 1977, rumors of a wax figure replacing Elvis’ body in his coffin led to theories of Elvis’ death being a hoax. These wild rumors supplied fans with decades of debates on whether or not Elvis was truly dead. And in a case of pop history repeating itself, fans have already begun to speculate whether or not Jackson’s body was in the coffin that was present at his memorial service and eventually taken to Forest Lawn Cemetery. Will fans be speculating about the possibility of Jackson’s livelihood three decades from now as they do with Elvis?
It’s obvious that both Elvis and Michael Jackson shared many similarities even beyond what is mentioned here. What is probably the most notable similarity is the way both performers became such a large part of pop culture history and how their music and performances changed the face of music. Elvis changed the face of music forever by bringing rock and rhythm out of the rhythm and blues clubs and into the homes of families who had never heard nor seen such performances. Michael’s electrifying performances and unforgettable dance moves created a legion of fans and imitators. His cinematic music videos would create a format for telling stories with music that would completely change the way music videos were created and perceived.
And above all else, one thing is certain: whether it’s Jailhouse Rock or Beat It, both will long live through their music when all the hoopla and speculation settles from a frantic frenzy to a hushed whisper in the years to come.
Comments
Elvis was just an average singer, but has a nice face, but he was not a musician who would change music radically. He never wrote any of his songs (or maybne co-wrote a few and forgotten), his voice was absoluely average, but had the charisma needed to succeed.
But Michael Jackson the artist, musician, singer and dancer, songwriter, humanitarian, he really changed music!
To compare Elvis and Michael Jackson that way like in the article, is pointeless and biased, of cource, the typical American hyposrisy to boast a white guy (with gipsy origin) than a black artist who ruled the music world 30 years, more than Elvis and The Beatles - in terms of the time of active career!!!
Who ever thinks Elvis is better than mj is so retarded Elvis sold a billion records in his lifetime but Michael had stopped for 20 years because of false allegations if he would have kept going for those 20 years he would have sold well over a billion and since he died he has sold more than Elvis so yea research people I have something for the person that says there is 16 statues of Elvis and none of Michael actually dude there Are about 300 of Michael Jackson around the globe so if I really wanted to put Elvis down I could sit here and name all the accomplishments of the worlds greatest entertainer of all time but I'm afraid I and every body else would have to wait about a billion years because Michael holds the record for holding more records than any other humanitarian object on the planet oh yea and about charity Michael holds the record for having the most around the world he had 15,000 that is staggering so yea Michael is the best Elvis has nothing on him everything about Michael is record setting so yea michael is king of kings and god of gods and I've been to 13 of his concerts and met him 7 times I am infatuated with him I even have his hat that I caught in Bucharest after Billie Jean I am his number 1 fan if he were alive I'd give my life for him Michael is god and I love him rest in peace Michael I love you!!!!!
Who ever thinks Elvis is better than mj is so retarded Elvis sold a billion records in his lifetime but Michael had stopped for 20 years because of false allegations if he would have kept going for those 20 years he would have sold well over a billion and since he died he has sold more than Elvis so yea research people I have something for the person that says there is 16 statues of Elvis and none of Michael actually dude there Are about 300 of Michael Jackson around the globe so if I really wanted to put Elvis down I could sit here and name all the accomplishments of the worlds greatest entertainer of all time but I'm afraid I and every body else would have to wait about a billion years because Michael holds the record for holding more records than any other humanitarian object on the planet oh yea and about charity Michael holds the record for having the most around the world he had 15,000 that is staggering so yea Michael is the best Elvis has nothing on him everything about Michael is record setting so yea michael is king of kings and god of gods and I've been to 13 of his concerts and met him 7 times I am infatuated with him I even have his hat that I caught in Bucharest after Billie Jean I am his number 1 fan if he were alive I'd give my life for him Michael is god and I love him rest in peace Michael I love you!!!!! And he was not bankrupt at death if he sold 750 million albums in his lifetime he got about $8 off of each one so in his life time he made about 8 billion dollars and that's not including the shirts glasses costumes and all the other merchandise and memerobilia he had for sale he also has the 6 biggest selling albums of all time and the 5 biggest selling and famed world tours of all time and his single concert the 30th anniversary concert shattered the record with it selling out in just 30 seconds nobody will ever achieve that and I could just go on and on and on but I don't thing that it will let me put that much message so yea oh and about the kid sex thing he was proven by a jury to be innocent and you can not legally pay that off it is agains the law and for that system there is about two hundred supervisors so that's impossible to pay off he was destroyed by the governments because he was to famous smart and rich and if he ran for a political position he would definitely win so they had to take him down but I will love him no matter what me and the billions of other followers Michael Jackson will always be the most famous thing to hit the universe so Michael is not an artist that comes along once a decade once a hundred years or once in a generation or once a lifetime he just comes once period.
MICHAEL I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Michael Jackson, 1958-2009
Michael Jackson has died at the age of 50. One of the world's most recognizable entertainers, Jackson is best known for the groundbreaking Thriller. His incalculable musical legacy lives on. the most recognizable, figure in the entertainment industry. His name is known throughout the known world and his fans are legion. Even at the young age of 37 years, he has become a living legend in our world, famous not only for his amazing musical talents and accomplishments spanning a period in excess of twenty-five years, but also for his unparalleled commitment to the many and various humanitarian and ecological concerns which plague our beleaguered planet. His music is heard emanating from radio broadcasters from Afghanistan to Zululand and every place in between. He has toured the world many times and garnered every award known to the recording industry with several, such as the American Music Award's Michael Jackson International Artist of the Year Award and the MTV Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award being named after him. He is the holder of the Guinness Book of World Records award for the largest selling album in history, "Thriller", still unsurpassed at over 46 million copies sold over a decade after its release ... as well as the Guinness Book of World Records award for the largest selling single in History, "We Are the World", a collaborative, all-star recording which has earned over $60 million for world famine relief ... and he is the holder of the world's record for the largest musical tour.
Along with being the best known and, arguably, the most accomplished live performer the world has ever seen, Michael Jackson is also, undoubtedly, the least understood and most often misrepresented public figure to ever grace this planet. He is frequently misquoted in published accounts of his life. His words are often taken out of context; his actions are held up for ridicule and scorn by the international press corps; his lifestyle choices and sexual inclinations are daily fare for the worldwide yellow journalistic profession.
Michael Jackson's unparelleled fame notwithstanding, it is discouraging to realize the amount of ignorance with which he is viewed by much of the world's press community ... and, therefore, by the world's citizens. In the words of Jay Cocks, writing for Time Magazine in March 1984, "Show business accepts innocence only if it can be sentimentalized. Jackson's world of fantasy is easier to dismiss with malicious gossip than understand with sympathy." The world press community (both legitimate and gutter) has chosen Mr. Cocks' easy way to cope with Michael Jackson's talent, popularity, creativity and persona; he challenges that choice within his music, films, performances and personal lifestyle.
This brief biography is an attempt to make Michael Jackson real for the majority of his fans worldwide. It is not intended as a totally objective view because its author cannot, by any stretch of the imagination, be called objective with regards to Michael Jackson. Rather, it is a rough sketch of the facts of Michael Jackson's life -- a portrait painted in words and thoughts.
The Early Years - The Jackson 5 - 1969 through 1975
Michael Joseph Jackson was born August 29, 1958, the seventh of nine children born to Joseph and Katherine Jackson in Gary, Indiana (U.S.A.) Michael's father, Joseph, was a steel-mill worker in this working-class city near Chicago, Illinois, but his heart was devoted to music. Joseph played guitar and sang in a rhythm and blues group called "the Falcons" in strip clubs and burlesque houses in the Chicago area. Katherine worked part-time as a sales clerk in a local retail establishment in Gary. She was a highly devout, practicing member of the Jehovah's Witness faith.
Michael's birth was preceded by his older sisters, Maureen (nicknamed Rebbie within the family)and LaToya and his brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon. He was followed by brother, Randy, and sister, Janet. Together, the Jackson brothers would make music history, first as the Jackson 5 and then as the Jacksons ... but Michael would surpass them all in his solo career.
The Jackson home in Gary, Indiana was a small four-room house consisting of a living room, kitchen and two bedrooms. Katherine and Joseph shared one bedroom, the five brothers shared the second bedroom, and the two oldest girls slept on a hideaway bed in the living room. The children had a very strict upbringing due to Katherine and Joseph's escalating unease with the dangers of the streets of Gary. They attended a school within walking distance of their house and were required to return directly from school to their small home. They were not allowed to visit their friends' homes or to participate in after- school activities, such as baseball or basketball. But, with their father's love of music and their mother's wonderful voice, they were allowed an abundance of music as a pasttime.
As the children grew older, the four oldest boys began to imitate their mother, harmonizing with her on country and western favorites in their home. Tito discovered Joseph's guitar in the closet and began tinkering with it, finally learning to play well enough to accompany his siblings as they sang. Eventually, the inevitable happened -- a string broke while Tito was playing Joseph's guitar and, after being punished severely by Joseph, Tito was asked to show Joseph what he could do with it. Joseph was impressed with his young sons' abilities and began to train them rigorously, rehearsing them after school, often long into the night.
At a very early age, Michael began to show signs of the turn his life would take. Katherine recalled that, at the ripe old age of a year and a half, he would hold his bottle and dance to the rhythm of the washing machine. His grandmother reminisced that he began to sing at the age of three, "And what a beautiful voice he had. Even back then, he was a joy to listen to." According to brother Tito, Michael's lightning moves originated in ducking and swaying to avoid his parent's punishing blows. "He was so quick that if my mother or father used to swing at him, he'd be out of their way. They'd be swinging at air."
Michael was always impressed with his older brothers' musical rehearsals and began to imitate them at a very early age. He sang his first solo, "Climb Every Mountain" from the "Sound of Music" for a school program at the age of six years and , even at that young age, his vocal timbre was enough to bring tears to his teachers' eyes. He joined his brothers shortly after, singing harmony with them on songs made famous by the Temptations, the O'Jays and James Brown.
Joseph began to book his sons into some of the same strip joints and burlesque houses throughout the Gary and Chicagoland area that the "Falcons" had played and the young Jacksons, fronted by six-year-old Michael, became professional entertainers. They rehearsed daily (after school) under the watchful eye of their strict, tyrranical father. They spent their weekends traveling to clubs to perform, often arriving home very early on Monday morning to resume their school schedules a couple of hours later. During these rehearsals, they sharpened ... refined ... their raw talent, acquiring the professional stagecraft that only constant practice can impart. The Jacksons joined talent shows and, eventually, won a city- wide show which brought them to the attention of Ben Brown, owner of SteelTown Records, who recorded their first album. The Jackson brothers were thrilled to hear their record played on the radio and Michael has recalled his joy in his autobiography, Moonwalk.
After performing the club circuit and talent shows throughout the Midwest, the young brothers won a talent show and were allowed to play on the same bill as Bobby and the Vancouvers. It was Bobby Taylor who brought the Jackson 5 to Motown and auditioned them for Suzanne De Passe, although the Motown Press Department disseminated the legend that Diana Ross had discovered them. Diana Ross did, indeed, present them to the public, both as a sponsor of their first album, "Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5" and on the Ed Sullivan Show.
Berry Gordy, the founder of Motown, has recalled his first meeting with the Jackson 5 in the following words, derived from his 1995 autobiography, "To Be Loved: The Music, The Magic, the Memories of Motown"
"When I look at it today, I can still remember the intensity we all felt standing there that July morning watching those five young boys fom Gary, Indiana perform. Nine-year-old Michael, eleven-year-old Marlon, fourteen-year-old Jermaine, and fifteen- and seventeen-year-old Tito and Jackie meant business. All of them moved, sang and played their instruments like winners.
They tore into the Temptations' "Aint Too Proud to Beg" - all moving together like little David Ruffins, but with a style all their own. When they sang "I Wish It Would Rain" and "Tobacco Road," they made the songs sound like they were written just for them. They wound up with little Michael doing James Brown's "I Got the Feeling." His dazzling footwork would have certainly made the Godfather proud.
This little kid had an incredible knowingness about him that really made me take notice. He sang his songs with such feeling, inspiration and pain -- like he had experienced everything he was singing about. In between songs he kept his eyes on me the whole time, as if he was studying me."
The Jackson 5 signed with Motown and during their tenure with the Detroit and Los Angeles-based music giant, they recorded the following albums:
Diana Ross Presents the Jackson 5 (1969) - contains Who's Loving You and I Want You Back
ABC (1970) - contains ABC/The Love You Save
Third Album (1970) - contains I'll Be There/ Mama's Pearl
The Christmas Album (1970)
Maybe Tomorrow (1971) - contains Never Can Say Goodbye
Goin' Back to Indiana (1971)
Greatest Hits (1971) - compilation of greatest hits
Looking Through The Window (1972)
Skywriter (1973) - contains Corner of the Sky/Touch Me
Get It Together (1973)
Dancing Machine (1974)
Moving Violation (1975)
Joyful Jukebox Music (1976) - contains We're Here to Entertain You
In addition to recording with his brothers, Michael also recorded the following solo albums with Motown:
Got to Be There (1972) - contains Got To Be There/Aint No Sunshine
Ben (1972) - contains Ben/In Our Small Way
Music & Me (1973) - ontains With a Child's Heart/Morning Glow/Music & Me
Forever, Michael (1975) - contains One Day in Your Life/We're Almost There
Best of Michael Jackson (1975) - compilation of greatest hits
In his autobiography, Moonwalk, Michael Jackson has described his childhood as "mostly work." The Jackson brothers were rehearsed and managed by their overly-strict father, whose insistence on perfect performances ... in school work as well as in rehearsals and talent shows ... frequently ended in physical and/or verbal violence. Michael was eleven-years-old when the group signed with Motown in 1969 (although the Motown press corps published his age as nine, explaining that he would be much cuter and more appealing to the public if he were two years younger. They called it "public relations.")
Regardless, his voice and his effervescent, youthful charm endeared him to a public who was eager to embrace him. He gives a rare glimpse of his youth in his statement that in the summer of 1970, the Jackson 5 performed in 45 cities, with 50 more cities being added later in the year. Forty-five cities within a ninety-day period meant that he and his brothers were performing concerts [on average] every second day during that summer. Travel to and from the concerts accounted for a portion of the non-performing day. And this does NOT account for recording sessions, picture sessions, interviews, or the interminable rehearsals Joseph Jackson insisted upon. It also does not account for the fact that, unlike many lead singers of the time, Michael was present at EACH of these recording sessions. He recorded with his brothers and his is the beautiful, clear treble in the backgrounds of all of the Jackson 5 early hits. Later, he would return to the recording studio while his brothers played basketball or tinkered with cars to lay in the lead tracks and round off the recordings.
Michael Jackson describes his relationship with his father, Joseph, as "turbulent", understating rather than sensationalizing that relationship. But, much later, during a televised interview, he replied to his interrogator's questions regarding this relationship with the words, [I was] "frightened ... very frightened. There were times when he would come to see me, I would get sick. I would start to regurgitate." When asked if such occasions occurred "as a child ... or as an adult," he responded with one word ... "both." He was 35 years old at the time of the interview.
The Jacksons - 1976 to 1984
In 1976, the Jackson 5 left Motown Records because, in Michael's words, "we didn't like the way we were being recorded." Berry Gordy's personal management of the siblings recording sessions and 'The Corporation's' creative songwriting had been withdrawn in favor of Diana Ross's acting career and his move to Hollywood to dabble in the film-making industry. The Jacksons felt his inattention sorely. Though sixteen-year- old Michael had met with Berry Gordy to request approval to write and produce their own music, Gordy refused to allow the Jackson 5 this freedom. Perhaps, because of their youth, Gordy felt justified in refusing to allow them the artistic freedom such creativity demands. It is no secret that many Motown artists had to struggle with Mr. Gordy for artistic control over their releases on his label. Smokey Robinson and Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye all did battle with the Motown head to achieve their artistic liberation.
Regardless, the Jacksons left Motown to sign with EPIC records in 1976. Jermaine, having married Berry Gordy's daughter, Hazel Gordy, remained with Motown and was replaced both in the studio and on tour with Randy, the sixth Jackson to enter the entertainment field. Michael describes the first show they did without Jermaine in his autobiography, Moonwalk:
"I clearly remember the first show we did without him because it was so painful for me. Since my earliest days on the stage -- and even in our Gary living room -- Jermaine stood at my left with his bass. I depended on being next to Jermaine. And when I did that first show without him there, with no one next to me, I felt totally naked onstage for the first time in my life."
During their tenure with EPIC, the Jacksons worked with Gamble and Huff as producers on their first two albums, except for two songs each which were composed and produced by the Jacksons. Their last three albums were composed and produced exclusively by the Jacksons.
The Jacksons (1976) - contains Blues Away (Michael's first published composition)/Style of Life
Goin'Places (1977) - contains Different Kind of Lady/Do What You Wanna
Destiny (1978) - contains Blame It on the Boogie/Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)
Triumph (1980) - contains Can You Feel It/Lovely One
Victory (1984) - contains Torture/Always/State of Shock
Live (1981) - the only LIVE album ever released by Michael Jackson (in conjunction with his brothers)
My Way - 1979 to Present
In 1979, Michael starred as the Scarecrow in "The WIZ," an updated version of "The Wizard of Oz", starring Diana Ross, Nipsey Russell, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor. He moved to New York, far from the reach of Joseph Jackson, and began to experience life on more independent terms, enjoying outings to plays and dance clubs. During the filming, he renewed his old acquaintanceship with Quincy Jones. Later, Q and Michael would join forces to make musical history repeatedly. With Quincy as producer, Michael would record:
Off the Wall (1979) - contains Don't Stop Til You Get Enough/Rock With You/Off the Wall
Thriller (1982) - contains Beat It/Thriller/Billie Jean/The Girl is Mine/Lady in My Life
ET Children's Storybook (1982) - contains Someone in the Dark
We Are the World (1985) - all star recording session for the relief of famine in Africa
Bad (1987) - contains Bad/Liberian Girl/Another Part of Me/I Just Can't Stop Loving You/Man in the Mirror/Dirty Diana/
The extraordinary collaboration with Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson broke so many records that it would be difficult to list them all. Suffice it to say that with Quincy, Michael rose to his present, unprecedented status as 'The Greatest Entertainer in the World.' Thriller is the best-selling album in the history of the recording industry. It won an unheard-of seven Grammy Awards and many international awards throughout the world -- and is still selling well over one million copies per year more than thirteen years after its release. The latest figures I've seen list Thriller at over 46 million copies sold worldwide.
Michael Jackson's "Bad" album held the second place in worldwide sales for quite a few years, becoming the first album in HIStory to generate five #1 hits, but I understand that it has now been supplanted by "Dangerous", Michael's fourth solo album on EPIC Records (22 million and 23 million albums sold, respectively, according to the most recent sales figures released.)
Dangerous (1992) - contains Jam/Heal the World/Give In To Me/Keep the Faith/Dangerous/Gone Too Soon
HIStory: Past, Present and Future,Book 1 (1995) - contains Michael's first duet with sister Janet, Scream, as well as You Are Not Alone, the first song in HIStory to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts, Earth Song, a song Michael penned to express "the Earth's pain" and Stranger in Moscow
Blood on the Dance Floor (1997) - contains eight remixes from the HIStory album along with five new releases three of which refer to his latest short film project, Ghosts.
Michael Jackson's fourth solo release, "Dangerous" contains Jam/In the Closet/Heal the World/Will You Be There/and a host of other truly memorable tracks, including Gone Too Soon, Michael's tearful farewell to his young friend, Ryan White, a hemophiliac who died at the age of 18 from AIDS, contracted by a compromised transfusion of blood plasma. The song is dedicated to Ryan both on the album and on the short film compilation as well as in Michael's performance on the occasion of President Bill Clinton's Inauguration in 1992.
Michael Jackson's fifth solo release on EPIC Records was released on June 21, 1995. "HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1" is a truly remarkable collection of music featuring a duet with sister, Janet, called "Scream" and fourteen original tracks in addition to fifteen greatest hits on a two-disc set. During its first six months, "HIStory" sold more than 8.5 million copies worldwide. Current (February 1996) sales figures list "HIStory" at 11.9 million copies worldwide. "HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1" is Michael Jackson's pain-filled and angry response to the unremitting scorn and ridicule to which he has been subjected by the world's press community since his very earliest days on the stage.
From the date of it's release, "HIStory" has attracted the ire and criticism of many of the critics in the United States. Yet, the album's single releases have broken record after record. "Scream" debutted at #5 on Billboard's HOT 100 chart, breaking a 25-year old record set by the Beatles with "Let It Be". "You Are Not Alone" debuted on the same chart at #1, shattering Michael's own record of approximately six weeks' duration, a totally unprecedented occurrence in the annals of the history of the recorded arts and sciences. The third single released from HIStory, "Earth Song", was not released as a single in the United States, but it set records in the rest of the world, having held the #1 spot on the United Kingdom charts for 6 weeks through the Christmas season of 1995. The album itself, although roundly denounced as an unsatisfactory effort by a "washed up has been" by America's music critics has recently been nominated for six Grammy Awards, being labelled "a great album" by the nominating committee ... and that "washed up has been" was awarded the American Music Awards Favorite Male Pop/Rock Artist award on January 29, 1996. Which just goes to show that you should never take a critic's or reporter's word as gospel. Listen and investigate and judge for yourself. The third single (U.S.) and fourth single (world) to be released from "HIStory" is being readied and scheduled for late February. The short film to accompany "They Don't Care About Us" was filmed in New York and Brazil.
In September 1996, Michael Jackson embarked on his third solo world tour in Prague, Czech Republic. The first leg of the tour is scheduled to extend through January 1997, with the second leg to commence in late May, extending through September 1997 spanning the continents of Europe and Australia and Japan. During a tour stop in Australia, Michael surprised the world with the announcement that one of his long-held dreams would be realized in the birth of his son in February 1997. One week later, Michael walked down the proverbial aisle again in a private ceremony in Sydney, Australia, marrying Debbie Rowe, the mother of his soon-to-be-born son. The child was delivered at the Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles,California in a natural birth, reportedly attended by a very emotional father.
Perfectionism:
It is not only Michael's musical ability which sets him apart from other artists. Michael Jackson is also well-known for his devotion to detail, his perfectionism. Michael refuses to release marginal material to his international fans. He pours himself, body and soul, into each and every project he undertakes. He doesn't care about deadlines or schedules -- if it is not right, if it does not make him feel complete, satisfied -- it is not good enough for his fans. This attitude has frequently been responsible for the lengthy delays accompanying his releases.
It is also this perfectionism which is partly responsible for his much publicized and criticized hospitalizations. His most recent hospitalization occurred December 6, 1995, when he was admitted to the Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City after collapsing on stage mid-song while rehearsing for his HBO special. Michael had been suffering from a viral infection of the intestinal tract for several days before his collapse, but instead of resting and letting the special take care of itself, Michael continued to rehearse, sometimes between 12 and 15 hours a day, to perfect his show for us, his fans. By ignoring his physical distress, Michael seriously endangered his life, causing severe dehydration, heart arrythmia, shock, and liver and kidney damage from the electrolyte imbalance. He seems to have recovered his health, but this incident is just another illustration of his perfectionist nature. In a world which seems to accept, and even encourage, mediocrity, this devotion to giving his best places Michael in a class all his own among his colleagues.
Humanitarian Commitment:
Michael is also legendary for his humanitarian commitment to children the world over and for the exceptional, symbiotic relationship he enjoys with his international fans. He has contributed to many organizations through the years, including the United Negro College Fund, (resulting in more than 97 scholarships being awarded to deserving young people whose college educations would have been impossible without his largesse) ... Make a Wish Foundation, resulting in hundreds of ill or deprived young people realizing their dreams of meeting Michael Jackson and regular invitations to Los Angeles area children to come and play in his Amusement Park and Zoo, Dreamstreet, DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education), upon whose Governing Board Michael Jackson has served for years ... as well as allowing the use of his most popular compositions in national campaigns against drunk driving ("Beat It")and drug abuse ("Bad").
In 1991, Michael Jackson founded the Heal the World Foundation. Its goal is, in Michael's words, "healing -- pure and simple." Heal the World provides immediate relief efforts to needy children around the world. Under the auspices of this international children's charity, Michael has spearheaded several airlifts of food and medical supplies to wartorn Sarajevo, instituted a mentoring, immunization and drug abuse education program entitled "Heal LA" for embattled Los Angeles after the Rodney King debacle and paid for Hungarian four-year-old, Bela Farcas', liver transplant
Many in the media have suggested that Michael's legendary humanitarian work is undertaken to further publicize the most famous human being on the planet or as tax write-offs. Such suggestions are laughable ... as well as irrelevant. Although Michael Jackson has opened his wallet ... and his home ... to deprived, disadvantaged or ill children the world over, his most significant contribution ... and one that remains an inspiration to many millions of fans ... is his time and his attention, a much more valuable commodity than mere money.
At nearly every city on his world tours, Michael Jackson visits toy stores and music shops, purchasing thousands of dollars worth of toys and cds. The world's media, particularly in the United States, views these visits as "bizarre" or "weird." Again, the judgment is irrelevant. The shopping sprees are necessary. Usually, his next stop is a children's hospital ... or orphanage ... or school ... where he distributes his purchases to sick and disadvantaged children, often staying up late to insert batteries and ascertain that each of the toys works properly before distributing them. He doesn't just drop them off ... or send them with couriers ... he visits each child, spending time talking and laughing with children too young ... or too sick ... to understand that their visitor is Michael Jackson, superstar. Such devotion is all too rare in our world. His genuine delight in the presence of children can be experienced by watching footage of these visits ... witnessing his hand caressing the bald head of a young cancer victim gently ... watching his timid smile as he approaches ... or the way his face lights, as if from within, when children are present ... providing evidence to the open-hearted of his sincerity in this regard. Such open reactions cannot be faked ... nor can they be hidden. To those who do not see, I express my sincerest sympathy. Their blindness extends far past their visual apparatus ... it is a blindness of the soul.
Michael Jackson was awarded the VH1 "International Artist" Honor in November 1995 in honor of his international humanitarian contributions.
Michael's Seclusion:
Michael Jackson has spent the majority of his life in the harsh glare of the public eye. He is a very shy, private person who magically transforms himself into a whirling dervish during his performances -- a perpetual motion machine when involved in a stage show. As a result of his dedication to maintaining his privacy, Michael has limited the amount of personal publicity he willingly gives to the press. The media, however, has not allowed Michael's reticence to discuss his personal life to bar them from discussing it at great length. Many of the rumors that have been circulated about Michael's life are patently absurd, illogical, nonsensical and totally untrue. He has explained many of them in his autobiography, Moonwalk. Nonetheless, the media seems to have an endless obsession with printing lies, rumors, innuendos and fortune-telling -- in lieu of hard, tangible, provable facts -- regarding Michael Jackson. The following section will tell Michael's side of some of the more popular recurring stories of "bizarre" behavior and "weird" lifestyle.
Oxygen Chamber:
Accounts of Michael sleeping in an oxygen chamber were explained during a 90-minute live interview held in February 1993 with Oprah Winfrey. During the interview, entitled "Ninety Prime Time Minutes with the King of Pop," Michael admitted purchasing the hyperbaric chamber as a therapeutic aid for burn victims. He donated the chamber to the Brotman Medical Center in Culvert City, California after he had been admitted for treatment of severe burns to his scalp suffered during the filming of a Pepsi commercial. He denied having purchased it for himself and when it was explained that the rumor was that he didn't want to grow old, Michael replied, "That's stupid. That's stupid. It's completely made up. And I'm embarrassed." The photographs taken of him inside the chamber were easily explained. He had entered the chamber to check it out and "hammer around" but, he explained, he did not sleep in any kind of chamber, he was not afraid of growing old. He has also denied any knowledge of how the story came to be printed in the first place, denying the rumor that he had started the story as a publicity stunt emphatically and directly. Of course, following the interview, most major publications that featured the story insinuated or stated directly that Michael Jackson had lied about this and many other statements during the intimate chat with Oprah. Logically, if there is one man who does not need publicity stunts, Michael Jackson is that man. Everything he says, thinks, feels, does, or doesn't do is reported widely all over the world, to his chagrin.
Elephant Man's Bones
During the same interview described in the oxygen chamber section above, Michael denied ever trying to purchase Mr. Merrick's skeletal remains. He explained that the story of John Merrick touched him profoundly, "it made me cry because I saw myself in the story, but, NO, I never tried to buy the Elephant Man's bones. What would I do with a bag of bones?"
Elizabeth Taylor:
During the above-mentioned interview, both Michael and Elizabeth Taylor denied the rumors that Michael had proposed marriage to her. In Ms. Taylor's words, "and I never proposed to him." To Ms. Winfrey's question about what had "brought about such a bond" between them, Ms. Taylor replied that they became close as a result of having very similar childhoods. "I was a star when I was nine years old -- had an abusive father. That brought us close in the very beginning." She also stated emphatically in reference to Michael Jackson, "he is the least weird man I have ever known." When asked what she most wanted the world to know about Michael Jackson, Ms. Taylor responded, "What a giving, caring, generous man he is. And how good he is."
Facial Surgeries:
Michael answered Oprah Winfrey's questions about his facial surgeries by saying, "It's only two things.
Actually, Michael has admitted to having had two rhinoplasties. The first was the result of a fall on stage in 1979. Michael broke his nose, according to reports -- it had to be rebuilt. Simple ... straightforward ... logical ... no mystery here. The second was a direct result of the first -- it had been botched. He couldn't breathe properly -- for a singer, this is very serious. Granted, on both occasions, cosmetic procedures were performed at the same time. But both were necessary medical procedures to remedy damages incurred during an accident.
One of the major reasons for the performance of cosmetic procedures may have been the psychological abuse to which Michael was subjected as a youth. Brothers can be exceedingly and excrutiatingly cruel to one younger, less hard-skinned, and more talented than they -- his older brothers' favorite nickname for Michael was "BIG NOSE" and his father frequently referred to him as "ugly." Such baiting can have lasting effects on young, impressionable people -- perhaps even forming their self-images for the rest of their lives. A popular biographer describes such an incident during Michael's early teens when the lighthearted teasing and comaraderie between the brothers turned viciously embarrassing when the conversation turned to nicknames in the presence of the reporter and photographer from a magazine with a national distribution. Such wounds bleed deeply and profusely -- and for too long -- as we all know from first hand experience.
Skin Shade:
Michael has explained his pigmentation abnormalities as a skin disorder known as vitiligo, which is closely related to albinism. Small ovular patches of the skin lose their pigment as a result of the failure of skin cells, called melanocytes, to produce and store melanin. Melanin is largely responsible for uniform pigmentation of the skin, hair and eyes and is also influential in protecting human skin from the harmful environmental radiation present in the ultraviolet spectrum of sunlight. Gradually, these small patches enlarge enormously, resulting in an overall lack of pigment in affected areas. As a result of his pigmentation abnormality, Michael has to be VERY CAUTIOUS when exposed to direct sunlight.
Marriage:
On May 26, 1994, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley were married in a private ceremony outside of the United States. No announcement was made regarding the nuptials until nearly three months later, in August, 1994, when Lisa Marie Presley-Jackson did announce that she and Michael were, indeed, husband and wife. Naturally, the media immediately ran rampant with accounts of this latest in, according to their views, a long line of "publicity stunts" concocted to repair damage to Michael Jackson's "tarnished" image in the wake of molestation allegations made against him in 1993. One wonders how logical it is to stage a "publicity stunt" and then keep it totally secret for nearly three months. No one has been able to answer that question to my satisfaction yet.
In January, 1996 an announcement was made by Lisa Marie Presley- Jackson's publicist and lawyer that the marriage between Lisa Marie and Michael would be dissolved by decree of divorce. Speculations regarding the reasons for the divorce and who would benefit the most from the property settlement occupied press accounts for weeks. We, Michael's fans, may never know what went wrong. And, as his fans, we would do better to bear no ill will toward either of the participants in this common tragedy than to speculate about the reasons for the split or the personal property settlements. We, the board of the Michael Jackson Internet Fan Club, wish them both happiness and pray for their continued health. We are grateful for the eighteen months of joy that they obviously gave each other.
Considering the amount of pressure put upon this young couple from the day of the announcement of their secret wedding in the Dominican Republic, both from within and outside of the relationship, it would be hard to find a better reason for the split. Michael and Lisa Marie, to the shame of the journalistic profession, was actually asked on national television if they had sexual relations by a "reputable, serious journalist," who, unwilling to ask the question herself, had the passersby on the street ask it. Such information is not within the public domain -- and never has been. The degrading and humiliating comments made by journalists, talk show hosts and reputable announcers regarding the marriage were enough to make an angel weep for shame.
In November 1996, Michael married Debbie Rowe, his friend of fifteen years and the nurse in his dermatologists office in a private ceremony in his hotel suite in Sydney, Australia during his scheduled tour stop in that city. In February 1997, Michael Jackson's first child was born at the Cedar-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. The healthy boy, named Prince Michael Junior in honor of Michael's grandfather and great-grandfather, made his appearance on February 13, 1997 in a natural birth attended by his father.
Allegations of Molestation:
In August, 1993, allegations of child molestation were brought against Michael Jackson. According to Mary Fisher of "Gentleman's Quarterly," the allegations were only elicited from the child after a "highly irregular" session in his father's dental office under the influence of a "highly unstable, hypnotic drug" called Sodium Amytol, which has been proven in previous cases to instill false memories in its victims.
The uproar in the international press over this story was an experience that this author, for one, never ever wants to witness again. Michael Jackson was hung, drawn, and quartered by the world's press community on no evidence of any wrongdoing ... and in the cruelest, most humiliating manner possible. He was eviscerated with pen and ink in an example of celebrity-bashing seldom equaled. Appalling and hair-raising accounts of perversions were disseminated throughout the world about a man who had lived an exemplary life in the harsh glare of the media for the majority of his life. During the entire affair, few (with the exception of Mary Fisher, mentioned above) took a logical, sensible view. The sensational would sell more papers.
The criminal case ended in October 1994 with no charges of any kind being brought against Michael Jackson after the Santa Barbara and LA authorities interviewed close to 50 children who had been befriended by Michael Jackson, dozens of Jackson's friends and associates and employees, and conducted a body search and photograph session. The civil suit ended when Michael Jackson and the representatives of the boy who brought the allegations settled the suit out of court for an unspecified amount.
Throughout the 13-month investigations, Michael Jackson maintained his total innocence with dignity and humanity. He never degraded or humiliated his accusers -- he never lashed out in anger over their duplicity -- he held his head high with pride and proclaimed his innocence briefly and succinctly. His behavior in this situation speaks more to his innocence than any words that I could write.
During a televised live interview broadcast by PrimeTime Live with Diane Sawyer, Ms. Sawyer questioned Michael about the allegations. "Did you ever sexually engage, fondle, have sexual contact with this child, or any child?" Michael's response was clear and emphatic, "Never, ever! I could never harm a child. That's not what's in my heart, that's not who I am ..."
Michael Jackson, 1958-2009
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Elvis did write his own songs. And he can sing. If you think he cant sing, then michael has no voice, because idk about you, but I sound just like michael jackson when im yelling AAAOW! while grabbing my crotch and on my toes. The two can sing, the two have talent, the two have changed music radically. King of Rock and Roll ring any bells? And the two both had charisma. If michael jackson continued writing songs, he wouldnt have gotten anybetter because even before the false allegations, he turned white and boy did people make fun of that. Besides, him leaving for like 3287523489 years actually made him sell MORE. Dont get my wrong, I love mj, but elvis just as well.
And to be a dick, if MJ is so good, why is Justin beiber tailing so close to him as best pop singer and he just started performing. No one has ever came close to touching king of rock and roll. ;3
You have no idea what you're talking about Brandon. Elvis changed the world. Elvis gave millions to many charities, and Elvis has almost a million visitors each year to his Graceland home. That will never happen for Jackson and Neverland. Elvis sold over 1 billion records, more than that of any other entertainer. Do some research before you chat about things you don't know. It makes you seem dim-witted... Sorry; I speak the facts..
Brandon, not sure why you're so offended by the article as I find both artists to have been extremely talented and am confused as to why race would have something to do with it. Something tells me that you either didn't read it thoroughly or you're just wanting to vent. Either way, thanks for you comment.
Brandon, were you born an idiot or did you develop into one? Also, go back to school, your spelling sucks.
Elvis was an inventor in everything.
His singing with dancing,his totall performance , his charisma , his incredible voice.
He never wrote a song that,s truth but that was a different time (did Sinatra ever wrote a song?)
Also his management was new with merchandising etc.
He play,s movies and yes they weren,t all good but he did adn Michael? he plays an allien and so he was.
Elvis was human and the best ever happen too music , Michael was great and a better dancer and off course song writer BUT he invent nothing.
He wanna to be a white guy, just like Elvis and in that way i think it,s bad for the black socciety to keep him as an ultimate example.
Elvis was just a normal human only fat at the end BUT he could have been saved when the people arround just did the right thing.
Michael was an allien no one can see that he was a negro that he was a nice looking man .
The man was a freak totally lost
MAy e they were similar but MICHAEL JACKSON is so extremely unique and was pioniering the music and dancing styles had the greatest impact ever .He was an absolute genius able to create an unforgettable atmosphere of live performances.MJ Love you FOREVER
MICHAEL J is genius creating new styles in music and dancing the atmosphere which he was able to create is absolutely fascinating and unforgettable. LOVE you MJ
i love micheal j more than anyone i mean come on, he writ his own songs,invented moves and invented the idea of a hole group dancing together so for all im concerned hes an uter genious ok, i dont care what u think , and nothin, gonna change my mind rip micheal love u.
Elvis sucks. Elvis stole music, Michael created music. Michael Jackson is the best dude
Elvis stole nothing.
Complete nonsense.
You can,t compare the time Elvis starteded with the time MJ comes in a world whitin everyting was just all invented ALSO the songwriting by the artist.
Michael,s only thing to do was to do it BETTER but he didn,t invent nothing new!
So he perfected dancing and he wrote a lot off beauties but he was a copy cat.
Just like the marked, the Japanene never invent something they just make it better NOTHING NEW.
So Elvis brought it all togetherm, the black music, gospel, dance , performing wild etc etc.
The man was totally new and he makes people say as John Lennon: before Elvis there was nothing!
Yes Michael was e great entertainer but he was a false predict, sexual tasting his cross soo obscene by a man who was nothing else than a sick person who was lying on TV and lying too the black sociaty and becausse off that he was fake .No i,m not a negro but if i was than i was emberrassed by MJ calling himslef a good afro American
When reading the article you can see they forget one thing about Elvis.
Just the week Elvis died the book "Elvis what Happened" came out and that was a pin in the mans death coffin.
He was furieus off it and afraid to go in front off an audiance again with now people who knew!
Michael Jackson was in very bad shape with all that stuff in his body and he had too do the greatest thing in his live too prove that everybody was wrong.
They both couldn,t handlle it i figure and i think they both take more downers too get them out off earth sky rocked.
The best they both could do, and lets face it was dying.
Now maybe for MJ it is too late because he creates an impossible figure off himself but it is truth we may never forget him as he was in his good years when he was black and beat the hell out off all.
THAT was a real ARTIST, just like ELVIS was in de 50,s and in the late 60,s till 73.
After that Elvis was just a caricature off himself JUST a great voice but totally lost.
Elvis achieved what he did in a time of no mass media....Elvis opened peoples eyes and started the change in that its ok to listen to and dance to a music that scared so many people...he opened the doors to the talent we had since....he was basically the first to do everything..even a music video.."jailhouse rock"....i`m not taking away from MJ who did in fact continue where Elvis left off...I think they both should stand together and reign over the music world....but i do think in MJ would have called Elvis "Sir" if they`d met...may they both rest in peace...
Well, Don van der Deijl; Let me just say that I am a black woman and I am more than PROUD that Michael was a black man too. I don't care how white he looked...Michael was black. End of story. Also, for you to refer to blacks as "afro Americans" is ridiculous. What a jackass.
Elvis, the Beatles and Jackson ruled the world of music for the exact amount of years. No other single artist or group in the history of the charts, since the advent of the rock era, has done the same. Seven years in a row, for each of the three, all within their active careers. Just because Michael topped the charts during his time with the Jackson 5, does not mean he ruled the world of music. Far form it. Otherwise, why would he and the Jackson 5 wear Presley jumsuits in 1970? ) In Elvis' case was from 1956 to 1963. Then came the Beatles, from 1964 to 1970. Jackson's period, the one where he led a revolution in the music world, and was the top banana, in every way possible, was from 1982 to 1989. OK, they may have each returned to the top of the charts(Aloha in 1973, Elvis 30# 1 hits in 2002, Beatles 1,in 2000), but their "reign" was 7 years. No other artists can claim that. To say Jackson ruled music for 30 yrs is wishful thinking. Nirvana, Eminem, all ended Jackson's reign.
Questions. Who led the disco revolution, how many years that reign lasted, and how many years disco lasted as the top music idiom, worldwide? The answers prove my point that Elvis, the Beatles and Jackson are the only artists to have ruled the world of music, but for only for 7 years. The answers are "The Bee Gees", five years and ten years. And all of this took place in years where Jackson was already recording solo, and with the Jacksons. But the Bee Gees, even if their reign lasted only 4 years, were bigger than Jackson during those years.
Now, if we dig deeper, and rewind to the years before the rock era began *1955), we find that the same happenes, with artists such as Bing Crosby and Frank Sinagtra. They also ruled the world of music for identical periods. When Presley took over, first the US, then the world, in 1956, he did not end the reign of Sinatra, since by that time Old Blue Eyes was no longer leading. The same with Sinatra, as he did not take Crosby's crown either. There were others in between whose reing, (shorter), were cut because of their advent, in both of their cases. Check the charts.
I also want to comment on the article itself. Of all the ones that have appeared, since Michael's passing, connecting him to Presley that is ( and so far I've read more than a hundred of them), it is one of the most even-handed. Congrats on a marvellous job done.
I think Jim has a point.
There is no artist which can stay on top for too long leading the way.
There will always be another hyve comming with newer generations.
But when we will look at the history far way back than we all can tell that the whole music scene in de US is a blend from all kind off music .
So Elvis took the best parts out off it singing black music, dressing black and that with an absolute good voice.
ELvis will always be ELVIS and it doesn,t matter which period you take it,s all impressing and YES even with his jump suits he was the first one.
So Sorry Rennee but in fact i hate rasisme in al kind off ways but i think you can call Michael Jackson one off the biggest racist in music History.
A good looking man which turn over to a white .. i can give it a name and THAT,s a shame itt will hurt his future forever.
See what the last concert tour did with Elvis it was worse and so the EP estate keep it out off the charts off dvd,s It was no longer a healthy EP
Note to see Jim,s name Burrows.
Elvis introduced himself in some occassions with the name James Burrows as i can remember.
On topic:
It,s so strange but when ik look back att the elvis on tour tapes and off course the 1977 special, i feel so much sadness.
The man was so human all alone with only a few which were good for him.
When ik see Michael i feel sick and sorry and emberassing . YES quilty all the people who made him that way , but we can never forget , a man is responsible for his own life.
Jim, thanks so much for the kind compliment on the article. I enjoyed reading your thoughts. :)
why all the hate ppl?
for the Elvis fans, MJ holds the record for giving to the most charities by any pop star and releasing the best selling album of all time. If we really want to show our dedication to these two musical titans, why not donate to their favorite charities in their memory instead of bickering about who was better? Wouldn't that be a better way to honor their legacy??
Elvis was good micheal is better he created nore history in music than anyone else.
ELVIS PRESLEY SIN DUDARLO ES EL PRIMERO DE LOS PRIMEROS Y EL MEJOR DE LOS MEJORES THE KING FOREVER!
I'm writing a comparison/contrast paper on this topic and your essay will be very helpful. Thanks!
micheal the king
elvis sold more albums then mj but mj holds the record for best number one single, thriller, in the world...soo they both are kings
no elvis sucks mj was the best n U CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH
Elvis and michael jachson are icon of different era and media.Elvis showed longevity in popularity which remains to be seen .Elvis is still King
Long live the King of Pop, Michael Joseph Jackson. Michael Jackson was famous and popular in MOST of the countries of the world. The kind of universal and mass appeal he had could only be dreamed of by people like Elvis Presley and the Beatles. It’s so shallow for people to forget that MJ was an INTERNATIONAL star, not just an American star.
There is just one and real king, ELVIS.
people named elvis the king and a close friend named mj king and im sure she did it as his request knowing vain as he was.
BEATLES? please, Beatles are bigger than elvis and even more than mj. before his death mj was nowhere except in news for molesting child, his records wasnt selling good and he was in bankrupt. Is that worthy of a real king?
Hmm, well since i totally dis agree with yhu, imkma say this; i dnt kno any of elvis's songs but one and i dnt even kno wat its called, meaning m.j to me is bettah cuz i kno alot of his.!
totally michael because elvis is so weak and michael is better
elivis was cool michel was awsome and his legacy will live forever rest in peace M,J
Elvis is the King of USA, Michael jackson is the King of world, other country not like Elvis. Evis didn't write songs by himself i don't like this.
Michael is nothing. NOTHING !
Beatles : Kings of pop
Elvis : King of the kings
first of alll.!!!!! yhu really dnt know wat yhur tlkn abt, if michael was nothing... then how do yhu kno his name; if he was nothing yhu shudnt kno abt him at all, yhu wudnt even kno his name. soooo.. seems like he must be sumthing and the onli reason yhu dnt like him is becuz yhu cnt do anything like him; yhu probably mad-hatin on michael; and if yhur are, go get a life and let the hatin end.!
Fuck you! Toto...what kind of name is that and who in their right mind would name their child Toto.
Let me REPHRASE, Michael Jackson is "The KING of ALL Kings," which makes him DETHRONE Elvis. No disrespect to Elvis, but Elvis is known more for his failure lip synchronisation. Michael, on the other hand offered more to the world than just his music - charities, humanitarian efforts.
And wait...didn't The Jackson Five smash the Beatles' record??? Haven't you done your research? The Jackson Five was the first group to have four consecutive number one hit records on the charts and they smashed all records that stood in their way, even the highest grossing tour back then which was the 1984 Victory Tour!
So I suggest you change your list. You are dead wrong!
i think michael is the best but there both great singers and great influences on music i mean this is an opinion and i think michael because michael was know for all around the world elvis just in the u.s. and michael was a humanitarian he loved the world. anyways michael sold more albums than elvis. thriller sold over 100 millon albums. if u haven't noticed thats alot.
toto, I wish I could tell you what you name means in my country, but that name really suites you. lol.
how can you say that elvis wasn't liked in other countries than america. in england he was the biggest thing around. and he never evan came here t england. so DUCKDUCK i don't know what your talking about....and also in Israel there are 16 statues of elvis and none of mj so think before you write
Who ever thinks Elvis is better than mj is so retarded Elvis sold a billion records in his lifetime but Michael had stopped for 20 years because of false allegations if he would have kept going for those 20 years he would have sold well over a billion and since he died he has sold more than Elvis so yea research people I have something for the person that says there is 16 statues of Elvis and none of Michael actually dude there Are about 300 of Michael Jackson around the globe so if I really wanted to put Elvis down I could sit here and name all the accomplishments of the worlds greatest entertainer of all time but I'm afraid I and every body else would have to wait about a billion years because Michael holds the record for holding more records than any other humanitarian object on the planet oh yea and about charity Michael holds the record for having the most around the world he had 15,000 that is staggering so yea Michael is the best Elvis has nothing on him everything about Michael is record setting so yea michael is king of kings and god of gods and I've been to 13 of his concerts and met him 7 times I am infatuated with him I even have his hat that I caught in Bucharest after Billie Jean I am his number 1 fan if he were alive I'd give my life for him Michael is god and I love him rest in peace Michael I love you!!!!!
elvis and the beatles are better kings than mj. yeah mj was the best singer/dancer. but the only reason mj is so popular now is because of his death...before he was just none as a child shagger
*clear throat cough cough clear throat* actually..... michael J. HAS ALWAYYYYSSSS BEEN POPULAR; he must be better thn yhu i dnt see ppl yellin yhur name and tlkn abt yhu and havin a bunch of websites abt yhu; so i onli wanna say this to yhu; GET A LIFE AND LEAVE M.J. OUTTUV IT.! GOT THAT.!
Fuck you. Michael Jackson = "The KING of ALL Kings!"
elvis elvis elvis
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