Michael Jackson: 1958-2009

AP Photo - Doug Pizac

The passing of Michael Jackson ironically brought him the comeback he had yearned for since his Thriller album set an untouchable standard not even he could hope to replicate, despite many subsequently impressive efforts. Occasional comeback attempts were moderately successful, but for the perfectionistic King of Pop, nothing short of Thriller levels of world domination would suffice. Within hours of Michael Jackson's death however, half of the positions on iTunes' top 100 singles chart were occupied by his solo hits and Jackson 5 classics. It's doubtful any artist has monopolized fifty percent of that sales chart since its inception. On the iTunes top 100 albums listing, every version of every solo release by Michael, and multiple compilations of his work and that of the Jacksons and the Jackson 5 had pole-vaulted toward the upper echelon. The Essential Michael Jackson and Thriller alternated hourly turns in the top two spots. His albums were accompanied by the We Are the World charity project he helped write and produce for the celebrity choir USA for Africa, and several video collections proved equally in demand. Most astonishingly, a box set priced at more than thirty dollars was selling as strongly as the less comprehensive releases.

In a market where downloads are available at no cost on several music file sharing websites, it's increasingly rare that an artist can entice millions of listeners to spend as little as a dollar to legitimately purchase a song. It's even more difficult to persuade consumers of the digital age to buy an entire album, since most people can obtain such recordings by simply burning a copy from a friend who downloaded it for free. Yet for the past forty years in the world of entertainment, the late Michael Jackson was so immensely popular that international audiences eagerly celebrated his life with unprecedented simultaneous purchases of music and memorabilia from various stages of his lengthy career.

After a major celebrity dies, it often seems insultingly reactionary when legions of mourners finally open their wallets to belatedly add the artist's work to their collections. But in the case of Michael Jackson, the consummate performer who grew accustomed to adoring spectators since childhood, such an outpouring of admiration via posthumous sales must have brought him a mixture of relief and satisfaction as he surveyed the grieving masses that proved once and for all how much he and his contributions meant to them. Especially after years of tabloid scandals that dogged him until his final breath, such validation from his fans, the people whose love and acceptance seemed to mean almost as much to him as his relationship with his children and his immediate family, may have finally convinced Michael that he no longer had to prove his worth to anyone, including himself.

It won't be surprising if the current sales frenzy of Michael Jackson's music shatters long-established records, set primarily by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, that most industry experts predicted would never be broken. Even if he doesn't occupy the top five spots on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart, as the Beatles did during the mid-60s when they spearheaded the British Invasion, Michael's accomplishments in the face of current economic conditions and digital music piracy obstacles are unlikely to be surpassed. Very few recording artists can match his extraordinary scope of popularity, and the elite few in the conversation lack at least one crucial element of his legacy.

Frank Sinatra was arguably the first idol to bring the vocalist to the forefront of the public's attention, and his enhanced status as a sex symbol marks the beginning of the era of relentless paparazzi invading the most personal moments to document every detail of a celebrity's lifestyle for an insatiable mob of fanatical worshippers. Following Sinatra, Elvis Presley and the Beatles would experience similar mania, with advancements in technology and media exacerbating the attention to the point where they knew in advance they would be giving up all semblance of privacy to become superstars. Yet Frank, Elvis, and the Fab Four became famous as young adults, while Michael Jackson was a child star who grew up in the public eye. In that sense, Stevie Wonder is possibly the closest parallel, but his blindness and pre-MTV creative peak precluded his ability to take his music to the higher ground of global saturation that incorporated aspects such as dance and state-of-the-art theatrical components. In the 80s, Madonna and Prince were able to challenge Michael Jackson as iconic video pioneers and international arena acts that manipulated the full media spectrum to bolster a steady string of seminal hit singles. But despite being born in the same year and geographical region as Michael, neither of his biggest 80s rivals emerged from obscurity until after they had witnessed the inescapable rise of the adolescent Jackson from a precocious vocalist imitating James Brown while belting out "I Want You Back" to the Quincy Jones collaborator who parlayed the landmark Off The Wall album into a springboard for the Thriller phenomenon.

Even if it were possible to clone the greatest artistic characteristics of Frank, Elvis, Stevie, Madonna, and Prince into a single human being, it might result in an incredibly talented and versatile entertainer, but it wouldn't be the same person as the singular sensation from Gary, Indiana who earned the adulation of music lovers throughout several continents and generations. Michael Jackson's unique achievements as a singer, dancer, songwriter, video artist, live performer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist are unlikely to be found in another soul despite countless talents of the highest caliber who have been influenced by his genius.

Michael Jackson's life and art will continue to be analyzed as meticulously as those of the few aforementioned legends whose deaths preceded his. Many of his lyrics will take on a greater significance following his untimely departure from this planet after only fifty years. Those lyrics continue to offer what may be the greatest opportunity to explore the evolution of his enigmatic and intensely private existence. His most personal thoughts may never be confirmed now that he is gone, but it's possible if Michael Jackson were able to offer a final message of love and hope like those he shared with sincerity throughout his career, it might be this inspirational plea from "Man in the Mirror": "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change".

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