Jackson broke MTV’s color barrier. He became the first black artist to be prominently featured on that young, rock-oriented channel when the success of Billie Jean and Beat It became so overwhelming it could not be ignored. He also established a benchmark for the way videos would be made—with stunning cinematography and precision choreography that recalled great movie musicals.
But as Jackson’s fame grew, his eccentricities—from his strange affinity for children and childish things to his, at times, asexual image to his fascination with plastic surgery—began to dull the shine of his sparkling image.
If his plastic surgery made him disturbingly unwatchable, soon, allegations of child abuse would make him reviled by many. He was overwhelmed with legal and financial troubles and went into seclusion after the trial for child molestation ended in 2005.
A comeback seemed to be most unlikely. But when he announced he’d be doing a series of comeback concerts at London’s famed O2 Arena, not only did the initial dates sell out immediately, the demand was so insatiable he was signed on for an unprecedented 50 shows. He was expected to embark on a worldwide tour sometime after the concert series was completed in March.
Of course, there will be no comeback now, no Jackson 5 reunion, no new music to share with millions of fans. But the legacy he leaves behind is so rich, so deep, that no scandal can torpedo it. The“Thriller”may be gone, but the thrill will always remain.
以他忽動忽靜的炫麗舞步和令人顫栗的性感高音，邁克爾·傑克遜影響了一代又一代的音樂人。這個名字所代表的，遠不止是流行巨星，或小報怪人。
從賈斯汀·汀布萊克到麥當娜，從搖滾到流行再到R＆B甚至饒舌樂，邁克爾·傑克遜對當代歌手、音樂流派、類型風格的影響可謂無人能及。
傑克遜進入公眾視線始於1969年，當時不滿13歲的他被視為一個可愛的奇跡，是家庭樂隊“傑克遜五兄弟”中天才型的早慧歌手。早在那時，他模仿詹姆斯·布朗和傑基·威爾森等歌手的舞蹈動作就近乎完美。他的舞台表演甚至讓許多樂壇老將都相形見絀。
然而好景不長，漸漸長大的傑克遜在20多歲時一度陷入低潮。直到遇見知名製作人昆西·瓊斯，他的音樂之路才開始轉變。
由瓊斯製作的專輯《顫栗》是傑克遜最成功的作品，也是他職業生涯的巔峰。該專輯銷量超過5，000萬，該唱片勇奪全球銷量桂冠，但《顫栗》的影響遠不止這些。
傑克遜還打破了MTV的種族隔閡。專輯中歌曲《比莉·簡》和《走開！》的大肆走紅讓以針對年輕人和搖滾樂為主的MTV頻道無法忽視。因此，傑克遜成為首位登上該頻道的黑人歌手。此外，他還樹立了音樂電視的製作基準——要像大型歌舞片一樣具備完美的攝影技術和精準的舞蹈編排。