Michael Jackson AND THE RE-INVENTION OF POPULAR MUSIC © Joseph Vogel, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, June 14, 2012. May not be re-used without permission.

Michael Jackson AND THE RE-INVENTION OF POPULAR MUSIC Joseph Vogel, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, June 14, 2012. May not be re-used without permission.

KING OF POP Over 750 million albums sold worldwide 13 Grammy Awards; 13 #1 singles Best-selling album of all- time ( Thriller ); best-selling music video of all time Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice (once with the Jackson 5 and once as a solo artist)

WHAT IS POP? WHAT IS POP? Music for the masses What young people listen to Music you can dance to Roots are in jazz, blues, folk, soul and rock Often contrasted with classical music and hymns

CHARACTERISTICS OF POP Basic verse/chorus song structure Relatively short in length (usually between 2-4 minutes) Often characterized as ephemeral, simple, commercial, formulaic, low art Catchy, memorable, accessible, popular Encompasses many genres and styles

HOW DOES MICHAEL JACKSON CHALLENGE CONVENTIONAL DEFINITIONS/UNDERSTANDINGS OF POP?

1) UNUSUAL THEMES Music critic Jody Rosen: His music is the strangest and darkest ever to achieve blockbuster success Tensions/oppositions (anxiety/ecstasy; vulnerability/power; isolation/community; entrapment/liberation) Example: Wanna Be Startin Somethin

2) ECLECTIC INSPIRATIONS AND CREATIVE FUSIONS Michael Jackson was like a sponge. Quincy Jones Influences include James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Charlie Chaplin, Fred Astaire, Michelangelo, Debussy You Are Not Alone (Maxfield Parish) Will You Be There (Beethovens Ninth Symphony) Startin Somethin (Manu Dibangos Soul Makossa) Black or White (Singin in the Rain and Do the Right Thing) Greg Tate: Jackson was willing to pull from anybody he thought would make his own expression more visceral, modern or exciting

3) ARTISTIC AMBITION Michael Jackson: Music is like tapestry. Its different layers, its weaving in and out, and if you look at it in layers you understand it better. Layers, simplicity/depth, details, sonic personality Assembled dynamic teams of musicians, producers and engineers, including Quincy Jones and Bruce Swedien Took over 800 multi-track tapes to make the Bad album; some songs, like Smooth Criminal, took over 200

4) CHALLENGES PREVAILING STANDARDS Michael Jackson: I want the music to represent the way we feel. Its rebellionWere letting out what we always wanted to say to the world. Passion and anger and fire! Broke down racial barriers at MTV and on radio Challenged his audiences expectations and social scripts; stayed outside the box, unpredictable Challenged his audiences expectations and social scripts; stayed outside the box, unpredictable

5) UNIQUE PRESENTATION What can be done within a particular form/structure? Versatility Emotional Spectrum Intros and outros, improvisation, call and response The voice as instrument: beatboxing, ad-libs, cries, exclamations, gasps, grunts, shouts Michael Jackson: Its a universe of where you can go with those twelve notes

STRANGER IN MOSCOW Written and produced by Michael Jackson (1995) First composed at the Hotel Metropol in Moscow not long after the collapse of the Soviet Union Minor-key ballad combining modernist aesthetics and blues- rooted pain and loneliness Evocative song about masks and illusions, exile and estrangement I was wanderin in the rain/Mask of life, feelin insane

BILLIE JEAN Written, arranged, co-produced, and choreographed by Michael Jackson (1982) Ranked at the top of many music critics lists as the best pop song in history Captures all the paradoxes of Jackson: intriguing and disturbing, explicit and enigmatic, confession concealment Cultural critic Mark Fisher: Billie Jean is not only one of the best singles ever recorded; it is one of the greatest art works of the 20 th century, a multileveled sound sculpture whose slinky, synthetic panther sheen still yields up previously unnoticed details and nuanced nearly thirty years on. Introduced a new multi-aesthetic art form

EARTH SONG Written and composed by Michael Jackson (1995) Became a #1 hit all over the world, but not released as a single in the U.S. Fused gospel, opera, blues and rock A lamentation rooted in the pages of Job and Jeremiah, the Romantic prophecies of Blake and Yeats, and African American spirituals Last song Jackson performed before he died

I know the creator will go, but his work survives. That is why to escape death, I attempt to bind my soul to my work. -Michael Jackson

Michael Jackson AND THE RE-INVENTION OF POPULAR MUSIC © Joseph Vogel, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, June 14, 2012. May not be re-used without permission.

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