When Lionsgate released the trailer for its highly anticipated movie, Michael, last November, it racked up over 116 million views within 24 hours – more than Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (96.1 million), more than Bohemian Rhapsody (57.6 million), and more than the recent Bob Dylan biopic, A Complete Unknown (47.2 million). People from Chicago to Tokyo to Johannesburg began planning their outfits for the premiere and the parties following the screening, maybe a bejeweled glove, perhaps a red leather jacket. Even on TikTok, fans established "ground rules" for the evening. Yet, while the movie ignited discussion around the world, many asked whether it could possibly encompass the life of such a complex and influential artist in just one movie. Was there to be one Michael Jackson resurrected from the dead – the glorious mythological deity or the tortured soul? And would Michael, the new film, sanitize the controversies that have followed Michael Jackson since at least 1993? But what was apparent in these discussions was a universal reality – the importance and relevance of Michael Jackson in culture almost two decades after his passing. Of course, there are numerous films, documentaries, and interviews available about the legendary King of Pop, but there hasn't yet been one biopic that captures his importance to our collective cultural memory. In actuality, for a star whose career spanned more than 50 years, Michael Jackson has never been more alive.
Here is a thought to keep in mind: Michael achieved his peak before the age when social media would literally create fame from mediocrity thanks to AI-powered amplification. It seems difficult to conceive today, when the media space is saturated, that there might be someone who would achieve such prominence merely due to their talent without any additional factors. To comprehend why, you must look beyond. Michael Jackson's influence on culture is impossible to convey entirely; he is an unparalleled artist. Let's begin with the following assertion: Michael created the template for the celebrity artist. Elvis contributed to the development of American pop music, while the Beatles improved rock and roll. Michael revolutionized everything by combining music, dancing, fashion, and advertising. The model he set up has served Beyoncé and Taylor Swift and will continue to do so until the end of time. On the business side, Michael established the modern artist enterprise. With more than 400 million albums sold, he is undoubtedly one of the top musicians of all time. The 1982 Thriller is still the most popular album to date, and by some estimates, it has already sold 100 million worldwide. Michael was also a good investor (as well as a tremendous wastrel) who purchased ATV Music Publishing, which was subsequently merged into Sony/ATV, owning some of the most valuable music catalogs, including those of the Beatles, Elvis, and Little Richard.
The Great Mausoleum at Glendale, California, however, has not stopped Michael from outearning hundreds of thousands of currently living artists. Michael's estate is said to rake in around $3.5 billion in profits since 2009. Michael's presence is further felt via his massive monthly streams on Spotify amounting to more than 60 million. Many times every week, fans flock to watch MJ: The Musical in New York, London, and Hamburg; the tour is also making its way across the United States and Australia, with an Asian tour scheduled for late 2026 and the U.K. for 2027. At the same time, Michael Jackson ONE by Cirque Du Soleil has been entertaining audiences in Las Vegas since 2013, with the show extended until 2030, a huge thing in a city famous for its short-term residencies. This is precisely why Michael is a powerful film. The fact is, Michael is not appealing to nostalgia alone. There is an audience that will never forget him.
An American narrative
In evaluating the life of Michael Jackson, one should consider an all-American story beginning with The Great Migration. Many African-Americans migrated to northern cities, hoping that their children would achieve dignity and stable employment in the North. Michael Jackson’s father, Joseph, was born in Arkansas and married Katherine in East Chicago in 1949. In 1950, the family moved to Gary, Indiana, where Joseph obtained employment, and he abandoned his dream of musical fame to propel his sons into the spotlight. The Jackson 5 initially performed at community events in Northern Indiana before moving to the Chicago-Harlem amateur circuit. Joseph instilled in his sons a rigorous, almost military approach to perfection, as it took two times as much effort to succeed as a black child.
This is precisely what the Jackson 5 represented: clean, dazzling, tightly knit, but still soulful. They also epitomized the Motown “Sound of Young America” concept, where pop-soul became a subversive tool for racial integration. Black families throughout the country experienced shared pride. My mother still recalls the evening when she tagged along after her elder sister at a Jackson 5 performance in New Orleans, mesmerized by the miracle of witnessing young men who majestically resembled them rule the stage in a nation that refused to be their own. By the early 1970s, as a young teen, Michael had emerged as the group’s undisputed star. It was due to his unique blend of innocence and mastery of pitch, dynamics, and tone that the Motown label’s founder, Berry Gordy, decided to introduce him as a solo artist with the album Got to Be There. Yet, Off the Wall, recorded by Quincy Jones in 1978, revealed Michael’s true artistic genius. Some of the most impressive and compelling songs of Michael’s career are found on Off the Wall, and through subsequent tour and music video performances, he was the quintessential entertainer. Trained in the soulful grace of Motown, refined by the precision of Quincy Jones, and guided by instinct, Michael combined funk, R&B, rock, gospel, and dance music in an indistinguishable American Black music style — yet in an inverted mirror image of Michael Jackson himself.
Accusations Against Michael Jackson
“International furor sparked by claims against Jackson,” read a headline in the Los Angeles Times on August 10, 1993. A psychologist retained by the Chandler family claimed their 13-year-old son, Jordan, had been sexually abused by Michael Jackson. While the singer was performing in Asia as part of his Dangerous World Tour, the cops searched his Southern California residences, including his Neverland ranch, north of Los Angeles. The situation escalated from there, with media coverage getting more grotesque, leading Michael Jackson to spiral into ill health. He canceled the remaining dates of the Dangerous Tour in November 1993, claiming he was tired and hooked on prescription drugs, and traveled to Europe to rest.
In January 1994, he returned home to settle with the Chandlers out of court for what was rumored to be $23 million. He married Lisa Marie Presley of Elvis fame in the Dominican Republic in May 1994. That September, the couple performed together onstage at the MTV Video Music Awards, where the two awkwardly kissed. It seemed less like love than performance art. After all, Americans adore the fantasy of redemption – until we don’t. “He married her at a time when he badly needed good press and publicity showing him to be a heterosexual man who was desirable. Yes, he could legally battle those child molestation charges against him. There was no winning at that game. But pictures of him with Elvis’s daughter wearing that gigantic diamond engagement ring he'd had made for her? That was worth its weight in gold," noted the former wife of Elvis Presley in her autobiography. By 1996, the King of Pop and Princess of Rock and Roll would be divorced.
His metamorphosis further progressed with the arrival of his children—Prince Michael in 1997, Paris in 1998, and Bigi (previously known as Blanket) in 2002. His role as a father allowed the singer to come across as more human, and the public responded favorably to press reports portraying Jackson as an affectionate, caring father rather than as just another crazy pop star, despite Jackson's rather unusual approach to parenting that included having the kids wear face masks during their childhood. Nevertheless, with each new child in his life, there came more and more accusations regarding improper contact with minors. In 2000, the criminal proceedings were initiated against him, and he was found innocent.
Michael Jackson’s shocking demise
The announcement of Michael Jackson’s passing occurred in a regular day in history, June 25, 2009. It came as a shocker to everyone – a sudden one that seemed too surreal to be real, like a typical internet joke or prank. It was reported on TMZ at approximately 2:45 PM, less than 20 minutes after the singer passed on and before major media houses confirmed his passing. The internet went berserk – multiple revisions of the singer’s Wikipedia entry flooded the site – as we all tried to rationalize our shock and loss. Jackson had become the god of this land and beyond. Now that had been shattered. The story would emerge soon enough.
Michael was in intense preparations to make a comeback in the music industry. It was going to be his last show and it was called “This Is It” – 50 performances in London meant to showcase his ability to overcome not just the controversies that plagued him but also the high standards that we had set for him. Jackson still showed off his remarkable talent in the rehearsal footage, albeit in a frail and jittery body. His physical appearance indicated exhaustion caused by sleep deprivation, anxiety, and perfectionism. Into this vulnerable body came Conrad Murray, a doctor who took his Hippocratic oath lightly.
Jackson would later take the stand in court stating that for several weeks through the rigorous rehearsals he had been administering propofol—anesthetic usually administered in clinical practice—to assist in Jackson's sleep. On June 25, Michael Jackson was inside a rented mansion in Los Angeles. Murray administered a number of sedatives and finally the drug known as propofol. Subsequently, at around late morning, Murray left Jackson alone. Upon returning, Murray found Jackson unconscious. Emergency services and detectives were summoned and discovered among other things an oxygen tank, some prescriptions bottles, single-use needles, orange juice, and latex gloves. Jackson was moved to a hospital where he was officially declared dead. According to the autopsy reports and police report, Michael Jackson, aged 50 years, standing five feet nine inches and weighing 136 pounds, was wearing a wig. His lips had also been tinted pink. About three weeks later, 31 million people would watch Jackson's funeral live on television in America, a slightly smaller number than those who attended President Barack Obama's inauguration six months before Jackson's death. It is estimated that a billion people around the world followed Jackson's funeral on television and online.
Jackson died from a drug overdose and was sentenced for involuntary manslaughter. The family of the singer sought justice. As the facts about his case were revealed, the problem of overprescriptions indicated that the story would take a familiar path at least in the sphere of music celebrities. No matter how wealthy, famous, or influential a person is, eventually, everyone dies. Jackson's death became a reminder that there is too much pressure on the most talented people in society, and their lives are always fragile. Thus, it is possible to define the tragedy's contours: the man who has been elevated to the heights of fame, and a society that has failed to protect its icon.
The unceasing dominance of Michael Jackson is a reflection of society's nature. People tend to admire the complexities of the story until it becomes too difficult to handle. The tendency to seek clarity is inherent in American culture; thus, everything should be black and white, good or evil. Jackson's life does not have such boundaries. In some countries, contradictory information is acceptable, and people are ready to recognize the imperfections of artists. However, Americans are used to having the final verdict; thus, culture tends to separate people into small tribes based on certain algorithms.
Unfortunately, in today's society, it is increasingly difficult to build a community where a person is able to share a piece of culture. There is an opportunity to watch videos or read texts. However, it is hard to feel the heartbeat of the whole nation or a community of people. Despite all the progress and modern technologies, it is possible to experience something unique when walking down the street and hearing Jackson's songs. Moreover, anyone is free to turn off smartphones and dance to Beat It.
In summary, this phenomenon is a result of complex interactions between culture and modern society. However, it is not a problem for Jackson's legacy. Instead, it creates the conditions for celebration.
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