Remembering Michael Jackson

I still know almost all the words to all of his songs. As a child in the Jackson 5, Michael’s ability to deliver adult-caliber performances and recordings left the Jacksons in a world of their own. Quick trivia — Which band knocked the Beatles’ Let it Be out of Billboard’s number one spot in 1970? Need a hint?

Do you remember hearing Michael step out on his own? A couple of albums that still sounded adolescent and covered topics about pet rodents, a funky twist on “The Wizard of Oz” and a duet with Paul McCartney that had them working as carnival peddlers prepared him for his true commercial coming out party: Off The Wall. While I’m not a huge fan of disco, Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough and Rock With You are amazing songs and will stand the test of time. This album was also the first time that Michael Jackson started working in music videos — remember when MTV actually played music videos instead of nowadays’ ridiculous reality garbage?

Next was Thriller. What else can I say? Unless you lived on another planet in the early 80’s you were mesmerized by the sounds and dances that charged into popular culture. To this day, Michael Jackson’s Thriller album is the most successful selling album of all time — 109 million copies worldwide and his music video for the album’s title track is more like a short-length movie than any music video I can remember. And who can forget the night he unveiled his trademarked moonwalk? I can’t imagine how the live audience felt when he literally transformed current popular culture in front of their eyes.

His next album was my favorite: Bad. One word. One feeling. So many sounds. It’s probably my favorite because I was then old enough to start honing my own personal relationship with recording artists and lost myself playing and replaying all of my favorite tunes while I should’ve been sleeping or studying. From the multi-pocketed leather jackets and rhinestone glove, this album propelled Jackson into the stratosphere. He met the president, had a star placed on Hollywood Boulevard, sold out arenas around the world and dated Madonna and Brooke Shields.

With his next two albums, Dangerous and HIStory, which still brought us great tunes like White and Black and Scream, MJ started feeling the pressures of unprecedented stardom. Similar to Elvis, Britney Spears and host of others, MJ got lost in fame, seclusion, and very atypical behavior. It was also around this time that he married Lisa Marie Presley. I can’t believe that didn’t last. Blood On The Dance Floor, Invincible, Number Ones and a compilation record named Thriller 25 followed and not one brought him the commercial or critical acclaim he seemingly starved for. From the early-to-mid 90’s though today, we heard more about Wacko Jacko, baby dangling, nose jobs and skin dying, amounting debt, surrogate mothers and criminal cases than we did about his musical legacy.

MJ was not the poster child for normality, and his personal actions will always be debated right along with his recording prowess, but I’m one guy that hopes that those with an ear for music will realize how depressing his celebrity spectacle got and remember how those old records will forever remain full of life. And I can’t wait to sing ABC to our expected child.

Hasco Craver is executive director of the Commerce Downtown Development Authority. He lives in Commerce.