After I signed in on Facebook, all I see was messages and tributes to Michael Jackson on the home page. At first I thought it was someone's idea of a practical joke. I mean, how could someone who dances 4 hours per day, someone who is about to launch his last world tour suddenly pass away right?Wrong.
I got quite a shock when I Googled an article regarding MJ's death. Apparently, he passed away from a heart attack. Not the most glorious death for the "King Of Pop", but shocking nevertheless. I couldn't help noticing the pun, as in how MJ's heart "popped" out on him.
I'll admit that I didn't really have a good impression, amidst news of child molestation charges and broken noses. In fact, I was quite cynical of him. After his death, I spent one hour reading up on his achievements and life stories. It was then I realized that he was truly a great musician, something that I fogged by my cloud of cynicism.
He started out with Jackson 5 at the age of 5, singing evergreen tunes like "I Want You Back" and "ABC". He then started his own solo career, with each album being more successful than the previous one. Time and again, he has proven himself to have the ability to fuse songs of different genres together to create something new. Like who could forget the pop songs infused with funk beats, such as "Smooth Criminal" and "Bille Jean", or the more recent hip-hop inspired songs such as "They Don't Care About Us", or gospel-ballads like "Man In The Mirror" and "Heal The World". It was interesting to see his music evolved along with changing times.
He also turned music videos into a form of art. Back then, MVs are all singing not advertising, not much of aesthetics make-up such as storyline and special effects. But MJ is able to turn them into an art form under his directing, with his award-winning music videos "Smooth Criminal", "Thriller", and "Scream". MTV would never be what it is today without him.
He leads a very hard life at times. He was abused by his father at a young age. He suffered skin problems, which was the reason why his skin turned pale white. His health deteriorates over time. And his financial manager cheated him of his money. Despite all this, he still managed to become a good dancer and an even better musician.I spent one whole afternoon watching his music videos and listening to his works. Looking back, it was a pity he passed away just before the launch of the his final world tour, (ironically) named "This Is It". It was supposed to be the big bang to the end of his career. It never came. I watched a small part of the rehearsal video which was released a few days ago, and I could tell that this was going to be IT, the biggest concert for him. Micheal Jackson looked like he got his voice and his groove again, and it was great watching him being on stage doing his thing.
If you guys are interested in listening to his music, below is the list of songs I recommend you to listen to:
Smooth Criminal
Billie Jean
Dirty Diana
Earth Song
Heal The World
Black Or White
Remember The Time
Thriller
Beat It
They Don't Care About Us
Man In The Mirror
You Rock My World
Scream
My personal favourite is "Man In The Mirror". I really like the "chill" feeling at the start and how it ends on a high note. Not to mention, the lyrics are well-written and are very meaningful.
Thank You, Michael Jackson for bringing great music to the world. You are a great dancer, singer and musician. If there's anything I learned through your death, it would be that I shouldn't judge people by their flaws.
May you rest in peace.
