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"I always want to do music that influences and inspires each generation."
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About twenty five years ago, Ronald Reagan was president. Bon Jovi was formed, David Bowie asked people to dance, Prince talked about the year 1999 (so long away) and Culture Club sang something about Karma. Then there was Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
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The groundbreaking album was released on November 30, 1982 but dominated the charts the year after, spawning seven hit singles. It was cemented in the American Top 10 charts for 80 consecutive weeks, 37 of those weeks in the number one spot. And that’s just in the US. Across the globe, singles from Thriller reached number one on in the UK, France, Australia, South Africa, (just to name a few) charts. The album has been certified 27 (yes, 27) times platinum. But the album was not the only thing to be catapulted into history books. Today’s superstars such as Chris Brown, Justin Timberlake, and Usher all look to Jackson as a legend and emulate his signature moves such as the “moonwalk” and the “robot.” Twenty-five years later, the world again celebrated the biggest-selling album of all time with a newly expanded version of Thriller. Today’s hottest artists like Kanye West, Akon and will.i.am put their own unique spin on classics such as “Billie Jean,” and “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin.”
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“It’s like putting certain elements in one hemisphere and it produces this magic in the other,” the King of Pop said of the album. “And getting in there with some of the great people, it’s just wonderful.” In other words, the world was thrilled. Again.
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Michael Jackson Video Highlights
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“DON’T STOP TILL YOU GET ENOUGH” (1979)
The song reached No. 1 in 1979 and is the most successful track from Off the Wall. The video features a very dapper Michael Jackson in a tuxedo. Watch Video |
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“THRILLER” (1982)
The 14-minute video is considered to be groundbreaking, marking a new era in music videos. Released in December 1983, it ran as often as twice an hour on MTV. The album itself was the biggest-selling album of all time, with sales reaching over 104 million copies. It spent 37 weeks at No. 1. “[Michael] was always laughing and joking," said Ola Ray, the female lead in the video. "He seemed very happy." “This was where you really saw that videos could be taken to that next level,” Missy Elliott said. Watch Video |
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“BEAT IT” (1982)
Dancing and choreography aside, it was Michael’s red jacket that became iconic after this video was released in 1983. In the West Side Story-inspired plot, several real-life gang members were featured to add authenticity to the video. The song is the third album off of Thriller and earned Michael two Grammy Awards. Watch Video |
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“BAD” (1982)
The full 18-minute video was directed by Martin Scorsese, and starred Roberta Flack and Wesley Snipes. The story follows Daryl (Jackson) who returns to his derelict neighborhood after finishing prep school. And guess what? His old friends are not happy with the new Daryl. The song was his seventh number one single and was intended to be a duet with Prince but Prince later declined because “it would be a hit without (him)". He was right. The album sold over 32 million copies. Watch Video |
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“BILLIE JEAN” (1982)
"Give me a section here I could dance on,” Michael told “Billie Jean” director, Steve Barron. And that he did. Because of its heavy rotation on MTV in 1983, Michael became the first African American to be featured prominently on the network, paving the way for future African American artists. “When they played it, it set the all-time record,” Michael had said. “Then they were asking me for EVERYTHING we had. They were knocking our door down.” Watch Video |
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“SMOOTH CRIMINAL” (1987)
There are actually four versions of this video with the original being in the Moonwalker film. The most famous aspect of the video is the forward lean where Michael and his dancers appear to defy gravity. In the video, ropes and magnets were used to achieve the special effect. On stage, the dancers wore special shoes. The technique was filed under United States Patent Law by Jackson in 1993. Watch Video |
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“THE WAY YOU MAKE ME FEEL” (1987)
It was a family affair as Jackson’s sister La Toya was featured in the video. The song was the third single from Bad. In 2001, Michael performed the song with Britney Spears at his 30th Anniversary Concert at New York’s Madison Square Garden. Watch Video |
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“LEAVE ME ALONE” (1989)
A slightly ticked off Michael takes on the tabloids, headlines and rumors circulating him during that time (Wacko Jacko and Bubbles the Chimp anyone?). The video, which takes place in an amusement park-like setting, won the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Music Video. Watch Video |
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“BLACK OR WHITE” (1991)
The video was first broadcast on November 14, 1991 on several networks (it aired after an episode of The Simpsons on Fox). It stars Jackson’s friend, Macaulay Culkin. The last few minutes of the video were the subject of controversy due to his (Michael’s, not Culkin’s) sexual and suggestive dance moves. The song, which promotes racial unity, was the first single off his 1991 album, Dangerous and features rapper Bill Bottrell. Watch Video |
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Bad
© 2008