Happy 50th Birthday Michael Jackson

 

It’s easy enough to catalog Jackson’s gigantic quirks, celebrity stunts, and list of narrowly missed criminal convictions but let us ponder, briefly, the man's sensational artistry and accomplishments.

The 50 Most Thrilling Michael Jackson Moments

50. “Remember The Time”
49. “Goin’ Back To Indiana” – Jackson 5
48. “We Can Change The World” – The Jacksons
47. “Smooth Criminal”
46. “Walk Right Now” – The Jacksons
45. “Lovely One” – The Jacksons
44. “We Are The World.” Raised a lot of awareness and cash for a very good cause, but woe to those forced to listen to it. Still, a revolutionary recording event in a way that seems entirely dull today. Bruce Springsteen and Boy George using the same microphone? Ohmagawd!
43. “The Way You Make Me Feel”
42. “Rockin’ Robin” – Jackson 5. A song in the public domain. Not thrilling, OK.
41. “It’s too Late to Change the Time” – Jackson 5
40. 5' 10": Michael Jackson's height is exactly that of the average African-American male. That's not thrilling, either, but it is patently normal.
39. “State of Shock” – The Jacksons
38. The glove
37. “Can You Feel It” – The Jacksons
36. “Scream”
35. “Torture” – The Jacksons
34. “Enjoy Yourself” – The Jacksons
33. “She’s Out Of My Life”
32. “The Place Hotel” – The Jacksons
31. “Beat It”
30. “Bad”
29. Brooke Shields
28. “Blame It on the Boogie” – The Jacksons
27. The Jackson’s 1984 Victory Tour.
26. “Ben”
25. “Thriller”
24. May 16, 1966: Janet
23. “Billie Jean”
22. 37 weeks: the most any album ever spent nestled at the top of the Billboard chart. Thriller, duh.
21. “Rock With You”
20. Super Bowl XXVII
19. “ABC” – The Jackson 5
18. 750 million MJ units sold, in all. The rise and decline of the recording business follows the rise and decline of MJ's business. This is not coincidental. 
17. “Dancing Machine” – The Jacksons
16. “Human Nature”
15. “I Want You Back” – Jackson 5
14. “I’ll Be There” – Jackson 5
13. “Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.” The first solo hit MJ wrote himself. Got his first Grammy for it. Invented a dance to go with it.
12. “Never Can Say Goodbye” – Jackson 5
11. 1977: MJ meets Quincy Jones
10. Eddie Van Halen’s guitar solo on “Beat It”. In 1982, if you didn’t have a guitar solo in your single, you had two charts to shoot for: Pop and/or Soul--and chart action meant everything in those pre-SoundScan days. Recruiting the most hallowed axe man of the day was a huge coup for all concerned. It was a shock to a lot of Van Halen fans (collaboration was not in fashion in the Reagan era) but this neat trick positioned that band for their own pop crossover, 1984.
9. 1984 Grammy Awards. MJ gets more Grammies than any Grammy getter ever got: eight.
8. “Off The Wall”
7. “Thriller,” the video: 80s MTV’s Dark Knight.
6. “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)” – The Jacksons
5. March 25, 1983: The “moonwalk” is first seen on television.
4. “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”
3. “The Love You Save” – Jackson 5
2. For every 70 people on Earth you meet, 1 of them will own a copy of Thriller.
1. “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”  -- mama say mama sa mama coo sa.

-- Patrick

Comments

[Holly on August 31, 2008 at 12:12 PM]

He hasn't been found guilty of those charges, so move on already. This list isn't about his personal life, but about a lot of good music and memorable achievements. You don't know anything about this guy, neither do I, so why doesn't everyone worry about their own failings. If you don't like him, boycott his music, or spend your time trying to find a musician who has never done anything worse than jaywalk.

[fuzzylizard on August 31, 2008 at 10:06 AM]

I don't like Michael Jackson.
Why do people continue to praise him and overlook his obsession with kids and what he did to his face?

[on August 30, 2008 at 09:23 AM]

He's a freaking child molester