Michael As An Influence

HIStory

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A couple of years ago I had a debate with somone in some Internet comment section about Michael Jackson's significance as an artist. And this person talked down on him, claiming at one point that "he did not influence anyone, no one considers him an influence". Of course, this is ridiculous because anywhere you look you can see artists influenced by MJ. And not even only at one area at that: in music, dance, fashion etc. This person was (not surprisingly) a rock fan so I guess the type of music he typically listens to does not really have much MJ influence, but actually even many rock artists cited Michael as an influence in one way or another. Besides the very obvious and very numerous pop and R&B artists he influenced.

So this thread is for posting every and any examples of artists being influenced by Michael.

So here I start with some not so obvious ones (and just to show that even rock stars cited him as an influence):

Michael Jackson Influenced Pearl Jam Too

by Jessica Letkemann on June 26, 2009

Believe it or not, Michael Jackson, who the world is mourning after his sudden death yesterday, played a formative roll in both Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament’s music life.
“At an early age, I realized music was a very powerful thing,” Jeff told Bass Player in 1994. “I’d hear Michael Jackson singing [1972's] “Ben” and it would make me cry and I’d have to go hide.”
While nine-year-old Jeff was reacting to MJ’s first solo No. 1 in Montana, seven-year-old Eddie over near Chicago counted the Jackson Five as one of his favorite groups. Eddie told Circus in 1992 that singing along to 12-year-old Michael Jackson was some of the first singing he ever attempted. “We had moved north of Chicago,” Eddie said. “And my parents became the new foster parents for seven kids in this group home. they were mostly African-American kids and some Irish kids. Most of these kids were around 11, and they were all full on Motown. That’s when I got into Smokey Robinson, James Brown, Otis Redding and the Jackson Five. I started singing to Michael Jackson records.” In the same article, Eddie notes that his first album was Michael Jackson’s 1972 album “Got To Be There.”
As all PJ fans know, these two unlikely fans paid homage to Michael Jackson twenty years later in the 1993 Pearl Jam song, “Rats.” The song is dominated by Jeff’s bass-heavy groove and it swings into a massive key shift at the end so that Eddie can repeatedly sing the chorus of “Ben.”

http://www.twofeetthick.com/2009/06/michael-jackson-influenced-pearl-jam-too/

Rat by Pearl Jams with references to Ben at the end.

[video=youtube;SFXCEe3Aos8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFXCEe3Aos8[/video]

Kurt Cobain

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A drawing he made in high school:

kurt-cobain-mj.jpg


Adam Duritz of Counting Crows:

What was THE song or THE album that literally changed your life? Well, the first record I ever bought was, I’m not sure. I may have bought them both the same day. But the first two records were certainly Michael Jackson’s Got To Be There, which I think was his first solo record. It had like “Rockin’ Robin” on it and “Got To Be There” and I can’t remember what else. And then the Jackson 5’s Greatest Hits. Those two records were the first two records I ever remember getting and the first concert I went to when I was a kid. It was a Jackson 5 concert. My parents took me when I was a really little kid. And I don’t mean the Jacksons. It was legitimately the Jackson 5. It was a rodeo in Texas and probably 1970 maybe. I was a kid. And that really knocked me out. Those songs were so good and they were so vibrant and he was such a killer singer. He was my age, a few years older than me, but it seemed like I was looking at a kid who was my age. He was probably ten or eleven and I was probably six. Maybe he was twelve, I don’t know, but he was a kid and I was a kid and they were so ****ing good. Those songs and those grooves. That guitar bass groove for “I Want You Back,” I mean, I can still remember it to this day. It sticks in your head, it’s incredible. I think that’s probably the first thing.
I don’t know if that made me want to write songs but it certainly made me like, whoa, music, this is awesome (laughs). I couldn’t get enough after that. And you know, there were Beatles records right then too. My parents had all The Beatles albums and I can definitely remember those songs. But my first record was the Jackson 5 record or the Michael Jackson record. I may have bought them together. Probably because we were going to that concert. I don’t know if I heard stuff before that. I’ve just always sort of remembered the Jackson 5 stuff to really being the first stuff that blew my mind, to think, wow, this is incredible. Music is incredible.

http://www.glidemagazine.com/119366/adam-duritz-counting-crows-exclusive-interview/
 
Björk

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Connections to: Michael Jackson​
During some live versions of 'I go Humble' Björk adds a Michael Jackson lyric at the end - "got to be starting something"
It is rumored that the song Alarm Call was inspired by Michael Jackson, which would make sense since the working title was '*****'.
At the 2000 Golden Globe awards, Björk wore a dress with Michael Jackson's face - all in sequins! Why did she wear such a thing? "Because he's the king!"
She also has been seen wearing another skirt like this, but in different colors.
In 2003, Björk did an In Camera interview at showstudio. One of the questions came from the King of pop himself!
Michael Jackson, Santa Barbara, California : I have always loved and admired your creativity. Nature's struggle to survive alongside mankind has been an inspiration for me: given the natural beauty of your Icelandic homeland, how does nature inspire your work?

Björk : I hope this doesn't sound too naff, but being alone in nature, especially after walking for hours, just puts you in your place and you realise how small you are and how plenty of everything is all around you. Then you just let go and surrender, become part of it. I'm so chuffed you asked me a question! I have to say you're the best, keep fighting and it angers me how cruel everybody is to you. It's like in the US right now, it's illegal to be an eccentric. Maybe people would have been more understanding if you were a contemporary of Ludwig II of Bavaria, who comissioned Wagner and lived with the swans. I listen to Butterflies off your last album all the time. You are a true artist! Thanks for fighting and believing in magic even though the rest of the world have forgotten about it.

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http://www.bjorkish.net/b-faq/connections/c-mja.htm

Björk recommends We're Almost There

[video=youtube;6gsSN9Yfmkk]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gsSN9Yfmkk[/video]
 
I think these are fairly obvious ones (and they all voiced how much they have been influenced by Michael):

Beyoncé
Justin Timberlake
Usher
Chris Brown
Madonna
Pharrell Williams

Bruno Mars

[video=youtube;LGZS36uJ6MU]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGZS36uJ6MU[/video]


Daft Punk

The disco loving duo also bonded over their mutual love of Michael Jackson, with Thomas picking &#8216;Thriller&#8217; as the record which changed his life.

He added: &#8221;Everything about it &#8211; the music video, the packaging, the whole thing. I remember having the video cassette with the music video, the Motown anniversary where he does the moonwalk, and the documentary by Michael Landis where you see Michael Jackson in make-up, it&#8217;s my favorite.&#8221;

http://www.contactmusic.com/story/daft-punk-bonded-over-springsteen_3760224

Celine Dion


For Dion, Jackson was an &#8220;amazing source of inspiration.&#8221; So much so, that she said he was part of the reason she decided to learn English.

&#8220;I wanted the same life &#8211; show business,&#8221; she explained.

&#8220;I wanted to sing onstage like him. &#8230; I wanted to be onstage someday with Michael Jackson, especially (to) sing onstage with him maybe one day.&#8221;

Dion said she didn&#8217;t want to meet the King of Pop and be unable to tell him how honoured she was because of a language barrier.

&#8220;It was because of him in a way that I went to school to learn English,&#8221; she said.

The Grammy performance is difficult for her, the singer added.

&#8220;It is, because I&#8217;m not only a fan, but I knew him personally a little bit, I met with him, and it&#8217;s difficult to know that he was doing perfectly well and that he&#8217;s no longer with us,&#8221; she said.

&#8220;It&#8217;s just heartbreaking.&#8221;

So she took one more opportunity to explain what made Jackson such a special performer.

&#8220;Michael was not only a great musician, he was a great dancer, he was a great visionary, he had every instrument inside of his body, he knew exactly what he wanted to hear, what he wanted to do, he was feeling everything,&#8221; she said.

&#8220;I hear &#8216;HOO,&#8221;&#8216; she says, imitating Jackson&#8217;s signature high-pitched flourish. &#8220;I hear this, it&#8217;s not even a song, but for me it means everything. &#8230;

&#8220;He was very, very special. I&#8217;m a big fan of Michael Jackson, period. That&#8217;s all I can say.&#8221;

http://vallieegirl67.com/2015/02/06...t-the-2010-grammy-tribute-to-michael-jackson/

Jay-Z

[video=youtube;-74kcb8lq-g]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-74kcb8lq-g[/video]


Janelle Monáe

The first moment I realized making music was my dream:
According to my Aunt Gloria, it was apparent that making music was my dream after she took me to Michael Jackson&#8217;s &#8220;Bad&#8221; concert in my hometown Kansas City. The next morning I went to church and started beating on the back of a pew, tapping and singing Michael Jackson&#8217;s &#8220;Beat It&#8221; extremely loud during my pastor&#8217;s sermon! The whole church chuckled, and I believe I was escorted out. That moment gave me great joy and extra confidence&#8230;..

http://www.vibe.com/2015/03/vibe-league-janelle-monae-interview/
 
Amy Winehouse: "You know how you either grow up in a Michael Jackson house or a Prince house? For me it was Michael Jackson. I could never decide whether I wanted to be Michael Jackson or marry him."

From the outset it is clear that music is a very important part of this North London girl&#8217;s life, and has been for quite a while.
&#8220;When I was little I used to love Michael Jackson,&#8221; she declares in the most quintessential of London accents.
&#8220;Bad was the first album I had. My trouble was that I couldn&#8217;t decide whether I wanted to be him, or marry him. I remember my aunties went to see him and I was so jealous. I was too little to see him, I was about four or something at the time and I was like &#8220;they&#8217;re gonna go and spend the night with Michael Jackson!&#8221;

http://home.mj-upbeat.com/2013/07/30/amy-winehouse-was-a-michael-jackson-fan/
 
And this person talked down on him, claiming at one point that "he did not influence anyone, no one considers him an influence".

LOL!!! This person sounds like they weren't paying attention and were living under a rock! From what I've seen, there are a number of people who have forgotten about Michael's talent because they've had so much garbage about him shoved down their throats. It must have been fun proving this person wrong though, especially since it's so easy to do.
 
Yeah, his influence spreads far and wide even in the unlikeliest of places. I admit there are some music artists I've become a fan of just because they said something nice about Michael or list him as an influence.
 
A couple of years ago I had a debate with somone in some Internet comment section about Michael Jackson's significance as an artist. And this person talked down on him, claiming at one point that "he did not influence anyone, no one considers him an influence". Of course, this is ridiculous because anywhere you look you can see artists influenced by MJ. And not even only at one area at that: in music, dance, fashion etc. This person was (not surprisingly) a rock fan so I guess the type of music he typically listens to does not really have much MJ influence, but actually even many rock artists cited Michael as an influence in one way or another. Besides the very obvious and very numerous pop and R&B artists he influenced.
]

Since that person's a rock fan then they're probably a huge music snob, and in their mind Michael didn't influence any ''real'' artists, because to them pop/RnB don't count as ''real'' music

I'm not saying that all fans of rock music are music snobs (I love rock music myself), but from my own experience, rock music and music snobbery go hand in hand
 
im a rock fan big one not really a fan of any pop/R&B artist there no really my cup of tea but Michael jackson is an acception and of course he has influence lots of artist even some that play rock music but of course rock bands are most likely to be infulenced with the like of The Beatles The Rolling stones than Michael jackson but thats of course bullshit Michael Jackson influenced more than enough artist from all diffrent types of music.

for example if im became a famious rock star if people asked what music i grew up listening to michael jackson would be in there but if they asked did he influence my music i would give him credit and say a little but of course there would be other rock bands who influenced me more if you get me.
 
im a rock fan big one not really a fan of any pop/R&B artist there no really my cup of tea but Michael jackson is an acception and of course he has influence lots of artist even some that play rock music but of course rock bands are most likely to be infulenced with the like of The Beatles The Rolling stones than Michael jackson but thats of course bullshit Michael Jackson influenced more than enough artist from all diffrent types of music.
I find this pretty ironic. At the time the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, etc. were totally influenced by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, James Brown, etc. which they freely talked about at the time.

I think real artists themselves realize the influence, even if the "fans" do not. I watched a 'rock' documentary with Bruce Springsteen's band, and they talked about how they were influenced by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones when they were teenagers, only to later realize that the music was right from their own backyard.
 
THE INFLUENCE OF MICHAEL ON PHIL COLLINS.
When Phil Collins was recording his debut album 'Face Value' he had Michael Jackson's 'Off The Wall' in mind - at least production wise. Taking an old Genesis song "Behind the Lines" he decided to speed up the playback and said he heard in the sped up version a very Michael Jackson like vocal delivery and vibe which he loved. So when it came time to record his solo album he recorded the track as he heard it giving it a mix of MJ and Motown production. Here's the Genesis and Solo versions to compare:

Genesis - https://youtu.be/cwk0x6U_0fU?t=2m18s
Phil Collins - https://youtu.be/E_KY0RJQu1Y
 
I find this pretty ironic. At the time the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, etc. were totally influenced by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, James Brown, etc. which they freely talked about at the time.

I think real artists themselves realize the influence, even if the "fans" do not. I watched a 'rock' documentary with Bruce Springsteen's band, and they talked about how they were influenced by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones when they were teenagers, only to later realize that the music was right from their own backyard.

I think artists themselves often better recognize and acknowledge each other's talents than some of their narrow-minded fans. I don't expect a person who is into Pearl Jam have much nice to say about MJ, but as you can see two members of that band cite MJ as an early and definining influence. I don't expect a Metallica fan have much nice to say about MJ, but Metallica paid tribute to MJ when he died. So I think artists can respect each other even if they play a different type of music, but fans are often partisan (especially rock fans) and think only the type of music they listen to is any good and has artistic quality.
 
^^and I think Rolling Stone and many music magazines and critics have the same problem as Rock fans.
I get fans ignorance of history and influence. But don't excuse critics.
 
I think artists themselves often better recognize and acknowledge each other's talents than some of their narrow-minded fans. I don't expect a person who is into Pearl Jam have much nice to say about MJ, but as you can see two members of that band cite MJ as an early and definining influence. I don't expect a Metallica fan have much nice to say about MJ, but Metallica paid tribute to MJ when he died. So I think artists can respect each other even if they play a different type of music, but fans are often partisan (especially rock fans) and think only the type of music they listen to is any good and has artistic quality.

This is very true (although there are of course plenty of narrow-minded musicians too). I think one reason for it is that the average person's musical interest is just not as large as that of the average musician. It's also very true, as you say, that some people identify so strongly with one genre (or even just one artist), that they automatically think everything else is rubbish. Rock fans historically seem to have a particular dislike for r&b and pop that skews in the r&b direction. But there is plenty of judgement the other way as well. I just think the criticism from the rock side is more noticeable, because traditionally many of the big, mainstream music magazines were started by people who grew up listening to rock music and admiring rock artists. They have just had a louder voice over the years.

Tied into all of this is the fact that music is often associated with subcultures and things that go way beyond the music itself, such as dress codes, political ideals and values about masculinity/femininity. I think artists do not get carried away with all of this nearly as much as many of their listeners, and instead focus much more on the music itself. There are exceptions, but the more sophisticated musicians seem to view each other as being part of this musical brotherhood and seem to have a level of mutual respect and understanding for each other.

It truly is a shame that not more of an effort is made to understand different musical traditions - especially by critics who might influence a wider public. Music is used more to segragate rather than bring people together sometimes. It's so unnecessary because music can move us in many different ways (figuratively and literally). There is not just one approach or genre that holds the key to what's good. Everybody is going to have their likes and dislikes, but it sometimes seems many people miss out on a lot of beautiful music that they could appreciate, but don't simply because they are not open to it.
 
It truly is a shame that not more of an effort is made to understand different musical traditions - especially by critics who might influence a wider public. Music is used more to segragate rather than bring people together sometimes. It's so unnecessary because music can move us in many different ways (figuratively and literally). There is not just one approach or genre that holds the key to what's good. Everybody is going to have their likes and dislikes, but it sometimes seems many people miss out on a lot of beautiful music that they could appreciate, but don't simply because they are not open to it.

 
I find this pretty ironic. At the time the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, etc. were totally influenced by Chuck Berry, Little Richard, James Brown, etc. which they freely talked about at the time.

I think real artists themselves realize the influence, even if the "fans" do not. I watched a 'rock' documentary with Bruce Springsteen's band, and they talked about how they were influenced by the Beatles and the Rolling Stones when they were teenagers, only to later realize that the music was right from their own backyard.

of course they were The Beatles and the Rolling stones didnt invent rock n roll they were influenced by the likes of the people you mentioned and brung it forward and made it more popular to a white audience.

i hate when people say an artist has no talent cause they just copied another artist every artist is just copying the music they grew up with but making it into there own thing there's that much been done it nearly impossible to make something 100 percent orginal.
 
A lot of Hip-hop artists have been influenced by MJ. I will try to find some interesting quotes
 
Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs N Harmony is a major fan of MJ. I mean the whole group in general have always stated that they believe that MJ is the greatest of all time but in particular Krayzie Bone is a massive fan.

They were really big in the 90's with their hits Thuggish Ruggish Bone and 1st Of The Month but their biggest hit was "Tha Crossroads"

[youtube]VMYAEHE2GrM[/youtube]

Krayzie Bone is not just the average MJ fan. He has a show called The QuickFix and one time he dedicated an entire episode discussing and talking about the Arvizos and Chandelers and how MJ was innocent. He even made a remix for Hollywood Tonight!

This is from an interview where they asked him about his top 10 songs of all time and this was his no 1 pick

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Worth mentioning: The entire Bone crew did a tribute to him in
2009 and they sampled Earth Song in one of their songs that unfortunately didn't end up on an official project but eventually leaked onto the Internet

[youtube]vNu9S3_fx6o[/youtube]
 
^ There's always something new you can learn. I didn't know this. Thanks.
 
I feel many people ,artists are influenced by him every day. Some people get him and the unlucky ones don't. He influenced many people ...loved reading those facts about krazie bone (now I can understand why he appealed to me the most out of all the bones lol I'm jk )oh but its kind of hard not to be influenced by a creative genius a great mind and compassionate warm heart... ?
 
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