I agree that the allegations and the continued smearing of Michael’s reputation were despicable and he would have been much better off without them. But I think some perspective is needed. Of course if you focus on the negative stories in American/British tabloid media or disparaging pieces in some American (rock) music press it seems depressing but we have to keep in mind that only a minority of people read or take interest in these stories and they represent a very small proportion of ‘public opinion’. And yes maybe Michael does have more ‘haters’ than other music artists but committed haters number how many - a thousand? That’s insignificant compared to how many people enjoy his music. This is especially true when you consider how internationally popular Michael is - do you think many people in India, Africa or China read western tabloids?
I don’t think that the accusations did that much damage to the sales of his albums. Pretty much all of Michael’s albums (inc HIStory) are among the highest selling of all time. Of course without them, he may have released more music which may have meant that he had more sales and could have become the best-selling artist of all time. It’s clear that the Beatles and Elvis only have more sales than Michael because of their larger discography - on a per album basis Michael is much higher. But then we shouldn’t just focus on physical sales. Today physical sales across the board are falling massively and streaming has seen huge increases. And look at how good Michael’s streaming stats are: he is the top ‘classic’ artist on Youtube and Spotify. On Youtube he has streamed 5.33 billion since Sept 2014 compared to 2.06 billion for Elvis and 1.68 billion for the Beatles - Michael is on par with current top artists. Also on the
worldwide iTunes album chart (a compilation of all country’s iTunes chart positions) since 2011, Michael is ranked 13th (again the top ‘classic’ artist) and if you look at his albums, like Number Ones, they have huge global penetration and chart in practically all countries. I have not seen that for the compilation albums of the Beatles, Elvis or Prince. And this is all years after Michael’s death so clearly he has peerless longevity (which IMO is more important than sales). Also, since Feb 2016
the RIAA has started to take into account video and audio streams when calculating album sales (1500 streams = 1 album) so there’s a chance Michael will surpass Elvis/Beatles in sales eventually (in term of certified sales, not the inflated 750 million/1 billion figures for all three).
I don’t believe the rock critics or music snobs would have liked Michael regardless. They didn’t like him because of the type and content of his music which doesn’t fit their ideals of great ‘art’. But in my view that’s not because Michael was inferior as an artist but because he wasn’t trying to make art only for the ideals of the ‘artist’ or recreation and scholarship of music enthusiasts but understood that the greater purpose of art is to influence and inspire people which is why his music communicates so many important messages.
It’s probably true that the allegations did significant damage to Michael’s image and maybe the respect from some quarters but his impact and legacy are so huge that I don’t think it matters. His impact/legacy is pretty much unparalleled by any artist in the last half century, certainly greater than Elvis and arguably greater than the Beatles too. I think there’s plenty of evidence to support this.
Michael has greater global recognition and popularity, as shown by Youtube/iTunes and also google search stats. He is probably the one of the most popular western pop stars in India and has influenced a whole generation of Bollywood stars, including
Shah Rukh Khan,
Amitabh Bachchan,
Hrithik Roshan,
Salman Khan,
Sridevi Kapoor,
Priyanka Chopra, etc who have all spoken about their admiration of Michael. The great Indian composer AR Rahman (with whom Michael collaborated) has often talked about how Michael inspired him and
his music school even covered Xscape. Michael has also had huge influence on Asian musicians. The Chinese pianist
Lang Lang (probably the biggest music star in China today) compared Michael’s genius to that of Mozart when asked about his opinion on the great modern musicians. And the Korean rapper
Psy, when asked what America’s greatest export was, said: “First of all, the English language. And also pop music.
A song like Michael Jackson’s Billie Jean, it's like the world's biggest, most universal language.” To quote
Justin Bieber (I don’t agree with everything he says but I think he absolutely gets what Michael was about and has said some very insightful things about him), “
in order to be on Michael’s level you have to reach as many people as Michael reached, and Kanye doesn’t reach as many people. No one really does.” That pretty much sums up what Michael was and still is to the world.
Michael’s legacy as an artist is also multifaceted, including both music and dance. Maybe not the music press, but I think he gets a lot of respect from today’s top artists. Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Usher, Justin Bieber, the Weeknd, Ed Sheeran, Kanye West, Madonna, Mariah Carey etc have all spoken about his influence and ranked him as the one of if not the best music artist ever - Bieber,
West and the
Weeknd are particularly vocal. Also Michael’s had a huge impact on the dance world and modern dance. He is quoted as an inspiration by great ballet dancers like
Carlos Acosta and
Darcey Bussell and praised by the likes of
Mikhail Baryshnikov,
Sylvie Guillem, Frank Sinatra, etc. When DWTS did a tribute to Michael in 2009, the pro dancer
Louis van Amstel said: “It's really important to do this tribute because
he pretty much opened doors, and I thank him for opening doors for all of us.” And that’s so true - Michael has been a driving force in the integration of music and dance in entertainment and the rising popularity of dance (inc shows like DWTS) over the world, and in doing so opened up so many doors and professional opportunities for dancers. Michael has even permeated into other artistic disciplines like
figure skating. His music and style has been adopted in routines by many people including the great Russian skater Evgeni Plushenko, world champion Oksana Baiul, Olympic champions Tatiana Navka and Roman Kostomarov, etc.
Michael also has huge social and political influence. So many world leaders have spoken of his impact.
Ali Bongo Ondimba, the current President of Gabon, said:
"
Certainly there have been figures like Elvis Presley, bands like the Beatles ... But I think Michael Jackson really marked his era in the sense that he opened up the possibilities and the way for all black African artists And American artists ... he is the first artist who has established himself throughout the world, to all races, and he has proved that music has no borders."
Also the former President of Ghana,
Jerry John Rawlings said:
“I once had the honour of meeting with Michael and we struck a great friendship borne out of respect.
Michael changed the world and always knew that with change he would appeal to many across all borders even if some in the non musical media did not always appreciate it… He was human and so sensitive.
The world has lost one of its greatest sons. Michael you made an impact and you changed the whole world in so many ways.”
Ali Hassan Mwinyi, former President of Tanzania, said Michael was “
a legend that will forever remain etched in the memories of both young and old alike”, and
Kim Dae Jung, the former president of South Korea and 2000 Nobel Peace laureate called him a “
hero of the world” and “
beloved friend of Korea”. We all know that Nelson Mandela paid a great tribute to Michael in 2009 and
Desmond Tutu, when speaking to students in the US for Black History Month in 2011, singled Michael out as a role model and said that he symbolised limitless potential. And the reason why they all think so highly about Michael is because he truly had concern for the underprivileged people of the world. He travelled to these places, did humanitarian work, held benefit concerts, raised awareness of social issues, and devoted his time and money to help people.
To this day Michael’s music means so much to people. For example Man in the Mirror was sung at the
2009 Nobel Peace prize concert, We are the World was sung by a
children’s choir for Pope Francis in a huge concert in front of St Peter’s Basilica, Heal the World was quoted by the
President of Ghana when addressing the UN General Assembly and was sung at the
opening ceremony of the International Criminal Court this year, They Don’t Care About Us has been sung in BLM protests internationally… Just which other artists can you say that about? Who else has music of such continuing impact and universality?
A great indicator of Michael’s colossal legacy is the fact that in 2014, the
British Council, in a list of the 80 most important moments of the last 80 years placed at #49:
The influence of the life and music of the American singer Michael Jackson, 1958-2009
There are no Beatles or Elvis on the list, or any other music artist for that matter. Michael is in the company of the likes of Martin Luther King, Ghandi and Nelson Mandela. And I think that illustrates the key point. Michael, Elvis, the Beatles, Prince, David Bowie, etc are all great artists but beyond that Michael was also a great
man - someone who will be remembered as one of the great men of the 20th century. Because he was a pioneer of the modern concept of ‘public life’, of a celebrity as an activist, philanthropist, humanitarian, and for so many people across the world, Michael is the embodiment of Western popular music, and its representation of liberalism and the spirit of creativity.
On a final note, whilst we all wish that Michael had a simpler and happier life, the adversities that he faced were key in shaping the person that he was. I think that it is the depth of a person and tragedy that speak most strongly to the heart and soul of people and through which people identify with others. That’s the reason that, for example, Snape is often voted the favourite character in the Harry Potter series. So I think we should be happy that Michael lived an extraordinary life and had such an incredible impact on humanity. I don’t think he would have been disappointed in his legacy. I’m sorry this turned out to be such an essay but Michael’s legacy is something I also feel really strongly about and I think there’s so much positive here that we should focus on.
