Sunday Song Lyric

So ... big news in the music world this week, huh?

I haven't really been a fan of Michael Jackson's in about 25 years. I was just the right age when Thriller hit to have been really into it, but by the time Bad came out, I was way too cool for Michael Jackson. By the time I got to a point where I would have listened to someone like Jackson without being self-conscious about it, enough disturbing stories had come out abaout his personal life that I just didn't feel comfortable putting money in the man's pocket.

But regrdless of his failings as a person, Jackson leaves behind a legacy as an artist. It's not a legacy I had given much thought to before he died, but over the last few days, I've been listening to a lot of his music and it actually is good pop music. For the past 20 years or so, the allegations about the man had overshadowed the music he created, but if you can step back and listen to the music without focusing on the man -- something I personally wasn't able to do while he was alive -- it holds up well.

The other thing about Michael Jackson is that the man could move. We've known that all along, of course, but I've been watching his videos and it's amazing how well he moved. Many of his videos featured him dancing with a group of backup dancers, and even though they were all doing the same steps, Jackson's movements had so much more fluidity, his dance steps had extra flourishes the other dancers' steps didn't have. I've heard a lot of discussion over the past few days about whether Michael was his generation's Elvis; maybe, but maybe the question we should be asking is whether he was his generation's Astaire.

And this is something I've been thinking a lot about over the last few days -- how much can we separate the artist from the person. Let's assume he was a child molestor. I recognize that the one time charges were brought against him, he was acquitted, but the allegations were certainly there, both with regard to that case and at other times. I personally found the allegations credible enough that, as I mentioend above, I just didn't feel comfortable doing anything that would wind up enriching him. But does the calculus change now that he is dead? It's a question I'm still mulling over, but I think it does. I can ignore the failings of Richard Wagner, for example, and still enjoy the Ring cycle. Does it make a difference that I lived through Jackson's failings while Wagner died a hundred years before I was born? I don't see why it should. More on point for this blog, when Julie Schwartz died, a lot of stories came out to the effect that he was a serial sexual harasser. It lowered my appreciation for Julie as a person, but it didn't affect my enjoyment of the Silver Age Flash or Green Lantern stories. Should it have?

Anyway, YouTube seems to have turned off embedding on all the Michael Jacson videos (I imagine their bandwidth is being slammed), but do yourself a favor and check some of them out. Remind yourself why he was called "The King of Pop" and remind yourself why we all went crazy over the moonwalk 25 years ago.

They Told Him Don't You Ever Come Around Here
Don't Wanna See Your Face, You Better Disappear
The Fire's In Their Eyes And Their Words Are Really Clear
So Beat It, Just Beat It

You Better Run, You Better Do What You Can
Don't Wanna See No Blood, Don't Be A Macho Man
You Wanna Be Tough, Better Do What You Can
So Beat It, But You Wanna Be Bad

Just Beat It, Beat It, Beat It, Beat It
No One Wants To Be Defeated
Showin' How Funky Strong Is Your Fight
It Doesn't Matter Who's Wrong Or Right
Just Beat It, Beat It
Just Beat It, Beat It
Just Beat It, Beat It
Just Beat It, Beat It

Posted by Jason Fliegel at June 28, 2009 4:27 PM