Well, like him or not, Michael Jackson was truly an American icon. From as early as 5 years old he was in the spotlight. First with the Jackson 5, then as a solo artist, and thenceforth as some sort of traveling one-man freak show. Were the last 16 or so years of his life fraught with such weirdness? You bet they were. Between two high profile court cases, house arrest, and a small handful of tell all documentaries, Michael was never far from the flame that ultimately – if one is to believe the suicide rumors – to be true. But regardless of your views, the guy was a legend.
5. Ben
Ben was a song about his pet rat (aptly named – you guessed it – Ben). I’m not saying the song is a classic – it’s a song about a fucking rat, for Pete’s sake. But keep in mind that Michael is barely 10 years old at this point and singing some serious Sam Cooke stuff. Could you do that at 10? No.
4. The Fucking Moonwalk
Holy shit. This is insane – inspiring countless leagues of white people out there to try themselves to scoot backwards from one side of the living room rug to the other. The Moonwalk was hardly a “new move”; indeed, it had its roots in vaudeville(!). But nobody could do it like Michael.
3. The Pepsi Commercial
Were you concious as a human in the late 1980’s you’d remember the veritable cauldron of buzz surrounding this commercial. While filming, Michael caught on fire. AND DANCED THE FIRE OFF OF HIM. That, in and of itself, is fucking incredible. The guy spun around and whipped the fire right off of him. Here’s the commercial in its broadcast form, doing more buzz for Pepsi than they could have ever asked for, and doing more for the legend of Michael Jackson than anyone could have ever asked for.
2. Mike & James
We were going to run a video of Michael and Lisa Marie Presley, but then we ran across this video of Michael and James Brown together. It only cements the fact that the dude – for all his foibles – was a legend.
1. Man In The Mirror, live at the 1988 Grammy Awards.
Arguably his best “song”, so to speak, this never got the attention it deftly deserves. It was Michael’s equivalent of “In The Ghetto”, and by far one of his most heartfelt songs. I guess it’d be good to remind ourselves of the positive energy the guy had; “Man In The Mirror” was his peak professionaly, before all the court cases, basically the height of his career, in hindsight. So sit back and enjoy.
And finally…
Eddie Murphy, on Michael Jackson.
Comments
Jacob
June 25th, 2009 - 7:48:28 PM
Ned, it's a serious oversight to neglect to include his performance at the Motown 25th anniversary celebration. In addition to the seriously contentious parting of Jackson from the label, his feud with his brothers, and his demands that he would perform under no circumstances unless allowed to play 'Billie Jean' (a demand Gordy agreed to finally), the moment was perhaps Jackson's finest as a performer. He was at the peak of his powers. This was Jackson's coming out party when he cast aside his youthful image and became 'The King of Pop,' unveiled of the moonwalk, and one of unloaded with one the most insane performances ever. It is one of the greatest moments in the history of 20th century music - much less Jackson's own career. Otherwise this list is solid enough, to my eyes.
Ned Hepburn
June 25th, 2009 - 8:03:38 PM
jacob: a lot of videos you cant embed, for reasons i'll never know.
simon
June 25th, 2009 - 10:36:45 PM
loved it mate, loved it
Cooler Shaker
June 26th, 2009 - 12:30:35 AM
RIP
mike d
June 28th, 2009 - 7:19:53 AM
lol this is terrible. how can you post a stand up comedy of eddie murphy dissing michael but not the video of mike doing the moonwalk at the motown reunion...
Friend Of Pet Rats
June 28th, 2009 - 7:37:02 AM
Thanks for the "F@#&ING RAT" comment about Michael's pet rat. If you had ever met a pet rat you would understand how loving they are. I believe the Ben song was Michael's way to tell the world of the love he found in such a small and misunderstood creature. Thankfully Michael was brave enough to tell the world of his love for his friend despite the overwhelming prejudice toward them.
DRT
August 1st, 2009 - 12:58:43 PM
Eddie Murphy is not dissing michael but rather paying homage to the greatest entertainer of all time! I think it is hilarious and MJ was still alive and well back then.