"If you enter this world knowing that you're loved and you leave the world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with"
- Michael Jackson
The 'King of Pop'.. The 'Moonwalker'.. is no longer with us. The news filled a sense of dysphoria among his fans across the world as they not only lost their favorite singer but also a man who redefined 'stardom'. I happened to tune into CNN and the scenes outside the hospital where MJ breathed his last and those at the Times Square in NY reminded me of JFK's assassination. No doubt that inspite of leading a life full of controversies of child , this Hall-of-Fame singer still happens to be the greatest pop-star to ever 'moonwalk' this Earth.
A few days back I read a newspaper report that MJ was planning to phase what was to be his greatest comeback to vanquish nightmares of child abuse scandal and financial breakdown. And believe me, I was not surprised to hear that all the tickets to his 50-concert marathon, which were supposed to be staged in London, were sold in few hours. Apart from his flambouyant clothing and peculiar hair-styles, he was perhaps best known for his 'break-dance' and 'moonwalk' which he immortalized. His 1983 album 'Thriller' still continues to be the highest-selling album of all times with a record 50 million copies sold. Each of his album was a smash-hit and tracks like 'Dangerous', 'Billy Jean', 'Smooth Criminal', 'Don't stop till you get enough' etched their names in history. His album had so much impact over the social scenario, particularly in US, that the period following the release of his another mega hit album 'BAD', in 1987, is usually referred as 'The Bad Era'. I remember Prabhu Deva quoting "Even if I touched Michael Jackson, I'd feel as if I had attained nirvana'.
I saw a documentary on MJ named 'Living with Michael Jackson' which was a series
of interviews amalgamated into a short film. It was quite an unusual series as it showed, for the first time, MJ talking about his traumatic childhood. Although he remained reclusive on questions regarding his plastic surgeries and sexual transmutations. Born as a nigger, a child prodigy as a singer, shot to fame with his maiden album 'Off the Wall', underwent several plastic surgeries, diagnosed with vitiligo, accused of child abuse, suffered from financial calamity, lost his dream house 'Neverland Ranch' (based on the fictional place of the same name in Peter Pan's story, where children never grew up), converted into a muslim Mikel, died awash in $400 million of debt. Quite a life... Ain't it!
Many consider Frank Sinatra as the superstar in the world of music. But, no offense to Frankie, I think that Michael Jackson was the more 'popular' star... a genuine celebrity who appealed directly to the heart of his audience. Be it his peculiar style of singing or his famous 'moonwalking' dance moves, he captivated millions of hearts. And even though he functioned more as an occasional tabloid figure rather than a singer, for many of us, he was and will always be the greatest superstar of music. May God bless his soul. AMEN!
A few days back I read a newspaper report that MJ was planning to phase what was to be his greatest comeback to vanquish nightmares of child abuse scandal and financial breakdown. And believe me, I was not surprised to hear that all the tickets to his 50-concert marathon, which were supposed to be staged in London, were sold in few hours. Apart from his flambouyant clothing and peculiar hair-styles, he was perhaps best known for his 'break-dance' and 'moonwalk' which he immortalized. His 1983 album 'Thriller' still continues to be the highest-selling album of all times with a record 50 million copies sold. Each of his album was a smash-hit and tracks like 'Dangerous', 'Billy Jean', 'Smooth Criminal', 'Don't stop till you get enough' etched their names in history. His album had so much impact over the social scenario, particularly in US, that the period following the release of his another mega hit album 'BAD', in 1987, is usually referred as 'The Bad Era'. I remember Prabhu Deva quoting "Even if I touched Michael Jackson, I'd feel as if I had attained nirvana'.I saw a documentary on MJ named 'Living with Michael Jackson' which was a series
of interviews amalgamated into a short film. It was quite an unusual series as it showed, for the first time, MJ talking about his traumatic childhood. Although he remained reclusive on questions regarding his plastic surgeries and sexual transmutations. Born as a nigger, a child prodigy as a singer, shot to fame with his maiden album 'Off the Wall', underwent several plastic surgeries, diagnosed with vitiligo, accused of child abuse, suffered from financial calamity, lost his dream house 'Neverland Ranch' (based on the fictional place of the same name in Peter Pan's story, where children never grew up), converted into a muslim Mikel, died awash in $400 million of debt. Quite a life... Ain't it!Many consider Frank Sinatra as the superstar in the world of music. But, no offense to Frankie, I think that Michael Jackson was the more 'popular' star... a genuine celebrity who appealed directly to the heart of his audience. Be it his peculiar style of singing or his famous 'moonwalking' dance moves, he captivated millions of hearts. And even though he functioned more as an occasional tabloid figure rather than a singer, for many of us, he was and will always be the greatest superstar of music. May God bless his soul. AMEN!
“In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.”
ReplyDeleteMichael Jackson
During his trial in the Child Abuse Scandal
its really mournful..we hv lost such a fantastic superstar of music world..but he will always remain inside our heart and no one will stop tapping their feet on his mindblasting songs...May god bless his soul!
ReplyDeleteHats off to u prateek wht a wonderful segment u hv posted in ur blog..its a great attempt in life i say..god bless