So says Rob Gordon... I'm not so sure, but it seems like a good title for a blog about music - though come to think of it I wouldn't mind living with Jenny Lewis or Neko Case... or Kim Deal... or Liz Phair... and mos def Annie.
Showing posts with label Michael Jackson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Michael Jackson. Show all posts
I know I write a lot of these with "maybe" but I like it... it works... so I'm doing it again.
Maybe it's the drums. Maybe it's the smoothness. Maybe it's the bass. Maybe it's Michael's voice. Maybe it's the kick ass chorus. Maybe it's the hand claps. Maybe it's the amazing bridge... I don't know what it is exactly about this song, but when you put it all together it's one of the all time greats.
"When you feel that beat, We're gonna ride that boogie"
This was Michael at his best. A perfect blend of late 70s yacht rock, disco, pop, rock, and R&B. Michael is never over the top--a rarity for him--hitting each note almost subtly and flawlessly. It's a damn near perfect song.
Editors Note: I've covered Michael enough for the time, so I'll be moving on. I honestly thought I'd dive deeper into his cultural impact, but the music end up taking over. I'm sure a Michael song will come up from time to time from here on out... but for now, Bye Michael and thanks.
I've already written about this song, so I'm not going to talk about the great bass line or 11 year old Michael nailing this song like no one has really nailed a song ever since--and I'm dead serious about this... take a second and think of songs that the singer nails. And I'm not talking about Neko Case signing Star Witness, I'm talking Neko Case in "Letter From an Occupant" nailed. And honestly... I think Neko's performance in that song is one of the few that can compete with Michael in "I Want You Back." He owns this song. He doesn't miss a note, it's perfect (what he does with 'girl' is flat out unfair), and sings it with a desperation that is down right amazing.
And this is what makes this song, well, weird. Michael Jackson was 11 years old when he sang this song to the world. ELEVEN. He didn't know heartbreak. He hadn't been in love. Yet here he is singing a song that is all about that stuff, and he doesn't sound ridiculous in the process. He wants her back and you believe it... as unnatural as it is when you really think about it.
How will we remember Michael Jackson? It's far too early to say, but if it's anything like Elvis, then most of us will remember Michael as sort of a joke who made some great songs. But that will be unfair... Michael Jackson was always in the public eye. He didn't have a childhood. We made him a star and in the process took his childhood away. When I was eleven, I was playing baseball in the backyard. If Michael Jackson did that, even he knew he wasn't really playing baseball in the backyard like any other 11 year old.
I'm not saying that we, society, caused Jackson to become a freak... to become a joke -- we didn't. It was his parents that put him out there to entertain the world. And Michael was really really good at entertaining people with his dance moves and voice. But since he started so young and became famous at such a young age, we robbed him of anything 'normal' or 'typical'.
I know a bunch of people have pointed this out, but it's worth rehashing. Michael was probably always trying to get back to that age that they/we took away from him. And that age was 10. His success allowed him to do everything possible to try and get back to being 10. He ended up living a life that is the dream of almost every 10 year old boy.
But Michael could never go back. His path was made for him. And he didn't complain (at least publicly) in stead he took his opportunity and ran with it. Within 10 years of him singing "I was wrong to let you go" he had produced one of the greatest pop albums of all time AND what would become the biggest selling album of all time. By the time he was 22, Michael Jackson had, for all intents and purposes, conquered pop culture. No one before or since has come close.
Michael Jackson songs were a lot of things: some were dance songs, some were love songs, some tried to save the world and others attempted to bring racial peace, but no matter the message his songs were, for the most part, fun. You could (and you wanted to) dance to them. Black or White, a song that I assume was trying to bring racial harmony to the world (and probably a bit biographical), in the end was just a fun song that made you want to move.
And that's what's so different about Man in the Mirror. A self help song if there ever was one, the lyrics can hit home if, say, you can't catch a break. Listen to this song, and you can't help but think, 'Hey, maybe it's me... I need to make a change!'
Man in the Mirror is an unbelievably well crafted song, starting off slow and letting Michael's voice shine with little background or arrangement help. It's a simple and subtle start and while the song builds a little bit over the first 2:30 or so, it also sounds a bit dated (a bit 80s if you will). But then at 2:52 the choir jumps in and pushes this song to another level... and Michael pretty much goes off doing Michael Jackson things with his voice.
However, no matter how well the song is arranged and how enjoyable the lyrics* are... the unintentional comedy scale hits near record highs when at the very end of the song as the music dies down and you think it's over Michael says/whispers, "Make that change." Never fails to crack me up... for all the obvious ironic reasons.
*even if it's obvious and cliche; the lyrics hit home.
Seriously people... do we actually realize what kind of voice this boy (and man) had? I can't get over it. Throw in Motown arrangements and it was a can't miss.
And look at him move! Look at this kid! Look at him dance and the joy and the energy... this is pure pop bliss. This is music at its most fun. You have to smile when you hear this... you have to dance. There just isn't another way to take this in other than succumb to the joy of him singing.
No matter what happened after these young years -- no matter what Michael ended up looking like or what he did or even his music after his young years... those songs with the Jackson 5 -- ABC and I Want You Back especially -- are like nothing out there. Both songs are amazingly fresh and unbelievably fun. Pop music has few moments that ever reach the heights that these two songs reach. And sure, they're damn well written, but it's young, little Michael with his infectious energy and that voice. That voice of God. Ahhh, it's moments like when he sings "It's like counting up to three!" that I enjoy with a joy that makes my heart skip a beat.
It shouldn't have taken Michael Jackson's death for me to fire this blog up again... but here I am, bummed out about Michael's death and needing to figure out his life and his impact on pop culture. So I'm going to run down Michael's top songs, I've got a list of six right now, so I'll work off that.
P.Y.T. is fun, and if you went to the right places over the last five years, it's one of the few Michael songs you'd hear played. Unlike other Jackson songs it's aged increditably well. Fun, easy on the ears and makes one want to dance... pop doesn't get much better than this. P.Y.T. isn't Michael at the top of his game--there really was never a top for Michael, he just had a mind blowingly amazing 18 years--and it's not even the best song on this album. But unlike so many Michael songs, it's isn't forced or over the top. The song just moves along eventually hitting the show stopping, dance your ass off chours and top off by one of the bridges out there in music.
A daily musical journey of 365 songs that I like and probably have some sort of meaning to me... This might go on forever.
The Deal
Here's How To Play: Make a list of 365 songs. The first ones will come easy. The rest will make you think, maybe even listen to some tunes you have not heard in years. This may be a good or bad thing. But leave room on your list. You may meet some new songs along the way. Try to keep your daily post to a word count limit by using one word per year that you have been on the planet. Drop me a comment with your link. (or do what I'm doing and just random pick a song thanks to iTunes or whatever and wirte a few words about).
