All Mixed Up 06.29.09: Remember The Time?
Posted by Tom Santoro on 06.29.2009
This week I offer up a truly original idea…a Michael Jackson retrospective! However, this column examines the correlation of his song titles to his eccentric behavior in his private life. The love fest is over but is it too soon? Plus, I offer the 10 Songs I want played at my funeral.
"Remember The Time"
Since Michael Jackson tragically passed away last Thursday, news outlets and fans have chosen to reminisce about Michael's musical career, while trying to ignore all the weird things he did in his private life. I think it is poor reporting to focus solely on his talent, while glossing over his eccentricities. He is known as much for his eccentric behavior as he is for his success as a musician. To ignore the odd things he did, does not tell the whole story about who he was in life.
No one is discounting Jackson as perhaps the most beloved musician in the world, without trouble, as he beats every one including former father-in-law, Elvis Presley. He was the consummate entertainer both with his brothers and as a solo act. His father pushed him to be the best and he learned from the best while working for Motown. When he went solo, he gave us some of the greatest albums ever recorded. It was not until his performance at the Motown 25th Anniversary show, however that he reached superstardom.
At that show he unveiled a new look, including his famous sequined white glove, and a new dance, the "Moonwalk". He also performed "Billie Jean" with a calculated determination that hadn't been seen since the Beatles invaded America. The song featured a mix of rock, pop and funk that made it easily accessible to people who liked all forms of music genres. This was the introduction to the highest selling album ever, Thriller. Scores of people bought that album because of the powerful array of singles. He was on top of the world, until he started acting weird. The first instance of odd behavior happened when he took Emmanuel Lewis as a date to the Grammy Awards.
After that, people started questioning his odd behavior. Jackson was a man-child who seemed like he never grew up. Each new report of his odd behavior was more sensational than the last. He never seemed like he understood why people took interest in things he rationalized as normal (hammered home in the 2003 documentary). His naivety often got him into trouble. He trusted everybody and did not understand why his behavior was wrong. The media began to rip him apart and he was defenseless.
Like every one else this weekend, I began listening to his musical catalogue. After listening to the HIStory album, I began to realize that most of his song's titles correlate to his eccentric behavior. It gave me idea of how I could use the titles of some of his greatest hits to help recount some of lowest points in his life. Judge for yourself, I broke them down in categories…
Childhood Abuse
"Beat It" and "Bad"
It is no secret Joe Jackson beat his children into humble and professional entertainers. He was a controlling man who calculated every move for his boys so he could get his family out of the slums. There was no way anyone would deny him of his vision. If Papa Joseph did not like something, that kid was going to know about it. On these songs, Michael talked tough lyrically by encouraging young people to stand up against gangs and bullies. Deep down, I think these songs have something to do with Michael standing up to his father, saying all the things he wanted to say to him as a child.
Appearance
"Man In The Mirror"
It is hard to believe the precocious little kid introduced to the world through the Jackson 5 is the same alien looking being that he became as an adult. His appearance was the most alienating thing about him. It punctuated his weirdness and creepiness. His nose was almost none existent. If I were a plastic surgeon, I would not want to list him as a customer. The popular theory is that he hated his appearance because of his alleged abuse as a child making him desperate to eliminate his original face. Another theory I have is that he used plastic surgery as an expensive version of cutting. He just did it to feel something other than loneliness. I know this is a positive song about trying to get people inspired to change the world, but the song title could refer to the literal meaning of Michael hating the person that was looking back at him.
"Black or White"
On top of the horrific plastic surgeries, there is speculation that he bleached his skin. Comedians often used this song as a joke by asking the question of whether he is black or white. After constant speculation about his lightened skin, Jackson's camp said he suffered from some rare skin condition. Not many people accepted that claim. The song's meaning is to be color blind, but it could just as easily be about his appearance and longing to be an every man.
Molestation Charges
"P.Y.T"
This is one of the best songs on Thriller, but in light of all his legal problems and allegations, could it have been about little kids rather than a young woman. He had strange relationships with child actors. At the 1983 Grammy Awards, he famously took Brooke Shields and Emmanuel Lewis as dates. He carried the artist formerly known as Webster around like a little doll all the while ignoring one of the 80s most desirable women.
This event started the whispers and accusations leading up to the investigations of molestations in 1991. Paying off the family of the child despite a lack of evidence further made him look guilty. It also tarnished his career. My belief is that he had Peter Pan Syndrome and thought he was a boy that would never grow up. He did not know how to act socially and always appeared like the shy little boy interviewed by Dick Clark on American Bandstand.
"Smooth Criminal"
There are two views as to where people stand on Jackson's multiple molestation allegations, the American view and the world view. The American view is cynical. Most people believe he beat the charges because he had money, thus ruining any attempt to clear his name. He was guilty in the court of public opinion because of all the mounting circumstantial evidence and the cynicism of our justice system. It also looked like he bought the silence of the accusers to make it go away, which did not sit well with many people. It is hard to be a fan of a person accused of this type of crime.
The world view on the other hand is optimistic. The world saw him as a man taken advantage of because of his naivety and wealth. They see MJ as a man who was a great humanitarian who helped children all around the world. They saw him as a man who kindly opened his door (and wallet) to all children just to put a smile on their faces.
My opinion leans towards guilty. I don't think every accusation is true, I think most of his relationships with these boys were on the up and up. I think several unscrupulous people took advantage of his generosity thus getting him in this predicament. However, there are several red flags. He never had a serious relationship with a woman. The majority of children he hung out with were boys. Finally, he paid the unscrupulous families off to make the problem go away. Not to mention it happened twice.
Sexuality
"Keep It In The Closet"
Besides the obvious situations of keeping an affair on the DL and not admitting you're having relations with a fat chick, why would someone sing a song about keeping a relationship with a woman quiet? It did not help that he never really dated much in the public eye. Given all the weird things he did, this was a poor choice for a song title, despite being one of his best grooves.
His two notable public relationships were questionable at best. His marriages to Lisa Marie Presley and Debbie Rowe were shams. It was painful watching Lisa Marie and Michael try to prove they were in love; punctuated by the awkward kiss at the MTV Music Awards. The only thing that made sense is that they may have shared the same sort of isolation from the world. On the other hand, it could have been for business because while they were married, they were in control of the three greatest catalogues in music (Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and The Beatles), making them the ultimate power couple.
His second marriage to his nurse, Debbie Rowe was purely a business relationship as she served as a vessel to birth his children. Proving it was a business relationship is the fact that she signed away all parental rights for a large sum of money.
"Billie Jean" & Dirty Diana
"She's not my lover, she's just a girl who says that I am the one". Unwanted obsession from females is something Jackson tackles on several songs. No one doubts that these are his greatest songs, but why does he continue to deny relationships with women? Heck, he isn't even considered to be gay either.
Tabloids
"Somebody's Watching Me"
Michael Jackson may have been the most eccentric person who ever lived. His extreme wealth allowed him to buy and collect things on a whim. When he bought John Merrick's (The Elephant Man) remains, I thought could you buy a dead body. How does that work? Then he bought a chimp named Bubbles, who was his closest pet among all the animals that belonged in the zoo he had at Neverland Ranch. Michael sings back up on this song for Rockwell. The tabloids were always questioning his every move because it was easy and funny to report. This song allows Jackson to say what he means in regards to his dwindling privacy.
"Say, Say, Say"
This duet with Sir Paul McCartney is about dealing with rumors regarding a relationship. There are many tall tales regarding Jackson that were accepted as truth. The same tabloids that lived off stretching the truth about Jackson's life are now showering him with love and respect (read Melchor's column about this, it's excellent).
"Leave Me Alone"
This song is one of his most respected as he takes his dissenters head on. I think if he continued to attack the press and had a better public relations campaign, his life would be less of a freak show in the eyes of the public. Things seemed to be settling down until he did an ill advised full access documentary with Martin Brashear. That documentary opened the doors to the second molestation lawsuit. The trial became a circus with the low light being that Jackson showed up late in his pajamas.
The Afterlife
"Thriller"
Does anyone else find it weird to watch the "Thriller" video now that he is dead? It's unsettling to see a dead Michael Jackson doing a choreographed dance.
Top 10 Songs To Be Played At My Funeral: (In This Order)
1. Pearl Jam – "Man of the Hour":
2. The Beach Boys – "God Only Knows"
3. Drive By Truckers – "Two Daughters and a Beautiful Wife"
4. Death Cab For Cutie – "What Sarah Said"
5. Bread – "Everything I Own"
6. Willie Nelson & Julio Iglesias – "To All The Girls I've Loved Before"
