Michael Jackson, the American singer and known as the King of Pop, is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Aside from that, he’s also known as one of the most successful and influential entertainers. In fact, his achievements helped in completing the integration of popular music in the United States, and as well as introduced an era of multiculturalism and integration, which future generations of artists followed. He has earned a lot from his hit music as you can check on net worth spot and became among the top most paid entertainers of his era.
It was in 1969 when Michael Jackson became a child star, being the lead singer of the Jackson 5, which was a band formed with his older brothers. When the 1980s came, he became a dominant figure in popular cultureand was the first African-American entertainer to have a strong crossover fan base on Music Television or MTV.
There are a lot of things that Michael Jackson popularized, including street dances, particularly his signature move, the moonwalk, which attracted a cult of impersonators around the world. If you want to know more about the influence of Michael Jackson, you’re in the right place. Today, we are going to tell you all about the amazing impact of Michael Jackson on pop culture.
Impact of Michael Jackson on Music
When Michael Jackson was first introduced in America, he was a lovable pre-teen with a puffy Afro and an electric voice. From the 1970s to the early 1990s, he held onto the intensity he had as the lead singer of the Jackson Five. Back then, he was loved by almost all the people, especially when he sang, “We are the World.”
When it comes to music or sound, Jackson’s tune had a little bit of everything, including pop, rock, jazz, and disco. All of these are mixed together and blended with high-pitched shrieks and squeals. His albums, most especially Thriller, were embraced by fans and as well as critics. Aside from having 13 number one singles, Michael Jackson also had 13 Grammys.
Impact of Michael Jackson on Dance
No one can move exactly like Michael Jackson, but everyone probably wanted to. Music made him a star, but his laser-sharp spins, snaps, and pivots, the blunt sexuality of his crotch grabs, and his mesmerizing choreography that his music videos featured, most especially his moonwalk move, have launched him higher.
It was in 1983, during a televised Motown Music special, was the first time the world watched him gliding like that. He was wearing black loafers and moving across the stage with liquid smoothness, and no one had ever seen anything like it. If you’re a teenager back in those times, you’re probably one of those who spent lots of time dragging their stockinged feet across carpeted bedroom floors as you try to master the move.
Impact of Michael Jackson on Music Videos
Michael Jackson also had a huge impact when it comes to creating music videos. In fact, when his full-length Thriller video was set to debut on MTV in late 1983, people wrote the date on their calendars, and they stayed home to be able to watch it. It was the most expensive video ever made that time, and it was a cinematic experience. That video was about 15 minutes long, which was like a mini-movie.
Unlike artists who phone in videos with concert footage or fill them with pretty models, Michael Jackson used his music videos to tell stories, use wonderful special effects, and as well as produce full choreography. He was the one who fortified the fledgling music television channel and made the music video into an art form.
Impact of Michael Jackson on Fashion
Aside from music and dance, Michael Jackson also had a big impact on fashion. His single, white, sequined glove, red leather jacket with a lot of zippers, pegged pants, fedora, and bedazzled military coats have been part of the pop culture for so many years. Almost everybody wanted the leather jacket he wore in the music video of Beat It.
Michael Jackson outfitted himself to show off his moves. He wore black shoes with glittering white socks, which nobody could ignore. Michael Jackson was the King of Pop who dressed for the job.
Michael Jackson’s Influence
Like Bob Dylan and Elvis Presley before him, Michael Jackson reshaped pop culture in ways that are challenging to comprehend. He had a great impact on just about every musician who came after him, one way or another. It was as if he was unavoidable.
In fact, according to MC Saleem Heggins, a Baltimore-based hip-hop performer, he cannot point out one specific way that Michael Jackson helped shape his music. He said that Jackson was much broader than that, and his legacy us almost impossible to pin down.
When Michael Jackson died, some people wondered if there has ever been anyone in the world with a more recognized name. It’s because Michael Jackson was a superstar whose eccentrics drove one headline after another. For a generation, he was an ever-present media image. He sold millions of records and launched millions of rumors, as well.
Michael Jackson also had a big influence when it comes to race. Before Billie Jean, MTV hadn’t played a black artist because the channel’s executive believed that they were not “rock” enough. But when Thriller became the top-selling album of all time, and its equivalent videos all but made MTV, he broke that color barrier.
The idea of racial harmony played throughout his career. He collaborated with Paul McCartney in the 1980s, and even as his own blackness seemed to be fading away literally as his skin tone became ever lighter, one of his songs said, “If you are thinking about my baby, it doesn’t matter if you’re black or white.”
Michael Jackson had an amazing impact on pop culture. Maybe it’s because all of his work revolved around love, African-American pride, and uplifting people. He was always trying to tell society that we all can do better as a human family.