COLUMN: ‘King of Pop’ will never be matched

As someone who works in the news gathering business on a daily basis, I don’t always watch the news when I get home from a long day’s work. The mind simply wants a break, so often I watch a favorite movie or an old ballgame from years gone by when the work day is complete.

Last Thursday was different, however. For whatever reason, I happened to tune my television to the news late that afternoon. Admittedly, I was in the process of moving it to something along the lines of TV Land when I noticed the big news about the death of music icon Michael Jackson. As I watched I admit to being stunned by the unfolding news, which quickly became the lead as well as only story on the cable news networks and my mind drifted back to my formative years when the King of Pop reigned the music world.

Let me now say there will never be another pop music star on the same level as Jackson. While I respect and enjoy the music of Kelly Clarkson and the talent of Carrie Underwood has allowed her to have several songs receive airtime, you can take every American Idol winner and combine them and they will never come close to scratching the surface of what Jackson was in his prime.

I know in later years Jackson had been sort of a recluse, a strange character even to his fans, but there was a time when he was pop music. In an era of numerous million-plus record sellers, Jackson moonwalked past them all. His “Thriller” album, more than 25 years after it was released, is still the best selling release of all time. I still wonder just how many millions “Thriller” has actually sold because at the time of its release, technology was not what it is today in terms of tracking album sales.

If you have watched any of the numerous tributes to Jackson in the past week you no doubt have noticed how he was a trendsetter in so many areas, musical and otherwise. He helped break the barrier for black artists on MTV, something I admit to not being aware of.

Jackson, through the power of his music, helped erase a great deal of racism in this country. His crossover appeal to fans of all color, around the globe, is what made him the icon he was and always will be.

In 1985, Jackson wrote “We Are The World” that helped to raise American awareness of the blight of hunger around the world. Jackson, who also had a lead singing role in the song, showed that stardom can be used for something good rather than just for personal gain.

Jackson’s music videos are the standard-bearer for all that have followed. His videos are in a league of their own. Many are truly mini-movies, complete with big name directors and enough rehearsing to match any big screen production.

The mega-success Jackson enjoyed also played a role in his unusual approach to life in recent years, I’ve always believed. Having untold riches does detach one from reality and I’ve always felt Jackson lived in his own world where reality often didn’t reach. Even taking all that into consideration, Jackson’s role in the music world will never be equaled. He surpassed them all. His death is equal, if not greater than, that of Elvis or John Lennon. Not to diminish any of their passings, but in terms of music history, Jackson likely surpassed both, which probably says as much about the man as anything can.

Chris Bridges is an editor with Mainstreet Newspapers. E-mail comments about this column to chris@mainstreetnews.com.