Michael Jackson

The Jackson 5 and Early Career:





Michael Jackson is one of the most successful and influential pop recording artists of all time. Born in 1958, he began his career as a member of the Jackson 5 recording for Motown with four of his brothers. They hit #1 on the pop singles chart with "I Want You Back" in 1969. It was





'Thriller':





In 1982, three years after Off the Wall, Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson collaborated once again and created Thriller, the bestselling album of all time. It was preceded by the single "The Girl Is Mine," a collaboration with Paul McCartney, which reached #2 on the pop singles chart. A month after the album hit stores, the second single "Billie Jean" was unleashed, and the masterpiece that is Thriller began to unfold. Ultimately, 28 million copies sold in the US and seven singles hit the top 10.





'Bad':





It was almost five years after the release of Thriller before Michael Jackson's next album appeared in 1987. Bad was Jackson's third album co-produced by Quincy Jones. The single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" preceded the album and hit the top of the pop singles chart. Ultimately, Bad became the first and thus far only album to include five #1 pop singles. The album sold over eight million copies in the US.





'Dangerous':






By 1991, four years after the release of Bad, some critics wondered whether Michael Jackson was still relevant in the pop world. He signed a 15 year 6 album deal with Sony Music, and recorded Dangerous with new jack swing pioneer Teddy Riley and Bill Botrell as producers. The album was another major success selling seven million copies, topping the album chart, generating four top 10 singles and spending over two years on the album chart.
Michael Jackson's Controversies:
Michael Jackson's career and life have had their fair share of controversies. In the mid 1980's he was the subject of widespread tabloid stories including tales of sleeping in an oxygen chamber to slow aging, bleaching his skin, and undergoing multiple rounds of plastic surgery. In the early 1990's Michael Jackson was accused of sexually abusing a child in a case ultimately closed for lack of evidence. In 2005 Jackson was put on trial for allegations of sexual molestation. He was acquitted on all counts.
Commercial Decline:
In 1995 Michael Jackson released his first compilation album HIStory. It was a two-disc set and sold over 3 million copies in the US as well as earning a Grammy Award for Album of the Year. However, an all-new studio album did not appear until 2001. Invincible became the first significant commercial disapppointment for Jackson since the 1970's. It sold only two million copies and did not include any #1 hit singles.





has hit the top of the pop singles chart with 13 different singles as a solo artist. These are the 10 biggest of those hits. He easily ranks as one of the most successful and innovative pop artists of all time. All 10 of these songs are essential to any comprehensive pop music collection.





Top 10 Michael Jackson Songs





has hit the top of the pop singles chart with 13 different singles as a solo artist. These are the 10 biggest of those hits. He easily ranks as one of the most successful and innovative pop artists of all time. All 10 of these songs are essential to any comprehensive pop music collection.





1.Billie Jean-1983



If any single song signaled that Michael Jackson's legacy as one of the top pop artists of all time would be secure, it was "Billie Jean." The song remains a pop milestone and masterpiece. It was written by Michael Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones. Inspired by a real life experience in which Jackson was accused of fathering a baby of one of his fans, the slight sense of paranoia, instantly memorable bass line, and Michale Jackson's trademark vocal yelps and hiccups combined to make "Billie Jean," the second single from Thriller, a keystone in Michael Jackson's career. It spent seven weeks at the top of the pop singles chart in 1983.