Tristan
5/6/11
5-Bur
English
Century Project
Michael Jackson fist started his career as back-up vocals and dancing for the Jackson 5.
Later when he was 8, he began sharing the lead with his brother Jermaine. At first they were
only able to play at a string of black clubs called “chitlin’ circuit”. As time went on, they wrote
more songs and signed with Motown Records in 1968. They hit a chart record when they
released their first four singles (“I want you back, ABC, The Love You Slave, and I’ll Be There”)
all got to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. After the Jacksons/Jackson 5, Michael started
his solo career in the late 1970s with Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough and Rock with You as his
most popular songs. They won American music awards in 1981. Later he had a song “Someone
in the Dark” for the movie E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial. This song won a Grammy for Best
Recording for Children in 1984. The Thriller album won him many awards and became the bestselling album of all time in the USA. In 1983, Michael made a reunion performance with his
brothers that became legendary. Here he debuted his signature dance move the Moonwalk. In
January 1984 Michael was filming for a Pepsi Cola commercial , but during the filming the
pyrotechnics (fire special effects) accidently set Michael’s hair on fire and he had second degree
burns to his scalp. Michael sued the company and used his 1.5 million dollar winnings to help
Brotman Medical Center in California. They later named their burn center in his honor. On May
14, 1984, Michael was invited to the White House where he was given an award from President
Reagan for his support of charities that help addicts of drugs and alcohol. The next year he cowrote a charity single “We Are the World” with Lionel Richie, to aid the US and Africa. “I’m Bad”
In 1987; the album Bad came out and it was his first in 5 years so it was highly anticipated. It did
not do as well as Thriller, but it was a chart topper. The Bad World Tour started on September
12, 1988 and ended on January 14 1989. In Japan’ there were 14 sellouts that drew 570,006
people. In 1989, Jackson was given the nickname the King of Pop by Elizabeth Taylor. That
was Michael’s career from the 60s through the 80s.
You ask what was Michael Jackson‘s childhood like. Michael did not have an easy
childhood. His childhood was filled with abuse. He was the 8th of 10 children. He was verbally
and physically abused by his father. His father would admit that he beat Michael on a regular
basis which explains his frequent dissatisfaction with his appearance, but Michael does believe
that it was his father’s cruelty that played a huge role in his success. The beatings probably
gave him the feeling that nothing could be worse than them. That is Michael’s road to success.
Michael has many interesting facts about him. One fact is that he set a world record
when 504,000 people were at the seven sold-out shows at Wembly Stadium. This happened on
the Bad World Tour. This is an amazing feat having so many people go to your concert. The
second fact is that he had Vitiligo. Vitiligo is a disease that makes your skin lighter in patches.
Many people thought the he had just dyed his skin, but he dyed it so the patches would not be
noticeable. The last fact is that he has bought the copyrights to music from ATV Records. He
owns music from artists such as the Beatles. He bought these in 1984 for 47.5 million dollars.
Those are some interesting facts.
Michael Jackson had a lot of controversy in his career. Many including, eating with his
hands at restaurants, bringing his pet boa constrictor with him, and dangling his child over a
balcony. Michael was also accused of molesting young boys. The first was a boy named Jordan
Chandler. However, his mother was adamant that there was no wrongdoing on Michael’s part.
There was a recording of Dr. Chandler saying “If I go through with this I win big-time, There’s no
way I lose I will get everything I want and they will be destroyed forever… and Michael’s career
will be over” Michael used this to show that Dr. Chandler was just jealous. Michael was proven
innocent. That was the controversy in Michael’s career.
I chose Michael Jackson because he was amazing. In greater detail, his story is
inspiring. He came from nothing with his brothers. He was constantly abused and put down.
This probably just helped him by giving him courage. He is one of the best vocalists of all-time.
He is the most influential musician ever. He is a true American hero.
Michael Jackson is a true representative of the 80s. Michael was a revolutionary
vocalist. He won over 10 awards for his music. He was most famous in the 1980s during the
presidencies of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Michael was more recognizable than
Madonna and Run DMC. His biography was more popular than A Light in the Attic by Shel
Silverstein. TV’s most popular shows were The Cosby Show, The A-Team, and MTV. They also
made up many slang words too, such as Yuppies short for Young Urban Professionals, people
who got rich quick in the 80s. Another word is fresh meaning cool or giving approval. The 1980s
were a time of recovery from the downfall of Richard Nixon. That is Why Michael Jackson is a
true representative of the 80s.
Works Cited Page
“Michael Jackson.” Apr. 2011 Wikipedia. Apr.13, 2011
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson>