Nonconformist__Michael_Jackson

Kim Daane Miss Wiltzius American Literature Block 4 3/25/2010 Michael Jackson He received an induction into the rock and roll hall of fame twice. Five of his solo albums- "Off the Wall," "Thriller," "Bad," "Dangerous," and "HIStory," all with Epic Records –have become some of the top-selling albums of all time. “Thriller” holds the distinction as the largest selling album worldwide in the history of the recording industry with more than 70 million units sold. He also won 13 Grammy Awards. (“Bio”). Michael Jackson became one of the greatest artists of all time because he did things differently than artists before him. His appearance, clothing style, and the ways he changed music made him a nonconformist in the music industry. Foremost, Michael Jackson’s appearance made him a nonconformist. He wore makeup on and off stage before most male artists did. He started wearing makeup in 1978 with the production of The Wiz. He wore makeup in the show, and also outside of the performances (McCarthy). From then on, it seemed he always had makeup on in public. He was often seen with lipstick, eyeliner, and blush. Michael Jackson also had numerous plastic surgeries. His first took place in 1979 after the release of his first solo album. While dancing on stage, Jackson fell and broke his nose. However, that surgery didn’t correct it so he had a second surgery in 1980 (McCarthy). In his book, Moonwalk, he said that in addition to the two nose surgeries, he also had a dimple created in his chin (Pratt 72). In the years that followed, it became evident that he had had more surgeries. Experts say that Jackson probably had more than 25 facial operations, Daane 2 with additional nose jobs, cheek implants, eye lifts and chin work (“From” 67). At his time, no other artist made such a dramatic change in their appearance as Jackson did. Some other artists may have had surgeries, but Jackson looked like a different person after his surgeries. His changing skin color also began to change his appearance. His skin started becoming noticeably lighter around 1988 and from there it kept getting lighter and lighter. Along with his plastic surgeries and makeup, he began looking like a completely different person. In an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Jackson said that a skin disease called vitiligo caused his skin to lighten (McCarthy). People became skeptical and plastic surgeon Pearlman Hicks stated that vitiligo usually didn’t appear uniform. He also added that Jackson could have lightened his skin to even it out using a medication. His many facial surgeries also could have contributed to his changed skin color (“From” 67). Michael Jackson’s skin color change made him a nonconformist because no artist had ever changed their skin color before he did. No other artist before him had ever gone so far to change their appearance as Jackson did. Michael Jackson’s style also made him a nonconformist. He wore different and sometimes more interesting clothes than artists before him. Although he may have favored clean-cut separates as the youngest member of the Jackson 5, from the moment he launched his solo album, he set himself on a path for over-the-top rock-and-roll style (Alexander). He will always be remembered for his eccentric, creative and sparkling sense of style. He wore Military style jackets, often sequined, and usually paired with slim-fitting, short pants. His cropped pants displayed his long white socks so when he danced on stage, you really paid attention to his moves (Alexander). He also wore chunky armbands, hats, straps, ties, patches, and sunglasses. His most famous accessory, a single white glove, became very recognizable. He never shied Daane 3 away from standing out on stage or in videos (Vena). His style on stage and in music videos was more eccentric than any other artist before him. Jackson’s original style influenced many artists after him. He also became infamously known for the way he dressed in public in his later career. Sometimes his public style was a little bizarre. Sometimes he rode in a wheelchair wearing pajamas, a wig, a surgeon’s mask, and sunglasses in public (Vena). His children almost always were seen with masks on in public (Pratt 79). No other artist had a more eccentric and sometimes unusual style than Jackson did. Most other artists didn’t wear as outstanding clothes as Michael Jackson did which helped him to become a lot more popular and recognizable. Lastly, Michael Jackson became a nonconformist in the music industry because of the many ways he changed music. Jackson started singing at a very young age. He and his four brothers formed the Jackson 5 in 1968. They had a total of nine top ten singles. Around 1971, Jackson started his solo career (“From” 72). Jackson made the difficult transition from child star to adult sensation, which almost no one had ever done (Sclafani). Yet he made this transition seamlessly. He sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide, released 13 number one singles and became one of very few to receive an induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He won 13 Grammy awards and the American Music Award’s Artist of the Century award (Bio). He became a worldwide phenomenon. Jackson’s presence on the pop charts became revolutionary because no African-American artist had ever achieved that high of success. Jackson earned his pop icon status by creating music that transcended genres, which most artists didn’t do (Sclafani). Jackson would often sing the instruments instead of playing them. His voice is almost convincing enough to replace any instrument. His versatility allowed him to experiment and combine various genres (Sclafani). His rock and dance songs were more aggressive while his Daane 4 ballads and pop tunes were softer and more soulful. His music ranged from dance to hard rock with lots of electric guitar to beautiful ballads (Sclafani). He also wrote about true things in his music instead of making up random lyrics. In his song “Billie Jean,” he wrote about the true story of a fan who claimed Jackson as the father of her son. In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossip and the media. The anti-gang violence rock song "Beat It" became a homage to West Side Story, and became Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece. “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” brought both social consciousness and rock guitar to the dance floor. Jackson wrote meaningful lyrics and had music in multiple genres. Most artists before him only played in one genre (Sclafani). Michael Jackson also incorporated more dancing in his music and he also made the music video an art form. Jackson wasn’t just known for his voice, he also included dancing to his repertoire. On March 25, 1983, Michael Jackson, in too-short pants, black loafers and sequined socks, transformed dance and pop culture with just 4 steps (“The” 72). That night, Jackson did the moonwalk for the first time. His dancing at that moment became just as famous as his singing. The moonwalk alone made dancing more popular on stage and in music videos. Music Videos were also something Jackson changed. Michael had “Thriller’s” title track made into a long-form music video that modernized the medium, making it a credible art form (Sclafani). Breaking the color barrier probably was Michael Jackson’s biggest accomplished. White rock acts had dominated in the early 1980’s, so when Jackson became the biggest “rock star” of all, he opened the doors for artists who otherwise might have been marginalized. Two of Jackson’s biggest hits, “Billie Jean” and “Beat it” spent several weeks at No. 1 and broke MTV’s “color barrier”. The channel had previously refused to play African-American artists. Jackson Daane 5 was one of the first African-American rock artists. He paved the way for many artists to come. In the music industry, Michael Jackson became a nonconformist because of his appearance, his clothing style, and the many ways he changed music. Winning many awards and recording numerous number one hits weren’t his biggest accomplishments. Although he may have seemed crazy at times with his appearance and clothing choices, he played a huge part in revolutionizing the music industry. He paved the way for great music and artists to come.