Michael Jackson was without doubt the greatest Pop musician of all time. These sentiments are being thrown around an awful lot right now and it's easy to assume that they are media driven exaggerations. However, along with these claims come the opportunity for everyone to individually appraise all of Jackson's work. Even a cursory glance at his back catalogue highlights a sublime collection of music. I really implore people to go back and listen to Jackson's music and recognise that these claims are far from exaggeration. He was a genius.
You can look at any of his individual albums and identify greatness. I believe you can even do this with individual songs. For me, Jackson's high point was Smooth Criminal. This song was one of the first that I ever truly loved and listened to religiously. The arrangement, lyrics and overall sound are simply timeless. Along with that, the full length video for the song still stands as one of the best ever made. This song and video epitomise what was great about Jackson: he had an amazing ear wrapped in an iconic flourish and style.
So was he the greatest Pop musician of all time? The greatest musical artist of all time? The inventor of the modern music video? Does it matter? The bottom line is that Micheal Jackson made a connection with millions of people all over the world. He transcended gender, age, race and religion and connected them all with a simple love of music. While we can attach any title we want to him, we must never forget the personal connection that we each had when we heard our favourite Jackson song.
He may not have owned a kingdom, but when he created this connection throughout the world he was certainly a king.
-The English Student
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