I know I'm jumping the first-anniversary gun or maybe just missing the farewell boat by the better part of a year, but a career of such transforming polarizations is beginning to complete its form for me. Michael Jackson transcended cultural and artistic barriers, which has been conflicting a large majority of the general populace since the beginning of his career. Reflecting on the last year, the last pieces of his career have fallen securely into a safe place for him, as his death has prompted a 360-degree turn among fans. Just a year ago, most saw him as an alleged pedophile who had become more deformed than the zombies in his ""Thriller"" video from 30 years ago. However now that he has passed, somehow the dark secrets in his closet are forgotten entirely while everybody stands in awe of the glistening garments that masked his vices and drew roaring applause throughout his career.
In his childhood, Jackson was one of the first child-star entertainers as the lead singer of the Jackson 5. An African-American singer in the '60s, Jackson was singing about topics (and living a life of celebrity) he could not fully appreciate nor grasp at the age of 10. Questions and reports to answer them have circulated ever since he, along with his siblings in the group, was exploited and abused by his parents, which drew sympathy for him. He had the voice, the on-stage charisma and the sympathy of his fans, all while being ignorant of the particulars of his role in the music world.
Post-Jackson 5, Michael was not able to use his prior successes to reel in a high-profile producer and collaborator, it was through his work on the biggest bust of his career, the film ""The Wiz."" Through the film, he met Quincy Jones, who would co-produce Jackson's first solo album Off the Wall, arguably Jackson's most impressive work. Seemingly as a reaction to his initial failure independent of his family, he went on to take up years and dozens of flashy shows, costumes and videos between each release of well-crafted mainstream pop monsters. Although his 15 minutes of fame seemed to outstay its welcome at times with the release of more personal, defensive songs like ""You Are Not Alone"" and ""Scream,"" he nonetheless used it constructively to preach on tunes like ""Heal the World,"" ""Man in the Mirror"" and Free Willy's epic, ""Will You Be There?"" While he used his artform to rebuke his critics and exploiters, he used similar power to preach (at times hyperbolically cheesy) messages of world peace and harmony.
However, canceling out his good intentions, allegations of child abuse began to pop up (so many puns intended there), he married Lisa Marie Presley and they made that really creepy video for ""You Are Not Alone."" On top of that, questions regarding his chameleon-esqe skin and sexuality reached a peak around the time of the song ""Black or White,"" which also introduced questions of fatherhood along with the at times questionably motivated and capricious child abuse charges.
Essentially, Jackson opened up two of Pandora's boxes and poured their contents all over him. Over the course of his career he drew ire for crossing the lines of sexual (impressively covering the gamut of homosexuality, illegitimate children and sexual abuse) and racial barriers (both as a black entertainment icon and an unprecedented literal transgression of race in appearance) in a society where these topics were becoming juicy gossip for everyday entertainment outlets. Yet, after his death, his music was able to take center stage again. Slowly the emphasis moved from his entertainment value as a black child, to an over-exposed entertainer using his medium as an outlet, and lastly, to an over-the-hill star whose off-the-stage press had grown to far outshine his career's influence.
Now, as a fitting finale, we are able to see the spotlight shift back to his work, as trepidations over being a fan have disappeared over the last year. His jams are no longer dethroned at parties as they draw sneers and gay jokes, and his family is able to mooch off his royalties without his needing to worry about it. Sounds like a fitting ending for the King of Pop.
