Michael Jackson: Essay on Childhood

Michael Jackson rose to stardom because of his compulsion to make music, his commitment to perfection of his dance moves and singing, and his relatable messages to the world through his music. One of the best and most controversial icons of the twentieth century, Michael Jackson was omnipresent in our pop cognizance from the second he first lined up on stage beside his brothers, to the 24-hour rolling news coverage of his ‘brutish’ death. Every note he sang, every step he danced, and each pose he struck made clear that he cherished us all and desired us all to love him back and would by no means give up working to earn our love. His talent, and his genius, joined mimicry to originality. This was a double pleasure. He could dance like James Brown, he could tap like Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly, he could moonwalk, and he had jazz moves and African moves. His music drew on soul, rock, funk, disco and tearjerker ballads. His videos drew references from the bottomless vault of film history; horror, sci-fi, noir, and gaudy Technicolor musicals.

Michael Jackson was one of the biggest child stars of his time. Many people loved him due to the fact he was such a tremendous presence on stage and moved as no one could. He continually appeared so blissful and carefree on stage, like a child ought to be. But that was solely a facade. Michael was not a completely happy child. By the time he was 9, it was nearly like he was an adult in a child’s body. He would be in school for about three hours a day and then it was straight to recording or interviews or performances. He had no time to be a kid, no time to play or relax, and no other pals besides his other siblings. He was lonely, however, his father didn’t care, and he overworked Michael. Michael would cry from loneliness and come to be depressed. He would see other kids playing and having fun, whilst he was on his way to the recording studio or rehearsal. After hours of practice as children, it’s difficult to believe in yourself, specifically when the brothers have not been given the love and support every child deserves. Michael even being the youngest of the bunch, knew how to maintain things in control. Michael’s confidence gave the group confidence. (Jackson) There was simply no time for Michael to be a real kid. As Michael Jackson grew up his reputation and success skyrocketed. He was finally capable to escape his father’s abusive grasp and become an extraordinarily successful solo recording artist. But as he grew up he started to reach out to the childhood that he lost. Many people judged Michael because he constantly acted so childish when he grew up. His childhood affected him so much and all he wanted to do was make up for lost time. (Lewis) But whilst singing and dancing were, and undoubtedly remain, some of my best joys, at that time, what Michael wanted more than anything else had been the two things that make childhood the most wondrous years of life, namely, playtime and a feeling of freedom. The public at massive has yet to genuinely recognize the pressures of childhood celebrity, which, while exciting, usually exacts a very heavy price. More than anything, Michael wished to be a regular little boy. He desired to construct tree houses and go to roller-skating parties. But very early on, this grew to become impossible. He had to accept that his childhood would be more distinctive than most others. Michael felt driven, no longer pushed and guided to where he wanted to go as a child. (Jackson) But that’s what usually made him wonder what an ordinary childhood would be like.

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Michael Jackson had a reputation for practicing dance steps till he would collapse because his legs didn't work anymore. There is curiously a spot on his floor in his dance studio at Neverland. This was being shown on tours. It was a spot that was once worn down into essentially a hole from doing so many spins in that area. His co-choreographer on Smooth Criminal. He stated that Michael would practice every little move over a hundred times and still never be quite satisfied. “Michael’s practice focused on showmanship.”(Jackson) In a private proclamation during an interview with Diane Sawyer, Michael stated that he is never thrilled enough with any of his performances. Referring to his first public moonwalk/spin/top of toes move on Motown 25. He said he was once so upset that he couldn't hold himself on his toes longer. It was mentioned that he genuinely was once crying backstage after this happened. It wasn't until a little boy came up to him and told him how wonderful the overall performance was that he felt fairly better. Michael Jackson was nothing if not a perfectionist. This is so extensively talked about by everyone who's ever worked with him that it is simply part of his legacy. It came about from the danger of being beaten by his father if he didn't perform the entirety to his father's unbelievably excessive standards. This was Michael Jackson’s childhood, day by day he was abused by his father. His father was driven to make his children successful. Five out of the nine Jackson kids suffered most of this abuse because they were a part of the world-famous band, the Jackson 5. The Jackson children’s father, Joe Jackson, was the manager and the creator of the Jackson 5. The Jackson 5 rose to fame very fast. After they had been discovered by Motown Records, they started to produce hit after hit like “ABC” and “I’ll Be There”. This rise in reputation led to a rise in brutality. Joe Jackson was so fixated on producing a profitable band that he would go to severe lengths to insure it. Joe Jackson would beat his children if they missed a step, missed a note, or simply did not perform well. (Lewis) We can see proper and awful in all of this bad, of course, in the region of abuse. But his perfectionism made him the genius he was as nicely as it brought him a lot of self-doubt and frustration. His dancing and stage presence caused him to become the focus of the group. His older brother, Jackie, told Gerri Hershey in Rolling Stone, 'It was sort of frightening. He was so young. I don't know where he got it. He just knew.'(Michael Jackson Biography)

Jackson had a history of charitable or socially mindful material. As a child, he recorded the track 'In Our Small Way' for his first album Got to Be There in 1971. As an adult, he used his fame and wealth to promote several causes. In 1985 Jackson reunited with Quincy Jones for USA for Africa's 'We Are the World,' which raised money for the poor in Africa. (Michael Jackson Biography) The single grew to become one of the best-selling singles of all time, with almost 20 million copies sold and millions of dollars donated to famine relief. It was additionally the first time Jackson was considered a humanitarian. All of the earnings from his single 'Man in the Mirror ' went to charity. With subsequent single releases, Jackson emerged as a persona who could appeal to diverse audiences like no one else in American music had been capable of for years. (Michael Jackson) In 1992 he established 'Heal the World' to resource kids and the environment. In 1993 he was awarded the 'Living Legend Award' at the Grammy Awards ceremony and with the Humanitarian of the Year trophy at the Soul Train Awards. Following the illness and death of Ryan White, Jackson helped draw public attention to HIV/AIDS, something that was once still controversial at the time. He publicly pleaded with the Clinton Administration at Bill Clinton's Inaugural Gala to supply extra money to HIV/AIDS charities and research. He would go on to perform the song 'Gone Too Soon' for White and other victims of the illness. In 2000 Jackson's promoter sued him for $21.2 million for backing out of two deliberate concert events the previous New Year's Eve. In 2001, Jackson, whilst handing over a lecture at Oxford University in England to promote his Heal the Kids charity, described his unhappy childhood and proposed a 'bill of rights' for children that would provide for the right to an education 'without having to dodge bullets.' (Michael Jackson Biography) Later that year Jackson was once more elected to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this time as a solo performer.

His childhood was taken away from him. There was no Christmas, there had been no birthdays, it was not a normal childhood, nor the ordinary pleasures of childhood, those had been exchanged for difficult work, conflict, and aches and subsequently material and professional success. But at an awful price, he could no longer recreate that phase of his life. When he created his music, he felt like an instrument of nature. He would wonder what delight nature ought to feel when we open our hearts and express our God-given talents. The sound of approval rolls throughout the universe, and the entire world abounds in magic. Wonder fills our hearts, for what we have glimpsed, for an instant, the playfulness of life. There was no such element as worry of failure. Michael believed in himself and felt Invincible, which was the title of Michael’s sixth and last album.