Fighting Discrimination with a Song
Imagine yourself as a black kid feeling connected for the first time to white kids around you. You’re connected through a song, one sung by a black person that is extremely popular with everyone. You and your white neighbor can finally enjoy and chat about the same song and there is no division between the two of you. Michael Jackson’s Thriller proved to be a groundbreaking song that would cause this kind of connection between people. Before Michael Jackson, black and white people listened to different songs and neither one would listen to the other’s music.
There was discrimination in the music world, and it needed to be stopped. People needed to forget about their racial differences and enjoy a song for what it was not who was singing it. Thriller bridged this gap between people and Michael Jackson’s music was exactly what they needed to bond them. When it was released, Thriller became an immediate hit because of its innovative style of pop music. Its genre of pop created the perfect backdrop for the song’s story because it was a horror theme and needed some funky music to lighten its mood and give Michael Jackson something to dance to. The elements of Thriller made it an instant hit as it included things never seen before in the music industry such as the first-ever music video and synchronized dancing (Rogel1). Through its revolutionary style of music, Thriller made cultural 1 In an interview with Kerry Rogel breakthroughs and impacted generation x’s view toward racism.
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Generation X was often known as the forgotten generation. This made them adaptable and embracive diversity. Growing up without much adult influence, some with families with the highest known divorce rates and a faltering economy, people of this generation knew how to look after themselves. Having to grow on their own created a sense of independence in them and they desired things apart from their parent’s influence (Kane, par. 1). Embracing independence was a key attribute for generation x. It gave them an entrepreneurial mindset that they could achieve anything. Their parents did not try to make sure they had everything they needed to survive in the real world, and the struggles of basically raising themselves had found them early in life. Consequently, they learned from the mistakes that they lived through and desired with determination to build a brighter future (Kane, par. 1). Because of their independent thinking, generation x transformed the 80s. Generation x desired to find new and distinct things, they didn’t want anything to do with the trends of their parents. New ideas and ways of doing things were embraced wholeheartedly by this generation who were seeking to make a difference in the world. Similarly, their independence made them more open to new changes in society, especially if they appeared in pop culture.
Michael Jackson was a brilliant pop star who embraced uniqueness in the music industry. He was one of the greatest entertainers of the 20th century. Under his father’s influence, he began his music career at the age of 5 and joined his siblings in their family music group. He emerged as the lead vocalist, fascinating audiences with his astonishing singing talent. As the years passed, Jackson grew in popularity as he developed his own style of singing and dancing. ( African American Eras: Contemporary Times (Vol. 4), page 643). As a result, Jackson created his own unique music and presented his audience with Thriller. The song was delivered in the first-ever music video and told the story of a couple getting attacked by a horde of zombies. Moreover, the song included a catching soundtrack and synchronized dancing, something that was completely new and unique in the music industry. Correspondingly, Thriller became an instant hit and was shown to the masses on MTV (Roberson, par. 1). Those who watched Thriller were ready to break out of the 70s slump and enter a new era of pop culture. Through its uniqueness, Thriller capitalized on the youth’s desire for innovation and gave them a sense of independence to utilize their own unique ideas. In addition, his idea of using a music video to help tell the story of the song inspired other singers to add some flair to their music. Soon, nearly every pop song after Thriller would include a music video (Rogel2).
Jackson’s Thriller significantly impacted generation x through its cultural breakthroughs. First, Thriller broke racial barriers. This was accomplished in the music industry and in society when Jackson, being African American, appeared on MTV and blew the sales records of the Thriller album. Because of this, Jackson was known as the black star who engaged audiences of all backgrounds and paved the way for future African American singers (Alban, par. 1-2).
Moreover, Thriller taught generation x to be unique in pop culture. An example of this is how Jackson wrote the song as an enticing horror story, something that most artists didn’t even consider during the 80s. People began to incorporate other funky pop elements into their songs and explore new ideas. In addition, creative storytelling methods of how songs could be produced, such as music videos, gave exciting hope for the future of pop culture (Rogel3).
Because of Thriller, generation x accepted the racial change that appeared in society. Until Thriller, black and white people could still not connect to one another, and discrimination was still a very real thing. When white people heard and witnessed Jackson sing and dance, they In an interview with Kerry Rogel. In an interview with Dan Rogel.
loved him even though he was black. When black people listened and watched, they felt inspired and knew that this would bring equality. Jackson broke racial boundaries when he made Thriller, and it was through his song that people could finally connect with each other (Rogel 4).
The acceptance and popularity of Thriller and Michael Jackson would prove to influence many more generations as time went on. Thriller created a cultural breakthrough and helped generation x to realize that skin color should not cause division. People of generation x were united through Jackson’s music and it led to an advancement in equality toward African Americans in the music industry. Jackson became a global icon for racial equality and set a standard that a person, no matter what race they were, could take the spotlight. In addition, the unique style of Thriller also impacted the future of music itself, and eventually wove its way into pop culture. Song artists would automatically appreciate Jackson’s style and subconsciously apply it to their own. Ultimately, he changed music and society forever and influenced generation x and generations to come.
Works Cited
- The Telegraph. “Michael Jackson's Thriller: a pioneering album that broke down racial barriers in the music industry.” The Telegraph, 25 Jun. 2017, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/michael-jacksons-thriller-pioneering-album-broke-racial-barriers/. Accessed 25 Oct. 2019.
- Alban, Debra. “Michael Jackson Broke Down Racial Barriers.” CNN Entertainment, CNN, 28 Jun. 2009, http://www.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/06/28/michael.jackson.black.community/. Accessed 25 Oct. 2019. Kane, Sally. “The Common Characteristics of Generation X Professionals.”
- The Balance Careers updated 17 Apr. 2017, https://www.thebalancecareers.com/common-characteristics-of-generation-x-professionals-2164682. Accessed 25 Oct. 2019.
- 'Jackson, Michael (1958–2009).' African American Eras: Contemporary Times, vol. 4: Military, Popular Culture, Religion, Science and Technology, UXL, 2010, pp. 643-648. Gale eBooks, https://link-gale-com.ezproxy.greenriver.edu/apps/doc/CX1838000288/GVRL?u=aubu98092&sid=GVRL&xid=d0b5d372. Accessed 24 Oct. 2019.
- Rogel, Dan. Personal interview. 25 Oct. 2019.
- Rogel, Kerry. Personal interview. 25 Oct. 2019.
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/michael-jacksons-thriller-pioneering-album-broke-racial-barriers/
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/artists/michael-jacksons-thriller-pioneering-album-broke-racial-barriers/
- https://www.thebalancecareers.com/common-characteristics-of-generation-x-professionals-2164682
- https://www.thebalancecareers.com/common-characteristics-of-generation-x-professionals-2164682
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