152-413: " Smooth Criminal " is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson , released on November 14, 1988, from his seventh studio album, Bad (1987). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones . The lyrics describe a woman who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth criminal". The music video for "Smooth Criminal", which premiered internationally on MTV on October 13, 1988,
304-450: A country-and-western performer, and worked part-time at Sears . She was a Jehovah's Witness . His father, Joseph Walter "Joe" Jackson , a former boxer, was a crane operator at US Steel and played guitar with a local rhythm and blues band, the Falcons, to supplement the family's income. Joe's great-grandfather, July "Jack" Gale, was a US Army scout ; family lore held that he was also
456-460: A "fat nose", and physically and emotionally abused him during rehearsals. He recalled that Joe often sat in a chair with a belt in his hand as he and his siblings rehearsed, ready to punish any mistakes. Joe acknowledged that he regularly whipped Michael. Katherine said that although whipping came to be considered abuse, it was a common way to discipline children when Michael was growing up. Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Marlon denied that their father
608-490: A 30-minute program of music videos called Video Jukebox , that first aired around the time of MTV's launch and lasted until late 1986. Also around this time, HBO, as well as other premium channels such as Cinemax , Showtime and The Movie Channel , occasionally played one or a few music videos between movies. SuperStation WTBS launched Night Tracks on June 3, 1983, with up to 14 hours of music video airplay each late night weekend by 1985. Its most noticeable difference
760-518: A Grammy Award for Best Male R&B Vocal Performance for 1979 with "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". In 1981, Jackson was the American Music Awards winner for Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist. Jackson felt Off the Wall should have made a bigger impact, and was determined to exceed expectations with his next release. In 1980, he secured the highest royalty rate in
912-582: A Native American medicine man . Michael grew up with three sisters ( Rebbie , La Toya , and Janet ) and five brothers ( Jackie , Tito , Jermaine , Marlon , and Randy ). A sixth brother, Marlon's twin Brandon, died shortly after birth. In 1964, Michael and Marlon joined the Jackson Brothers—a band formed by their father which included Jackie, Tito and Jermaine—as backup musicians playing congas and tambourine . Michael said his father told him he had
1064-572: A VJ and the Video Music Awards . At the end of each year, MTV takes advantage of its home location in New York City to broadcast live coverage on New Year's Eve in Times Square . Several live music performances are featured alongside interviews with artists and bands that were influential throughout the year. For many years from the 1980s to the 2000s, the channel upheld a tradition of having
1216-700: A band perform a cover song at midnight immediately following the beginning of the new year. Throughout its history, MTV has covered global benefit concert series live. For most of July 13, 1985, MTV showed the Live Aid concerts, held in London and Philadelphia and organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. While the ABC network showed only selected highlights during primetime, MTV broadcast 16 hours of coverage. Along with VH1 , MTV broadcast
1368-503: A chamber. DiLeo added "I don't know if he sleeps in it. I'm not for it. But Michael thinks it's something that's probably healthy for him. He's a bit of a health fanatic." When Jackson took his pet chimpanzee Bubbles to tour in Japan, the media portrayed Jackson as an aspiring Disney cartoon character who befriended animals. It was also reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph Merrick (the "Elephant Man"). In June 1987,
1520-655: A child wearing a surgical mask, a reference to how Jackson wore them in public to cover cosmetic surgeries. However, Jackson decided he preferred the video with the mask. Reflecting on the video in 2022, Mitchell said, "We went through quite a bit of money and bullshit to make sure that we were appeasing Michael Jackson." UK CD single UK cassette single European CD single European maxi-CD single Australian CD single Sales figures based on certification alone. Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Croatian duo 2Cellos performed
1672-523: A cover of " It's Your Thing ". Rolling Stone later described the young Michael as "a prodigy" with "overwhelming musical gifts" who "quickly emerged as the main draw and lead singer". In January 1970, " I Want You Back " became the first Jackson 5 song to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 ; it stayed there for four weeks. Three more singles with Motown topped the chart: " ABC ", " The Love You Save ", and " I'll Be There ". In May 1971,
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#17329458137021824-463: A film, Moonwalker , which featured live footage and short films starring Jackson and Joe Pesci . In the US it was released direct-to-video and became the bestselling video cassette in the country. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified it as eight times Platinum in the US. In March 1988, Jackson purchased 2,700 acres (11 km ) of land near Santa Ynez, California , to build
1976-498: A global solo star with his 1979 album Off the Wall . His music videos , including those for " Beat It ", " Billie Jean ", and " Thriller " from his 1982 album Thriller , are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. He helped popularize MTV and continued to innovate with videos for his albums Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), and Invincible (2001). Thriller
2128-474: A hidden track named "Slick Thief", which is an early version of "Smooth Criminal". Mitchell said he came to resent how popular the cover was, and did not want to perform it, thinking: "We're a better band than just this song." However, he accepted that fans wanted to hear it and decided he was being immature. He described it as a "fun party song" like the Beastie Boys ' " Fight for Your Right ". The music video
2280-467: A high priority on showing so many acts, at the expense of airing complete sets by key artists." He also blamed the Pink Floyd interruption on a mandatory cable affiliate break. MTV averaged 1.4 million viewers for its original July 2 broadcast of Live 8. Consequently, MTV and VH1 aired five hours of uninterrupted Live 8 coverage on July 9, with each channel airing other blocks of artists. MTV's logo
2432-533: A joint purchase, McCartney did not want to be the sole owner of the Beatles' songs, and did not pursue an offer on his own. Jackson's agents were unable to come to a deal, and in May 1985 left talks after having spent more than $ 1 million and four months of due diligence work on the negotiations. In June 1985, Jackson and Branca learned that Charles Koppelman 's and Marty Bandier 's The Entertainment Company had made
2584-559: A lack of evidence without Jordan's testimony, the state closed its investigation on September 22, 1994. Jackson had been taking painkillers for his reconstructive scalp surgeries, administered due to the Pepsi commercial accident in 1984, and became dependent on them to cope with the stress of the sexual abuse allegations. On November 12, 1993, Jackson canceled the remainder of the Dangerous World Tour due to health problems, stress from
2736-510: A male act", and the "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time", among other awards . Michael Joseph Jackson was born in Gary, Indiana , on August 29, 1958. He was the eighth of ten children in the Jackson family , a working-class African-American family living in a two-bedroom house on Jackson Street. His mother, Katherine Esther Jackson ( née Scruse), played clarinet and piano, had aspired to be
2888-439: A massive cult following , becoming one of the major factors in cable programming's rise to fame and American corporations dominating the television economy in the 1990s. In the years since its inception, the channel significantly toned down its focus on music in favor of original reality programming for teenagers and young adults. As of November 2023 , MTV is available to approximately 67,000,000 pay television households in
3040-732: A method of performing the lean in concert using specially designed shoes that hook into pegs that rise from the stage. Even with the shoes, the move requires good athletic core strength . The video won Best Music Video at the 1989 Brit Awards and the Critic's Choice awarded Jackson the "Best Video" award and the People's Choice Awards for "Favorite Music Video" for that same year. In 2019, American television personality Kim Kardashian bought Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" fedora, which still had his makeup on it, for her daughter North West. The style of clothing as well as mannerisms Jackson portrayed were reused in
3192-511: A money-losing venture, Turner sold it to MTV, who redeveloped the channel into VH1. The founders of Financial News Network , Glenn Taylor and Karen Tyler tried to capitalize on the concept by launching Discovery Music Network, which was set to be a cable network, and has plans to set up the Discovery Broadcasting System, which consists of the aforementioned network, along with computer and business networks, but it never got off
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#17329458137023344-526: A new Guinness World Record . In 1988, Jackson released his autobiography, Moonwalk , with input from Stephen Davis and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis . It sold 200,000 copies, and reached the top of the New York Times bestsellers list. Jackson discussed his childhood, the Jackson 5, and the abuse from his father. He attributed his changing facial appearance to three plastic surgeries, puberty, weight loss,
3496-523: A new home, Neverland Ranch , at a cost of $ 17 million (equivalent to $ 44 million in 2023). He installed a Ferris wheel , a carousel , a movie theater and a zoo. A security staff of 40 patrolled the grounds. Shortly afterwards, he appeared in the first Western television advertisement in the Soviet Union . Jackson became known as the " King of Pop ", a nickname that Jackson's publicists embraced. When Elizabeth Taylor presented him with
3648-432: A recurring problem later in his life. After his death, Jackson's mother said that he first turned to cosmetic procedures to remedy his vitiligo, because he did not want to look like a "spotted cow". She said he had received more than the two cosmetic surgeries he claimed and speculated that he had become addicted to them. In 1986, it was reported that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow aging. He denied
3800-448: A revised logo in tandem with the 2010 version, doing away with the 3D effect inherited from its predecessors (much akin to the current MTV Video Music Awards variant). That logo is revealed to be an alternate variant of the current logo designed by the design agency Loyalkaspar, which pays homage to MTV of the past with the red-yellow-blue color combination and the 3D effect mainly inherited from its predecessor logo. The new logo's rollout
3952-588: A song dedicated to White, and "Heal the World" at the gala. Jackson visited Africa in early 1992; on his first stop in Gabon he was greeted by more than 100,000 people, some of them carrying signs that read "Welcome Home Michael", and was awarded an Officer of the National Order of Merit from President Omar Bongo . During his trip to Ivory Coast, Jackson drew larger crowds than Pope John Paul II on his previous visits. He
4104-577: A statement later contradicted by CBS head of Business Affairs David Benjamin in Vanity Fair . According to The Austin Chronicle , Jackson's video for the song "Billie Jean" was "the video that broke the color barrier, even though the channel itself was responsible for erecting that barrier in the first place." But change was not immediate. "Billie Jean" was not added to MTV's "medium rotation" playlist (two to three airings per day) until it reached No. 1 on
4256-576: A strict vegetarian diet, a change in hairstyle, and stage lighting. In June, Jackson was honored with the Grand Vermeil Medal of the City of Paris by the then Mayor of Paris Jacques Chirac during his stay in the city as part of the Bad World Tour . On July 20, he became the first commoner in history to enter London's Guildhall through the building's Royal Entrance. In October, Jackson released
4408-466: A target of criticism by different groups about programming choices, social issues, political correctness , sensitivity, censorship, and a perceived negative social influence on young people. Portions of the content of MTV's programs and productions have come under controversy in the general news media and among social groups that have taken offense. Some within the music industry criticized what they saw as MTV's homogenization of rock 'n' roll, including
4560-580: A tentative offer to buy ATV Music for $ 50 million; in early August, Holmes à Court contacted Jackson and talks resumed. Jackson's increased bid of $ 47.5 million (equivalent to $ 135 million in 2023) was accepted because he could close the deal more quickly, having already completed due diligence. Jackson agreed to visit Holmes à Court in Australia, where he would appear on the Channel Seven Perth Telethon . His purchase of ATV Music
4712-543: A trademark on the initials MTV , registered with the Hungarian copyright office, sued the American MTV (Music Television) network for trademark infringement when the Hungarian version of the music channel was launched in 2007. The suit is still ongoing. During the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony, comedian Andrew Dice Clay did his usual "adult nursery rhymes" routine (which he had done in his stand-up acts), after which
Smooth Criminal - Misplaced Pages Continue
4864-498: A version of " Who's Lovin' You ". After signing with Motown, the Jackson family relocated to Los Angeles. In 1969, Motown executives decided Diana Ross should introduce the Jackson 5 to the public — partly to bolster her career in television — sending off what was considered Motown's last product of its "production line". The Jackson 5 made their first television appearance in 1969 in the Miss Black America pageant, performing
5016-449: A week in March, broadcasting live eight hours per day. "Spring break is a youth culture event", MTV's vice president Doug Herzog said at the time. "We wanted to be part of it for that reason. It makes good sense for us to come down and go live from the center of it, because obviously the people there are the kinds of people who watch MTV." The channel later expanded its beach-themed events to
5168-562: A year. They lasted a year and a half." Presley later said she and Jackson had attempted to reconcile intermittently for four years following their divorce, and that she had traveled the world to be with him. Jackson composed music for the Sega Genesis video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (1994), but left the project around the time the sexual abuse allegations surfaced and went uncredited. The Sega Technical Institute director Roger Hector and
5320-454: Is a sleek, exhilarating action sequence of a song that's unlike anything else in Jackson's catalog ... an urgent and inspired highlight. Bad is at its best when it explores the darker, more paranoid side that began to consume Jackson's life in the late '80s, and this song captures that impulse." Entertainment Weekly wrote: "If there was one song on Bad that truly captured the sense of artistic freedom that Jackson felt after Thriller , it
5472-444: Is also a producer of films aimed at young adults through its production label, MTV Films, and has aired both its own theatrically released films and original made-for-television movies from MTV Studios in addition to acquired films. In 2010, a study by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation found that of 207.5 hours of prime time programming on MTV, 42% included content reflecting
5624-404: Is in the key of A minor , and Jackson's vocal spans from G 3 to C 6 . The lyrics describe a narrator who finds a bloodstained carpet and an unconscious body. The chorus refrain, "Annie, are you OK?", was inspired by Resusci Anne , a dummy used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation training. Trainees learn to say "Annie, are you OK?" while practicing resuscitation on the dummy. The original mix of
5776-416: Is the best-selling album of all time , while Bad was the first album to produce five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles. From the late 1980s, Jackson became a figure of controversy and speculation due to his changing appearance , relationships , behavior, and lifestyle. In 1993, he was accused of sexually abusing the child of a family friend. The lawsuit was settled out of civil court; Jackson
5928-533: Is the centerpiece of the 1988 film Moonwalker . The 1930s setting and Jackson's white suit and fedora pay tribute to the Fred Astaire musical comedy film The Band Wagon . In the video, Jackson and the dancers perform an apparently physically impossible "anti-gravity lean". "Smooth Criminal" reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 , becoming the sixth top-10 single from Bad . It reached number two on
6080-505: Is used worldwide, but not everywhere existentially. The new logo was first used on MTV Films logo with the 2010 film Jackass 3D . MTV's rebranding was overseen by Popkern. On June 25, 2015, MTV International rebranded its on-air look with a new vaporwave and seapunk -inspired graphics package. It included a series of new station IDs featuring 3D renderings of objects and people, much akin to vaporwave and seapunk "aesthetics". Many have derided MTV's choice of rebranding, insisting that
6232-462: The Billboard Hot 100 chart. In the final week of March, it was in "heavy rotation", one week before the MTV debut of Jackson's " Beat It " video. Prince's " Little Red Corvette " joined both videos in heavy rotation at the end of April. At the beginning of June, " Electric Avenue " by Eddy Grant joined "Billie Jean", which was still in heavy rotation until mid-June. At the end of August, " She Works Hard for
Smooth Criminal - Misplaced Pages Continue
6384-754: The Billboard Hot Black Singles chart. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It reached number one in Belgium, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Spain. Retrospective reviews have described "Smooth Criminal" as one of Jackson's best songs. Rolling Stone wrote that it was "his best blend of R&B groove and rock edginess, and a turning point in his shift toward darker, harder-edged material". It has appeared on numerous greatest hits albums and
6536-582: The Chicago Tribune reported Jackson's publicist bidding $ 1 million for the skeleton to the London Hospital Medical College on his behalf. The college maintained the skeleton was not for sale. DiLeo said Jackson had an "absorbing interest" in Merrick, "purely based on his awareness of the ethical, medical and historical significance." In September 1986, using the oxygen chamber story,
6688-489: The ATV Music Publishing catalog comprising the publishing rights to nearly 4,000 songs, including most of the Beatles' material. In 1981, McCartney had been offered the catalog for £20 million ($ 40 million) (equivalent to $ 134 million in 2023). Jackson submitted a bid of $ 46 million (equivalent to $ 135 million in 2023) on November 20, 1984. When Jackson and McCartney were unable to make
6840-663: The East Coast , they won a weekly amateur night concert at the Apollo Theater in Harlem . The Jackson 5 recorded several songs for a Gary record label, Steeltown Records ; their first single, " Big Boy ", was released in 1968. Bobby Taylor of Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers brought the Jackson 5 to Motown after they opened for Taylor at Chicago's Regal Theater in 1968. Taylor produced some of their early Motown recordings, including
6992-708: The Heal the World Foundation in 1992. The charity brought underprivileged children to Jackson's ranch to use the theme park rides, and sent millions of dollars around the globe to help children threatened by war, poverty, and disease. That July, Jackson published his second book, Dancing the Dream , a collection of poetry. The Dangerous World Tour ran between June 1992 and November 1993 and grossed $ 100 million (equivalent to $ 210 million in 2023); Jackson performed for over 3.5 million people in 70 concerts, all of which were outside
7144-882: The Live 8 concerts, a series of concerts set in the G8 states and South Africa, on July 2, 2005. Live 8 preceded the 31st G8 summit and the 20th anniversary of Live Aid. MTV drew heavy criticism for its coverage of Live 8. The network cut to commercials, VJ commentary, or other performances during performances. Complaints surfaced on the Internet over MTV interrupting the reunion of Pink Floyd . In response, MTV president Van Toffler stated that he wanted to broadcast highlights from every venue of Live 8 on MTV and VH1, and clarified that network hosts talked over performances only in transition to commercials, informative segments or other musical performances. Toffler acknowledged that "MTV should not have placed such
7296-535: The Sonic co-creator Naoto Ohshima said that Jackson's involvement was terminated and his music reworked following the allegations. However, Jackson's musical director Brad Buxer and other members of Jackson's team said Jackson went uncredited because he was unhappy with how the Genesis replicated his music. MTV MTV ( originally an initialism of Music Television ) is an American cable television channel. It
7448-461: The Studio 54 nightclub, where he heard early hip hop ; this influenced his beatboxing on future tracks such as " Working Day and Night ". In 1978, Jackson unsatisfied with his nose, decided to have a rhinoplasty . He was referred to Steven Hoefflin , who performed Jackson's operations. Jackson's fifth solo album, Off the Wall (1979), established him as a solo performer and helped him move from
7600-481: The Thriller video, which Michael denounced in a Witness publication in 1984. In 2001, Jackson told an interviewer he was still a Jehovah's Witness. Jackson's first album in five years, Bad (1987), was highly anticipated, with the industry expecting another major success. It became the first album to produce five US number-one singles: " I Just Can't Stop Loving You ", " Bad ", " The Way You Make Me Feel ", " Man in
7752-682: The Vocal Group Hall of Fame , the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Dance Hall of Fame (making him the only recording artist to be inducted). His honors include 15 Grammy Awards including the Grammy Legend Award , six Brit Awards , 24 American Music Awards , a Golden Globe Award and 39 Guinness World Records , including " Youngest artist to top the Hot 100 ", "Longest span of number ones for
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#17329458137027904-583: The best-selling music artists of all time , with estimated sales of over 500 million records worldwide. He had 13 Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles ( the chart's fourth-highest of any artist ) and was the first artist to have a top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades. Jackson's inductions include the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice), the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame ,
8056-662: The bubblegum pop of his youth to more complex sounds. It produced four top 10 entries in the US: " Off the Wall ", " She's Out of My Life ", and the chart-topping singles " Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough " and " Rock with You ". The album reached number three on the US Billboard 200 and sold over 20 million copies worldwide. In 1980, Jackson won three American Music Awards for his solo work: Favorite Soul/R&B Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, and Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough". He also won
8208-495: The robot dance . The Jackson 5 left Motown in 1975, signing with Epic Records and renaming themselves the Jacksons. Their younger brother Randy joined the band around this time; Jermaine stayed with Motown and pursued a solo career. The Jacksons continued to tour internationally, and released six more albums between 1976 and 1984. Michael, the group's main songwriter during this time, wrote songs such as " Shake Your Body (Down to
8360-557: The 17-minute $ 30 million 3D film Captain EO , which ran from 1986 at Disneyland and Epcot , and later at Tokyo Disneyland and Euro Disneyland . After having been removed in the late 1990s, it returned to the theme park for several years after Jackson's death. In 1987, Ebony reported that Jackson had disassociated himself from the Jehovah's Witnesses. Katherine Jackson said this might have been because some Witnesses strongly opposed
8512-400: The 40th anniversary of the network's launch in 2021, current MTV Entertainment Group president Chris McCarthy acknowledged that "(o)ne of the bigger mistakes in the early years was not playing enough diverse music ... but the nice thing that I've always learned at MTV is we have no problem owning our mistakes, quickly correcting them and trying to do the right thing and always follow where
8664-586: The British tabloid The Sun branded Jackson "Wacko Jacko", a name Jackson came to despise. The Atlantic noted that the name "Jacko" has racist connotations, as it originates from Jacko Macacco , a monkey used in monkey-baiting matches at the Westminster Pit in the early 1820s, and "Jacko" was used in Cockney slang to refer to monkeys in general. Jackson worked with George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola on
8816-549: The Disney Channel and NBC . The program aired at several times between 1984 and 1999. In 2009, Disney Channel revived the DTV concept with a new series of short-form segments called Re-Micks . Hanna-Barbera created HBTV , similar to DTV in 1985 and in 1986. MTV has edited a number of music videos to remove nudity, references to drugs, sex, violence, weapons, racism, homophobia , and/or advertising. Many music videos aired on
8968-462: The Grammy for Best Engineered – Non Classical. In August 1993, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by a 13-year-old boy, Jordan Chandler, and his father, Evan Chandler. Jordan said he and Jackson had engaged in acts of kissing, masturbation and oral sex . While Jordan's mother initially told police that she did not believe Jackson had molested him, her position wavered a few days later. Evan
9120-646: The Ground) " (1978), " This Place Hotel " (1980), and " Can You Feel It " (1980). In 1977, Jackson moved to New York City to star as the Scarecrow in The Wiz , a musical film directed by Sidney Lumet , alongside Diana Ross , Nipsey Russell , and Ted Ross. The film was a box-office failure. Its score was arranged by Quincy Jones , who later produced three of Jackson's solo albums. During his time in New York, Jackson frequented
9272-457: The Jackson family moved into a large house at Hayvenhurst , a 2-acre (0.81 ha) estate in Encino, California . During this period, Michael developed from a child performer into a teen idol . Between 1972 and 1975, he released four solo studio albums with Motown: Got to Be There (1972), Ben (1972), Music & Me (1973) and Forever, Michael (1975). " Got to Be There " and " Ben ",
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#17329458137029424-440: The Jacksons and other Motown stars. Jackson's solo performance of "Billie Jean" earned him his first Emmy Award nomination. Wearing a glove decorated with rhinestones , he debuted his moonwalk dance , which Jeffrey Daniel had taught him three years earlier, and it became his signature dance in his repertoire. Jackson had originally turned down the invitation to the show, believing he had been doing too much television. But at
9576-565: The Jacksons and showcased Jackson's new solo material to more than two million Americans. It was the last tour he did with his brothers. Following controversy over the concert's ticket sales , Jackson donated his share of the proceeds, an estimated $ 3 to 5 million , to charity. During the last concert of the Victory Tour at the Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, Jackson announced his split from
9728-405: The Jacksons during "Shake Your Body". With Lionel Richie , Jackson co-wrote the charity single " We Are the World " (1985), which raised money for the poor in the US and Africa. It earned $ 63 million (equivalent to $ 178 million in 2023), and became one of the best-selling singles of all time , with 20 million copies sold. It won four Grammy Awards in 1985, including Song of
9880-452: The Mirror ", and " Dirty Diana ". Another song, " Smooth Criminal ", peaked at number seven. Bad won the 1988 Grammy for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and the 1990 Grammy Award for Best Music Video , Short Form for " Leave Me Alone ". Jackson won an Award of Achievement at the American Music Awards in 1989 after Bad generated five number-one singles, became the first album to top
10032-508: The Mirror" went to charity. His rendition of "You Were There" at Sammy Davis Jr. 's 60th birthday celebration won Jackson a second Emmy nomination. Jackson was the bestselling artist of the 1980s. In March 1991, Jackson renewed his contract with Sony for $ 65 million (equivalent to $ 145 million in 2023), a record-breaking deal , beating Neil Diamond 's renewal contract with Columbia Records . In 1991, he released his eighth album, Dangerous , co-produced with Teddy Riley . It
10184-457: The Money " by Donna Summer was in heavy rotation on the channel. Herbie Hancock's " Rockit " and Lionel Richie 's " All Night Long " were placed in heavy rotation at the end of October and the beginning of November respectively. In the final week of November, Donna Summer's " Unconditional Love " was in heavy rotation. When Jackson's elaborate video for " Thriller " was released late that year, raising
10336-451: The Netherlands and Spain and the top 10 in Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland and the UK. Jackson asked Vincent Paterson to conceive a concept for the short film. Paterson listened to the unfinished song and came up with the concept of a 1930s gangster club. Paterson, who was a lead dancer in the music videos for " Beat It " and " Thriller ", co-choreographed the "Smooth Criminal" video with Jackson and Jeffrey Daniel of
10488-406: The Police , Kiss , Culture Club , Billy Idol , Hall & Oates , Cyndi Lauper , Madonna , Lionel Richie , Ric Ocasek , John Mellencamp , Peter Wolf , Joe Elliott , Stevie Nicks , Rick Springfield , and Mick Jagger , interacting with the MTV logo on-air and encouraging viewers to call their pay television providers and request that MTV be added to their local channel lineups. Eventually,
10640-421: The Soul Train Heritage Award in 1989, she called him "the true king of pop, rock and soul." President George H. W. Bush designated him the White House's "Artist of the Decade". At the 38th BMI Awards in 1990, Jackson was the first person to be honored with an award named after its recipient. From 1985 to 1990, Jackson donated $ 455,000 to the United Negro College Fund , and all profits from his single "Man in
10792-455: The Temptations ' " My Girl ". From 1966 to 1968, the Jacksons 5 toured the Midwest ; they frequently played at a string of black clubs known as the Chitlin' Circuit as the opening act for artists such as Sam & Dave , the O'Jays , Gladys Knight and Etta James . The Jackson 5 also performed at clubs and cocktail lounges, where striptease shows were featured, and at local auditoriums and high school dances. In August 1967, while touring
10944-538: The Time"), and was the first to win the International Artist Award of Excellence. In February, he won the "Living Legend Award" at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. He attended the award ceremony with Brooke Shields . Dangerous was nominated for Best Vocal Performance (for "Black or White"), Best R&B Vocal Performance ("Jam") and Best R&B Song ("Jam"), and Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley won
11096-484: The US. Part of the proceeds went to Heal the World Foundation. Jackson sold the broadcast rights of the tour to HBO for $ 20 million, a record-breaking deal that still stands. Following the death of HIV/AIDS spokesperson and friend Ryan White , Jackson pleaded with the Clinton administration at Bill Clinton's inaugural gala to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research and performed " Gone Too Soon ",
11248-511: The United States, down from its 2011 peak of 99,000,000 households. MTV was launched on Saturday, August 1, 1981, at 12:01 a.m, under the ownership of the Warner - American Express Satellite Entertainment Company. On June 25, 1984, Warner Communications spun-off Nickelodeon , MTV into a new public corporation called MTV Networks . Warner would later acquire American Express' 50% stake
11400-447: The Year for Jackson and Richie. Jackson, Jones, and the promoter Ken Kragen received special awards for their roles in the song's creation. Jackson collaborated with Paul McCartney in the early 1980s, and learned that McCartney was making $ 40 million a year from owning the rights to other artists' songs. By 1983, Jackson had begun buying publishing rights to others' songs, but he
11552-604: The advertisement, and suggested using his song "Billie Jean", with revised lyrics, as its jingle . On January 27, 1984, Michael and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi commercial overseen by Phil Dusenberry , a BBDO ad agency executive, and Alan Pottasch , Pepsi's Worldwide Creative Director, at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. During a simulated concert before a full house of fans, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire, causing second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide
11704-466: The album's artist and Jones as its co-producer), and the single won Best Pop Vocal Performance (Male) award for Jackson. "Beat It" won Record of the Year and Best Rock Vocal Performance (Male). "Billie Jean" won two Grammy awards: Best R&B Song and Best R&B Vocal Performance (Male), with Jackson as songwriter and singer respectively. Thriller won the Grammy for Best Engineered Recording (Non Classical), acknowledging Bruce Swedien for his work on
11856-498: The album. At the 11th Annual American Music Awards , Jackson won another eight awards and became the youngest artist to win the Award of Merit. He also won Favorite Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Artist, and Favorite Pop/Rock Artist. "Beat It" won Favorite Soul/R&B Video, Favorite Pop/Rock Video and Favorite Pop/Rock Single. The album won Favorite Soul/R&B Album and Favorite Pop/Rock Album. Thriller ' s sales doubled after
12008-491: The all Prince theme on the channel back in the 90s. A few markets also launched music-only channels including Las Vegas' KRLR-TV (now KSNV ), which debuted in the summer of 1984 and branded as "Vusic 21". The first video played on that channel was "Video Killed the Radio Star", following in the footsteps of MTV. Shortly after TBS began Night Tracks , NBC launched a music video program called Friday Night Videos , which
12160-491: The allegations and painkiller addiction. He thanked his close friend Elizabeth Taylor for support, encouragement and counsel. The end of the tour concluded his sponsorship deal with Pepsi. In late 1993, Jackson proposed to Lisa Marie Presley , the daughter of Elvis Presley, over the phone. They were married in La Vega, Dominican Republic , in May 1994 by civil judge Hugo Francisco Álvarez Pérez. The tabloid media speculated that
12312-401: The artistic style was centered on denouncing corporate capitalism (many aesthetic pieces heavily incorporate corporate logos of the 1970s, 80s and 90s, which coincidentally include MTV's original logo) rather than being embraced by major corporations like MTV. Many have also suggested that MTV made an attempt to be relevant in the modern entertainment world with the rebrand. In addition to this,
12464-448: The audience is going." Before 1983, Michael Jackson also struggled for MTV airtime. To resolve the struggle and finally "break the color barrier", the president of CBS Records , Walter Yetnikoff , denounced MTV in a strong, profane statement, threatening to take away its right to play any of the label's music. However, Les Garland, then acquisitions head, said he decided to air Jackson's " Billie Jean " video without pressure from CBS,
12616-553: The bar for what a video could be, the network's support for it was total; subsequently, more pop and R&B videos were played on MTV. Following Jackson's and Prince's breakthroughs on MTV, Rick James did several interviews where he brushed off the accomplishment as tokenism , saying in a 1983 interview, in an episode of Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus on James, that "any black artist that [had] their video played on MTV should pull their [videos] off MTV." HBO also had
12768-417: The beach house location each summer. MTV also held week-long music events that took over the presentation of the channel. Examples from the 1990s and 2000s include All Access Week , a week in the summer dedicated to live concerts and festivals; Spankin' New Music Week , a week in the fall dedicated to brand new music videos; and week-long specials that culminated in a particular live event, such as Wanna be
12920-662: The bestselling album of all time in the US and the best-selling album of all time worldwide , selling an estimated 70 million copies. It topped the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks and was in the top 10 of the 200 for 80 consecutive weeks. It was the first album to produce seven Billboard Hot 100 top-10 singles, including " Billie Jean ", " Beat It ", and " Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' ". On March 25, 1983, Jackson reunited with his brothers for Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever , an NBC television special. The show aired on May 16 to an estimated audience of 47 million , and featured
13072-582: The body can cause psychological distress. Jackson used fair-colored makeup, and possibly skin-bleaching prescription creams, to cover up the uneven blotches of color caused by the illness. The creams would depigment the blotches, and, with the application of makeup, he could appear very pale. Jackson said he had not purposely bleached his skin and could not control his vitiligo, adding, "When people make up stories that I don't want to be who I am, it hurts me." He became friends with Klein and Klein's assistant, Debbie Rowe . Rowe later became Jackson's second wife and
13224-593: The bones of the Elephant Man, slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, or bleached his skin, and stated for the first time that he had vitiligo. After the interview, Dangerous re-entered the US albums chart in the top 10, more than a year after its release. The interview itself became the most-watched television interview in United States history to date, with more than 90 million viewers. In January 1993, Jackson won three American Music Awards : Favorite Pop/Rock Album ( Dangerous ), Favorite Soul/R&B Single ("Remember
13376-477: The books' content and claimed if they were there, someone had to have sent them to him and he did not open them. Jordan Chandler gave police a description of Jackson's genitals. A strip search was made, and the jurors felt the description was not a match. In January 1994, Jackson settled with the Chandlers out of court for a reported total sum of $ 23 million. The police never pressed criminal charges. Citing
13528-637: The channel were either censored, moved to late-night rotation, or banned entirely from the channel. In the 1980s, parent media watchdog groups such as the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) criticized MTV over certain music videos that were claimed to have explicit imagery of satanism . As a result, MTV developed a strict policy on refusal to air videos that may depict Satanism or anti-religious themes. This policy led MTV to ban music videos such as " Jesus Christ Pose " by Soundgarden in 1991 and " Megalomaniac " by Incubus in 2004; however,
13680-410: The channel. David Bowie also questioned MTV's lack of black artists during an on-air interview with VJ Mark Goodman in 1983. MTV's original head of talent and acquisition, Carolyn B. Baker, who was black, questioned why the definition of music had to be so narrow, as did a few others outside the network. Years later, Baker said, "The party line at MTV was that we weren't playing black music because of
13832-424: The charts in 25 countries and the bestselling album worldwide in 1987 and 1988. By 2012, it had sold between 30 and 45 million copies worldwide. The Bad World Tour ran from September 12, 1987, to January 27, 1989. In Japan, the tour had 14 sellouts and drew 570,000 people, nearly tripling the previous record for a single tour. The 504,000 people who attended seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium set
13984-468: The controversial band Marilyn Manson was among the most popular rock bands on MTV during the late 1990s and early 2000s. On September 28, 2016, on an AfterBuzz TV live stream, Scout Durwood said that MTV had a " no appropriation policy " that forbid her from wearing her hair in cornrows in an episode of Mary + Jane . She said, "I wanted to cornrow my hair, and they were like, 'That's racist.'" Magyar Televízió , Hungary's public broadcaster who has
14136-483: The dance. Gordy described being "mesmerized" by the performance. At the 26th Annual Grammy Awards , Thriller won eight awards, and Jackson won an award for the E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial storybook. Winning eight Grammys in one ceremony is a record he holds with the band Santana . Jackson and Quincy Jones won the award for Producer of the Year (Non-Classical). Thriller won Album of the Year (with Jackson as
14288-491: The early 2000s, MTV updated its on-air appearance at the beginning of every year and each summer, creating a consistent brand across all of its music-related shows. This style of channel-wide branding came to an end as MTV drastically reduced its number of music-related shows in the early to mid 2000s. Around this time, MTV introduced a static and single color digital on-screen graphic mainly grey during on-air and some color to be shown during all of its programming. Starting with
14440-575: The end of 1992, Dangerous was the bestselling album of the year worldwide and "Black or White" the bestselling single of the year worldwide at the Billboard Music Awards . In 1993, he performed "Remember the Time" at the Soul Train Music Awards in a chair, saying he twisted his ankle during dance rehearsals. In the UK, " Heal the World " made No. 2 on the charts in 1992. Jackson founded
14592-405: The first act with people of color to perform on MTV; their song "Rat Race" was the 58th video on the station's first broadcast day. MTV refused other black artists' videos, such as Rick James ' " Super Freak ", because they did not fit the channel's carefully selected album-oriented rock format at the time. The exclusion enraged James, who publicly advocated the addition of more black artists to
14744-505: The first landing on the Moon (with still images acquired directly from NASA ), which was a concept of Seibert's executed by Buzz Potamkin and Perpetual Motion Pictures . The ID then cut to the American flag planted on the Moon's surface changed to show the MTV logo on it, which rapidly changed into different colors and patterns several times per second as the network's original guitar-driven jingle
14896-515: The following year. From August 27, 1985 to May 20, 1986, Warner would sell 31%, and later, 69% of MTV Networks to Viacom . As MTV expanded, music videos and VJ-guided programming were no longer the centerpiece of its programming. The channel's programming has covered a wide variety of genres and formats aimed at adolescents and young adults . In addition to its original programming, MTV has also aired original and syndicated programs from Paramount-owned siblings and third-party networks. MTV
15048-709: The ground. Shortly after its launch, the Disney Channel aired a program called DTV , a play on the MTV acronym. The program used music cuts, both from past and upcoming artists. Instead of music videos, the program used clips of various vintage Disney cartoons and animated films (from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to The Fox and the Hound ) to go with the songs. The program aired in multiple formats, sometimes between shows, sometimes as its own program, and other times as one-off specials. The specials tended to air both on
15200-480: The lives of gay, bisexual and transgender people. This was the highest in the industry and the highest percentage ever. In 2018, MTV launched a new production unit under the MTV Studios name focused on producing new versions of MTV's library shows. It was later consolidated into MTV Entertainment Studios In 1984, the channel produced its first MTV Video Music Awards show, or VMAs. The first award show, in 1984,
15352-420: The mother of his first two children. In his 1988 autobiography and a 1993 interview, Jackson said he had had two rhinoplasty surgeries and a cleft chin surgery but no more than that. He said he lost weight in the early 1980s because of a change in diet to achieve a dancer's body. Witnesses reported that he was often dizzy, and speculated he was suffering from anorexia nervosa . Periods of weight loss became
15504-429: The music industry: 37 percent of wholesale album profit. Jackson recorded with Queen 's lead singer Freddie Mercury from 1981 to 1983, recording demos of " State of Shock ", "Victory" and " There Must Be More to Life Than This ". The recordings were intended for an album of duets but, according to Queen's manager Jim Beach , the relationship soured when Jackson brought a llama into the recording studio, and Jackson
15656-622: The music video as an art form and popularized street dance moves including the moonwalk , which he named, the robot , and the anti-gravity lean . As part of the Jackson family , Michael at age six made his public debut in 1964 with his older brothers Jackie , Tito , Jermaine , and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5 (later known as the Jacksons). The Jackson 5 signed with Motown in 1968 and achieved worldwide success with Michael as lead singer. Jackson began his solo career in 1971 while at Motown and recorded multiple successful singles. He became
15808-412: The network executives imposed a lifetime ban. Billy Idol 's music video for the song " Cradle of Love " originally had scenes from Clay's film The Adventures of Ford Fairlane when it was originally aired; scenes from the film were later excised. During the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards , Clay was in attendance where he confirmed that the channel lifted the ban. In the wake of controversy that involved
15960-428: The night of October 13, 1988. In the video, Jackson and the other dancers perform a lean that appears physically impossible. The dancers lean forward 45 degrees with their backs straight and feet flat on the floor, and hold the pose before returning upright. The lean moves the body's center of mass further than it can support. The illusion was achieved using cables and a harness. In October 1993, Jackson's team patented
16112-543: The numerous adaptations of the video game Michael Jackson's Moonwalker . The song serves as the background music for the "Club 30s" stage, the nightclub seen in the music video, that appears in the game. The video is the centerpiece of the 1988 film Moonwalker . On October 23, 2024, the video achieved 1 Billion views on YouTube, making it the fifth of Jackson's video to reach this milestone after " Billie Jean ", " They Don't Care About Us ", " Beat It " and " Thriller ." Jason Elias of AllMusic wrote that "Smooth Criminal"
16264-407: The premiere of the short-lived program FNMTV: Friday Night MTV in 2008, MTV started using a updated and cropped version of its original logo for the 30 years during most of its on-air programming. It became MTV's official logo on February 8, 2010, and officially debuted on its website. The channel's full text "MUSIC TELEVISION" was eliminated, with the revised and chopped down on the logo largely
16416-923: The punk band the Dead Kennedys , whose song "M.T.V. – Get Off the Air" was released on their 1985 album Frankenchrist , just as MTV's influence over the music industry was being solidified. MTV was also the major influence on the growth of music videos during the 1980s. During MTV's first few years, very few black artists were featured. The select few in MTV's rotation between 1981 and 1984 were Michael Jackson , Prince , Eddy Grant , Tina Turner , Donna Summer , Joan Armatrading , Musical Youth , The Specials , The Selecter , Grace Jones , John Butcher and Herbie Hancock . Mikey Craig of Culture Club , Joe Leeway of Thompson Twins and Tracy Wormworth of The Waitresses were also black. The Specials, which included black and white vocalists and musicians, were also
16568-480: The rebrand was made on exactly the same day that the social media site Tumblr introduced Tumblr TV, an animated GIF viewer which featured branding inspired by MTV's original 1980s on-air look. Tumblr has been cited as a prominent location of aesthetic art, and thus many have suggested MTV and Tumblr "switched identities". The rebrand also incorporated a modified version of MTV's classic "I Want My MTV!" slogan, changed to read "I Am My MTV". Vice has suggested that
16720-463: The release of an extended music video, Michael Jackson's Thriller , which sees Jackson dancing with a horde of zombies. The success transformed Jackson into a dominant force in global pop culture. Jackson had the highest royalty rate in the music industry at that point, with about $ 2 for every album sold (equivalent to $ 6 in 2023), and was making record-breaking profits. Dolls modeled after Jackson appeared in stores in May 1984 for $ 12 each. In
16872-411: The request of Motown founder Berry Gordy , he performed in exchange for an opportunity to do a solo performance. Rolling Stone reporter Mikal Gilmore called the performance "extraordinary". Jackson's performance drew comparisons to Elvis Presley 's and the Beatles ' appearances on The Ed Sullivan Show . Anna Kisselgoff of The New York Times praised the perfect timing and technique involved in
17024-485: The research – but the research was based on ignorance… We were young, we were cutting-edge. We didn't have to be on the cutting edge of racism." Nevertheless, it was Baker who rejected Rick James' "Super Freak" video "because there were half-naked women in it, and it was a piece of crap. As a black woman, I did not want that representing my people as the first black video on MTV." The network's director of music programming, Buzz Brindle, told an interviewer in 2006: "MTV
17176-501: The rules of the rock business." MTV senior executive vice president Les Garland complained decades later, "The worst thing was that 'racism' bullshit ... there were hardly any videos being made by black artists. Record companies weren't funding them. They never got charged with racism." However, critics of that defence pointed out that record companies were not funding videos for black artists because they knew they would have difficulty persuading MTV to play them. In celebrating
17328-413: The same as the original logo, but without the initialism, the bottom of the "M" being cropped and the "V" in "TV" no longer branching off. This change was most likely made to reflect MTV's more prominent focus on reality and comedy programming and less on music-related programming. However, much like the original logo, the new logo was designed to be filled in with a seemingly unlimited variety of images. It
17480-478: The same year, The Making of Michael Jackson's Thriller , a documentary about the music video, won a Grammy for Best Music Video (Longform). Time described Jackson's influence at that point as "star of records, radio, rock video. A one-man rescue team for the music business. A songwriter who sets the beat for a decade. A dancer with the fanciest feet on the street. A singer who cuts across all boundaries of taste and style and color too." The New York Times wrote "in
17632-891: The scars and had his third rhinoplasty shortly thereafter. Pepsi settled out of court, and Jackson donated the $ 1.5 million (equivalent to $ 4.4 million in 2023) settlement to the Brotman Medical Center in Culver City, California ; its now-closed Michael Jackson Burn Center was named in his honor. Jackson signed a second agreement with Pepsi in the late 1980s for $ 10 million (equivalent to $ 26.8 million in 2023). The second campaign covered 20 countries and provided financial support for Jackson's Bad album and 1987–88 world tour. Jackson had endorsements and advertising deals with other companies, such as LA Gear , Suzuki , and Sony , but none were as significant as his deals with Pepsi. The Victory Tour of 1984 headlined
17784-595: The singer, Dryden Mitchell, the band would play a few riffs of the song while warming up before gigs and audience members would request the entire song. The cover became a number-one hit on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and was also a number-one hit in Australia for eight weeks. In Europe, it reached number three in the United Kingdom and charted within the top 10 in 10 other countries. Alien Ant Farm's 1999 album Greatest Hits includes
17936-524: The slogan became so ubiquitous that it made an appearance as a lyric sung by Sting on the Dire Straits song " Money for Nothing ", whose music video aired in regular rotation on MTV when it was first released in 1985 and also served as the first video played on its European arm , and became the basis of the music used in the MTV Entertainment Studios production logo . The channel has been
18088-425: The slogan change represents "the current generation's movement towards self-examination, identity politics and apparent narcissism." MTV also introduced MTV Bump, a website that allows Instagram and Vine users to submit videos to be aired during commercial breaks, as well as MTV Canvas, an online program where users submit custom IDs to also be aired during commercial breaks. On February 5, 2021, MTV began to use
18240-500: The song in a viral YouTube video. Jean Rodríguez sang lead vocals for Tony Succar 's Latin-flavored version of "Smooth Criminal", from the album Unity: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson (2015), including a section in Spanish. A video of their 2016 performance at the offices of Sirius XM went viral. Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009)
18392-538: The song includes the sound of Jackson's fast-thumping heart and heavy breathing, which travel from left to right thanks to Hugo Zuccarelli's Holophonics system. "Smooth Criminal" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 , becoming the sixth top 10 single from Bad . It is certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America , and platinum by the British Phonographic Industry . The song reached number one in Belgium, Iceland,
18544-518: The soul music group Shalamar . The video and Jackson's white suit and fedora pay tribute to the Fred Astaire musical comedy film The Band Wagon , particularly the "Girl Hunt Ballet" (itself inspired by the novels of Mickey Spillane ) scene. The video, directed by Colin Chilvers , was shot between mid-February and April 1987 at Culver City, California , and in the backlot at Universal Studios Hollywood and premiered internationally on MTV on
18696-518: The story, although it was alleged that Jackson leaked an image of him sleeping in a glass chamber (according to Jackson, this was a promotional shot from an upcoming space opera featuring himself ) to The National Enquirer . It was also reported that Jackson took female hormone shots to keep his voice high and facial hair wispy, proposed to Elizabeth Taylor and possibly had a shrine of her, and had cosmetic surgery on his eyes. Jackson's manager Frank DiLeo denied all of them, except for Jackson having
18848-523: The summer, dedicating most of each summer season to broadcasting live from a beach house at different locations away from New York City, eventually leading to channel-wide branding throughout the summer in the 1990s and early 2000s such as Motel California , Summer Share , Isle of MTV , SoCal Summer , Summer in the Keys , and Shore Thing . MTV VJs would host blocks of music videos, interview artists and bands, and introduce live performances and other programs from
19000-674: The tag line, not unlike his failed 'Maypo' revamp. His associate, and Seibert mentor Dale Pon, took over the campaign, both strategically and creatively. Pon was able to get the campaign greenlit when he laughed the tears out of the spots. From then on–with the exception of the closely logos on the first round of commercials–Pon was the primary creative force. All the commercials were produced by Buzz Potamkin and his new company Buzzco Productions, directed first by Thomas Schlamme and Alan Goodman and eventually by Candy Kugel. The campaign featured popular artists and celebrities, including Pete Townshend , Pat Benatar , Adam Ant , David Bowie ,
19152-488: The time, the logo was constantly branded with different colors, patterns and images on a variety of station IDs. Examples include 1988's ID "Adam And Eve", where the "M" is an apple and the snake is the "TV". And for 1984's ID "Art History", the logo is shown in different art styles. The only constant aspects of MTV's logo at the time were its general shape and proportions, with everything else being dynamic. MTV launched on August 1, 1981, with an extended network ID featuring
19304-430: The title tracks from his first two solo albums, sold well as singles, as did a cover of Bobby Day 's " Rockin' Robin ". Michael maintained ties to the Jackson 5. The Jackson 5 were later described as "a cutting-edge example of black crossover artists ". They were frustrated by Motown's refusal to allow them creative input. Jackson's performance of their top five single " Dancing Machine " on Soul Train popularized
19456-519: The wedding was a publicity stunt to deflect away from Jackson's sexual abuse allegations and jump-start Presley's career as a singer. Their marriage ended little more than a year later, and they separated in December 1995. Presley cited "irreconcilable differences" when filing for divorce the next month and only sought to reclaim her maiden name as her settlement. After the divorce, Judge Pérez said, "They lasted longer than I thought they would. I gave them
19608-485: The world of pop music, there is Michael Jackson and there is everybody else". In November 1983, Jackson and his brothers partnered with PepsiCo in a $ 5 million promotional deal that broke records for a celebrity endorsement (equivalent to $ 15.3 million in 2023). The first Pepsi campaign, which ran in the US from 1983 to 1984 and launched its "New Generation" theme, included tour sponsorship, public relations events, and in-store displays. Jackson helped to create
19760-459: Was convicted in 2011 of involuntary manslaughter for his involvement in Jackson's death. His death triggered reactions around the world, creating unprecedented surges of internet traffic and a spike in sales of his music. Jackson's televised memorial service , held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, was estimated to have been viewed by more than 2.5 billion people. Jackson is one of
19912-405: Was "a gorgeous and exhilarating record ... [it] presents Michael Jackson at his most captivating and it never fails to impress". Rolling Stone named it the sixth best Jackson song, writing that it was "his best blend of R&B groove and rock edginess, and a turning point in his shift toward darker, harder-edged material." In a retrospective review of Bad , Newsweek wrote: "[Smooth Criminal]
20064-450: Was abusive and said that the whippings, which had a deeper impact on Michael because he was younger, kept them disciplined and out of trouble. Michael said that during his youth he was lonely and isolated. Later in 1965, Michael began sharing lead vocals with Jermaine, and the group's name was changed to the Jackson 5 . In 1965, the group won a talent show; Michael performed the dance to Robert Parker 's 1965 song " Barefootin' " and sang
20216-413: Was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop ", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural icons of the 20th century . Over a four decade career, his world record music achievements and publicized personal life made him a global figure. Jackson's songs, stages and fashion proliferated visual performance for singers in pop music. His innovations changed
20368-453: Was careful with his acquisitions, only bidding on a few of the dozens that were offered to him. Jackson's early acquisitions of music catalogs and song copyrights such as the Sly Stone collection included "Everyday People" (1968), Len Barry 's " 1-2-3 " (1965), and Dion DiMucci 's " The Wanderer " (1961) and " Runaround Sue " (1961). In 1984, Robert Holmes à Court announced he was selling
20520-415: Was certified eight times platinum in the US, and by 2018 had sold 32 million copies worldwide. In the US, the first single, " Black or White ", was the album's highest-charting song; it was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks and achieved similar chart performances worldwide. The second single, " Remember the Time " peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. At
20672-499: Was completed in time for the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards. The channel's iconic "I Want My MTV!" advertising campaign was launched in 1982. It was first developed by George Lois and was based on a cereal commercial from the 1950s with the slogan " I Want My Maypo !" that Lois adapted unsuccessfully from the original created by animator John Hubley . Lois's first pitch to the network was roundly rejected when Lois insisted that rock stars like Mick Jagger should be crying when they said
20824-478: Was considered network television's answer to MTV. Later renamed simply Friday Night , the program ran from 1983 to 2002. ABC's contribution to the music video program genre in 1984, ABC Rocks , was far less successful, lasting only a year. TBS founder Ted Turner started the Cable Music Channel in 1984, designed to play a broader mix of music videos than MTV's rock format allowed. But after one month as
20976-700: Was crowned "King Sani" by a tribal chief in the Ivorian village of Krindjabo , where he thanked the dignitaries in French and English, signed documents formalizing his kingship, and sat on a golden throne while presiding over ceremonial dances. In January 1993, Jackson performed at the Super Bowl XXVII halftime show in Pasadena, California. The NFL sought a big-name artist to keep ratings high during halftime following dwindling audience figures. With 133.4 million viewers, it
21128-419: Was designed in 1981 by Manhattan Design (a collective formed by Frank Olinsky, Pat Gorman and Patty Rogoff) under the guidance of original creative director Fred Seibert . The block letter "M" was sketched by Rogoff, with the scribbled word "TV" spraypainted by Olinksky. The primary variant of MTV's logo at the time had the "M" in yellow and the "TV" in red. However, unlike most television networks' logos at
21280-531: Was directed by Marc Klasfeld and shot in San Fernando, California. It features the band performing in a wrestling ring, and in front of a suburban house. The video also references various Jackson music videos and elements of his personal life, including the original "Smooth Criminal" video, Jackson's Moonwalk , and his pet chimp Bubbles . Before its release, Alien Ant Farm sent the video to Jackson for his approval. At his request, they reshot some scenes to remove
21432-568: Was finalized on August 10, 1985. Jackson's skin had been medium-brown during his youth, but from the mid-1980s gradually grew paler. The change drew widespread media coverage, including speculation that he had been bleaching his skin . His dermatologist, Arnold Klein , said he observed in 1983 that Jackson had vitiligo , a condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment. He also identified discoid lupus erythematosus in Jackson. He diagnosed Jackson with lupus that year, and with vitiligo in 1986. Vitiligo's drastic effects on
21584-426: Was not indicted due to lack of evidence. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found no evidence of criminal conduct by Jackson. In 2009, while he was preparing for a series of comeback concerts, This Is It , Jackson died from an overdose of propofol administered by his personal physician, Conrad Murray , who
21736-504: Was officially launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group , part of Paramount Media Networks , a division of Paramount Global . The channel originally aired music videos and related programming as guided by television personalities known as video jockeys , or VJs. MTV, as one of the American cable channels available in other countries, eventually gained
21888-401: Was originally designed to be a rock music channel. It was difficult for MTV to find African American artists whose music fit the channel's format that leaned toward rock at the outset." Writers Craig Marks and Rob Tannenbaum noted that the channel "aired videos by plenty of white artists who didn't play rock." Andrew Goodwin later wrote: "[MTV] denied racism, on the grounds that it merely followed
22040-402: Was performed on all of Jackson's solo tours. "Smooth Criminal" was re-released in 2006 as a single as a part of Jackson's Visionary: The Video Singles boxset. In 2001, a version by Alien Ant Farm became an international hit. "Smooth Criminal" evolved from an earlier song written by Jackson, "Al Capone" (named after real life gangster Al Capone ), released on the 2012 reissue Bad 25 . It
22192-517: Was played for the first time. After MTV's launch, the "Moon landing" ID was edited to show only its ending, and was shown at the top of every hour until early 1986, when the ID was scrapped in light of the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster . The ID ran "more than 75,000 times each year (48 times each day), at the top and bottom of every hour every day" according to Seibert. From the late 1990s to
22344-531: Was punctuated by a live performance by Madonna of " Like a Virgin ". The statuettes that are handed out at the Video Music Awards are of the MTV moonman, the channel's original image from its first broadcast in 1981. As of 2012 , the Video Music Awards were MTV's most watched annual event. MTV began its annual Spring Break coverage in 1986, setting up temporary operations in Daytona Beach, Florida , for
22496-545: Was recorded discussing his intention to pursue charges, which Jackson used to argue that he was the victim of a jealous father trying to extort money. Jackson's older sister La Toya accused him of being a pedophile; she later retracted this, saying she had been forced into it by her abusive husband. Police raided Jackson's home in August and found two legal large-format art books featuring young boys playing, running and swimming in various states of undress. Jackson denied knowing of
22648-419: Was that black artists that MTV initially ignored received airplay. The program ran until the end of May 1992. Playboy TV launched their own music video program called "Playboy's Hot Rocks" that premiered on July 15, 1983 featuring uncensored versions of music videos that were shown in nightclubs by artists from Duran Duran and Mötley Crüe to Nine Inch Nails and 2Pac. At times, they would do a certain theme like
22800-531: Was the first Super Bowl whose halftime show drew greater audience figures than the game. Jackson played " Jam ", "Billie Jean", "Black or White", and "Heal the World". Dangerous rose 90 places in the US albums chart after the performance. Jackson gave a 90-minute interview with Oprah Winfrey on February 10, 1993. He spoke of his childhood abuse at the hands of his father; he believed he had missed out on much of his childhood, and said that he often cried from loneliness. He denied tabloid rumors that he had bought
22952-458: Was this track ... This is pop music as suspense drama." CD side: DVD side: Adapted from single liner notes and Michael Jackson's website. Sales figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. In May 2001, the American rock band Alien Ant Farm released a cover of "Smooth Criminal" as the second single from their second studio album, Anthology (2001). According to
23104-489: Was upset by Mercury's drug use. "There Must Be More to Life Than This" was released in 2014. Jackson went on to record "State of Shock" with Mick Jagger for the Jacksons' album Victory (1984). In 1982, Jackson contributed "Someone in the Dark" to the audiobook for the film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial . Jackson's sixth album, Thriller , was released in late 1982. It was the bestselling album worldwide in 1983, and became
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