I want you back

Hindsight is of course a fine thing. But believe it or not I have been intending to write a post for some time which returns to the music of Michael Jackson, a subject of such richness and depth as to be a stalwart of the Story To Tell archives. But clearly events of the past few days have over-taken me somewhat and thus a post which was due to extol the hidden virtues of the best track on the “Bad” album (and only one not to be released as a single) - the impeccable Stevie duet “Just Good Friends” - instead appears as something of a tribute piece.

Indeed I wondered whether or not to even comment, whether to add to the ever-increasing numbers of words which will now, and in the days, weeks, years to come, be written in eulogy to this most extraordinary of performers. But here on A Story To Tell we have always spoken honestly about the music we love, and so it seemed fitting to do so on this occasion, and explore briefly the impact of Michael Jackson’s music.

Here is not the place to go into the details of a life that became something of a circus and which tragically tailed off into such a sad ending. Everyone has their views, after all, on the events or alleged events of a life lived under the brightest possible glare of attention. And, while in no way undermining the seriousness of some of the most extreme of these claims, they are momentarily irrelevant as the world of music mourns a true genius. And the scale of the mourning and of the news itself is testament of sorts to the fact that there has never been, and will never be, a bigger musical phenomenon.

But even the level of fame, the sheer impact of his music culturally across the globe, the meaning it has to generations of fans, the boundaries it crossed, is not the subject here. For what is key, to my mind, is the fact that for the duration of nearly 20 years the music of Michael Jackson was touched with absolute genius. Credit may go to the stable of composers and producers at Motown, and then to Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton especially, as well as a raft of other contributors throughout his career. But there has always been an unknowable quality in the music which turns often outstanding compositions into recordings of pure magic, and that unknowable is the talent of Michael Jackson.

It is something impossible to put into words effectively, but the canon of works he has left us with are golden testament to the power of music to grip you and move you in ways that seem to shine with a wholly natural and yet other-worldly power. Listen to his best songs (and there are so many to choose from) and the only way to respond is to say that on each listen they retain a brilliance so bright as to never be dulled by over-familiarity or repetition. They truly add something to your soul on every single play. We all have Jackson moments that have shaped our appreciation of music, and I maintain that at his best there is no one to touch him, not even close. And fro the musical legacy I will always be grateful. And I still think “Just Good Friends” is under-rated but that can wait for another day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uftub3k0zAs&feature=related