The Rolling Stones, The #4 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Two

 

(Continued from Part One)

Richards says he woke up in the middle of the night while on the group's second tour of the United States.  He recorded a primitive version of the now-historic riff on his Philips cassette player before dozing off again.  On that cassette recording, there are two minutes of guitar strumming before the music stops, then the sound of a pick hitting the floor and "then me snoring for the next forty minutes", Richards explained.

"I never thought it was anything commercial enough to be a single," Richards once said.  But Jagger saved the song for all-time.  "I think Keith thought it was a bit basic.  I don't think he really listened to it properly.  He was too close to it and just felt it was a silly kind of riff."  Little did he know that song would change the band's fortunes overnight and change history in the process.

 

While touring North America, the Stones released the single "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction", which dominated the U.S. charts for four weeks and was #1 in virtually every country, finished the year as The #1 Song of 1965*, and is The #5 Song of the Rock Era*!

Singles sell albums, and the Gold 45 "Satisfaction" elevated the album Out of Our Heads to #1 as well and for the first time, the Rolling Stones had a Platinum album.  This song was paired with the single "The Last Time".  Jagger and Richards recorded it late into the night after the rest of the band left a recording session--Phil Spector played guitar while Jack Nietzsche played harpsicord on the track.  Here is the mysterious "Play With Fire".

 

The Stones recorded this song in Chicago, Illinois during their first U.S. tour.  "The Spider And The Fly" was the B-side for "Satisfaction" in the U.K.

 

In 1965, Otis Redding covered "Satisfaction" and the Stones reciprocated by recording this Redding song he did the previous year.  The noticeable difference is that while Redding's version is mournful, the Rolling Stones' cover is driven by the guitar playing of Jones and Richards.  Enjoy "That's How Strong My Love Is".

 

Here is the band's cover of Solomon Burke's 1962 song "Cry To Me".  The Stones recorded it at the same May '65 sessions at RCA Studios in Los Angeles that yielded "Satisfaction".

The band released the album December's Children, which reached #4 in the U.S. and was certified Gold. With the long sought-after success comes pressure that few outside the music business can relate to.  Richards' describes the ordeal:

              "Get Off My Cloud" was basically a

               response to people knocking on our door

               asking us for the follow-up to 

               "Satisfaction", which was such an 

               enormous hit worldwide.  This, to us, was

               mind-blowing.  I mean, not only was it a

               #1 record but boom!  We thought, "At

               last.  We can sit back and maybe think

               about events."  Suddenly, there's the

               knock at the door and of course what

               came out of that was "Get Off Of My 

               "Cloud".  Because within three weeks, 

               in those days hey, they want another

               single.  And we weren't quite ready for

               that.  So it was our response to the 

               knock at the door:  "Get off of my cloud."

   

The Stones had another Top 500 Song* with "Get Off Of My Cloud", #1 in the U.S., U.K. and Germany.

 

The group pulled another hit off the album with this song, originally written for Jagger's girlfriend Marianne Faithfull, who reached #22 in 1964 with it.  "As Tears Go By" climbed to #1 in Canada and #6 in the U.S. for the Stones.

 

This standard was written by Bobby Troup and first recorded by the King Cole Trio in 1946.  Here is the Stones' version of "Route 66".

 

The Hank Snow song "I'm Moving On"  has been covered by numerous artists, including Elvis Presley, Led Zeppelin, the Everly Brothers, Johnny Cash, the Box Tops and Steppenwolf.  

This tambourine-led Folk Rock song reminds one of a Byrds song and while it wasn't a hit, it remained in the group's concert repertoire for years.  This is "I'm Free".

Jagger and Richards wrote this next song while on tour in 1965.  "We had just done five weeks hectic work in the States," Jagger told the Rolling Stones Monthly magazine, "and I said, 'Dunno' about you blokes, but I feel about ready for my nineteenth nervous breakdown,'" he continued.  "We seized on it at once as a likely song title.  Then Keith and I worked on the number at intervals during the rest of the tour."  

 

The Rolling Stones released "19th Nervous Breakdown", another Trans-Atlantic smash at #1 in Germany and #2 in both the U.S. and U.K.  Their first compilation Big Hits (High Tide & Green Grass) sold two million copies.

The group that defied all odds by being a factor for 60 years.  Part Three is tomorrow, exclusively on Inside The Rock Era!

Rolling Stones, The #4 Artist of the Rock Era, Part One

"The rock band by which all others are measured."

"The Rolling Stones shook the world with their RHYTHM & BLUES happy days."

"What a band/ cant imagine the music world without the Rolling Stones."

"Let there be no mixed emotions about who the greatest band in the world is. Long live The Stones!"

"I like the 60s Stones, 70s Stones, 80s Stones, 90s Stones, 00s Stones, 10s Stones, 20s Stones"

"The Rolling Stones are the best of the best."

"I'm a Rolling Stone fan forever."

"One of the most timeless bands ever."

"So much talent in this band--the songwriting, the vocals, the awesome drumming of Charlie Watts and the great bass lines of Wyman."

"They are legends."

"It took Jagger and Richards a while to hone their craft but they became great songwriters. So many classics."

"Rolling Stones are awesome and have such a range in their music."

"Another timeless band. The Stones are one of my favorite bands. I have so many from this era it's really hard to pick an exact favorite. Keep on Rocking."

"The Rolling Stones are the epitome of cool. They're one of my favorite Rock groups."

"I think it's what makes the Stones stand out from all the other bands.   They are diverse; its incredible."

"The Greatest Rock and Roll Band. They listened to the Delta Blues and Urban Blues and took the narrative one step further."

"The greatest Rock and Roll band in the world!"

"Thanks again for all your talents for the WORLD, to admire, you gentlemen are mentors,and putting this mildly, (lol) "LEGENDARY!"

"THE ROLLING STONES FOREVER! LONG LIVE THE ROLLING STONES!"

"I have been a Rolling Stones fan for 56 years! They are the greatest and longest-playing Rock ‘n’ Roll band in history."

"The Rolling Stones are the BEST band on Earth, their songs are incredible"

"The greatest Rock n' Roll band that’s ever lived…what other band can top what they have done in nearly 60 yrs ?? "

This legendary act began when Keith Richards and Mick Jagger were friends in Dartford, Great Britain in 1950.  Five years later, Jagger and friend Dick Taylor formed a band which played covers of Blues artists such as Muddy Waters and Howlin' Wolf and early Rock artists such as Chuck Berry and Little Richard.  

Richards spotted Jagger carrying Berry and Waters records at a train station on October 17, 1961 and the two began collaborating soon after.  Soon, Bob Beckwith and Alan Etherington joined Jagger, Richards and Taylor to form the Blues Boys.

In 1962, the group heard about the Ealing Jazz Club in a local newspaper which mentioned the group Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated.  Korner's group was the forebearers of thousands of British groups and are an important element of the British Rock Family Tree.  The Blues Boys sent a tape to Korner, who invited the group to the Club to meet the members in his band, which included slide guitarist Brian Jones, keyboardist Ian Stewart and drummer Charlie Watts.  They began jamming together and the Blues Boys joined Blues Incorporated.

Jones and Stewart soon left and formed their own group, with Jagger, Richards and Taylor soon joining them.  When drummer Tony Chapman came along in June of 1962, they had a complete lineup and took the name Rollin' Stones, after a track on a Muddy Waters LP that Jones owned.  The group debuted on July 12 at the legendary Marquee Club in London playing material they had worked on as the Blues Boys.  

Soon after, the band altered their name to the Rolling Stones.  Acting manager Giorgio Gomelsky landed them a residency at the Crawdaddy Club.  But the following year, the group signed nineteen-year-old Andrew Oldham as their manager.  Oldham, who had previously been the publicist for the Beatles, would prove to be one of the best managers of the Rock Era.

Stewart by this time had left the group, though he stayed on as road manager and keyboardist for live shows.  The Stones signed a recording contract with Decca Records, and thanks to the shrewd Oldham, they were allowed full artistic control of their recordings and ownership of the master tapes. 

 

The band released their first single, a remake of "Come On" by Chuck Berry, in 1963.  It was a stiff at #21 in the U.K., but it did lead to the group landing gigs to open for the Everly Brothers, the Hollies and Little Richard.  The Rolling Stones had more luck when John Lennon and Paul McCartney gave the song "I Wanna' Be Your Man" to them, and it topped out at #12.  

 

Oldham was sure the group would be successful after hearing this song.  "Although it was a Buddy Holly song, I considered it to be like the first song Mick and Keith wrote," Oldham said.  "They picked the concept of applying that Bo Diddley thing to it," he continued.  "The way they arranged it was the beginning of the shaping of them as songwriters.  From then on, they wrote."  The Stones finally cracked the Top 10 with their remake of Buddy Holly's "Not Fade Away", which hit #3.

The band released their debut album England's Newest Hit Makers in 1964.  It reached #1 in the U.K. and Australia and has since went Gold.

But to this point, the group had performed and recorded other people's songs.  Jagger and Richards soon began writing their own.  But it still wasn't up to snuff as only one of the songs on their self-titled debut album was original.  

 

The Stones recorded the album while on a tour in the U.S. and included another remake after hearing it played for them by legendary New York DJ Murray the K.  The group released their cover of the Valentino's song "It's All Over Now".  This one climbed to #1 in the U.K. but only #26 in the United States. 

 

The band appeared in the movie T.A.M.I. Show later in the year and on The Ed Sullivan Show the following year.  The Rolling Stones released the album 12 x 5 during their next tour.  The album did not sell well initially but eventually went Gold, led by this song, yet another remake.  The lyrics were mostly original, recorded by trombonist Kai Winding and his Orchestra in 1963, with just the title lyric sung by Dionne Warwick, Cissy Houston and Dee Dee Warwick.   Here's "Time Is On My Side", which hit #3 in Switzerland, #4 in France and #6 in the U.S. 

We also want to feature another cut on the album, a remake of a Chuck Berry song.  It was the first song Jagger sang when he and Richards sat in with the Blues Inc. in 1962 and also the first song the Stones recorded.  They re-recorded it two years later for this album.  The band performed this as well as "Time Is On My Side" for their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on October 25, 1964.  Here is "Around And Around".

 

The group rebounded with their album The Rolling Stones, Now!, which reached #5.  Recorded at RCA Studios in Los Angeles, this single became just the second hit written by the group, but "Heart Of Stone" stalled at #19.

 

The band recorded a remake of Bo Diddley's "Mona (I Need You Baby)" and played it in concerts to promote the album.

 

Here is the Stones' remake of the Howlin' Wolf song "Little Red Rooster".  They chose it as the single in the U.K. rather than "Heart Of Stone" and it reached #1 there.

 

The project gave the band their third Gold album.  The Rolling Stones were in the middle of a stressful American tour but recorded this song in Los Angeles before heading to Australia.  The single "The Last Time" hit #1 in the U.K. and #9 in the United States, which was later released on the album Out of Our Heads.  It to date was by far the biggest hit the group had writtenthemselves, even though they based it on the Gospel song "This May Be The Last Time" by the Staple Singers.  

Richards said about "The Last Time" that it was "the bridge into thinking about writing...It gave us a level of confidence:  a pathway of how to do it." 

So to this point, the group had paid the bills mostly by doing covers of other people's songs, and even those didn't do well.  They had written a couple of their own hits, but only minor ones.  The band we all know today as The #4 Artist of the Rock Era* was dangerously close to falling into the trash heap of history.  Until the next song that you will hear in Part Two!

Michael Jackson, The #5 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Eight

 

(Continued from Part Seven)

Jackson received the American Music Award for Artist of the Century.  In 2001, Michael released the album Invincible, which debuted at #1 in 13 countries and has now sold over eight million copies.  Jackson joined Fred and Rodney Jerkins, LaShawn Daniels and Nora Payne to write the lead single, "You Rock My World", which went Gold and hit #1 in France and Spain, #2 in Canada, the U.K. and the Netherlands, #4 in Australia, #5 in Switzerland, #6 in Germany and #10 in the U.S.

"You Rock My World" earned Michael a Grammy nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.  By early 2002, Invincible had already sold 6 million copies, a faster pace than Thriller.  In 2009, Billboard readers voted Invincible the #1 album of the decade.  

Marsha Ambrosius of the duo Floetry wrote this while in school at the Brit School for Performing Arts & Technology.  Both Ambrosius and Natalie Stewart of the group met Jackson through John McClain, senior urban executive for DreamWorks, which also managed Jackson.  Jackson asked permission to record the song, which the Floetry pair gladly agreed to.  Stewart couldn't believe how normal and down-to-earth Michael was:  "It was incredible because he asked, he continually asked, 'Marsh, what's the next harmony?  Girls, does this sound right?  What do you think?  Is this what you were looking for?  He was so open," Stewart related to Yahoo.   Here is "Butterflies", a #14 hit in the U.S.

"Unbreakable" is MJ's collaboration with the Notorious B.I.G.

Invincible took nearly four years and over $30 million to complete, making it the most expensive album ever made.  Here is the title song.

 

The legend Carlos Santana played guitar on this song and that whistle is his too--"Whatever Happens".

Jackson was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame and he received a Special Award at the Billboard Music Awards to celebrate Thriller's 37 weeks at #1 on the Album chart, more than any other album in history in 2002.  He performed at the Apollo Theater in New York City to raise $2.5 million to encourage citizens to vote.  It was Michael's final on-stage performance.

In 2003, authorities in Santa Barbara, California charged Jackson with seven counts of child molestation and two counts of intoxicating a minor.  Michael pleaded not guilty and in 2005, he was acquitted on all counts.

Jackson released the compilation album Number Ones later in the year.  The album has sold over three million copies to date.  Jackson won American Music Awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist, Favorite Pop/Rock Album and Favorite Soul/R&B Album for Number Ones, and he was nominated for Artist of the Year.

The compilation album The Essential Michael Jackson was also released, with two million fans buying it up.

In 2006, Jackson sold part of his stake in Sony/ATV and closed his house at Neverland Ranch.  Michael during this time was living in Bahrain.  He sought out cosmetic treatment from Patrick Treacy in Ireland, and Treacy became Michael's dermatologist.

Jackson earned the Diamond Award from the World Music Awards for the sale of over 100 million records.  He purchased the rights to Famous Music artists in 2007 and began to work on his next album, which he never finished.  For his 50th birthday. he released compilations called King of Pop, with different versions available depending on polling of local fans.

In 2008, Off the Wall and Thriller were both inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Jackson made plans to tour the U.K. in 2009 and 2010, and initial sales for the This Is It tour came pouring in to the tune of $200 to $300 million.  One million tickets were sold in the first two hours, leading Jackson to increase his dates in London from 10 to 50.  Michael began rehearsing for the shows in Los Angeles.

Michael Jackson's This Is It  is a documentary of his final public appearances.  Here is the title song, which earned Jackson a posthumous Grammy Award nomination for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

But on June 25, 2009, the world lost one of the greatest musical superstars ever.  Dr. Conrad Murray had given Jackson several medications to help him sleep at his home in Los Angeles.  But at 12:22 p.m., paramedics received a 911 call.  Jackson was not breathing and the first responders performed CPR.  Efforts to resuscitate Jackson continued while on the way to UCLA Medical Center and an hour after arrival were to no avail.  Michael Jackson was pronounced dead at 2:26 p.m.

The coroner ruled that Jackson died from a propofol overdose and Murray was charged with involuntary manslaughter.  Murray was convicted and served four years in federal prison.  A memorial was held July 7 at the Staples Center.  Smokey Robinson and Queen Latifah gave eulogies and Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Lionel Richie, and Jennifer Hudson performed.

35 million of Jackson's albums sold in the months following his death. 

In 2010, the posthumous album  Michael was released which has gone Platinum.  Jackson always liked this song but couldn't seem to find the right album for it.  He co-wrote the song along with John McClain, one of the executors of his estate.  Famous arranger David Campbell (who worked with Metallica and My Chemical Romance, among others) oversaw the performance of the string section on "Much Too Soon".

Michael was posthumously rewarded with a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Grammys.  "Behind The Mask" is a song originally by the Yellow Magic Orchestra, an electronic group from Japan.

Cirque du Soleil performed Michael Jackson:  The Immortal World Tour in 2011. 

 

In 2014, Jackson became the first artist in history to have a Top 10 song in five different decades when a song recorded by Justin Timberlake using his voice--"Love Never Felt So Good" reached #9.

 

"Chicago" is also from the posthumous album Xscape.  Michael loved the song by songwriter, producer, and former Sony VP Cory Rooney.  Days after he heard the song in 1999, he boarded a plane to New York City to record it at The Hit Factory.    

 

Four years later, Drake also used Jackson's voice for the smash "Don't Matter To Me", #2 in the U.K., #3 in Australia, #4 in Canada and #9 in the U.S.

Jackson was one of the first artists to break racial barriers at MTV and his music promoted racial justice and taking care of the environment.

Michael has one of the best track records of the Rock Era:  A phenomenal 32 of his 54 single releases have found the Top 10, with 14 of those going to #1 (tops among male artists).  32 of those songs sold over one million copies and 22 of them over two million.  While most struggling artists would give anything to sell a million copies of anything they record, Jackson put together not one but two streaks in which he achieved Gold status with seven consecutive releases.  He didn't just have big hits but megahits--eight Jackson songs have sold over four million copies.

Jackson has sold over 228 million albums, fifth all-time, including over 35 million since his death.   

Michael is among the most-honored performers in history with 44 awards.  He won 17 Grammy Awards from 43 nominations, including the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and 26 American Music Awards out of 41 nominations, including Artist of the Century and Artist of the 1980's.  He also won Best Selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium at the World Music Awards among 12 total, 40 Billboard Music Awards out of 46 nominations, four People's Choice Awards from 6 nominations and five MTV Video Music Awards out of 19 nominations.  

He is a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Songwriter's Hall of Fame.

Michael Jackson, The #5 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Seven

 

(Continued from Part Six)

Jackson published the book Dancing the Dream, featuring his poetry, in 1991 and toured the world for the next year, grossing $100 million in 70 concerts before 3.5 million people.

In 1992, U.S. president George Bush honored Jackson as a "Point of Light Ambassador" for inviting disadvantaged children to his Neverland Ranch.

When Michael's friend Ryan White died of AIDS, Jackson lobbied U.S. President Bill Clinton to give more money to HIV/AIDS charities and research.  When Jackson visited Africa later that year, he was greeted by over 100,000 people.

In 1993, Michael performed during halftime of Super Bowl XXVII, a show that drew higher ratings than the game itself, and he received the Grammy Legend Award.

Later that year, a boy and his father accused Jackson of child sexual abuse.  Police thoroughly investigated the matter and never pressed criminal charges.  Citing a lack of evidence, the state closed its investigation on September 22, 1994.

But stress from the allegations, as well as health problems and an addiction to painkillers  that Jackson had developed since his reconstructive scalp surgeries caused him to cancel the remainder of a tour to promote the album.

Jackson married Lisa Presley, daughter of Elvis, in May of 1994.  However, they divorced a year and a half later.

In 1995, Michael released the double album HIStory:  Past, Present and Future, Book 1, consisting of a compilation on one disc and new material on the second.  The album debuted at #1 and has now sold over seven million copies in the U.S. alone and 22 million globally.   "Scream", with sister Janet, reached #5, won a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form and was nominated for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the Grammy Awards.

HIStory was nominated for Album of the Year at the Grammys.  The second single, "You Are Not Alone" debuted at #1 in the U.S., was his fifth career #1 in the U.K. (while also going to #1 in New Zealand, Spain and Switzerland), and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance.  The single, a #1 R&B smash for four weeks, went Platinum and Michael also captured the Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Pop Male.

Michael also came home with a Billboard Music Award for the First-Ever Hot 100 Debut at #1 for "You Are Not Alone".  Jackson merged his ATV Music catalog with Sony to create Sony/ATV Music Publishing.  By retaining half ownership in the company, Michael earned $95 million up front.  

 

MJ said of this song:  "I remember writing "Earth Song" when I was in Austria, in a hotel.  And I was feeling so much pain and so much suffering of the plight of planet Earth."  "And for me, this is Earth's Song, because I think nature is trying so hard to compensate for man's mismanagement of the Earth," he said.  "And with the ecological unbalance going on, and a lot of the problems in the environment," he added, "I think Earth feels the pain, and she has wounds, and it's about some of the joys of the planet as well."  "Earth Song" went to #1 in the U.K. for six weeks.

"Earth Song" received another Grammy nomination for Best Music Video, Short Form.  Michael did in fact write this anthem about paranoia while he was on the road in Moscow, Russia.  But the listener takes the location to be more symbolic than literal; for instance, when he uses the phrase "fall from grace", he could be referring to his own tumble from a very high pedestal that he had been placed on, a fall as a result of the sexual allegations levied against him.  "Stranger In Moscow" was a bigger hit in Europe (#1 in Switzerland, #4 in the U.K., #5 in Spain and #6 in both New Zealand and the Netherlands) than in the United States (where it barely snuck into the Top 100 at #91).

Jackson won an American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist and was nominated for Favorite Adult Contemporary Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Male  Artist.  He also captured World Music Awards for Best-Selling Male Artist, Best-Selling American Artist and Best-Selling R&B Artist and won two more special awards for Best-Selling Artist Ever and Best-Selling Record of All-Time (for Thriller). 

 

This song landed in the Top 10 in 16 countries and hit #1 in Germany, Italy, Hungary and the Czech Republic.  "They Don't Care About Us" reached #10 on the R&B chart as well.

Jackson performed 82 concerts on five continents, 35 countries, and 58 cities to over 4.5 million fans in a tour which grossed $165 million.  "Smile" was written by Charlie Chaplain.

Michael married Debbie Rowe during the tour in Sydney, Australia.  Debbie gave birth to Michael Jr., commonly known as Prince, in February of 1997 and daughter Paris in 1998.  The couple divorced however in 1999.

Jackson released remixes of the singles from HIStory as well as five new songs as the album Blood on the Dance Floor:  HIStory in 1997.  The album hit #1 in the U.K. and has sold over six million copies.    The title song, represented by "Susie", is about fame and fame's betrayal.  It hit the Top 10 in every civilized country except the United States, including #1 in the U.K., New Zealand and Spain.

"Morphine", recorded at The Hit Factory in New York, reached #4 in Spain and #5 in the United Kingdom.

"Is It Scary" was considered for inclusion on the album but didn't fit the other tracks.  Jackson wrote the song into his 1997 short film, Ghosts.

"Ghosts" is the title song from that movie, co-written by Steven King and reached #5 in the U.K.

In 1999, Jackson and Luciano Pavarotti gave a War Child benefit concert in Modena, Italy.  Michael also organized a series of benefit concerts in Germany and Korea that included Mariah Carey, Boyz II Men, the Scorpions, Luther Vandross, Andrea Bocelli and Pavarotti.  Proceeds for the latter events went to the Red Cross, UNESCO and the Nelson Mandela Children's Fund.  

He may have seemed immortal, but no one lasts forever on this earth.  The final chapter in Michael Jackson's story is next in Part Eight.

Michael Jackson, The #5 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Six

 

(Continued from Part Five)

 

The iconic video of this song featured Jackson and Michael Jordan, with Jordan teaching Jackson how to play basketball and Jackson teaching Jordan how to dance.  Heavy D performed the "rap" on the song, and "Jam" was a big hit in Spain (#1) and New Zealand (#2), but stalled at #26 in the U.S., although it did reach #3 on the R&B chart.

Teddy Riley helped produce this song as well as many on the album.  "This reminds me so much of "Dirty Diana", Riley told Musicradar.com.  "I think he recaptured that sound on the song, he continued.  "You know, I think he went back to his roots of recording with this song to record an incredible track.  I thought it would take someone like Quincy [Jones] to get that sound, but Michael came up with it."

"Who Is It?" placed at #6 in Canada, #8 in France and #9 in Germany.

 

Here is the song that Jackson said in 2001 that he was most proud of--"Heal The World" was kept out of the top spot in the U.K. only by Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You", The #1 Song of the Rock Era*.  Is there any more appropriate song for this time in Earth's history?

Michael founded the Heal the World Foundation in 1992, which brought underprivileged children to Jackson's ranch to the theme park rides and raised millions of dollars to help children around the world threatened by war, poverty, and disease.     

 

"Give In To Me", which features a great guitar solo from Slash of Guns N' Roses, was released in select countries and hit the Top 10 in every one, including #1 in Ireland and in New Zealand for four weeks.

 

Riley came up with the car sound effects on "She Drives Me Wild".  "My biggest memory from that recording was that we used all car sounds as drum sounds and it came out perfectly," he told Musicradar.com.  "It wasn't something I'd done before; it was the first time I went for unusual sounds in the place of drums."

Jackson brought in the Andrae Crouch Singers for backing him on this song that topped out at #2 in New Zealand, #3 in the Netherlands and Switzerland, #6 in Canada, #7 in the United States and #9 in the U.K.  The prelude that you hear at the beginning of "Will You Be There" (featured in the movie Free Willy) is Beethoven's great Ninth "Ode To Joy" Symphony."

 

The lyrics in this song about the strange woman with a mouth smoother than oil are from Proverbs 5:3-5 in the Bible, which warns against letting a seductive woman lead you down the wrong path.  Here is the title song from Dangerous. 

Jackson received Billboard Music Awards for No. 1 World Album, No. 1 World Single ("Black Or White") and a Special Award commemorating the 10th Anniversary of Thriller.  Riley started out in the R&B group Guy, and was known as the king of New Jack Swing, a popular genre in the '90's.  Riley described designing the feel of "Can't Let Her Get Away":

             This was mostly from a sample CD that

               I just put together myself, and it kind of

               reminded me of the James Brown sound.  

                 I could feel it.  I thought I'd bring a shadow

                 of some of the greatness of the James Brown

                 production sound to this.  I made the sample

                 CD myself--that was me playing

                 instruments, then looping them up and 

                 having them lying around for potential

                 projects.

An incredible selection of songs from a truly unique artist.  Inside The Rock Era has much more!

Michael Jackson, The #5 Artist of the Rock Era, Part Five

 

(Continued from Part Four)

 

All proceeds from "We Are The World" went to charity. These two superstars have a history of collaboration with Stevie Wonder producing an album for the Jackson 5 in 1974. Michael teamed with Stevie Wonder for the #4 R&B hit "Get It".

   "Dirty Diana", featuring a guitar solo from Steve Stevens, reached #1 in the U.S. and Spain, #2 in the Netherlands, #3 in Germany and Switzerland, #4 in the U.K., #5 in Canada and New Zealand and #9 in France and has sold over two million copies.

"Bad" captured the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Song and received an Achievement Award, while Jackson was also nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist.  Jackson also earned Grammy nominations for Album of the Year, Producer of the Year, Record of the Year (for "Man In The Mirror"), Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male and Best R&B Vocal Performance, Male.

 "Another Part Of Me" is one of the first songs Jackson wrote for the album and one of the last of 33 songs that he had written to make the cut.  His fifth R&B #1 from Bad debuted in the 1986 film Captain EO at Disneyland.  It was also included in Michael's 1988 movie Moonwalker and hit #5 in Switzerland, #8 in New Zealand, #10 in Germany and #11 in the United States.

Bad has now topped 10 million in U.S. sales and 35 million worldwide.  Did you know that the line "Annie, are you OK?" is a phrase used in CPR manuals to address the dummy you're about to resuscitate?  Jackson pulled another huge hit off the album in "Smooth Criminal"--#1 in the Netherlands and Spain, #4 in France, #5 in Switzerland, #7 in the U.S. (#2 R&B), #8 in the U.K. #9 in Germany.  It was also a huge seller with sales of over four million in the United States alone.

"Leave Me Alone" was released as a single in several countries outside the U.S., and audiences responded by taking it to #1 in Spain and #2 in the U.K.

Michael received a Grammy Award for Best Music Video, Short Form, for "Leave Me Alone" and won the Award of Achievement at the American Music Awards.  "Dirty Diana"  won the World Music Award for Viewer's Choice #1 Video.

 

We also want to feature this Top Track* from Bad.  "I wrote that at my house in the game room," Jackson said.  "I guess I was playing some pinball or something, and the song just popped into my head.  And I think I ran upstairs, put it on tape, and it became 'Liberian Girl'...I don't think about it, it just comes."

Swedien, who engineered this album for Michael as well said:

                "Liberian Girl" is one of my absolute

                favorites of all the music that I've done

                with Michael.  Who could think of a thing

                like that, except Michael Jackson?  It's

                astounding--the imagery and everything

                else in it.  It's just an amazing musical

                and sonic fantasy...Michael's vocals are

                absolutely stellar!  The lead, and the big

                block background harmonies.  Wow!

The song begins with South African singer Letta Mbulu speaking the Swahili phrase, "Naku Penda pia, Naka Taka pia, Mpenziwe!"  ("I love you too, I want you too, my love!")

"Don't Be Messin' Around" was an outtake for these sessions that was to be considered for future albums, but it never made it on an album until the 25th anniversary release of Bad.  

Michael released the autobiography Moonwalk in 1988, which was a New York Times bestseller.  He also received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from Fisk University.

Jackson bought 2,700 acres of land near Santa Ynez, California in 1988 which he named Neverland Ranch.  He had a movie theater, zoo, Ferris wheel, and a carousel built on the grounds, patrolled by a security staff of 40. 

Jackson performed "You Were There" to honor Sammy Davis Jr. for his 60th birthday celebration, which earned Michael an Emmy nomination.  

Jackson finished the decade as the top-selling artist.  He renewed his contract with Sony Records for $65 million in 1991 and released the album  Dangerous.  The world premier of its video on MTV was viewed by half a billion people.  

Michael wrote this song with producer Bill Bottrell, who first worked with him on the Bad album.  It is a plea for racial tolerance which falls on deaf ears only to the weak-minded.  The lead single, "Black Or White", rocketed to #1 for seven weeks and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male.

"Black Or White" has sold over two million singles.  The album has now sold over 32 million copies and helped Michael win World Music Awards for World's Best-Selling Pop artist and Best-Selling U.S. Artist of the Year.  "Remember The Time" also achieved Gold status and was a Top 10 hit everywhere--#1 in New Zealand, #2 in Canada and Spain, #3 in the U.S. (#1 R&B) and United Kingdom, #4 in the Netherlands and Switzerland, #5 in France and #8 in Germany.

Michael captured American Music Awards for Favorite Pop (Rock) Album, Favorite Soul/R&B Single for "Remember The Time" and International Artist Award of Excellence and was nominated for Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist, Favorite Soul/R&B Male Artist and Favorite Soul/R&B Album.  He also won the Living Legend Award at the Grammy Awards and was nominated for three other awards including Best Vocal Performance (for "Black Or White"). 

 

The female singer in this song is credited as "Mystery Girl".  Later, it was revealed to be Princess Stephanie of Monaco.  The Gold record "In The Closet" reached #2 in Spain, #5 in Australia and New Zealand, #6 in the United States (#1 R&B) and #8 in the U.K.

We continue with more from Michael Jackson in Part Six!