Comments on: A Half-Century Of Michael, A Quarter-Century Of Celebrity-Industrial Complex-Related Weirdness http://idolator.com/400838/a-half-century-of-michael-a-quarter-century-of-celebrity-industrial-complex-related-weirdness Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com Sat, 26 May 2012 22:32:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Chris Molanphy http://idolator.com/400838/a-half-century-of-michael-a-quarter-century-of-celebrity-industrial-complex-related-weirdness/comment-page-1#comment-690732 Chris Molanphy Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:14:44 +0000 http://18459f97addfd46567c9ed2eac68e8ff#comment-690732 <p><i>Anyway, here's an American Bandstand performance by the Jackson 5, one that includes a song that exquisitely brings together joy and pain like few other songs ever have.</i></p> <p>It's the greatest pop single of all time, bar none.</p> <p>I say "single," not "song," because it's about more than the composition: the production, the assembly, the performance (especially Michael's vocal) -- it's as if the Motown team (Freddie Perren et al.) took everything learned via Berry Gordy and Smokey and Holland-Dozier-Holland over the previous decade and poured it into one perfect work of pop art. No song has ever brought me more unrestrained joy than "I Want You Back."</p> <p>Thanks for posting that--amazingly, I'd never seen the whole Clark interview, start to finish. Interesting that they perform "I Want You Back" totally live (and amazingly well, given the small combo/low production values) and then switch to synching "ABC," the new single. It's probably just an accident of timing--maybe the boys hadn't practiced the new song enough yet to do it comfortably live--but it also plays into my personal narrative of "ABC," fine as it is, copying but not equaling the work of art that "Back" was.</p> Anyway, here’s an American Bandstand performance by the Jackson 5, one that includes a song that exquisitely brings together joy and pain like few other songs ever have.

It’s the greatest pop single of all time, bar none.

I say “single,” not “song,” because it’s about more than the composition: the production, the assembly, the performance (especially Michael’s vocal) — it’s as if the Motown team (Freddie Perren et al.) took everything learned via Berry Gordy and Smokey and Holland-Dozier-Holland over the previous decade and poured it into one perfect work of pop art. No song has ever brought me more unrestrained joy than “I Want You Back.”

Thanks for posting that–amazingly, I’d never seen the whole Clark interview, start to finish. Interesting that they perform “I Want You Back” totally live (and amazingly well, given the small combo/low production values) and then switch to synching “ABC,” the new single. It’s probably just an accident of timing–maybe the boys hadn’t practiced the new song enough yet to do it comfortably live–but it also plays into my personal narrative of “ABC,” fine as it is, copying but not equaling the work of art that “Back” was.

]]> By: Anonymous http://idolator.com/400838/a-half-century-of-michael-a-quarter-century-of-celebrity-industrial-complex-related-weirdness/comment-page-1#comment-690742 Anonymous Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:07:01 +0000 http://18459f97addfd46567c9ed2eac68e8ff#comment-690742 <p>@<a href="#c7477628">joshservo</a>: Makes sense that the 90's were all about apathy then.</p> @joshservo: Makes sense that the 90′s were all about apathy then.

]]> By: joshservo http://idolator.com/400838/a-half-century-of-michael-a-quarter-century-of-celebrity-industrial-complex-related-weirdness/comment-page-1#comment-690752 joshservo Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:47:05 +0000 http://18459f97addfd46567c9ed2eac68e8ff#comment-690752 <p>@<a href="#c7473818">2ironic4u</a>: If I had to guess? It's because the '80s were a supremely paranoid time. People were sure "The Day After" was prophecy, gay cancer was claiming folks left and right with no rhyme or reason, and, of course, coke, coke, coke.</p> <p>I'm getting twitchy just thinking about it.</p> @2ironic4u: If I had to guess? It’s because the ’80s were a supremely paranoid time. People were sure “The Day After” was prophecy, gay cancer was claiming folks left and right with no rhyme or reason, and, of course, coke, coke, coke.

I’m getting twitchy just thinking about it.

]]> By: Anonymous http://idolator.com/400838/a-half-century-of-michael-a-quarter-century-of-celebrity-industrial-complex-related-weirdness/comment-page-1#comment-690762 Anonymous Thu, 28 Aug 2008 02:29:24 +0000 http://18459f97addfd46567c9ed2eac68e8ff#comment-690762 <p>As a reviewer on allmusic.com put it, why are his best songs (Leave Me Alone, Billie Jean, etc.) ALWAYS paranoid anthems?</p> As a reviewer on allmusic.com put it, why are his best songs (Leave Me Alone, Billie Jean, etc.) ALWAYS paranoid anthems?

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