Michael Jackson Will Always Live in our Hearts essay

1 Introduction and Reflection

Nowadays it is very important for every person to have a so called leading light in his or her life, in other words to have a person from whom he or she will be able to take the cue. Some people are looking for a certain person who has already done great in his life. For me such a person is Michael Jackson, a famous American singer and dancer who devoted his life to music and to people. His life journey is so interesting and at the same time difficult enough that I decided to choose his persona for this I-search persona paper. When I was a child I have already had a great deal of information about him. His songs and dances attracted attention of people not only in the United States but also in many other countries of the world. Today everybody on earth knows his name and his songs and dances.

There is no need to recite all his records of achievement but I’ll try to do it. He is a winner of not only of 13 Grammy Awards,but also of 26 American Music Awards, 13 number one singles in the USA. It is known that about 750 million records  of Michael Jackson were sold worldwide. According to some statistical data,  Michael Jackson is considered to be the Artist of Century and he is also called the King of Pop.(Michael Jackson was “Two People”)

One of his songs which is The Man in the Mirror represents his life goals and his ideas concerning the main point of life. He sings that if you want to make life better look at yourself in the mirror and change something. “I’m gonner make a change”, he sings in this song and he managed to do it. He was one of the Blacks but he changed himself. He became one of the Whites. What for? I think he wanted to prove the world that the Black people can have the same talent as the Whites. He was against race discrimination. He became one of the Whites in order to let the Whites listen to his songs and watch his dances without any barrier. He made one of the first steps to ruin this barrier between the Blacks and the Whites in the Unites States. We love Michael Jackson for that. He wanted to make the world better and I think he could do it:

And no message could have been any clearer

If you wanner make the world a better place

Take a look at yourself and then make a change. (Man in the Mirror)

The above mentioned data proves the fact that I really have a great interest to this outstanding person and I’d like to know more about him and his life. That is why I chose Michael Jackson to be the main character of my research paper.

2 Autobiographical Sketch

My full name is Michael Joseph Jackson. I was born on the 29-th of August in 1958 in a small industrious town Gary which is located in the state of Indiana. You know, I am the seventh child in  my family. There are two more younger children whom I love so much. We lived in a small house which had only three rooms. My mother’s name is Katherine Esther Scruse and my father’s name is Joseph Walter Jackson. My father was a worker but he had a great hobby – he performed with The Falcons, a band. I cannot say that our family was a friendly one. My sisters Janet, Rebbie and La Toya as well as my brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, Marlon and Randy  had rather good relations with me but my father whipped me when I was a boy. Frankly speaking, I had no true friends.(Can Michael Jackson Demons be Explained?)

Sometimes I wandered  on the streets in the night because I was alone and I did not want to sleep. I tried to find somebody and have a talk with him. Sometimes I kept close in one of the rooms and cried. (Joho, 2009)

I remember that my music career began at the age of 5 when I was a leading singer of the group which was called Jacksons 5. There were 5 members in this group, my brothers Jackie, Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and me. It was in 1964 when we gave the first concert. At that times we played at some small local clubs and bars and even could not think about the changes that were waiting for us in the nearest future. Soon our talents were noticed and we took part in different musical competitions and became famous. The events of the 1968 changed our life completely as we met Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers. Bobby Taylor was a producer and a solo singer with great experience.  He was the first to discover us and he helped us to become true artists. We even moved to California. Our first  four singles were the following ones: I Want You Back, ABC, The Love You Save, I’ll be There. I greatly appreciate them.

The Jacksons 5 became a very popular group. I can say that we recorded 14 albums. I also recorded my four solo albums.

I was not satisfied with my appearance. I did not like my big nose. Moreover my father always told me about my defects. Of course, I think there were some psychological problems which were connected with my father’s relation to me. Some psychologists say that my childhood experiences shaped me in my later life. (Can Michael Jackson’s Demon’s be explained?)

Until 1976 we worked with Motown but there was not enough artistic freedom, we realized that we should not stop, we should move further. So, we began to work with Epic. There were some changes in the group too. My brother Jermaine married and decided to stay with Motown. I do not blame him, it was his choice. We changed the name of the group to simply The Jacksons. We made 6 more albums and were happy.

In 1977, I made my first film debut which was the musical The Wiz. I remember that I played Scarecrow with a beautiful actress Diana Ross who played the leading role of Dorothy.

Then I met Quincy Jones and we teamed up. My album Off the War turned to be very successful in the United States. Then came the next album Thriller. It was in 1982. There were seven hits in this album that is why it became famous all over the world – about 50 million copies were sold at that period. You know, I was simply keen to use music videos. I called them short films. They really were funny and interesting for the public. The use of special effects and the latest technologies made these short films wonderful. They all told me that my dancing was fantastic. I always answered: “I know”. In 1983 it was the first time when I performed the famous moonwalk. It was an anniversary show of Motown 25 years. They told me I was a superstar. The next interesting thing that stuck in my memory is the winning of eight Grammy Awards in one night. It was fantastic! The next one of the most important moments in my life is my splitting from the group. I decided to go solo. It was announced on the 9-th of December in 1984. (Kisselgoff, 1988)

Then came my album Bad (1987). I remember that  I wrote my first autobiography in 1988. I decided to tell the world about my life and my career. My albums Thriller and Bad gave me success and the name Artist of the Decade. The next important work was the contract with Sony Music and my outstanding album Dangerous. I was always anxious about the life of children all over the world and that is why I founded The Heal the World Foundation to lend them support. Lisa Maria Presley became my wife in 1994. This marriage was a short one, only 19 months. I loved her but then I understood that it was not that woman and we divorced. I was busy with my career, the next album History came in 1995. It included both the new compositions and the greatest hits. My second marriage was a little bit better than the first one. Debbie Rowe, a young lady who was a nurse became by second wife. I met her in the hospital of Sydney where I was under the treatment. The reason of this was some disorder with my skin pigment. (Stritof, 2009)

My first child Prince Michael Joseph Jackson junior was born in 1997. He is a good boy. The next year Debbie presented me a daughter. Her name is Paris Michael Katherine Jackson. (Michael Jackson:the Person Behind The Personality)

I think I was a good father. I love all my children and I am sure they love me too. In 1999 we divorced and I took full custody of the children. I continued to pay too much time to my career – to music, dances and songs. The remix album Blood on the Dance Floor was released in 1997. It had 5 absolutely new songs and a film Ghost. It lasted 38 minutes and had fantastic special effects. Of course, it was a success. (Campbell, 2002)

I remember my 30-th anniversary as a solo artist. It was a greatest concert which was held in New York in September, 2001. I remember that many popular artists such as Whitney Houston and Shaggy, Usher and many others took part in the concert – they sang my songs. I performed my hits together with my brothers too. The next albums were Invincible (2001), One More Chance (2003).

In March 2009, I announces a comeback tour with first concert in London. 750,000 tickets were sold within minutes. However, I had no chances to perform all these plans. They said I had a cardiac arrest. My heart stopped beating on the 25-th of June in 2009. That day was the end of my life journey. (Biography of Michael Jackson, 2009)

3 Real life Journal Writing (7 days of Michael Jackson’s life)

May14, 1984: I am in Washington. It is a sunny day today. I am standing in the hall of the White House. I am in good temper. They decided to give my an award.  It was an award from President Ronald Reagan. I was happy. They awarded me for my support of charities which helped people to overcome alcohol and drug addiction. This even was very important for me. I think that if a person have a lot of money he must give a helping hand to those people who need it. I don’t blame those people who are alcohol or drug addicts. May be they are merely weak-willed  people who have a lot of problems in their life and who cannot find any other way out of the situation. They want to forget their troubles by means of the bottle of alcohol. Of course, they need help. I think that I have an opportunity to help these people to improve their health in the specialized hospitals. They need special treatment. My money will help to organize a high quality treatment.

March, 1988: Today I spent a great deal of my money but I have no any regrets. I have bought a land which is located near Santa Ynez in California. I have a dream to build a ranch.  It will be the largest ranch I have ever seen. I purchased this property from the famous golf course entrepreneur. His name was William Bone. Oh, I have so much to do. First of all I want to give a good name to my property. It will be Neverland Valley Ranch. Don’t laugh! I decided to name this property after the fantasy island Neverland from the story of Peter Pan. It will be my own ranch. I am so happy. I could earn the necessary sum of money. I love my job. I have a lot of plans concerning this ranch. It will be not only my home, it will have a private amusement park with floral clock, petting zoo and a great deal of other interesting and amusing things. I need some time to think over the plan of my ranch. As I always had a dream to have my railroad when I was a boy I decided to built two railroads on the territory of my property.

June, 1993: Today is the worst day of my life. They accused me of child sexual abuse. It is wrong. They are telling lie. They want to inflict shame on me. They want to hurt my reputation. I am so angry. My blood is up. Jordan Chandler who is only 13 is one of those guys who come to Neverland ranch and have fun. He is my fan. He likes my songs and dances. I think that his father made him do it. His father want to earn much money. That is why they decided to accuse me of child sexual abuse. The police searched Neverland ranch but they did not find anything that would prove the fact of these accusations. They think that I am a pedophile. That is wrong. They just want to ruin my health. Of course, it is a terrible stress for me. I cannot sing, I have to stop my World Tour. I have to take anti-stress drugs. They are so cruel. Why? I am sure they conspired ruin, they want to take all my money. I pay too much to my numerous attorneys. I hope that they will be able to help me. I am bewildered. I do not know what to do. I am ready to pay them. I just want them to stop lying, to stop slinging mud. They have already hurt my feelings!

May, 1993: I’d like to tell about my first marriage. I think it was one of the most important days in my life. I met Lisa Maria, a daughter of the King of Rock and Roll during a terrible scandal. They accused me of molesting an 11 years old boy. His name was Jordie Candler. I realized that it was a slander but, nevertheless, they gave my nervous system a good beating. Lisa Maria was that person who lent me support and assistance. She was so kind and tender. She could understand my feeling which were hurt. She tried to explain the main  reasons of that terrible accusation to me. I was a superstar and I had a great deal of enemies around me. They were envious, cruel and lying. They wanted to hurt me and my feelings. Lisa Maria comforted me. I fell in love with this young pretty girl. She also loved me. Later on she told everybody that I was a great lover and that she was happy with me. I am not angry with her for these words. It was truth. (Why Did Michael Jackson fall out With Lisa Maria?)

I remember the day when I proposed marriage to her. I spent  much time in thoughts. It was difficult for me to make a decision but I gathered myself up. I was lying in bed and thinking about my life. I was 36 years old. I had already succeeded in life. I had made a fantastic career. I was famous all over the world. However, I felt alone. There was no such a person who would be always with me, who would understand me and give me some advice. I need a friend, a close friend. I thought about Lisa Maria. She was so kind to me. Her father was also a popular singer. I knew Lisa Maria was the best variant for me. Moreover, I think that I loved her, her beautiful hair, her kind eyes. I felt that this person was not a stranger to me. It was one night when I phoned her and just asked her to be my wife. I told that I loved her and that I need her each minute in my life. I did not know what to say, I could not find any more words. I heard her breathing to the  phone receiver. She was smiling, I think. She kept silence   in the beginning of our conversation. I think she needed some time to make a decision. I knew that she had just divorced with her first husband and, may be, she was not ready to get married one more time. She had two children. May be she wanted to live alone, may be she wanted to be with her children, may be I was indifferent to her. My heart was beating and I was waiting for her answer. She accepted my proposal. She did not say too much. She  said that she was ready to be my wife. This was a good piece of news for me. (Parelez, 2010)

I should say that I was happy. Although her mother was against our marriage because she thought that I used her daughter to improve my reputation after that terrible accusation, our marriage ceremony took place in the Dominican republic. It was a private ceremony.  Later on, my friends told that we were a nice couple and that we showed our passion for each other. We were in love. I swore that I did not want any children but after the marriage I changed my mind. However, Lisa Maria did not get pregnant immediately. I was very disappointed. I wanted to have my own children. I wanted to be a father. May be, I was wrong that I placed pressure on her. It was ruthless to say such things to Lisa Maria. I think that  was one of the most important decisions in my life. (Joho, 2009)

November 14, 1996: I was standing in the center of the room in one of the hotels of Sydney. I was putting on my suit. I was waiting for the impromptu ceremony. Deborah Jeanne Rowe was pregnant. I was ready to become a father. I was so proud of this fact. I was so glad that my baby would have a great father. Although I had no idea to marry Deborah but my mother insisted on this marriage. I agreed with her. I cannot say that I loved Deborah too much. She was a good friend for me, a good close friend and now I knew that she is a mother of my future child.

March, 2009: Today I held a conference in London. It took place at London’s O2 Arena. I told them that I am going to give some comeback concerts. I also announced that the title will be That Is It. I told them that it would be my final curtain call. Of course, I was a little bit nervous. I understood that it would be very difficult for me to give up music. I even wanted to cry but I could not. I knew that my health was rather weak and that such body burden could ruin my health completely. Music is my life. I cannot imagine my life without songs, stage and my dances. It’s a rather serious decision. I know that I have to do it. But I am not healthy enough to continue my careers of a pop singer and dancer. Although I am only 50 I am not in good form. It is true.

June 25, 2009: I was lying in bed at my rented mansion in Los Angeles. They gave me an injection. I was sleeping when my heart stopped beating. I saw that they were trying to help me but it was late. This day was the end of my life journey. I was frustrated. I had so much to do.  May be it was the result of my constant rehearsals at Staples Center.  I really felt not well but I wanted to be the first on the stage. I overreached myself. I saw that they were calling 911. They said: “He is not breathing……he is not breathing………… He is not responding to CPR, anything…..”