∎ 'TOP OF THE POPS'—once again

In light of the sudden and we would be remiss not to admit, tragic passing of the prodigious and enigmatic singer, songwriter and performer Michael Jackson (1958-2009), music charts and retail stores are undergoing a sudden coup from the posthumous "King of Pop". According to an article from Reuters, Jackson has taken over not only the No.1 spot, but also the No.2, 3, 4 and so on down the list of multiple record sale charts. With a plethora of album releases (from his early years with The Jackson 5 to his skyrocketing solo career into the stratosphere), singles and multiple boxed sets of his greatest hits, stores are running out of his merchandise and digital files cannot be downloaded any faster. Everywhere one turns—whether on television, listening to the radio, or surfing the Internet—Jackson's image, voice and words have completely enveloped the 24/7 media and news cycles; hard to do these days and especially so, with the past couple few weeks having been dominated by the recent Iranian election results and fallout with accusations of electoral fraud; subsequently leading to opposition protests and severe crackdowns which have permeated, to say the least, all major news outlets, including heavy traffic to social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.

As of 28 June 2009, iTunes shows Jackson holding rank in nine of the top ten album sales (including No.1 with 'The Essential Michael Jackson', a greatest hits compilation), having eight of the top ten most popular songs ('Man in The Mirror' being at the top of that list), as well as seizing over 50% of the top 100 most popular music videos in one form or another and even garnering some of the top ringtones (which are usually inhabited by the newest and hottest artists/groups).

There has not been a death tantamount to this level of fame and notoriety, some may argue, since the passing of the original 'King', Elvis Presley back in 1977 at the age of 42 (his level of stardom and untimely demise is being said to parallel to that of Jackson's today). But Jackson's popularity may exceed that of Presley's inasmuch as Jackson became a global and cultural phenomenon, more so than Presley. Yes, they both spanned the gamut and ultimately surpassed the provincial mindset of how race, gender and age should listen, react and view a particular style or genre of music, but Jackson, having a larger than life persona, at times famous and others infamous, he was, paraphrasing the Rev. Al Sharpton, "the first African-American superstar". He built bridges across nations (albeit without a political agenda) and pushed boundaries in all directions, from music to advertising and from world culture to pop culture.

So why is it, with such prowess and the power to change, influence and ultimately get viewers up out of their seats and dancing, does it take the death of Michael Jackson for the general public to accept him (in a strange way), show our deference and give reverence to him for his achievements and contributions? (This is strictly in reference to his musical career, although it may be debated as to if his professional life can be separated from that of his personal one, especially his) What most whets my curiosity however, is the astronomical rise in music sales and rejuvenation overall of his music and his life. His songs are being played in a continuous loop day and night on myriads of radio stations across the country. I am in no way arguing or complaining about people worldwide celebrating and rejoicing his legacy, but why in fact is his music being purchased at record amounts? If they had been fans and devotees of Jackson in the past, would not their collections already contain his great opuses? Or is it that his music had yet to catch up with the digital age and the public now finds it apropos to retrofit their libraries? It is a given, however, with each new generation comes a different and younger fan base, yet to explore his music? For now, the only legitimate reason I have gathered is because he has died.

Although it can be said that this occurs with practically every other recording artist, actor, or public/social magnate when they pass away. For example, when a famous artist (or even obscure artist) dies, suddenly their work increases in worth and in value, sometimes almost tenfold. But the difference here is that their pieces become harder to attain and therefore the price of their work goes up, especially when they are put up for sale—at auction houses in particular (although market value began falling in 2007 and have now hit 25 year lows here in 2009, but I digress)—the desire to not only behold but to own these so-called priceless works, increases their value exponentially. But like art, these points can become abstract and distorted. I am just raising these questions to see where you and others stand and how you and they observe and interpret how things work, or even, appear to work. ☕