For those born in the 70’s and before, Michael Jackson’s untimely death on June 25th, 2009 came as an especially rude shock because this generation grew up with his music and took for granted that he would be around.
In the public eye since 1964 at age six, when performing with the Jackson Five, Michael Jackson soon went solo and become an artist extraordinaire: singer, dancer, choreographer, inventor of the moonwalk and perpetually charged.
A look at Michael Jackson’s highest grossing albums reveals that most of the released singles went on to become hits. Here’s an overview of Michal Jackson’s hit albums from 1979-1995.
Michael Jackson’s Hit Album Off the Wall (1979)
Jackson’s fifth solo album Off the Wall combined funk, disco-pop, soft rock, soul, jazz and pop ballads and won the singer acclaim for his vocal versatility. With this album that sold 19 million copies to date, Michael Jackson became the first artist with four singles from one album in the Top 10:
- “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough”
- “Off the Wall”
- “Rock With You”
- “She’s Out Of My Life”
The Biggest Seller of All Time – Michael Jackson’s Thriller (1982)
With 65 million copies sold, Jackson’s sixth album Thriller remains the world’s best selling album of all time. The music video for the title song “Thriller” aired for the first time in 1983 and has become the most famous and most often repeated music video of all time.
It was on March 25, 1983 that Michael Jackson revolutionized dance when he performed on the Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever television special and introduced what would become his signature dance move – the moonwalk. The six singles below stormed the charts throughout 1982 and 1983.
- “Beat It”
- “Billie Jean”
- “The Girl Is Mine” (with Paul McCartney)
- “Human Nature”
- “P.Y.T.” (“Pretty Young Thing”)
- “Thriller”
- “Wanna Be Starting Something”
In 1985, Michael Jackson wrote “We Are the World” together with Lionel Ritchie, released worldwide to aid the poor in Africa and donating millions in revenue for famine relief.
Another Big Success with Bad (1987)
After a gap of five years, Jackson’s long-awaited seventh album Bad was released and became an instant success, selling 28 million copies to date. Jackson’s friend, actress Elizabeth Taylor, conceived his nickname “King of Pop” at the “Artist of the Decade” award in 1989. The following seven of Bad’s nine singles made it to the hit list:
- “Another Part of Me”
- “Bad”
- “Dirty Diana”
- “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You” (with Siedah Garrett)
- “Man In The Mirror”
- “Smooth Criminal”
- “The Way You Make Me Feel”
Jackson’s Album Dangerous (1991)
Jackson’s eighth album Dangerous was released in 1991 after he renewed his contract with Sony for the record-breaking sum of $65 million. It sold 29 million copies. The following nine of the album’s 14 songs became hits and topped the charts, often for weeks:
- “Black or White”
- “Dangerous”
- “Give In to Me”
- “Gone Too Soon’
- “Heal the World”
- “In the Closet”
- “Jam”
- “Remember the Time”
- “Will You Be There”
Hit Songs of Michael Jackson’s HIStory (1995)
Of the singer’s ninth album, HIStory, 18 million copies were sold. The double album contained 15 of Jackson’s greatest hits on Disc One and 15 new songs on Disc Two. Ten of those 15 went on to become hits:
- “Childhood”
- “Come Together”
- “D.S.”
- “Earth Song”
- “HIStory”
- “Scream”
- “Smile”
- “Stranger in Moscow”
- “They Don’t Care About Us”
- “You Are Not Alone”
Whatever one liked or not liked about him, it was impossible to ignore Michael Jackson – he was always around and was usually the talk of the town in the 80’s and 90’s, either through his music, daring music videos or scandals that accompanied his life. Even those fans too young to remember Michael Jackson’s big breakthrough in the 80’s are fascinated by his inimitable technique, style and drive to perform.
Sources:
- Campbell, Lisa D. Michael Jackson: The King of Pop. Boston: Branden Books, 1993.
- BBC News: "Obituary: Michael Jackson". Retrieved on June 26th, 2009.
Readers interested in this article may also want to read about Top 80’s Songs from 1980-1982 and Top 80’s Songs of 1983, the years of “Off the Wall,” “Thriller,” “Beat It” and others, or Top 80’s Songs of 1987 with hits like “Bad,” “Dirty Diana” and “Smooth Criminal.”
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