Music is filled with royalty and titles. Elvis was the King of Rock and Roll, James Brown was the Godfather of Soul, and Solomon Burke is the King of Rock and Soul. Unlike real titles, however, these titles are not handed down upon death or disgrace. So, I see its time for a coup against one of the longstanding music nobility. The King of Pop must abdicate his crown, and let (the) Prince take up the throne.
Michael Jackson and Prince were electrifying opposing forces in the 80s, providing a musical rivalry comparable to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. Though Prince never lacked in success, Michael Jackson took greater success and the King of Pop title in the end. Both artists seemed poised to continue their brilliance through the 90s and into the next century.
The rest of the story everyone knows. Both artists went completely nuts, and their careers seemed over. In this aspect, Prince's insanity seemed more interesting. He seemed tortured by conflicts of faith, freedom, sex, love, and creative control, bubbling over into wars with his record label, disavowing his name, and generally acting really strange. Michael Jackson, on the other hand, overdid the plastic surgery, became obsessed with young children, and spent too much money. I'm sure you could find a few guys like that in every county prison.
Michael Jackson has steadily grown more bizarre, and his musical output ceased completely. Which isn't such a bad thing, since his last album was a complete disaster with more time probably spent on the music videos than on the music. No new albums, no new live performances, and backstabbing moves like stealing The Beatles' catalogue out from under an actual Beatle all show that Michael Jackson has abused his power and position.
It is time to recognize our mistake and give the title of King of Pop to he who is truly deserving, Prince. Although his musical output in recent years has ranged from great to relatively uninspired, he is still extremely prolific and releases albums in unique ways, such as with concert tickets and the infamous Daily Mail giveaway. Prince's greatest achievement is that he remains possibly the greatest live performer in the world, selling out the largest venues and receiving rave reviews. He even managed to put on an amazing show at the Super Bowl, after years of aging rock stars phoning it in and young stars lip syncing their hits. Prince's music even holds up better, with mature and controversial themes like social disorder, religion, and sex, not just the mostly harmless dance songs like Jackson's.It is time for Prince to become the one and only King of Pop. Viva la revolucion!
2 comments:
I never thought about another pop performer being "worthy" of Jacko's title, but you bring up some very good points! I'm not a huge fan of Prince, but I do like "When Doves Cry" and "Cream."
I saw Prince on David Letterman playing a Fender Telecaster in the most tasteful manner. I was like 16 or 17 and I was astonished. I have been playing guitar for 15 years and I can honestly say after seeing that performance I have a different opinion. His stage presence is comprable to Hendrix's.
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