It’s a very rare thing to have one achievement that no one
else will ever match. Michael Jackson has a few, with the
most concrete being the highest-selling album in U.S.
history. ‘Thriller’ is the only album to sell over 29 million
copies.
But those aware of Jackson’s legacy know that it goes
beyond numbers. The youngest of the Jackson 5 grew to be
a bona fide star in the ’80s with Prince being his only rival
as a pop artist. The run he and producer Quincy Jones had
starting with 1979′s ‘Off the Wall’ to 1987′s ‘Bad’ has been
written about and praised hundreds of times and will likely
continue dozens of more times into the future.
The singer’s fame and place in pop culture is so big that —
even though he was a human being like the rest of us — it
seemed he would somehow live forever. That’s partly why
nearly everyone was shocked at his 2009 passing and still
are, years after his prime.
But his music and his history are still here. There are also
the stories behind some of his career heights. Check out 25
Facts You Probably Didn’t Know About Michael Jackson
below.
The first song MJ created that hit the top of the
Billboard Hot 100 chart was 'Ben' in 1972.
His favorite animated character is Pinocchio.
Janet Jackson was on an early version of 'Billie Jean.'
'Home Alone' star Macauley Culkin is the godfather of
two of Jackson's children.
The original title for the 'Thriller' song was 'Starlight.'
Martin Scorcese ('Taxi Driver,' 'Raging Bull,' 'The Wolf
of Wall Street') directed the 'Bad' video.
The charitable superstar often wore a black armband
to remind people of the suffering of children around
the world.
Jackson's 'Thriller' video co-star is Ola Ray, a former
Playboy model. She only starred in one other music
video: George Benson's 'Give Me the Night.'
Like many others, CeeLo Green was scared of the
'Thriller' video: "If he could be possessed, then I damn
sure could be possessed, because Michael was so much
stronger than I."
Horror movie legend Vincent Prince had an extra rap
verse that got cut from the final version of 'Thriller.'
The 'Thriller' video almost wasn't released because it
violated Jehovah’s Witnesses' rules about occult
imagery.
Jackson was almost excommunicated because of
it. The text that precedes the video references the occult
accusations.
'Scream,' the Janet and Michael duet, still holds the
record for most expensive music video.
Jackson allegedly owed the library $1 million in rental
fees at one point, even though his estate is worth
hundreds of times more than that.
Wikipedia, Twitter and AOL's Instant Messenger all
crashed at 3:15PM on the day he died, June 25, 2009.
Michael Jackson's Jehovah's Witness faith required
that he travel door-to-door to spread the word. To
make this easier, he wore a disguise and a mustache as he
made the visits.
The 'Bad' album was originally to feature
collaborations with the likes of Prince, Whitney
Houston, Diana Ross and Barbra Streisand.
Eddie Van Halen, a famed and extremely skilled
guitarist, recorded his guitar solo on 'Beat It' for free.
He slept in an oxygen tent to live longer and for
cosmetic purposes.
Jackson invented and owns the patent for the special
anti-gravity boots he wore that allowed him to lean
forward extremely far in live performances of 'Smooth
Criminal.'
The lauded singer visited his hometown of Gary, Ind.,
that led to this hilarious recollection by Freddie Gibbs.
He borrowed the Moonwalk from street dancers he
saw outside of his hotel.
'Blood on the Dance Floor' was dedicated to Sir Elton
John.
He was given a royal title by villagers in Gabon, Ivory
Coast, making him literally a king.
Michael Jackson showcased his acting chops with a
role in 'Men in Black II.'
His estate signed a deal with Sony that gave them
access to his unreleased recordings for $250 million.
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