Classical Music Forum banner

Michael Jackson-Most Overrated Of All Time

16K views 74 replies 27 participants last post by  Sid James  
#1 ·
 
#17 ·
I wouldn't say pop culture makes for overrated art, but the fans of such art certainly don't investigate less marketed music, certainly. MJ was definitely talented, and he was my first favorite artist as a child, he could dance and he sang with a real passion that lacks in mainstream artists which imo sets him above the rest.

Do you think The Beatles are overrated too? You are entitled to your thoughts, and I'm not attacking you, I'm just curious. Explain your position if you will!

For me, the beatles started a great majority of all the current pop culture we see
 
#3 ·
Michael Jackson is not over-rated.

Michael Jackson was an incredibly gifted performer whose style captured the imagination of millions of fans during the 1980s. His records were extremely well produced, often by Quincy Jones, and his song selection was impeccable. His videos were short films and works of art.

I was never a fan, there are many other singers I like a whole lot more - but I can recognize his talent and accomplishments.

The comment that "everything in popular music is overrated" is ridiculous.
 
#4 · (Edited)
Michael Jackson is not over-rated.
That's just, like, your opinion, man...

The comment that "everything in popular music is overrated" is ridiculous.
Everything in popular culture is overrated.

If I'm wrong, then the Greatest Work of Art Ever Made is the cycle of Avengers movies, J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is the Greatest Literature of All Time, Thomas Kinkade is the Great Painter Who Ever Lived, and Irving Berlin's "White Christmas" is the Greatest Piece of Music Ever Written.
 
#5 · (Edited)
I don't particularly want to get into a p***ing contest but MJ certainly wasn't the all-round talent/self-sufficient entity that Prince was. In that respect I would also go as far to say that he lagged behind Stevie Wonder and Sly Stone as well. Jackson was gifted in one or two respects but what he was capable of overall was outweighed, and thus distorted, by the combined sales of his albums. The ideas put forward by the more fanatical cult-like factions of his fan base that he bestrode the music world like a colossus and that no-one else came remotely close before or during his career were as toe-curling as they were preposterous.
 
#7 ·
That's just, like, your opinion, man...
As are all posts on the forum, man ...

Popular culture, as swept along by economic forces and driven by mass marketing, overrates everything. Of course it does. It's in its nature.
You are equating major sales with over-rated. I think that some artists have been met with high critical praise, some despite poor sales, others in spite of their success. I don't agree that the critical press covering popular music is so slipshod that they have "over-rated everything."

That is just a bit too reductive and superficial of a comment.
 
#12 ·
He's got a few ahead of him on the list of most over-rated pop stars. Kanye West, and Beyonce for starters.
 
#13 ·
I do rate Beyonce's voice - such a pity that the pro-forma r 'n' b slop which is constantly dished up for her will never do it proper justice.
 
#18 · (Edited)
So to be clear, I think MJ was the epitome of what pop culture attempts to produce; he truly was the king of pop imho. The Beatles were the king of pop rock, in my book.

I no longer listen to either, focusing more on Jazz/Classical which satisfy my appetite for more mentally stimulating music that I seek these days. However, I'm not so pompous to state this is the only thing to get from music, and neither that it is superior, I just happen to be a very deep, creative and critical thinker, which leads me towards these musics.
 
#19 · (Edited)
Also to clear up, I think song writers like Paul Simon or Bob Dylan have stimulating lyrics, not music most of the time and since I don't really listen to lyrics, Jazz/Classical takes the cake for my stimulation needs.

Typically classical music with singing is still stimulating even if I don't know what they are singing about, for the lyrics are matched with amazing music (the music doesn't take a backseat to the lyrics).

Jazz music with singing isn't always the most interesting though, based on what I've heard at least. (Ellla and the like).
 
#21 ·
I don't know about ratings? Are they a real thing? But I love Karen Carpenter. I like the Monkees for their humor and don't really care about ABBA.
 
#23 ·
On a personal level I would put ABBA in with Supertramp, ELO, Crowded House and a host of others - undeniably talented with a particular gift for well-constructed melodic music but whose well-constructed melodic music I don't happen to actually like.
 
  • Like
Reactions: starthrower
#24 · (Edited)
Although ABBA, and ELO have an indentifiable sound I find their music very bland. I find Supertramp slightly more appealing but there are just three albums I can listen to very occasionally. Mainly for Rick Davies voice. Not a big fan of Hodgson as a singer.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Elgar's Ghost
#25 ·
Good thread. I think you can't judge being over-rated without putting a performer in the context of their audience. If this was a forum for pop-stars, everybody from Stravinsky to Mozart would probably come out "over-rated". Plus you have to add in what the purpose so to speak of the music was. The Beach Boys IMO are utterly boring and overrated BUT their music was for a certain time and audience, I guess you'd call it the party group. And for what the audience was/is evidently it hits the mark.
 
#28 ·
I honestly find the "moonwalk" skill, making it look as if he was gliding backwards just through the movement without any additional optical manipulation more fascinating than any of his music. That's really a cool stunt!
Had I been interested in popular music I would basically have grown up with it; I remember a classmate having that record where he still looks normal (I think there is a leopard or tiger cub with him on the picture?). But find the music just irritating, never understood the hysteria of the fans and find the way he apparently experienced and acted out a strange kind of body dysphoria tragic and repulsive (as was of course his alleged abuse of children).
 
#40 ·
"Michael Jackson-Most Overrated Of All Time"

And "of all time" isn't hyperbole?

As is often the case, the OP's YTB video takes slim "evidence" and presents it as "FACT". Such presentations are tiresome, and if the OP really wanted to present a cogent argument to support their "FACT", they would be better served by doing their own donkey work.

The problem with the term "overrated" is that it is both a comparative adjective describing the thing being rated, and a verb describing the act of overrating.

So yes, IMO, people have used hyperbole in the past to rate Michael Jackson, both positively (greatest of all time) and negatively (thief). That doesn't mean that one can't argue that he had plenty of talent that was found very acceptable by millions of people round the world.

One can, if one tries hard enough, to see past the hyperbole to see that MJ's songs were a product of the skill of a number of people - writers, musicians, producers - and not the sole creation of a musical god. That he was overrated by some (including the industry machine) does not invalidate a more sober assessment that recognises his significant contribution to the pop scene of 4 decades.
 
#41 ·
I like to watch the music channels on cable sometimes and see what they're feeding the cattle. The retro channels have done a lot to debunk the idea that pop was better in the past. I watched Michael Jackson's Bad the other day. It's one of those "legendary" songs I can't imagine anyone actually choosing to listen to. Also I recall him being "cancelled" a few years back. It was distasteful to play his music for a few weeks after some documentary came out about him, then everyone decided that Thriller was just too good and we forgave him. Yet the far superior artist R Kelly remains a villain. Years ago in school a teacher asked us who we most admired and everyone came out with insincere crap like Nikola Tesla and Nelson Mandela, I said R Kelly and Mrs ___ looked at me aghast. And that was before the dreaded allegations.

p.s. New Edition's Candy Girl was waaaaaaaay better than any Jackson 5 or solo Jacko song. In fact I just played it on YT and was reminded of Mr Telephone Man, Popcorn Love, Count Me Out, Earth Angel. All massive tunes! Pop being better in the past is now rebunked. Thanks for reading.
 
#42 ·
first of all, you are nuts. But you are Canadian, so I can understand why hot dance music isnt your thing.

But MJ was a great entertainer. In the Jackson 5, little Mike was awesome. He had James Brown's spin down at age 5. Dont underestimate him as a dancer, either.

Then in the 80s he turned out some serious hits. Thriller was a groundbreaking music video. There's alot to like, its just that you have to like dance music

I get it not liking pop music, but give credit where credit is due. He was an incredible singer and dancer and a great entertainer in the 70s and 80s.
 
#51 ·
first of all, you are nuts. But you are Canadian, so I can understand why hot dance music isnt your thing.

But MJ was a great entertainer. In the Jackson 5, little Mike was awesome. He had James Brown's spin down at age 5. Dont underestimate him as a dancer, either.

Then in the 80s he turned out some serious hits. Thriller was a groundbreaking music video. There's alot to like, its just that you have to like dance music

I get it not liking pop music, but give credit where credit is due. He was an incredible singer and dancer and a great entertainer in the 70s and 80s.
Yes, I suspect that I'm a tad jealous of MJ. How about the rest of you musicians?
 
#43 ·
It was distasteful to play his music for a few weeks after some documentary came out about him, then everyone decided that Thriller was just too good and we forgave him. Yet the far superior artist R Kelly remains a villain.
Remind me...what was it Michael Jackson was convicted of?

And you might look up why R Kelly "remains a villain".

How about sticking to the music?
 
#48 ·
I did, in my first post. It was you who brought up the extra-musical irrelevance.
(The comparison with Savile is ill-advised: Jackson did at least face a trial and was found not guilty).
Oh Forster, must we really go on some silly back and forth. It'd be much better if you simply laid your ego aside for once and accepted that as per usual I'm right and you're wrong. If you really didn't care for extra-musical digressions, you wouldn't have wasted all our time by making a new post replying to me irrelevantly declaring Michael Jackson was never convicted of anything, when I never even accused him of anything in that post, but rather simply recalled the public response to a big documentary a few years back (there's even a wiki section about the temporary backlash). Anyway, personally I love digressions so long as they circle back to the main topic, which we can achieve by you listing your fave Jacko songs. And please for the love of g-d don't say Earth Song!

hey, if we threw out the music of every degenerate, there would be no pop music left
So true!