Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer who dominated popular music from the late 1970s through the 1990s.
Called the "King of Pop," he was known for hit albums like *Thriller* and *Bad*, the moonwalk dance move, and a distinctive high vocal style.
His name often serves as shorthand for massive commercial success or cultural dominance: That album was the Michael Jackson of its genre.
His legacy remains complicated by allegations of child sexual abuse.
Honorary title for dominant pop artist
- iconPictorial screen symbol
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- influencePower to affect others
- pioneerEarly explorer or settler
trailblazer · innovator · phenomenon · cultural impact · MTV · music video · Neverland · humanitarian
Backward-gliding dance step
- choreographyDesigning performance movement sequences
- danceRhythmic bodily movement
- stageRaised performance platform
- concertLive musical performance
showmanship · glide · spin · toe stand · crotch grab · fedora · military jacket · lean
Vocal music performer
- songwriterOne who composes music
- vocalistOne who sings professionally
- composerCreator of musical works
- producerOne who makes things
performer · musician · soloist · tenor · falsetto · Quincy Jones · Motown · recording
Record-breaking 1982 album
- Off the WallStrangely unconventional or bizarre
- BadGerman-origin surname
- Beat ItCommand to leave immediately
- Smooth CriminalPolished, unruffled wrongdoer
Billie Jean · Black or White · Man in the Mirror · album · chart-topper · platinum · number one · Grammy
Reanimated dead people
- horrorExtreme fear or disgust
- macabreDisturbing, death-obsessed
- werewolfShapeshifting wolf-person
- graveyardPlot for interring the dead
Vincent Price · transformation · music video · supernatural · Halloween · ghoulish · nightmare · creature
King of Pop
Honorary title for dominant pop artist
pioneer · trailblazer · innovator · phenomenon · cultural impact · MTV · music video · Neverland · humanitarian · We Are the World
moonwalk
Backward-gliding dance step
- choreographyDesigning performance movement sequences
- danceRhythmic bodily movement
- stageRaised performance platform
concert · showmanship · glide · spin · toe stand · crotch grab · fedora · military jacket · lean · world tour
singer
Vocal music performer
- songwriterOne who composes music
- vocalistOne who sings professionally
- composerCreator of musical works
producer · performer · musician · soloist · tenor · falsetto · Quincy Jones · Motown · recording · multi-instrumentalist
Thriller
Record-breaking 1982 album
- Off the WallStrangely unconventional or bizarre
- BadGerman-origin surname
- Beat ItCommand to leave immediately
Billie Jean · Smooth Criminal · Black or White · Man in the Mirror · album · chart-topper · platinum · number one · Grammy · megahit
zombies
Reanimated dead people
Vincent Price · graveyard · transformation · music video · supernatural · Halloween · ghoulish · nightmare · creature · haunted
- Male SingersElvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Freddie Mercury, John Lennon, Paul McCartney
- 80s-90s cultureMTV, VHS, cassette tapes, CDs, Walkman
- Black MusiciansAretha Franklin, Beyonce, James Brown, Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston
- Cultural IconsMona Lisa, Star Wars, Shakespeare, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe
- Grammy WinnersAdele, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin
- Late IconsMarilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, John Lennon, Audrey Hepburn, James Dean
Michael JacksonJohnny Rotten
Johnny Cash · Willie Nelson · Hank Williams · Bob Dylan · Kurt Cobain
Michael JacksonLeonard Cohen
Canadian singer-songwriter, poet
Sade · Bon Iver · James Taylor · Enya · Norah Jones
Michael JacksonDolly Parton
Tom Hanks · Paul McCartney · Stevie Wonder · Garth Brooks · Jimmy Carter