It’s a lush and frictionless and joyous sunset-cloud of a song. But for all the bad things that Jackson may have done in the world - and, at the risk of turning every single Michael Jackson column into a referendum on the allegations at the man, I believe that he really did molest kids - I still have a hard time thinking of “Rock With You” as anything other than a force for good in the world. Michael Jackson’s legacy is vast and complicated. I love that I had my little two-second psychedelic trip to “Rock With You.” It’s not my favorite Michael Jackson song, but at least in some way, it’s the purest of them, the one that cuts right through to what made millions of people love the man. In an increasingly atomized media atmosphere, the death of the world’s biggest pop star was a unifying force, a monocultural last gasp. That day, everyone was listening to Michael Jackson it was all anyone wanted to hear. Something like this probably happened to a whole lot of people on that day in June of 2009. The music on my headphones was almost exactly in sync with the music in the outside world. For just an instant, I was totally unmoored, not sure if what I was hearing was real. It was almost at the same point of the song. “Rock With You” was playing over the speakers in Sultan’s, too. As I walked into Sultan’s, I’d only gotten as far as “Rock With You.” When I walked in the door and pulled my earbuds out, I had one of those weird experiences where, for a few seconds, I wondered if I was hallucinating. I was working at Pitchfork at the time, and the office was only a few blocks away. That day, I walked to Sultan’s Market, the Middle Eastern takeout spot in Wicker Park, while listening to Off The Wall on my iPod. Walking around Chicago that day, I heard Jackson’s music coming from everywhere - cars, open windows, boutique speakers. The day after Michael Jackson died, it was beautiful out. 6 on a list of Michael Jackson’s 20 Greatest Videos.In The Number Ones, I’m reviewing every single #1 single in the history of the Billboard Hot 100, starting with the chart’s beginning, in 1958, and working my way up into the present. In 2014, the magazine would rank “Rock With You” No. Director Bruce Gowers praised Michael as “an absolute professional” in an interview with Rolling Stone. The short film featured Michael performing the song on a plain stage in a sequined jumpsuit and matching boots, a set of shimmering lasers illuminating his outfit from behind. In his 1988 memoir Moonwalk, Michael called “Rock With You,” written by Rod Temperton, “the sort of thing I was aiming for” in creating an album to his vision. 82 on Rolling Stone and MTV’s list of the 100 Greatest Pop Songs in 2000. “Rock With You” was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on February 14, 1980, and Platinum on February 14, 1989. 4 on Billboard’s Year-End Hot 100 chart that same year. 1 in the United States in 1980, topping Billboard’s Hot 100 and Hot R&B Singles charts and reaching No. Michael’s short film for “Rock With You” was the second of the three short films produced for recordings from that album. Primary Production Location: Los Angeles, CaliforniaĪlthough all of Michael Jackson’s music videos are referred to as short films, the short films for Off the Wall, Michael’s first solo album for Epic Records, are more classic “music videos,” as they are performance clips rather than scripted stories. Produced by Quincy Jones for Quincy Jones Productionsįrom the album Off the Wall, released August 10, 1979
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