Remembering MJ

Michael Jackson passed away three years ago but his music will live forever. We look back and remember the top five hits that the King of Pop gave us:

Beat it: One of the most iconic "Rock" songs by MJ, Beat It, was part of Jackson's sixth solo album - Thriller. The distinctive guitar solo in the song is played by Van Halen's, Eddie Van Halen, who recorded it for free. Halen's association with the project is unknown to most as he was not featured in the video. In almost all of his solo tour performances of the song, MJ started the song by singing on a large crane lifting him high above the stage. The lyrics of Beat It are about bravery and Jackson's disapproval of violence. The line "Don't be a macho man" is said to be a discreet reference to the physical abuse his father subjected him to. The song was such a rage that it was included in America's National Highway Safety Commission's anti-drunk driving campaign.

Billie Jean: Billie Jean is considered to be one of the most revolutionary songs in pop music history. The video of Bille Jean was the first music video of a black artist to be aired on MTV, and boy did that make news! Not because it was the musical performance of a black artist, but because it was the musical performance of Michael Jackson. The entire world was introduced to the phenomenon that was MJ and this had them hooked, for more than a decade long musical high. His enigmatic dance moves had people talking for months and attempting to imitate the moonwalk, which was first performed at a television performance of Billie Jean. The lyrics of the song were rumored to be inspired by a hysterical fan called Billie Jean, who alleged that Jackson had fathered her twins. However, MJ accredited the groupies from the sixties, who he referred to as Billie Jean, to be the subject of the song. This was one of the first songs, whose video became almost as big as, if not bigger, than the actual song. You've gotta see it to believe it!

Thriller: Michael Jackson can perhaps be credited with being the first to give music videos an equivalent stature as that of the actual songs. Thriller is the perfect example of that. The horror inspired, 14 minutes long video, was directed by John Landis. The video, featuring Jackson and former Playboy centerfold Olga Ray, became an instant hit, despite the criticism about its use of violent imagery. The signature choreographed sequence of the actors dressed as Zombies, from the original music video has been replicated several times by people across the world. The last record for the largest Thriller dance was set in Mexico, by 13,597 participants who collectively danced to this classic jam in Mexico City. In 2009, after Jackson's death, the music video was titled the most famous music video of all time by the Library of Congress and became the first music video to be selected for the National Film Registry.

Black or White: Black or White, like many of Jackson's songs, carries a socio-cultural message, specifically about racial harmony. A mix of dance, rock and rap elements, the song also features Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash's guitar solo in the opening. The video's premiere had a record viewership of 500 million viewers in 27 countries. The video also featured Home Alone child star, Macauly Culkin, in a rebellious avatar. This popularity came with much criticism of the sexually suggestive dance moves, violence and vandalism displayed in the video. As a result, all television networks removed the last four minutes of the video.

You Rock My World: This 2001 single was from Michael Jackson's last album, Invincible. It was an instant success and was his last hit single in the US. The song received mixed reviews from critics who thought it didn't match up to Jackson's older classics. The music video of the song features Chris Tucker and Marlon Brando. The video is 14 minutes long and has been compared to the video of Jackson’s seventh single album - Smooth Criminal. You Rock My World has been performed only twice.

Pay Your Tributes To Michael Jackson