Story by: Gail Nobles
Photo by: Gail Nobles
The Shadow of Thriller
In the history of popular music, few artists have faced a challenge as daunting as the one Michael Jackson set for himself in the mid-1980s: how do you follow up the biggest-selling album of all time? According to industry insiders and fans alike, Jackson’s mission during the BAD era was simple but impossible —to beat Thriller.
The Architect of the "Mini-Movie"
Long before the digital age, Jackson viewed music videos not as mere promotional tools, but as cinematic "mini-movies". While the industry treated videos as secondary, Jackson revolutionized the medium by treating them as an extension of the album’s narrative. His vision for Thriller was to blend the music with visual storytelling, creating an event every time a new short film debuted.
The Ongoing Thriller
I believe Jackson didn't have to treat Thriller as a singular, finished event. Given that he invented the "mini-movie" format, he could have treated Thriller as an ongoing, serialized franchise. Instead of moving on to a completely new visual theme for BAD, imagine if he had released "Thriller: Chapter 2" or "Thriller: The Aftermath," continuing the narrative of the horror-dance spectacle he started.
By evolving the Thriller universe rather than abandoning it, Jackson could have sustained that specific momentum indefinitely. Instead, the pressure to "outdo" Thriller led him to switch entirely. When he arrived with the BAD mini-movie—a slick, cinematic, urban grit story—it was a bold departure, but it lacked the immediate, world-stopping "event" quality of a continuing Thriller saga. It highlights a fascinating tension: the conflict between an artist’s need to evolve and the audience's desire for the familiar perfection that Thriller achieved.
I’m Gail Nobles, and you’re listening to Entertainment History & News.
18 Aug 2024
One of Sam Cooke’s Greatest Songs 8:17:24 9.42 PM
Story by: Gail Nobles
Sam Cook was only in his 30s when he tragically passed away in December 1964. He was 33 years old. His song A Change Is Gonna Come was released in 1964.
Bobby Womack said in a documentary entitled So Deep that the song sounded eerie. He said something felt like death. He felt something terrible was going to happen. There was a premonition that reminded everybody of death according to the documentary.
There was a hard time in America. Sam Cooke was in the days of the Civil Rights Movement. That's why I believe the song A Change Is Gonna Come sounded like death. Sam Cooke wrote from his heart, and he knew what was going on around him.
The song was inspired by various events in Cooke's life, most prominently when he and his entourage were turned away from a whites-only motel in Louisiana. Cooke felt compelled to write a song that spoke to his struggle and of those around him, and that pertained to the Civil Rights Movement and African Americans.
"A Change Is Gonna Come" is widely considered one of Cooke's greatest and most influential compositions and has been voted among the greatest songs ever recorded by various publications. In 2007, the song was selected for preservation in the Library of Congress by the National Recording Registry. Rolling Stone magazine placed it at number 3 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".
Thank you for listening to Entertainment History and News. I’m Gail Nobles.
3 Jul 2024
Why the FBI Monitored Aretha Franklin 7:3:24 1.14 PM
Story by: Gail Nobles
Photo: Wikipedia Public Domain
Welcome to Entertainment History and News. I'm Gail Nobles. Today's topic: Why the FBI monitored Aretha Franklin. The FBI monitored Aretha Franklin but why? There are some things we don't know about some of our favorite stars according to USA today. The FBI closely monitored Aretha Franklin during the Civil Rights Movement. The FBI tracked her concert appearances and her record label affiliations. It is said from another source that Aretha was about getting Angela Davis out of jail and working with Martin Luther King Jr. and Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. Others thought she was being unfairly targeted.
Aretha was a songwriter and pianist. I never knew that she was involved in anything else but her music career. When she was alive, I learned about her from Motown, and I knew she was singing in church.
The civil rights movement was before my time,and Aretha was singing before my time. I never knew that she was involved in the civil rights movement through her music and personal connections. In 1970 she offered to pay the bill of Angela Davis, a notable activist who had been arrested for kidnapping, conspiracy, and murder, and was later aquitted. All these things happen before I was born.
Aretha Franklin stood up for the civil rights in the 1960s and 70s, and I can understand why. Aretha's music wasn't just music alone, and now I understand why her music was filled with messages. Messages of hope. The FBI monitored Aretha’s role in the civil rights movement for years. I believe they felt that she could be a very powerful leader, but that's just my opinion.
4 Jun 2017
About Michael Jackson - 0ff the Wall
Words by: Gail Nobles
Music by: Producerloops.com
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
Michael Joseph Jackson. I miss Michael Jackson. When he was alive, I had something to look forward to. New hot music! After the album "Off the Wall" that was released in 1979, came the Thriller album in 1982. I was just off the wall about that album, but I loved his Off the Wall album too. And I wish that Michael had made a video from the song Off the Wall after seeing his video, Billie Jean. I often think about that hit single when I'm tired and ready to get off from work. To me, Off the Wall is about enjoying life and getting over troubles. It's about having a good time and forgetting about your troubles. I'm Gail Nobles, and I hope you're enjoying Entertainment History and News.
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