It's undeniable Michael Jackson's legacy
as a groundbreaking artist, an allround performer whose far reaching
influence continues to impact popular forms of entertainment
today.
However, what some have disputed when it
comes to Jackson's many talents is his reputation as a legendary singer.
A world class dancer, of course.
A genius musical composer, naturally.
But one of music's greatest singers?
Not so much.
A notion recently highlighted when
Michael Jackson fans slammed Rolling Stone for rating the King of Pop,
a mere 86 on a list of 200 greatest singers of all time.
For a recording artist known for his
music's high production value rather than his raw talent as an acoustic performer,
it's understandable that some may question whether Michael Jackson relied too heavily
on such methods to disguise his natural vocal capabilities.
From his persistent hiccups and vocal
quirks to his signature 'shamone' and other energetic ad libs,
Michael Jackson certainly made his voice instantly recognizable around the world.
But did he embody a raw vocal talent
to warrant such an undisputed status as a global icon of music?
Here's the detail.
To be fair, it has never really said
that Michael Jackson had a bad voice or even that he was just an average singer.
But his name doesn't readily come up in discussions of great voices like
the way that Otis Redding, Mariah Carey, Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye are.
With one of the most iconic voices of all
time, Michael's vocal type is bound to be up for debate.
Known for his high and light yet expressive voice,
Michael seems to be difficult to classify against other singers.
So what was Michael Jackson's vocal range?
Well, it's said that his vocal range was from a low G up to a high C,
and he was considered a high tenor with a four octave vocal range.
Michael's voice was predominantly light and agile, with a nimble rhythmic
dexterity that allowed for complex vocal runs, as well as giving him the ability
to mimic instruments such as drums or a guitar. Which, for an artist who could
only play music at a basic level, helped him convey his desired beats
and percussion to producers and other musical collaborators
while in the studio.
Michael was lucky enough to have been born
with a good voice from day one that he developed from a very early age.
Katherine, Michael's mother, remembers hearing her son sing for the first time.
I heard him singing in the bedroom, singing one of the Temptation songs.
You know, I can't even remember the song, but the harmony was so beautiful.
And their sister, their older sister, Rebbie, would stand by the door and listen with me
and she would start to cry because it was so nice.
By early adulthood,
Jackson's voice was considered at its best from a vocal technique standpoint,
particularly when approaching the high notes on 1979's
'Off The Wall'.
It was immediately after this period,
when he was touring with his brothers that Michael sought the help of renowned
vocal coach, Seth Riggs, because of trouble he was having getting through back to back
performances and as a result, he was suffering from vocal fatigue.
Quote, Quincy Jones introduced us. The first time I met Michael was at his house.
We entered into his bedroom, which was two stories.
I knocked on the door and this voice says hello.
And I said, Michael, this is Seth.
Oh, come on in.
I opened the door and there he was holding
this little monkey upside down and he had a cloth and he was wiping his butt.
The monkey had just gone to the bathroom,
so I thought, oh my God, what is this going to be?
Briggs reminisced. Quote, Michael had this enormous range.
He would go from low E flat to E flats and Gs above high C.
Immediately I would say that when his
larynx didn't go up, he was able to vocalize down to a low C.
A basso low C, I can't even belch that low.
But he could go down there.
He always could go down to E flat,
it was amazing.
Contrary to popular belief,
Jackson did not solely rely on his falsetto register. Falsetto meaning,
artificial voice, and comes from the Italian word 'falso' for 'false'.
When men suddenly sing way up high above
their speaking voices, it can almost sound fake.
Of course, MJ used it frequently,
but it was not an indication of his inability to sing in full voice.
In fact, if you listen to the acapella
version of Butterflies from his 2001 Invincible album, you can hear that all
the high notes are sung in full voice and not falsetto.
His voice also had the stamina to hold notes for lengths of time without wavering
in pitch and the ability to emote the meaning of lyrics
exceptionally. A unique and immediately recognizable voice that harmonized
with itself brilliantly to create luscious, layered vocals.
Although in his sessions with Seth Briggs he learnt to sing in a healthier manner,
often on stage, Michael would resort to shouting through notes.
This was partly because it was his way
of adding aggression to his songs by hitting his consonants really hard,
known as staccato, which is to perform short, detached, jumpy notes.
Doing one thing on the scales
with Seth and a completely different thing on stage.
Quote, I've had to change my own teaching because I found out that a great many
of the people were doing the exercises which work very well,
but then they couldn't make the applications in the song and they
said, But I'm doing the exercises very well.
I said, the exercises will work for you, but you've got to apply them.
When you sing. You can't just do exercises.
Your singing has to be on the same
accomplishment level, Seth Briggs remarked.
Michael Jackson's vocals could be fierce
and demanding, for example, in 'Smooth Criminal' and 'Jam', or mellow
and heartbroken, as demonstrated on 'Earth Song'.
His lows were the darkest part of his
range, being heavy and ever so slightly smoky.
His mid range gained brightness as it ascended, and his belting range had almost
a chameleon edge to it and could adopt different timbers and tones.
Exhibiting a rock edge, a softer, mellow tone or a light or heavy timber.
This allowed for vocal versatility
and transitions through different genres, an aspect of Michael Jackson's musical
output that made him famous as the crossover artist.
Switching between disco,
gospel and r'n'b to rock, new jack swing and hip hop.
In the 1990s, Jackson's overexertion on stage also made it very hard for him
to breathe sufficiently while performing. So he would often use oxygen tanks
in between songs in order to catch his breath
after energetically dancing and singing all the time. Striving for perfection
and fearing common illnesses while on tour, Michael Jackson would often be
seen out in public wearing a surgical face mask to prevent jeopardizing his voice.
However, after his Dangerous tour ended in 1993, Jackson effectively stopped
singing live during televised performances or while on tour.
Some have stated this was due to continued
bounce of illness that affected his capabilities to sing.
Others have said it was a fear of failing
or not living up to his fan's expectations that led to the King of Pop to so heavily
rely on playback during his later years of performing.
When it comes to negative comments concerning Michael Jackson as a singer,
some have critiqued that his voice lacked power and that it was naturally
androgynous, almost childlike on many recordings.
Instead of developing into what you would expect from a full grown man well
into middle age,
Michael Jackson's tone could be considered
thin and lacking in resonance, particularly in the mid to high part
of the modal register, when compared to other male singers.
However, it should be noted that many fans
consider this to be a unique and positive feature of his voice.
Another negative to some is
that Michael Jackson often sacrificed diction for feeling,
making the lyrics of many of his most popular songs much harder to understand,
leading fans to often misquote whole verses, often to comic effect.
Susie's got your number
and Susie's ass is right
If you should ever find
someone nude
Marijuana
You're just 11
I'm 25
Your burgers
are the best
Thanks for watching.
If you like this, then click on our link
for a video we did previously on Michael Jackson's real deeper speaking
voice and why the superstar put on a higher tone when in public.
We'll see you next time.