Michael Jackson

== Artistry ==

=== Influences ===
Jackson was influenced by musicians including [[James Brown]], [[Little Richard]], [[Jackie Wilson]], [[Diana Ross]], [[Fred Astaire]], [[Sammy Davis Jr]]., [[Gene Kelly]],<ref name="Tucker">{{cite news |first=Ken |last=Tucker |title=Summer Reading; Firing Your Father Isn't Easy |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=751 |date=June 5, 1988 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/06/05/books/summer-reading-firing-your-father-isn-t-easy.html}}</ref> and [[David Ruffin]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title=100 Greatest Singers: 65 – David Ruffin |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=November 27, 2008 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-19691231/david-ruffin-20101202}}</ref> Little Richard had a substantial influence on Jackson,<ref>{{cite news |first=Martin |last=Herron |title=Michael Jackson saved my life |newspaper=[[The Scarborough News|Scarborough Evening News]] |date=June 27, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/39Michael-Jackson-saved-my-life39.5407768.jp |archive-date= June 28, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090628193111/https://www.scarborougheveningnews.co.uk/news/39Michael-Jackson-saved-my-life39.5407768.jp}}</ref> but Brown was his greatest inspiration; he later said that as a small child, his mother would wake him whenever Brown appeared on television. Jackson described being "mesmerized".<ref>{{cite web |title=Jackson Attends Brown's Public Funeral |publisher=[[Contactmusic.com]] |date=January 2, 2007 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.contactmusic.com/james-brown/news/jackson-attends-browns-public-funeral_1017673}}</ref>

Jackson's vocal technique was influenced by Diana Ross; his use of the ''oooh'' interjection from a young age was something Ross had used on many of her songs with [[the Supremes]].{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|p=64}} She was a mother figure to him, and he often watched her rehearse.<ref>{{cite press release |first=Mallory |last=Simon |title=Jackson shared bond with 'very dear friend Diana Ross' |publisher=CNN |date=July 3, 2009 |access-date= December 1, 2016 |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2009/SHOWBIZ/Music/07/03/michael.jackson.diana.ross/index.html?iref=nextin}}</ref> He said he had learned a lot from watching how she moved and sang, and that she had encouraged him to have confidence in himself.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|p=60}}

Choreographer [[David Winters (choreographer)|David Winters]], who met Jackson while choreographing the 1971 Diana Ross TV special ''[[Diana!]]'', said that Jackson watched the musical ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'' almost every week, and it was his favorite film; he paid tribute to it in "Beat It" and the "Bad" video.{{sfn|Lewis Jones|2005|pages=6, 54}}<ref>{{cite web |first=David |last=Winters |date=June 26, 2009 |title=David Winters remembers Michael Jackson |website=Magick Papers |url=https://www.magickpapers.com/blog/?p=400 |archive-date= July 2, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150702033511/https://www.magickpapers.com/blog/?p=400}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first=Eugene |last=Hernandez |title=Remembering Michael Jackson, on Screen |publisher=[[IndieWire]] |date=June 27, 2009 |url=https://www.indiewire.com/article/michael_jackson_on_screen |archive-date= June 27, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090627205050/https://www.indiewire.com/article/michael_jackson_on_screen}}</ref>

=== Vocal style ===
Jackson sang from childhood, and over time his voice and vocal style changed. Between 1971 and 1975, his voice descended from boy [[soprano]] to lyric [[tenor]].{{sfn|Brackett|Hoard|2004|p=414}} He was known for his vocal range.<ref name="100 Greatest">{{cite magazine |title=100 Greatest Singers of All Time |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=December 3, 2010 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-greatest-singers-of-all-time-147019/michael-jackson-18-223970/}}</ref> With the arrival of ''Off the Wall'' in the late 1970s, Jackson's abilities as a vocalist were well regarded; ''Rolling Stone'' compared his vocals to the "breathless, dreamy stutter" of Stevie Wonder, and wrote that "Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides smoothly into a startling [[falsetto]] that's used very daringly."<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Stephen |last=Holden |author-link= Stephen Holden |title=Michael Jackson: Off The Wall |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=November 1, 1979 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/off-the-wall-19791101 |access-date= September 4, 2017 |archive-date= January 7, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160107042734/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/off-the-wall-19791101 |url-status= dead}}</ref> By the time of 1982's ''Thriller'', ''Rolling Stone'' wrote that Jackson was singing in a "fully adult voice" that was "tinged by sadness".<ref name="Thriller" />

The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspective album ''Dangerous''. ''The New York Times'' noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath, his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a desperate whisper, hissing through clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched tone". When singing of brotherhood or self-esteem the musician would return to "smooth" vocals.<ref name="NYT Dangerous" /> Of ''Invincible'', ''Rolling Stone'' wrote that, at 43, Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm tracks and vibrating vocal harmonies".<ref>{{cite magazine |first=James |last=Hunter |title=Michael Jackson: Invincible |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=December 6, 2001 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/invincible-20011206 |access-date= September 4, 2017 |archive-date= October 1, 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20171001125527/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/invincible-20011206 |url-status= dead}}</ref> [[Joseph Vogel (author)|Joseph Vogel]] notes Jackson's ability to use non-verbal sounds to express emotion.{{sfn|Vogel|2012|p=9}} [[Neil McCormick]] wrote that Jackson's unorthodox singing style "was original and utterly distinctive".<ref>{{cite news |first=Neil |last=McCormick |author-link= Neil McCormick |title=Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen & Bono |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |date=June 30, 2009 |access-date= February 16, 2016 |url=https://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/neilmccormick/100000966/michael-jackson-bruce-springsteen-bono-great-singing-is-about-more-than-the-notes/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090703051404/https://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/neilmccormick/100000966/michael-jackson-bruce-springsteen-bono-great-singing-is-about-more-than-the-notes/ |archive-date= July 3, 2009}}</ref>

=== Musicianship ===
Jackson had no formal music training and could not read or write [[Musical notation|music notation]]. He is credited for playing guitar, keyboard, and drums, but was not proficient in them.<ref name="NME">{{cite magazine |first=Lucy |last=Jones |title=The Incredible Way Michael Jackson Wrote Music |magazine=[[NME]] |date=April 2, 2014 |access-date= April 26, 2016 |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/the-incredible-way-michael-jackson-wrote-music/}}</ref> When composing, he recorded ideas by [[beatboxing]] and imitating instruments vocally.<ref name="NME" /> Describing the process, he said: "I'll just sing the bass part into the tape recorder. I'll take that bass lick and put the chords of the melody over the bass lick and that's what inspires the melody." The engineer Robert Hoffman recalled that after Jackson came in with a song he had written overnight, Jackson sang every note of every chord to a guitar player. Hoffman also remembered Jackson singing string arrangements part by part into a cassette recorder.<ref name="NME" />

{{anchor|Crotch grab}}

=== Dance ===
Jackson danced from a young age as part of the Jackson 5,<ref name="Sanjoy">{{cite news |first=Sanjoy |last=Roy |title=What Michael Jackson did for dance |newspaper=The Guardian |date=June 26, 2009 |access-date= February 18, 2020 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2009/jun/26/dancing-michael-jackson-moves}}</ref> and incorporated dance extensively in his performances and music videos.<ref name="Sanjoy" /> According to Sanjoy Roy of ''[[The Guardian]]'', Jackson would "flick and retract his limbs like switchblades, or snap out of a tornado spin into a perfectly poised toe-stand".<ref name="Sanjoy" /> The [[Moonwalk (dance)|moonwalk]], taught to him by [[Jeffrey Daniel]],<ref name="Daniel" /> was Jackson's signature dance move and one of the most famous of the 20th century.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Rolling Stone Readers Pick Their 10 Favorite Dancing Musicians |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=July 14, 2011 |access-date= January 7, 2020 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/rolling-stone-readers-pick-their-10-favorite-dancing-musicians-18885/}}</ref> Jackson is credited for coining the name "moonwalk"; the move was previously known as the "backslide".<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Claire |last=Suddath |title=How to Moonwalk like Michael |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=June 25, 2009 |url=https://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1907320,00.html |archive-date= May 15, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110515094558/https://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1907320,00.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |first=Pia |last=Catton |title=How Michael Jackson Changed Dance History |work=[[Biography (TV program)|Biography]] |date=June 20, 2018 |access-date= February 18, 2020 |url=https://www.biography.com/news/how-michael-jackson-changed-dance-history}}</ref> His other moves included the [[Robot (dance)|robot]],{{sfn|Mansour|2005|p=403|ps=: 'The Robot was a mimelike dance, popularized by The Jackson 5 and their Top Ten hit "Dancing Machine"'}} crotch grab, and the "anti-gravity" lean of the "Smooth Criminal" video.<ref name="Sanjoy" />

=== Themes and genres ===
[[File:Michael Jackson1 1988.jpg|thumb|alt=Black and white photo of Jackson holding a microphone and singing.|Jackson during his [[Bad (tour)|Bad World Tour]] in Vienna, June 1988]]
Jackson explored genres including pop,<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="Jet">{{cite magazine |title=Michael Jackson Turns 30! |magazine=Jet |volume=74 |issue=35 |date=August 29, 1988 |page=58 |issn=0021-5996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L70DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA58}}</ref> [[Soul music|soul]],<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="Bio2" /> [[rhythm and blues]],<ref name="Jet" /> [[funk]],<ref name="Help">{{cite web |first=M. |last=Heyliger |title=A State-of-the-Art Pop Album: Thriller by Michael |website=Consumerhelpweb.com |quote=Not many artists could pull off such a variety of styles (funk, post-disco, rock, easy listening, ballads)... |url=https://music.consumerhelpweb.com/artists/jackson/thriller.htm |archive-date= December 4, 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081204150926/https://music.consumerhelpweb.com/artists/jackson/thriller.htm}}</ref> rock,<ref name="Jet" /><ref name="Help" /> [[disco]],<ref name="AMOFW">{{cite web |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |title=Michael Jackson – Off the Wall – Overview |work=AllMusic |access-date= June 15, 2008 |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/off-the-wall-mw0000190332}}</ref> [[post-disco]],<ref name="Help" /> [[dance-pop]]{{sfn|Palmer|1995|p=285}} and [[new jack swing]].<ref name="allmusic" /> Steve Huey of [[AllMusic]] wrote that ''Thriller'' refined the strengths of ''Off the Wall''; the dance and rock tracks were more aggressive, while the pop tunes and ballads were softer and more soulful.<ref name="allmusic" /> Its tracks included the ballads "The Lady in My Life", "[[Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)|Human Nature]]", and "[[The Girl Is Mine]]",<ref name="AMThriller">{{cite web |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |author-link= Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=Michael Jackson – Thriller – Overview |work=AllMusic |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/thriller-mw0000056882}}</ref><ref name="Thriller">{{cite magazine |first=Christopher |last=Connelly |title=Michael Jackson: Thriller |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=January 28, 1983 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/thriller-19830128 |access-date= September 4, 2017 |archive-date= July 2, 2015 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20150702093257/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/thriller-19830128 |url-status= dead}}</ref><ref name="Slant">{{cite web |first=Eric |last=Henderson |title=Michael Jackson – Thriller |work=[[Slant Magazine]] |date=October 18, 2003 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/music/review/michael-jackson-thriller}}</ref> the funk pieces "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'",<ref name="AMThriller" /><ref name="Thriller" /> and the disco set "[[Baby Be Mine (Michael Jackson song)|Baby Be Mine]]" and "[[P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)]]".<ref name="Slant" />

With ''Off the Wall'', Jackson's "vocabulary of grunts, squeals, hiccups, moans, and asides" vividly showed his maturation into an adult, [[Robert Christgau]] wrote in ''[[Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies]]'' (1981). The album's title track suggested to the critic a parallel between Jackson and [[Stevie Wonder]]'s "oddball" music personas: "Since childhood his main contact with the real world has been on stage and in bed."{{sfn|Christgau|1981|loc=Consumer Guide '70s: J}} With ''Thriller'', Christopher Connelly of ''Rolling Stone'' commented that Jackson developed his long association with the subliminal theme of [[paranoia]] and darker imagery.<ref name="Thriller" /> AllMusic's [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] noted this on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".<ref name="AMThriller" /> In "Billie Jean", Jackson depicts an obsessive fan who alleges he has fathered her child,<ref name="allmusic" /> and in "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossip and the media.<ref name="Thriller" /> "Beat It" decried gang violence in a homage to ''[[West Side Story]]'', and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece, according to Huey.<ref name="allmusic" /><ref name="Bio" /> He observed that "[[Thriller (song)|Thriller]]" began Jackson's interest with the theme of the [[supernatural]], a topic he revisited in subsequent years. In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity anthem "We Are the World"; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in his lyrics and public persona.<ref name="allmusic" />[[File:Michael Jackson's "Bad" Jacket and Belt.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A black jacket with five round golden medals on its left and right shoulders, a gold band on its left arm sleeve, and two belt straps on the right bottom sleeve. Underneath the jacket is a golden belt, with a round ornament in its center.|Jackson's ''Bad'' era jacket on display at the [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]] [[Guinness World Records#Museums|''Guinness World Records'' Museum]]|193x193px]]In ''Bad'', Jackson's concept of the predatory lover is seen on the rock song "Dirty Diana".<ref>{{cite news |first=Jon |last=Pareles |title=Critic's Notebook; How Good Is Jackson's 'Bad'? |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date= May 31, 2015 |date=September 3, 1987 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/09/03/arts/critic-s-notebook-how-good-is-jackson-s-bad.html}}</ref> The lead single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a traditional love ballad, and "Man in the Mirror" is a ballad of confession and resolution. "[[Smooth Criminal]]" is an evocation of bloody assault, rape and likely murder.<ref name="Time2" /> AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine states that ''Dangerous'' presents Jackson as a paradoxical person.<ref name="Dangerous">{{cite web |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |title=Michael Jackson – Dangerous – Overview |work=AllMusic |access-date= June 15, 2008 |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/dangerous-mw0000674875}}</ref> The first half of the record is dedicated to new jack swing, including songs like "Jam" and "Remember the Time". It was the first Jackson album in which social ills became a primary theme; "Why You Wanna Trip on Me", for example, protests world hunger, AIDS, homelessness and drugs. ''Dangerous'' contains sexually charged songs such as "[[In the Closet]]". The title track continues the theme of the predatory lover and compulsive desire. The second half includes introspective, pop-gospel anthems such as "[[Will You Be There]]", "Heal the World" and "Keep the Faith".<ref name="NYT Dangerous">{{cite news |first=Jon |last=Pareles |title=Recordings View; Michael Jackson in the Electronic Wilderness |newspaper=The New York Times |date=November 24, 1991 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1991/11/24/arts/recordings-view-michael-jackson-in-the-electronic-wilderness.html}}</ref> In the ballad "[[Gone Too Soon]]", Jackson gives tribute to Ryan White and the plight of those with AIDS.<ref>{{cite news |first=Richard |last=Harrington |title=Jackson's 'Dangerous' Departures; Stylistic Shifts Mar His First Album in 4 Years |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=November 24, 1991 |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1096962.html |archive-date= November 3, 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121103024117/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-1096962.html}}</ref>

''HIStory'' creates an atmosphere of paranoia.<ref name="AMHIStory">{{cite web |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |title=Michael Jackson – HIStory – Overview |work=AllMusic |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/history-past-present-and-future-book-i-mw0000123992}}</ref> In the new jack swing-funk rock tracks "Scream" and "Tabloid Junkie", and the R&B ballad "[[You Are Not Alone]]", Jackson retaliates against the injustice and isolation he feels, and directs his anger at the media.<ref name="RSHIStory">{{cite magazine |first=James |last=Hunter |title=Michael Jackson: HIStory: Past, Present, Future, Book I |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=August 10, 1995 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/history-past-present-future-book-i-19950810 |access-date= September 4, 2017 |archive-date= August 18, 2016 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160818143623/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/history-past-present-future-book-i-19950810 |url-status= dead}}</ref> In the introspective ballad "[[Stranger in Moscow]]", Jackson laments his "fall from grace"; "Earth Song", "Childhood", "Little Susie" and "Smile" are operatic pop songs.<ref name="AMHIStory" /><ref name="RSHIStory" /> In "[[D.S. (song)|D.S.]]", Jackson attacks lawyer [[Thomas W. Sneddon Jr.]], who had prosecuted him in both child sexual abuse cases; he describes Sneddon as a white supremacist who wanted to "get my ass, dead or alive".<ref>{{cite web |title=Thomas W. (Tom) Sneddon Jr. |publisher=[[National Defense Authorization Act]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.ndaa.org/ndaa/profile/tom_sneddon_jan_feb_2003.html |archive-date= June 27, 2006 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060627020903/https://www.ndaa.org/ndaa/profile/tom_sneddon_jan_feb_2003.html}}</ref> ''Invincible'' includes urban soul tracks such as "[[Cry (Michael Jackson song)|Cry]]" and "The Lost Children", ballads such as "[[Speechless (Michael Jackson song)|Speechless]]", "Break of Dawn", and "Butterflies", and mixes hip hop, pop, and R&B in "2000 Watts", "Heartbreaker" and "Invincible".<ref>{{cite web |first=Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |title=Michael Jackson – Invincible – Overview |publisher=AllMusic |access-date= September 9, 2007 |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/invincible-mw0000011263}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |first=Mark |last=Beaumont |title=Michael Jackson: Invincible |magazine=[[NME]] |date=November 30, 2001 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/michael-jackson/5780}}</ref>

=== Music videos and choreography ===
[[File:Michaeljacksonphoto drewcohen.JPG|thumb|upright|alt=A man is singing into a microphone under a spotlight. He wears a blue open-neck shirt over a white T-shirt, and dark pants. There are two colorfully-dressed men on either side of him.|Jackson (center) performing a dance sequence of "[[The Way You Make Me Feel]]" at the Bad World Tour in 1988]]
Jackson released "[[Michael Jackson's Thriller (music video)|Thriller]]", a 14-minute music video directed by [[John Landis]], in 1983.<ref name="Registry">{{cite press release |first=Alex |last=Dobuzinskis |title=Jackson "Thriller" film picked for U.S. registry |work=[[Reuters]] |date=December 30, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-thriller-idUSTRE5BT43W20091230?type=musicNews}}</ref> The [[zombie]]-themed video "defined music videos and broke racial barriers" on [[MTV]], which had launched two years earlier.{{sfn|Young|2009|p=25}} Before ''Thriller'', Jackson struggled to receive coverage on MTV, allegedly because he was African American.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Michael Jackson, "Billie Jean," directed by Steve Barron, produced by Simon Fields & Paul Flattery |date=October 2005 |magazine=[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]}}</ref> Pressure from CBS Records persuaded MTV to start showing "Billie Jean" and later "Beat It", which led to a lengthy partnership with Jackson, and helped other black music artists gain recognition.<ref name="Video">{{cite news |first=Edna |last=Gundersen |title=Music videos changing places |newspaper=USA Today |date=August 25, 2005 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://usatoday30.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2005-08-25-mtv_x.htm}}</ref> The popularity of his videos on MTV helped the relatively new channel's viewing figures, and MTV's focus shifted toward pop and R&B.<ref name="Video" /><ref>{{cite news |first=Bryan |last=Robinson |title=Why Are Michael Jackson's Fans So Devoted? |agency=ABC News |date=February 23, 2005 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/LegalCenter/story?id=464753&page=1}}</ref> His performance on ''Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever'' changed the scope of live stage shows, making it acceptable for artists to lip-sync to music video on stage.{{sfn|Inglis|2006|pp=119, 127|ps=: "That Jackson lip-synced 'Billie Jean' is, in itself, not extraordinary, but the fact that it did not change the impact of the performance is extraordinary; whether the performance was live or lip-synced made no difference to the audience."}} The choreography in ''Thriller'' has been copied in [[Cinema of India|Indian films]] and [[Thriller (viral video)|prisons in the Philippines]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Philippine jailhouse rocks to Thriller |agency=BBC News |date=July 26, 2007 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6917318.stm}}</ref> ''Thriller'' marked an increase in scale for music videos, and was named the most successful music video ever by the ''Guinness World Records''.<ref name="World Records" />

In "Bad"'s 19-minute video—directed by [[Martin Scorsese]]—Jackson used sexual imagery and choreography, and touched his chest, torso and crotch. When asked by Winfrey in the 1993 interview about why he grabbed his crotch, he said it was spontaneously compelled by the music. ''Time'' magazine described the "Bad" video as "infamous". It featured [[Wesley Snipes]]; Jackson's later videos often featured famous cameo roles.{{sfn|Taraborrelli|2009|pp=370–373}}<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Richard |last=Corliss |author-link= Richard Corliss |title=Michael Jackson: Who's Bad? |magazine=Time |date=September 6, 1993 |access-date= April 23, 2008 |url=https://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,979177,00.html}}</ref> For the "Smooth Criminal" video, Jackson experimented with leaning forward at a 45 degree angle, beyond the performer's center of gravity. To accomplish this live, Jackson and designers developed a special shoe to lock the performer's feet to the stage, allowing them to lean forward. They were granted {{US patent|src=uspto|5255452}} for the device.<ref>{{cite patent |country=US |number=5255452 |invent1=Michael J. Jackson |invent2=Michael L. Bush |invent3=Dennis Tompkins |title=Method and means for creating anti-gravity illusion |fdate=June 29, 1992 |gdate=October 26, 1993}}</ref> The video for "Leave Me Alone" was not officially released in the US, but in 1989 was nominated for three ''Billboard'' Music Video Awards{{sfn|Campbell|1993|p=273}} and won a Golden Lion Award for its special effects. It won a Grammy for [[Grammy Award for Best Music Video|Best Music Video, Short Form]].<ref name="grammy mj" />

He received the [[Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award|MTV Video Vanguard Award]] in 1988; in 2001 the award was renamed in his honor.<ref name="MTV2">{{cite news |first=Kyle |last=Anderson |title=Michael Jackson's Video Vanguard Award, in MJ's Top MTV Moments |publisher=MTV News |date=June 26, 2009 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/1614838/michael-jacksons-video-vanguard-award-in-mjs-top-mtv-moments/}}</ref> The "Black or White" video simultaneously premiered on November 14, 1991, in 27 countries with an estimated audience of 500{{nbsp}}million people, the largest audience ever for a music video at the time.<ref name="Achievements" /> Along with Jackson, it featured [[Macaulay Culkin]], [[Peggy Lipton]], and [[George Wendt]]. It helped introduce [[morphing]] to music videos.{{sfn|Campbell|1993|p=303}} It was controversial for scenes in which Jackson rubs his crotch, vandalizes cars, and throws a garbage can through a storefront. He apologized and removed the final scene of the video.<ref name="ew1991" />

"In the Closet" featured [[Naomi Campbell]] in a courtship dance with Jackson.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=Michael Jackson Co-Directs Music Film, 'In the Closet' |magazine=Jet |page=56 |date=April 27, 1992 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wbkDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA56}}</ref> "Remember the Time" was set in [[ancient Egypt]], and featured [[Eddie Murphy]], [[Iman (model)|Iman]], and [[Magic Johnson]].{{sfn|Campbell|1993|pp=313–314}} The video for "Scream", directed by [[Mark Romanek]] and production designer Tom Foden, gained a record 11 [[MTV Video Music Award]] Nominations, and won "Best Dance Video", "Best Choreography", and "Best Art Direction".{{sfn|Boepple|1995|p=52}} The song and its video are Jackson's response to being accused of child molestation in 1993.<ref>{{cite news |first=Ed |last=Bark |title=Michael Jackson Interview Raises Questions, Answers |newspaper=[[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]] |page=06E |date=June 26, 1995}}</ref> A year later, it won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form. It has been reported as the [[List of most expensive music videos|most expensive music video ever made]], at $7{{nbsp}}million;<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Hugh |last=McIntyre |title=The 5 Most Expensive Music Videos of All Time |magazine=Forbes |date=August 24, 2014 |access-date= March 23, 2019 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2014/08/24/the-top-5-most-expensive-music-videos-of-all-time/}}</ref> Romanek has contradicted this.<ref>{{cite web |first=Steven |last=Gottlieb |title="Scream" Gets Named Most Expensive Video Ever; Director Mark Romanek Disagrees |website=VideoStatic |date=August 28, 2014 |access-date= March 23, 2019 |url=https://www.videostatic.com/blog/2014/08/28/scream-gets-named-most-expensive-video-ever-director-mark-romanek-disagrees}}</ref> The "Earth Song" video was nominated for the 1997 Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form.<ref>{{cite news |first=Greg |last=Kot |title=Pumpkins a Smash Hit with 7 Grammy Nominations |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |date=January 8, 1997 |access-date= April 14, 2019 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-1997-01-08-9701080229-story.html}}</ref>

''[[Michael Jackson's Ghosts]],'' a short film written by Jackson and [[Stephen King]] and directed by [[Stan Winston]], premiered at the 1996 [[Cannes Film Festival]]. At over 38 minutes long, it held the Guinness world record for the longest music video until 2013, when it was eclipsed by the video for the [[Pharrell Williams]] song "[[Happy (Pharrell Williams song)|Happy]]".<ref>{{cite web |title=Longest music video |work=[[Guinness World Records]] |date=November 21, 2013 |access-date= March 23, 2019 |url=https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/71833-longest-music-video}}</ref> The 2001 video for "[[You Rock My World]]" lasts over 13 minutes, was directed by [[Paul Hunter (director)|Paul Hunter]], and features [[Chris Tucker]] and [[Marlon Brando]].<ref>{{cite news |first=James |last=Montgomery |title=Michael Jackson's Video Co-Stars: From Eddie Murphy to Marlon Brando |publisher=MTV |date=June 26, 2009 |access-date= March 22, 2010 |url=https://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1614795/20090626/jackson_michael.jhtml}}</ref> It won an [[NAACP Image Award]] for Outstanding Music Video in 2002.<ref>{{cite magazine |title=NAACP Image Award Spotlight Black' Achievements |magazine=Jet |volume=101 |issue=13 |date=March 18, 2002 |page=36 |issn=0021-5996 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=L70DAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA58}}</ref>

In December 2009, the [[Library of Congress]] selected "Thriller" as the only music video to be preserved in the [[National Film Registry]], as a work of "enduring importance to American culture".<ref>{{cite web |title=Zorro, Nemo, Muppets & More: Wide Variety Tapped for 2009 Film Registry |publisher=[[Library of Congress]] |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/10012/films.html}}</ref><ref name="NYT">{{cite news |first=Dave |last=Itzkoff |title='Thriller' Video Added to U.S. Film Registry |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 30, 2009 |access-date= May 31, 2015 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/arts/music/31arts-THRILLERVIDE_BRF.html}}</ref> Huey wrote that Jackson transformed the music video into an artform and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance routines, special effects and famous cameos, while breaking down racial barriers.<ref name="allmusic" />