Michael Jackson's Influence Of Music Videos

In the starting years of MTV, the majority of bands that used the new medium were British. British bands had already been experimenting with the style and fashion, “experimenting with the emergent medium for some time and arrived with stylish videos in hand” (Cateforis 54). Unlike American bands, these British bands had already adapted to a style suitable for television. After punk music, British bands kept the electronic instruments and “distinctions between automated and human performance were increasingly blurred” (Goodwin 32). At concerts, British bands played their already recorded electronic music, “integrating the ‘recorded’ and ‘live’ moments” (ibid). Therefore, concerts became more about the live performance, instead of the auditory …show more content…
Although initially being rejected from the channel for being a black artist, he could not be ignored. Jackson was the ideal superstar for MTV: “a talented songwriter and storyteller; a sufficiently accomplished and innovative dancer who created a dance style combining images of hip-hop, Broadway, and disco (including the moonwalk); [and] beat-driven music” (Friedlander 265). His commitment to quality extended to his music videos, many of which focused on a short story presentation to promote his music (ibid). One of his most notable music videos, after his already successful presentations of “Beat It” and “Billie Jean,” was the music video for “Thriller.” Premiering in 1982, “Thriller” was “a 14-minute film that had the impact of a hit movie” (Herbert 93). The video included aspects of “montage and alternation conventions, but organizes the image flow by framing it with a powerful storytelling or narrational direction which provides continuity and closure” (Mercer 37). The story of “Thriller” looks at Michael Jackson taking his girlfriend to a date at the movies, but it is too scary for her and they leave. As they walk home through the woods, Jackson begins to sing “Thriller,” until he eventually transforms into a zombie. In the graveyard with all the other zombies, Jackson begins one of the most popular and iconic dance routines in a music video (Herbert 108). One of the major …show more content…
Madonna’s approach to music was similar to Michael Jackson’s, being influenced by the sounds of Motown and African-American dance rhythms (Szatmary 289). Also similar to Jackson, Madonna found the majority of her appeal through her music videos and dance ability (ibid). Madonna’s usage of MTV to help spread her fame started with her first video, “Lucky Star.” This first video helped her set up her image for the rest of her career, which is notable because of her dance as well as her attractive, seductive image (Kellner 270). The music video for “Lucky Star” has no narrative like Jackson’s, but instead features Madonna dancing with the backup of two male dancers, close-up shots of her face, and her as she rolls on the floor (269). While this song was not her most popular hit, it did set up her image and sound. Madonna’s music was “conventional dance music, but it is good dance music that empowers the audience to dance and exhibit themselves a la Madonna” (270). Madonna’s music would not have been popular without her usage of the music video because “Madonna is to be seen rather than listened to” (Prieto-Arranz 179). By the time Madonna reached the top of her career with her video for Like a Virgin, she had already created herself into a sexual symbol with an attractive young image, helped by “the edits, framing, and movement of her music videos” (Kellner 270). Her MTV music videos put together