26 June 2009
♥ still, i'd rather hear about farrah.
This morning, when I opened my iTunes, I was met with an announcement from Genius--the creepy new feature that makes recommendations for new music based on what I already listen to--that although my current choice could not be matched to anything particularly relevant, I might enjoy today's top selling albums. Guess what was at the top of the list?
- Off the Wall / Michael Jackson
- Bad / Michael Jackson
- Dangerous / Michael Jackson
Now, I appreciate the Jam Genius of Michael Jackson as much as anybody else, but I have to take issue with this. I'm going to go out on a limb here and assume that the sudden spike in King of Pop sales is a direct result of his death yesterday, and call me a cynic, but I find this somewhat disturbing. Because four years ago, the same people who spent $9.99 to buy his hits this morning were ready to crucify him. I say this because anybody who came to his defense in 2005, when he was accused of sexual assault on a child, probably already owned all those albums.
He was acquitted, of course, but in the land of super-rich megastars, that doesn't mean much, because unless I'm mistaken, jumping on an SUV for an impromtu show outside the courthouse is not a traditional part of the American legal system. Tabloids, along with everybody else, threw him under the bus in 2005, but who's mentioning it now?
Don't get me wrong; who am I to say whether Michael Jackson molested anybody? But here's what I do know: it's impossible not to dance when "Thriller" comes on the radio, I can't help smiling when I hear anything by The Jackson 5, and today, the top 3 albums on iTunes are all his. I guess he left a hell of a legacy after all.
6/26/2009
