Jackson's musical career began in 1967 as lead singer of The Jackson 5, when the group made their first recording with a local label before signing up with Motown Records in 1968. He made his first solo recordings in 1971 while still a member of the group. But it was Off the Wall (1979) which marked the start of his full-fledged solo career, and he formally parted with his siblings in 1984. In his solo career, Jackson recorded and co-produced the best-selling album of all time, Thriller (with worldwide sales over 100 million), received thirteen Grammy awards and charted thirteen #1 singles in the U.S. Throughout his four-decade career, Michael Jackson has been awarded numerous honors, including the World Music Awards Best-selling Pop Male Artist of the Millennium. He is also a double-inductee into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of The Jackson 5 in 1997, and in 2002 as a solo artist. He is also a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In the mid-1980s, TIME magazine described Jackson as "the hottest single phenomenon since Elvis Presley". He has had a notable impact on music and culture throughout the world while also tearing down racial barriers and paving the way for modern pop music.
From 1988 to 2005, Jackson lived on his Neverland Ranch property, on which he built an amusement park and private zoo for the enjoyment of economically disadvantaged and terminally ill children. In 1993 and 2003, separate accusations of child molestation that allegedly occurred in Neverland were made against Jackson, which drew intensely negative media coverage. While he was never charged for the first case, Jackson was tried and vindicated in 2005 of the latter allegation, but moved out of the US shortly thereafter. He later returned to Las Vegas in early 2007.
In the years following his acquittal, (2005-2009) Jackson made numerous public appearances including MTV Japan's VMA awards where he accepted the legends award; the World Music Awards where he accepted the Diamond Award for selling over 100 million records; James Brown's funeral where he paid tribute and delivered a sermon; and a fan appreciation event in Tokyo, Japan, where he greeted troops at US Army base Camp Zama. In early 2008, Jackson issued Thriller 25th Anniversary, a critical and commercial success that was the second-biggest selling album of 2008 with over 2.1 million copies sold worldwide.
On June 25, 2009, Jackson collapsed at a rented home in Holmby Hills in Los Angeles, California. The cause of death is currently believed to be cardiac arrest. At the time of his death, Jackson was scheduled to perform 50 sold-out concerts to over one million people, at London's O2 arena, from July 13, 2009, to March 6, 2010. During a press conference, Jackson made suggestions of possible retirement.
In the hours following Jackson's death, his record sales increased dramatically. His seminal album Thriller climbed to number one on the American iTunes music chart, while another eight made it into the top 40. In the UK, where Jackson would have performed less than three weeks after his death, fifteen of his albums occupied the top 15 spots on the Amazon music chart. Social music network website Last.fm also saw a dramatic increase in Michael Jackson plays per hour after the announcement of his death.
On December 10, 2010, a compilation album of previously unreleased material, simply entitled Michael, was released posthumously. Featuring guest performances by Akon, 50 Cent and Lenny Kravitz, the album was certified Platinum in 18 countries but received mixed reviews from most critics. This was followed in November 2011 by Immortal, a remix album; in September 2012 by Bad 25, a 25th anniversary reissue of Jackson's 1987 hit album Bad; and by Xscape, a second compilation album released in May 2014.
Official Website: http://www.michaeljackson.com
Heartbreak Hotel
Michael Jackson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Ten years ago on this day
My heart was yearning
I promise I would never ever be returning
Where my baby broke my heart and left me yearning
As we walked to the room
There were faces starring
Glaring, tearing through me
Then they smiled with eyes
That looked as if they knew me
This is scarring me
We walked up the stairs
Still concealing gloom
There were two girls
(Sitting in my room)
She walked up to my face
Said this is the place
You said meet you right here at noon
This is Heartbreak Hotel
Welcome to Heartbreak Hotel
So this is Heartbreak Hotel
This place is Heartbreak Hotel
Hope is dead
She thought that I had cheated for another lover
I turn my back to see that I'm undercover
Now I can't convince this girl there ain't no other
Someone's evil to hurt my soul
Every smile's a trial thought
In beguile to hurt me
This is scaring me
Then the man next door had told
He's been here in tears for fifteen years
This is scaring me
We came to this place
Where the vicious dwelt
Found that wicked women
(Run this strange hotel)
There was Sefra and Sue
Every girl that I knew
And my baby said love is through
This is Heartbreak Hotel
Welcome to Heartbreak Hotel
So evil
(Heartbreak Hotel)
This place is Heartbreak Hotel
Someone's stabbin' my heart
(Heartbreak Hotel)
This is Heartbreak Hotel
(Heartbreak Hotel)
Ten years ago today
(Heartbreak Hotel)
This is Heartbreak Hotel
(Heartbreak Hotel)
Someone's stabbin' my heart
(Heartbreak Hotel)
This is heartbreal hotel
(Heartbreak Hotel)
Ten years ago today
(Heartbreak Hotel)
Hurting my mind
(Heartbreak Hotel)
You break my baby's heart
(Heartbreak Hotel)
This is Heartbreak Hotel
(Heartbreak Hotel)
Just welcome to the scene
In Michael Jackson's song “Heartbreak Hotel," the lyrics discuss the feelings of heartbreak after a betrayal in a relationship. The opening line “live in sin” refers to the singer living in a sinful state due to their heartbreak. The song takes place ten years after the singer's heart was broken by their former lover. They had said they would never return to the place where they were left yearning, but now they find themselves back in the same situation. As they walk to their room, they feel as though they are being watched, and someone says, “welcome to your doom,” which only adds to their feelings of unease.
The chorus “this is Heartbreak Hotel, welcome to Heartbreak Hotel” refers to their current state of mind and emotions. They feel as though they are checked into a “hotel” where heartbreak is the only option, and there is no escape. The lyrics further reveal that the singer is accused of cheating, and their ex-girlfriend refuses to believe there is no one else. Someone is trying to hurt them, and every smile feels like a trial. They even meet a man who has been crying for fifteen years, adding to the dark ambiance of the song. The singer realizes the hotel is run by wicked women, and his ex-girlfriend tells him that love is through. The lyrics “someone stabbin' my heart” shows the deep emotional pain the singer feels in the situation.
Line by Line Meaning
Live in sin
Engage in immoral acts
Ten years ago on this day
Refers to a significant moment in the singer's past
My heart was yearning
The singer experienced longing and desire
I promise I would never ever be returning
The singer vowed to not revisit a painful place or experience
Where my baby broke my heart and left me yearning
The singer's lover caused emotional turmoil by ending their relationship
As we walked to the room
The singer and someone else arrived at the destination
There were faces starring
Unknown people were observing the singer
Glaring, tearing through me
The observers' gazes were intense and had negative impact
Someone said welcome to your doom
An ominous greeting was given to the singer
Then they smiled with eyes
The observers' facial expressions changed
That looked as if they knew me
The observers' smiles appeared familiar
This is scarring me
The singer is deeply affected by this experience
We walked up the stairs
The singer and someone else proceeded to a higher floor
Still concealing gloom
The singer was hiding their sad emotions
There were two girls (Sitting in my room)
Two strangers were occupying the space
She walked up to my face
One of the strangers approached the singer
Said this is the place
The stranger indicated that this was the location of their meeting
You said meet you right here at noon
The singer and stranger had made plans to rendezvous at this location
Hope is dead
The singer has lost optimism
She thought that I had cheated for another lover
The singer's partner suspected infidelity
I turn my back to see that I'm undercover
The singer realized they were being secretly observed
Now I can't convince this girl there ain't no other
The singer is unable to persuade their partner that they are loyal
Someone's evil to hurt my soul
The singer feels attacked and harmed by another person
Every smile's a trial thought
The singer is suspicious of others' motives
In beguile to hurt me
Others are attempting to manipulate or deceive the singer
Then the man next door had told
An adjacent person shared information
He's been here in tears for fifteen years
The person has been experiencing long-term emotional upset
We came to this place
The singer and someone else arrived
Where the vicious dwelt
The hotel's occupants are unpleasant and malevolent
Found that wicked women (Run this strange hotel)
Women with poor character were managing the establishment
There was Sefra and Sue
The two women's names are mentioned
Every girl that I knew
All of the women present were familiar to the singer
And my baby said love is through
The singer's lover ended the relationship permanently
This is Heartbreak Hotel
The singer is in a place of intense emotional pain
Welcome to Heartbreak Hotel
The singer is being sarcastic while describing the establishment
So this is Heartbreak Hotel
The singer is expressing disappointment at their current situation
This place is Heartbreak Hotel
The setting is the source of the singer's emotional distress
Someone's stabbin' my heart
The singer feels emotional pain
Hurting my mind
The singer's thoughts and emotions are in distress
You break my baby's heart
The singer's lover caused hurt to another person's emotions
Just welcome to the scene
The singer is introducing the listener to this story
Contributed by Savannah L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ghostfactory
This song is CRIMINALLY underrated. The bass, the drums, the strings, the guitar in the back and the melody is so- it's just-.... it's just SO DAMN GOOD MAN!
Malekatah Campbell
Nova Don Ken word!
Beau Wiley
ghostxfactory couldn'tve said it better myself man.
Brian Highfill
You are so right Laura here I totally agree I grew up to this funky groove along with all Motown records highly underrated this music totally fn rocks rip Michael
Jen WILL
ghostxfactory Exactly😊
Marcus Mccurtis
Yes indeed no words can explain it
dcertain01
This whole time I thought Quincy Jones produced this song. I didn’t know Michael produced and wrote the whole song! This man was true genius....
MUSICENCYLOPEDIA
Michael wrote and arranged the song himself. He produced it with his brothers
Michael A. Brown
I think this was the beginning of him wanting to go solo.
Imperial Brown
I've got to admit I just peed on myself to know that this young man produced wrote that song he is also an agree with you a genius or he was a genius and I miss him