Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana—June 25, 2009 in Los… Read Full Bio ↴Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 Gary, Indiana—June 25, 2009 in Los Angeles, California), was an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Dubbed the King of Pop, he is widely regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest entertainers of all time. He was also known for his philanthropy, charitable fundraising, and lifestyle, residing in a private amusement park he called Neverland Ranch and often becoming the focus of tabloid scrutiny. Jackson's contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades. Through his group, solo, and family work, he became one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Jackson's other achievements include 39 Guinness World Records—including one for "Most Successful Entertainer of All Time"—13 Grammy Awards as well as the Grammy Legend Award and Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, 26 American Music Awards, 16 World Music Awards and the estimated sale of up 750 million units worldwide. Winning countless awards for his humanitarian endeavors, the singer has been honored by two Presidents of the United States. He has also been named as the artist of "the Decade", "Generation", "Century", and "Millennium" and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. Jackson has also won hundreds of other awards, making him the most awarded recording artist in the history of popular music. He is also credited for popularizing many physically complicated dance moves, such as the robot and the moonwalk, and has influenced and spawned a whole generation of a wide variety of artists including Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, and The Weeknd, among others.

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

Scream Louder
Michael Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Tired of injustice, tired of the scheme
Life is disgustin' so what does it mean, damnit
Kicking me down, I got to get up
As jacked as it sounds the whole system sucks, damnit

Peek in the shadow, come into the light
You tell me I'm wrong then you better prove you're right
You're sellin' out souls but I care about mine

I've got to get stronger and I won't give up the fight

With such confusions don't it make you wanna scream?
Make you wanna scream
Your bash abusin' victimize within the scheme
You try to cope with every lie they scrutinize
Somebody please have mercy 'cause I just can't take it

Stop pressurin' me, just stop pressurin' me
Stop pressurin' me, makes me wanna scream
Stop pressurin' me, just stop pressurin' me
Stop pressurin' me, makes me wanna scream

Tired of you tellin' (tellin') the story your way (the story your way)
It's causin' confusion (confusion) you think it's okay, damnit
Keep changin' the rules while I keep playin' the game
I can't take it much longer I think I might go insane

With such confusion, make me wanna scream, baby

With such confusion, don't it make you wanna scream?
Make you want to scream
Your bash abusin' victimize within the scheme (schemin' baby)
You find your pleasure scandalizin' every lie
Oh Father, please have mercy 'cause I just can't take it

Stop pressurin' me, just stop pressurin' me
Stop pressurin' me, makes me wanna scream
Stop pressurin' me, just stop pressurin' me
Stop pressurin' me, makes me wanna scream

Oh my God, can't believe what I saw
As I turned on the TV this evening
I was disgusted by all the in justice
All the injustice

Baby, with such delusions don't it make you wanna scream?
Make you want to scream, makes me want to scream
Your bash abusin' victimize within the scheme
You try to cope with every lie they scrutinize
Oh brother, please have mercy 'cause I just can't take it, no

Stop pressurin' me, just stop pressurin' me (stop your pressure, stop your pressure)
Stop pressurin' me, makes me wanna scream (you know you make me want to scream)
Stop pressurin' me, just stop pressurin' me (stop your pressure)
Stop pressurin' me, makes me wanna scream

Stop pressurin' me, just stop pressurin' me
Stop pressurin' me, makes me wanna scream
Stop pressurin' me, just stop pressurin' me
Stop pressurin' me, makes me wanna scream

Stop pressurin' me, just stop pressurin' me
Stop pressurin' me, makes me wanna scream

Stop pressurin' me, just stop pressurin' me
Stop pressurin' me, makes me wanna scream (stop your pressure)

Overall Meaning

In Michael Jackson's song "Scream," the lyrics explore feelings of frustration and anger towards injustice in the world. The verses express exhaustion with systemic issues and the demands placed on individuals, while the choruses repeat the phrase "stop pressurin' me" as a plea for relief. Jackson highlights the hypocrisy of those who "victimize within the scheme" and "scandalize every lie" while criticizing others for their actions. The lyrics also suggest a desire for change and a sense of responsibility to take action against these injustices, instead of simply accepting them.

The repeated line "make me wanna scream" emphasizes the intense emotions and feeling of being overwhelmed. The sudden shift to a more personal perspective in the final lines of the song, with the mention of turning on the TV and feeling disgusted by the injustices witnessed, brings the message of the song full circle back to the societal issues addressed in the verses.

Interestingly, "Scream" is one of the few songs recorded by Michael and his sister, Janet Jackson, as a duet. The music video, which features futuristic and space-themed visuals, won a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video in 1996.

Line by Line Meaning

Tired of injustice, tired of the scheme
Michael Jackson is frustrated with the corrupt and unfair system that he has to live in

Life is disgustin' so what does it mean, damnit
This line emphasizes further on his frustration and disgust with life and how it seems meaningless

Kicking me down, I got to get up
Despite being frustrated, he is determined to rise up and fight against the system

As jacked as it sounds the whole system sucks, damnit
He's acknowledging that his views may sound extreme but it doesn't change the fact that the system is messed up

Peek in the shadow, come into the light
He urges people to see the truth with their own eyes and not to blindly trust what they're told

You tell me I'm wrong then you better prove you're right
If someone disagrees with him, they should have valid reasons to do so and not just base it on their personal beliefs

You're sellin' out souls but I care about mine
He's calling out people who put their own interests above others and stating that he values his soul over material possessions

I've got to get stronger and I won't give up the fight
He's determined to become stronger and fight for what he believes in

With such confusions don't it make you wanna scream?
The confusion and frustration that comes with living in an unjust system can be overwhelming and make one want to scream

Make you wanna scream
Emphasizing on the above line, this denotes the extreme feeling of exasperation one can feel

Your bash abusin' victimize within the scheme
Michael is expressing how the system is stacking the cards against the underdogs and how unfair it can be for the less privileged people

You try to cope with every lie they scrutinize
People try to deal with the lies being thrown at them by authorities and politicians, but it can take a toll on them

Somebody please have mercy 'cause I just can't take it
Michael has reached his limit and is calling for mercy because he can't handle the state of the world anymore

Stop pressurin' me, just stop pressurin' me
He's asking people to stop pressuring him to conform or to give up his fight

Makes me wanna scream
The pressure makes him so angry that he wants to scream in frustration

Tired of you tellin' (tellin') the story your way (the story your way)
Michael doesn't like how the people in power narrate the story and manipulate it to fit their agenda

It's causin' confusion (confusion) you think it's okay, damnit
The lies and propaganda spread by authorities causing confusion, and he can't believe people are okay with it

Keep changin' the rules while I keep playin' the game
Michael strives to keep playing fair even if authorities keep changing and manipulating laws and rules to make it harder for people like him

I can't take it much longer I think I might go insane
Michael feels like he's at a breaking point and can't handle the stress and pressure of fighting against the system that seems unbeatable

Oh my God, can't believe what I saw
Michael may have seen something on TV that was particularly disgusting or disturbing, causing him to question the state of the world

All the injustice
He's emphasizing the amount of injustice he sees around him

Oh brother, please have mercy 'cause I just can't take it, no
Michael is asking for mercy because he already feels like he's reaching his limit

You find your pleasure scandalizin' every lie
People in power enjoy spreading lies and creating scandals to distract the public from the real problems at hand.

Stop pressurin' me, makes me wanna scream (you know you make me want to scream)
The pressure they put on Michael frustrates him to no end and makes him angry, and he can't help but want to scream in response

Lyrics © JANET JACKSON DBA BLACK ICE, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sylvester Stewart, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, James III Harris, Terry Lewis

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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