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

She's Out of My Life
Michael Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She's out of my life
She's out of my life
And I don't know whether to laugh or cry
I don't know whether to live or die
And it cuts like a knife
She's out of my life

It's out of my hands

It's out of my hands
To think for two years she was here
And I took her for granted, I was so cavalier
Now the way that it stands
She's out of my hands

So I've learned that love's not possession
And I've learned that love won't wait
Now I've learned that love needs expression
But I learned too late and

She's out of my life
She's out of my life
Damn indecision and cursed pride
I kept my love for her locked deep inside

And it cuts like a knife
She's out of my life

Overall Meaning

The song "She's Out of My Life" is a poignant and emotional ballad by Michael Jackson that speaks to the heartbreak and regret that comes with losing someone you love. The song opens with the line, "She's out of my life," repeated twice, setting the tone for the rest of the song. The singer is struggling with the aftermath of a breakup, unsure if he should cry or try to move on.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase, "And it cuts like a knife," emphasizing the depth of the singer's pain. He reflects on the time he spent with his former partner, acknowledging that for two years she was a constant presence in his life. He also admits that he took her for granted, and was too cavalier with her affections. Now, he is left with the painful realization that she is truly gone, and there is nothing he can do to change that.

In the final verse, the singer laments that he has learned too late that love cannot be held onto like a possession, and that it needs to be expressed openly and honestly. He acknowledges that his indecision and pride contributed to the demise of the relationship, and that he kept his love for her locked away. The song ends with the repeated line, "She's out of my life," highlighting the finality of the loss.

Overall, "She's Out of My Life" is a heart-wrenching exploration of the pain of lost love, and the regret and reflection that can follow.

Line by Line Meaning

She's out of my life
The woman he loved is no longer in his life, and this fact is causing him sadness.

She's out of my life
Again, highlighting the fact that she is no longer a part of his life.

And I don't know whether to laugh or cry
The singer is unsure how to respond to this major life event; he's caught between conflicting emotions - happiness and sadness.

I don't know whether to live or die
The pain of losing her is so intense that the artist is questioning his own survival.

And it cuts like a knife
The pain of losing her is sharp and hurtful, much like the blade of a knife.

She's out of my hands
The singer feels powerless to change the situation; he's run out of options.

To think for two years she was here
The singer is reflecting on the time they spent together - he's recalling how valuable her presence was in his life.

And I took her for granted, I was so cavalier
The artist now recognizes that he did not appreciate the woman he loved as he should have - he took her presence for granted.

Now the way that it stands
Things have changed - the woman he loved is no longer with him. Things are no longer the way they used to be.

She's out of my hands
The situation is beyond the artist's control - he's powerless to change it.

So I've learned that love's not possession
The singer has come to the realization that love can't be possessed like an object; it's not something that can be controlled or held onto.

And I've learned that love won't wait
The artist now knows that love is not something that will wait for someone - if you don't act on it, it can quickly disappear.

Now I've learned that love needs expression
The singer has realized that love needs to be expressed - it needs to be shown, not just felt.

But I learned too late and
Unfortunately, the singer didn't learn these important lessons soon enough to save his relationship.

Damn indecision and cursed pride
The singer understands that his inability to act and his pride played a role in the loss of his relationship - he's expressing regret about this.

I kept my love for her locked deep inside
The artist recognizes that he hid his love for her deep inside himself, and he didn't express it as he should have.

And it cuts like a knife
The pain of losing her is still fresh and intense - it still hurts him deeply.

She's out of my life
Again, highlighting the fact that she is no longer a part of his life.

Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Songtrust Ave, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Tom Bahler

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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