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

This Is It
Michael Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Ready?)
One, two, three, four

This is it, here I stand
I'm the light of the world
I'll feel grand
Got this love, I can feel
And I know, yes for sure

It is real

And it feels as though I've seen your face a thousand times
And you said you really know me too yourself
And I know that you have got addicted with your eyes
But you say you're gonna leave it for yourself
Oh
I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan (my plan)
I never thought that I would be your lover
Come on, babe, just understand

This is it
I can say
I'm the light of the world
Run away
We can feel
This is real
Every time I'm in love that I heal

And I feel as though I've known you since a thousand years
And you tell me that you've seen my face before
And you said to me you don't want me hanging around
Many times, wanna do it here before
Oh yeah
I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan (my plan)
I never thought that I would be your lover
Come on, babe, just understand

This is it
I can feel
I'm the light of the world
This is real
Feel my song
We can say
And I tell you can lead that way

And I feel as though I've known you for a thousand years
And you said you saw my face yourself
And you said want to go with me all the while
And I know that it's really for myself
Oh yeah
I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan (my plan)
I never thought that I would be your lover
Come on, please, dear understand (understand)

I never heard a single word about you
Falling in love wasn't my plan (my plan)

I never thought that I would be your lover
Come on, dear, please understand

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Michael Jackson's song "This Is It" seem to be about a sudden realization of love and the feeling of being the light of someone's world. Jackson's lyrics express the intensity of the emotion and the surreal feeling he experiences when he is with the person he loves. In the first verse, he introduces himself as the light of the world and expresses that he is feeling grand about the love he has. He then reflects on how familiar and connected he feels to the person and that they seem to have a strong connection.

In the chorus, Jackson emphasizes that he feels like he has known the person for a thousand years and that what they have is real. He expresses his desire to be with this person and to light up their world. He then reiterates his surprise at falling in love and becoming someone's lover.

The second verse repeats the sentiments expressed in the first verse and continues to emphasize the deep connection he feels with the person. The song ends with a repetition of the chorus and Jackson pleading with the person to understand that he never planned to fall in love, but he cannot help his feelings.

Overall, "This is It" is a song about a sudden, intense love. Michael Jackson's lyrics express the surreal and almost overwhelming feeling of connection and love he experiences.

Line by Line Meaning

One, two, three, four
Counting to begin the song

This is it, here I stand
I am at the pinnacle of my career

I'm the light of the world
I bring happiness and positivity to people

I'll feel grand
I am ecstatic and full of joy

Got this love, I can feel
I have a feeling of love that I can sense

And I know, yes for sure
I am certain about what I feel

It is real
My love and emotions are genuine

And it feels as though I've seen your face one thousand times
I have a strong connection with someone and it feels like I have known them forever

And you said you really know me too yourself
The other person also feels the strong connection and familiarity

And I know that you have got addicted with you eyes
The other person cannot get enough of looking at me

But you say you're gonna leave it for yourself
Despite their strong feelings, the other person wants to keep their emotions to themselves

Oh I never heard a single word about you
I was not expecting this sudden attraction

Falling in love wasn't my plan
I did not anticipate falling in love

I never thought that I would be your lover
I did not see this relationship coming

Come on baby just understand
Please try to see things from my perspective

This is it I can say
This is the moment I have been waiting for

I'm the light of your world Run away
I can brighten your life and make problems disappear

We can feel This is real
Our love is genuine and strong

Every time I'm in love that I feel
Whenever I am in love, I feel this way

And I feel as though I've known you since a thousand years
Our connection feels timeless

And you tell me that you've seen my face before
The other person also feels our connection is familiar

And you said to me that you don't want me hanging around
However, the other person is trying to distance themselves from the relationship

Many times wanna do it here before
Despite that, they still feel drawn to me and want to spend time with me

Oh yeah I never heard a single word about you
I was not expecting this attraction

Come on baby just understand
Please try to understand how I feel

I can feel I'm to light up the world This is real
I can bring happiness and love to the world through my music

Feel my song We can say
My music can express the emotions that we cannot put into words

And I tell you can feel that way
My music can make people feel the same emotions that I do

Come on please dear understand
I am begging for your understanding

Oh yeah I never heard a single word about you
I did not expect this unexpected attraction

Come on dear please understand
Please try to see things from my perspective

Lyrics © PREMIERE MUSIC GROUP, Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Royalty Network, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Michael Jackson, Paul Anka

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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