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

Wings Of My Love
Michael Jackson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When this old world gets you down
When your spirit's on the ground
Just remember I will always be around
Just climb on the wings of my love
I'll take you high on the wings of my love
When you're feeling all alone
Like a child who's got no home
You know you've always got a place where you can go

Just climb on the wings of my love

Like a beach that knows no boundaries with all the trees
As it rushes to the seas darling we'll be just as free
I'll lift your spirits high our love will fly
We'll have heaven blue skies and forever sunshine

'Til you break those ties that bind
'Til that day you're really mine
Anytime you want to leave your world behind
Just climb on the wings of my love

I'll lift your spirits high our love will fly
We'll have heaven blue skies and forever sunshine

We've got rainbows yet to find
And we'll find them all in time
Girl you know someday we'll even touch the sky
Just climb on the wings of my love

Anytime you want to leave your world behind
I'll take you high on the wings of my love
Just take my hand and together we'll touch the sky
Just climb on the wings of my love

Yes remember I will always be around
I'll take you high on the wings of my love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Michael Jackson's "Wings of My Love" express a message of comfort, hope, and love to someone who is feeling down, alone, and without a place to call home. The song assures the listener that they're never alone as they can always rely on the love of the singer. The song suggests that the singer will be with them every step of the way and they can always climb on the wings of his love to be lifted up and high. He assures the listener that they'll find freedom, happiness, and eternal sunshine if they trust him and climb on his wings.

The song uses metaphors of the beach, the sky, and rainbows to evoke a sense of freedom, joy, and innocence. The beach represents boundlessness, the sky represents the highest aspirations, and rainbows represent a combination of colors and happiness. The song highlights the power of love to transcend boundaries, lift spirits, and make life worth living. The message here is that even in the darkest moments of life, you can find solace in the love of someone who cares for you deeply, and that love can lift you up to soar to great heights, reaching the sky and beyond.

Line by Line Meaning

When this old world gets you down
When the ups and downs of life start to overwhelm you,

When your spirit's on the ground
When you're feeling defeated and discouraged,

Just remember I will always be around
Just know that I am always here for you,

Just climb on the wings of my love
Just rely on my love to lift you up and carry you through tough times,

I'll take you high on the wings of my love
My love will elevate you to a better place in life when times get tough,

When you're feeling all alone
When you feel isolated and by yourself in the world,

Like a child who's got no home
Like a lost or abandoned child without a place to call their own,

You know you've always got a place where you can go
You always have a place in my heart where you can feel loved and accepted always,

Like a beach that knows no boundaries with all the trees
Our love will be expansive and free like an endless beach with countless trees,

As it rushes to the seas darling we'll be just as free
We'll be as free and open as the vast ocean welcoming the beach,

I'll lift your spirits high our love will fly
Our love will be uplifting and take us higher and higher in good times and bad,

We'll have heaven blue skies and forever sunshine
Our love will bring us unending happiness, peace, and joy.

'Til you break those ties that bind
Until you break free from negative attachments or relationships that hold you back,

'Til that day you're really mine
Until the day you fully commit to me and our relationship,

Anytime you want to leave your world behind
Anytime you want to escape the stress and chaos of the world,

Just climb on the wings of my love
Just turn to my love to lift you up and carry you away from the world,

We've got rainbows yet to find
There is still so much beauty and wonder in the world for us to explore and discover,

And we'll find them all in time
We'll discover everything the world has to offer and more if we're patient enough,

Girl you know someday we'll even touch the sky
We'll achieve incredible things together if we work hard and dream big enough,

Just take my hand and together we'll touch the sky
Just trust me and join me on this journey to greatness, and we'll reach new heights together,

Yes remember I will always be around
Don't forget that I'll always be here for you no matter what,

I'll take you high on the wings of my love
My love will always lift you up and carry you to new heights.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ALPHONSO MIZELL, BERRY GORDY JR, CHRISTINE PERREN, DEKE RICHARDS, FREDDIE PERREN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

TRACKS