Song of the Week

Michael Jackson: “The Way You Make Me Feel”

Even with all the news out of Iran, the horrific Washington Metro crash that killed nine — a frightening reminder of America’s crumbling infrastructure — and the Mark Sanford scandal, I’m still shocked that Michael Jackson’s death last week went largely unnoticed and unremarked.

Just kidding! Everyone knows Michael Jackson died. Duh. We all remember where we were when we found out, and we all later went back to those locations to place a single white rose, rend our clothes, weep and Twitter. Double-dog just kidding! Because my tone implies that I think these news stories were more important, and I’m only being mock serious about the gravity of Jackson’s death. Not true.

Yes, I realize it’s cool to act like this isn’t a big deal and let’s move on because it’s been a week already and we’re busy, serious people with little time for trivial pop figures and we’re deeply concerned about this coup business in Honduras and ... OMG! I just realized it’s been a week and I haven’t heard how JON AND KATE ARE DOING! HAVE THEY EATEN THEIR CHILDREN YET?!?!

I can’t think of a single person alive today — aside from maybe the American president — whose death could’ve inspired the massive global response Michael Jackson’s did. Here are a few facts: So many people were searching for news of Michael Jackson on the Internet that Google thought its servers were under attack, Twitter crashed and MySpace reported that nearly 100,000 Michael Jackson songs were being played every 10 minutes.

Everyone was listening to Michael Jackson this week. Michael Jackson’s back catalog has dominated the sales charts since his death, securing him yet more records. For instance, Jackson just became the first artist to sell a million song downloads in a single week.

For me, the song I’ve enjoyed rediscovering the most is “The Way You Make Me Feel,” the third single from his 1987 album “Bad,” the first album I remember ever owning. It’s not as immortal as “Billie Jean,” but it’s a joyous song that, according to Wikipedia, Jackson wrote because his mom wanted him to write something with a “shuffling” rhythm.

Yes, Michael Jackson was bigger than Elvis

I’m admittedly not the biggest Elvis Presley fan or aficionado, but in terms of influence and importance to music, I think only the Beatles surpass Michael Jackson’s influence. By the time Elvis died, he was already relegated to the music of a different generation. Punk, disco and the burgeoning hip-hop scene had made him obsolete and inaccessible to the younger generations.

Not only has Jackson sold more albums than Elvis, but what I find remarkable about his death last week is just how much young people still identify with his music. “Off the Wall” should be considered an oldies album by this point, but “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough” sounds as fresh and lithe as it must have in 1979.

While Elvis’ influence on rock and roll and pop music is momentous, his reign was much shorter than Jackson’s. Last year I wrote a column around the 25th anniversary of “Thriller” remarking just how vibrant Jackson’s musical legacy remained a quarter century after his career high-water mark. Part of that is his musical vision of smooth R&B with high-production values, a danceable beat and a warm pop sensibility remains the template for most of the biggest hits today. There are still numerous best-selling artists — Justin Timberlake and Usher immediately come to mind — whose sound and style can be traced back directly to Michael Jackson. The same cannot be said of Elvis.

The whole child-molestation thing

I have serious reservations about whether Michael molested or inappropriately touched any children.

His obsession with childhood, while deeply strange, always struck me as being rooted someplace far beyond sexuality. That said, the man was deeply disturbed. No one of sound mind would continue sharing the bed with prepubescent children that are not his own after already being accused of molesting a child.