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Text and Meaning in Michael Jackson's Xscape (Part 1 of 5)

6/26/2014

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“He talked always about giving love. It was never about how much love he got back.”––Antonio “L.A.” Reid discussing Michael Jackson, Xscape Documentary DVD
Picture
Any announcements of “new music” from Michael Jackson must necessarily and rightly be met with a healthy amount of skepticism.

Important questions have to be answered: Is this new music going to be something dug out of once-private vaults simply because of its guaranteed ability to stimulate cash-flow for all those who manage to attach their names to it?  Or will it emerge and stand as a true representation of Jackson’s certified brilliance and successfully extend the incandescent legacy of soul-nourishing rhythms and altruistic service he spent a lifetime creating?

The now much-discussed 17 tracks on the “deluxe edition” of the Xscape album allow listeners to consider such questions in depth. Eight “contemporized” versions of songs first recorded in the 1980s and 1990s are followed by original versions and a bonus track featuring Justin Timberlake. Critics have been close to unanimous in proclaiming the album’s musical excellence. How well does it serve the greater purposes established by Jackson himself in regard to his vision of his music and his life?

Visual Metaphors for the King of Pop

One thing was made very clear by early looks at the album’s cover image, by Mat Maitland of Big Active, and the poster, by Mr. Brainwash, that comes with some editions of the album. Both recognize Jackson in a way he often said he wished most to be remembered–– as a great artist. The poster by Mr. Brainwash (a.k.a. Thierry Guetta) gives us MJ rendered in a neo-expressionistic pop style reminiscent of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat, Andy Warhol, and Banksy all rolled into one. Surrounded by the titles of songs in different fonts against a seemingly shredded and splattered background, Jackson emerges as both a creator of enduring art and an indestructible force of it.

The ultra-modern image created by Mat Maitland for the cover drew boos and cheers when first revealed but it may in fact represent one of the better metaphors for the King of Pop ever offered. The upper portion of Jackson’s head extends out a slanted golden ellipse that could be a satellite dish, part of a speaker, a halo, or a portal. The interior of the circle, and Jackson’s face and suit beneath it, reflect a universe pulsing with energy. It may be interpreted as a symbol of Jackson as someone who was in tune with the “music of the spheres” but also as something more. It possibly implies he had been born of that marvelous myth and was someone who shared with the world as many of the gifts he brought with him as the world allowed. It certainly illustrates, as the centerfold image in the CD’s booklet does, that there was always much more to the man than most could see.

Making the Spiritual Connection

In interviews with Billboard Magazine editor Joe Levy on the Xscape Documentary DVD, every principal producer involved spoke of a desire to render service on behalf of Michael Jackson’s legacy. This musical dream team included: “L.A.” Reid, executive producer Timbaland, Rodney Jerkins, Erik Hermansen and Mikkel Storleer of Stargate, Jerome “Jroc” Harmon, and John McClain.

Beyond honoring what all described as the King of Pop’s “greatness,” each described making an unexpected spiritual connection with Jackson. This prompted them to amplify his musical aesthetic rather than attempt to dominate a given track with their own preferred style. Timbaland saw it as a profound challenge: 
“I’m doing Michael Jackson [‘s album] but I can’t talk to him,” he noted. “So how do I channel to him? So when I did my music I’d hear him saying, ‘That’s it Tim. That’s it, that’s what I like!’ His spirit resonated through me to give me the OK.”

Jerkins had a similar experience: “When I went in [the studio] I went in with the mindset of what would Michael want me to do right now. There [were] things that I would musically and it was almost like I could hear his voice saying, ‘No no no no, try this…’”

​The question of just how well the select team of producers served Jackson’s own well-crafted vision of his artistry was not answered to everyone’s satisfaction when “Love Never Felt So Good,” the first single from Xscape, was released worldwide the first week of May 2014. For those who ask, “Why is that?” please continue reading.

NEXT: Text and Meaning in Michael Jackson Xscape Part 2

by Aberjhani

author of Journey through the Power of the Rainbow
and co-author of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance



More by Aberjhani on the Life, Music, and Legacy of Michael Jackson
  • Text and Meaning in Michael Jackson’s Xscape Part 1
  • King of Pop Michael Jackson and the World Community
  • Guerrilla Decontextualization and King of Pop Michael Jackson
  • Summer-Song Rhapsody for Michael Jackson Editorial with Poem
  • Michael Jackson and Summertime from This Point On (Part 1)
  • Work and Soul in Michael Jackson’s This Is It
  • Looking at the World Through Michael Jackson’s Left Eye (Part 1)
  • Looking at the World Through Michael Jackson’s Left Eye (Part 2)
  • Notes for an Elegy in the Key of Michael (Jackson) 1 and 2
  • Michael Jackson Legacies of a Globetrotting Moonwalking Philanthropist

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  • Bright Skylark Literary Productions Sitemap
  • Author Statement
    • Blog: Visionary Vibes >
      • Aberjhani - Author Biography
      • Bright Skylark News Notes
      • Blog: Cultural Arts Reviews and Remembrances
      • Blog: Sonic Delight Music Reviews >
        • Summer-Song Rhapsody for Michael Jackson: Editorial with Poem
      • Shifting Points of View and the Massacre in Charleston, South Carolina (USA) >
        • Author-Poet Aberjhani in the News
      • 7 Ways to Help Replace Legislated Fear with Informed Compassion
    • Greeting Flannery O'Connor at the Back Door of My Mind >
      • Tribute to Savannah Author Robert T.S. Mickles Sr.
    • Dreams of the Immortal City Savannah >
      • Podcast Prospects 504
      • More Books by Aberjhani >
        • Readers & Reviewers on the Writings of Aberjhani
        • Checking in at Goodreads
        • Editing Credits
        • ELEMENTAL: The Power of Illuminated Love (Art and Poetry Gift Book)
        • The River of Winged Dreams
        • The Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois
        • Songs from the Black Skylark zPed Music Player: A Novel by Aberjhani
        • I Made My Boy Out of Poetry
        • Journey through the Power of the Rainbow: Quotations from a Life Made Out of Poetry
        • Buy Books by Aberjhani on Amazon
        • 10th Anniversary of Encyclopedia of the Harlem Renaissance
  • AI Literary Chat Salon
  • Carousel of Sustainable Compassion
  • Working Scribe Carousel Number 2
    • Awards & Honors
    • My LinkedIn Portfolio Sampler
    • Pop Icon Michael Jackson in Life & Legend
    • Creative Thinkers International
  • Art and Poster Store
    • Blog: Silk-Featherbrush Art and Style
    • Postered Poetics
    • Your Introduction to Original Silk-Featherbrush Art & Style
  • Choose a Cultural Arts Heritage Project to Support
  • Working Scribe Image Carousel 2
  • About Bright Skylark Literary Productions
    • Bright Skylark Values and Motto
  • Famous Quotes of Note
    • Pinterest Page of Quotations
  • Charter for a More Compassionate World
  • As a Poet Thinketh: Poetry by Aberjhani
    • The Bridge of Silver Wings
    • Rainbow-Song for the Angel of Tao by Aberjhani
    • Ode to the Good Black Boots that Served My Soul So Well (poem by Aberjhani)
    • Angel of Remembrance: Candles for September 11, 2001
    • Rainbow-Song for the Angel of Tao: Verse 1
  • Articles and Essays
    • Abbreviated Minds in the News for Wreaking Havoc Worldwide editorial by Aberjhani
    • Iconic Authors Toni Morrison's and Harper Lee's New Works Likely to Influence Dialogues on Race
    • Red Summer: Text and Meaning in Claude McKay’s poem ‘If We Must Die’” part 1 of special 4-part series by Aberjhani
    • A Writer's Journey to Selma, Alabama
    • Justice Remains Elusive in Case of Newly-freed Louis C. Taylor (Part 1 of 2)
    • Sensualized Transcendence: Editorial and Poem on the Art of Jaanika Talts (Part 1)
    • Realms of Emerging Light (Sensualized Transcendence Editorial and Poem on the Art of Jaanika Talts Part 2)
    • Notes on the 150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
    • Why Race Mattered in Barack Obama's Re-Election: Editorial and Poem
    • Posted Perspectives on America's 2012 Presidential Election
    • 47 Percenters and Guerrilla Decontextualization: Dreamers and Nightmares
    • Considering Michael Clarke Duncan: Big Black Man Within A Nonsociopoliticohistorical Context (Editorial with Poem)
  • Video Pen & Ink
  • Links and Connections
    • Aberjhani's Guerrilla Decontextualization
  • Contact the Author
  • Working Scribe Image Carousel 2
  • Working Scribe Image Carousel 2
  • Bright Skylark LP Storefront