In 1984, Michael Jackson ruled the airwaves. “Thriller” had just come out the year before … and Michaelmania exploded worldwide … a bit of a surprising twist since Jackson had already been through one round of worldwide fame with his brothers in the early ‘70’s.
The Jackson Five knocked out four straight #1 hits right out of the box with “I Want You Back,” “ABC,” “The Love You Save” and “I’ll Be There.” They hit #2 with their next two releases, “Mama’s Pearl” and “Never Can Say Goodbye.” They were on the covers of teeny-bopper magazines everywhere and became international superstars. (You REALLY know you’ve made it when you even have your own cartoon television series!)
After a label change (to Epic) and a name change (Motown owned the rights to the name The Jackson Five … so the now older and wiser brothers simply began calling themselves “The Jacksons”) … they enjoyed a couple more Top Ten Hits (“Enjoy Yourself” and “Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)” but, by the turn of the decade, had seen their run of hits slow down.
Youngest brother Michael took advantage of the situation and reinvented himself with his “Off The Wall” album in 1979. It spawned two more #1 Hits (“Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough” and “Rock With You”) as well as a couple of Top Tens (“Off The Wall” and “She’s Out Of My Life.”)
But nobody was prepared for what was next to come.
Michael’s next LP, “Thriller,” blew the roof off everything we knew about popular music. “Billie Jean” and “Beat It” both became massive #1 hits … and “The Girl Is Mine,” Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’,” “Human Nature,” “P.Y.T.” and the title track, “Thriller,” all made it into The Top Ten. [SEVEN Top Ten Hits from the same LP?!?! This was UNHEARD of!!! Back in MY day, that constituted a Greatest Hits Album. And, as if that wasn't enough, in between Jackson squeezed out another #1 record when he recorded the duet “Say Say Say” with Paul McCartney.}
He blew up MTV as the first black artist to crack the video medium. He influenced fashion, stole the Motown 25th Anniversary television special when he moon-walked his way through “Billie Jean,” a hit for another label (!), sold out huge arenas all over the world on his concert tour and even had his hair catch fire while filming a Pepsi commercial!
In the midst of all of this, Mark Bego, biographer to the musical stars, released his book “Michael.” (In fact, his book was released the same week Michael’s hair caught fire … who says timing isn’t everything?!?!)
A week later it was already on The New York Times “Best Sellers” list … and ultimately sold nine million copies.
But then Michael’s dad, Joe Jackson, insisted that Michael include his brothers on this galactic glide and, against his own best wishes, Michael agreed … and the “Victory” Tour was born. The family got back together and recorded a new LP and hit the road as a family unit.
What better way to follow up his own success??? Mark Bego went out on the road with The Jacksons for an all-expenses paid, 30-date three-month tour of The United States so that he could write his follow-up best seller, “On The Road With Michael.” (Kudos to his publisher, Pinnacle Books, for capturing lightning in a bottle twice in the same year!)
Flash-forward 42 years and Michael Jackson is all the rage again, thanks to the recently released biopic, “Michael,” which shattered box office records around the globe. Soon, many of Michael’s hits were charting again. (Why Pinnacle didn’t rush-release both of Mark’s books back into print is beyond my wildest imagination … they were sitting on a goldmine … and all Mark had to do was write a brief update to bring the story to its current state of Michaelmania, circa 2026.)
There’s still time … the movie is just now starting to play on cable and On Demand ... and the home video release cannot be too far behind … there is still a HUGE cash cow out there waiting to be tapped.
In the meantime, Mark Bego has agreed to talk with me at Forgotten Hits, and retell his story about this amazing adventure.
It’s the rock and roll adventure of a lifetime … and it’s all right here, EXCLUSIVELY, in Forgotten Hits! (kk)
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Be sure to join us tomorrow as Mark Bego recounts his MICHAEL JACKSON ADVENTURE ... EXCLUSIVELY for FORGOTTEN HITS!!!
