He is the poster child for separating the art from the artist. Of course, we didn’t know any of that back when Off the Wall and Thriller, his first two albums, were released, back before things got weird. In those days, there was just this spectacular combination of raw talent and relentlessly polished showmanship. The videos were the thing—we couldn’t tear our eyes away from the dancing, the style. It never occurred to us that it might be corny for a pop star to break up a gang fight and turn it into group choreography. We just watched, thrilled.

“Beat It,” written and performed by Michael Jackson, 1983.

This post is part of Music 100, a love letter to songs. 100 words on 100 songs in 100 days, running from Groundhog Day to early June, 2025.

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