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Over at AlternateHistory.com, someone started a thread, wondering what if Michael Jackson had never been born?
So far, the responses have ranged from one offs such as "There would be fewer pedophile jokes!" to "There would still be a wall between white and black music." to people who think without Jackson there wouldn't have been Britainy Spears or boy bands or anything like that.
Personally, after poking around the Billboard charts, I don't think Jackson's absence would have had a huge impact. Jackson's album, Thriller, was the most successful album in 1983 and 1984, but none of his other albums ranked number one. He had a few singles make it into the top five most successful singles, but none of them reached the number one spot. Remove Jackson and Men At Work would have had the most successful album of 1983, while The Police would have topped the charts in 1984.
What's interesting to consider is the impact Jackson's nonexistence might have had on Janet's career. She would have been the breakout Jackson child, eclipsing her older siblings, to rise to fame and wardrobe-malfunctioning infamy. But would she have risen to fame using the same musical style? Might she have been more influenced by, say, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner than her brother? Would she be better known for her ballads than songs like "Escapade" and "Control?"
So far, the responses have ranged from one offs such as "There would be fewer pedophile jokes!" to "There would still be a wall between white and black music." to people who think without Jackson there wouldn't have been Britainy Spears or boy bands or anything like that.
Personally, after poking around the Billboard charts, I don't think Jackson's absence would have had a huge impact. Jackson's album, Thriller, was the most successful album in 1983 and 1984, but none of his other albums ranked number one. He had a few singles make it into the top five most successful singles, but none of them reached the number one spot. Remove Jackson and Men At Work would have had the most successful album of 1983, while The Police would have topped the charts in 1984.
What's interesting to consider is the impact Jackson's nonexistence might have had on Janet's career. She would have been the breakout Jackson child, eclipsing her older siblings, to rise to fame and wardrobe-malfunctioning infamy. But would she have risen to fame using the same musical style? Might she have been more influenced by, say, Whitney Houston and Tina Turner than her brother? Would she be better known for her ballads than songs like "Escapade" and "Control?"
