History Awesome / MichaelJackson

* Michael and his sound team helped compose the soundtrack to ''[[VideoGame/Sonic3AndKnuckles Sonic the Hedgehog 3]]'', to the point where a 16-bit version of "Black or White" was to be included in the soundtrack, but legal issues prevented this. Although Jackson ended up going uncredited due to him being unhappy of the limited audio capabilities of the UsefulNotes/SegaGenesis, his tracks are still there (although the only song confirmed so far to be explicitly composed by Jackson being Carnival Night Zone) and many parts of each song are either heavily sampled from or inspired by his ''Music/{{Dangerous}}'' album and standalone tracks. The credits theme also became the instrumental basis for "Stranger in Moscow".

* The first MoonwalkDance he did in 1983, which introduced the world to his signature dance. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=u4ZL6lxzkxc#t=217]]

* Although it was unfortunate that the second concert took place on the night before 9/11, his 30th anniversary concerts at Madison Square Garden were amazing. Music/{{Slash}}, Music/{{Usher}}, Music/DestinysChild, and Music/WhitneyHouston also perform at the event and Michael reunites with his brothers onstage for the first time in 17 years. Keep in mind that this was his first full concert in the continental United States since the ''Bad'' tour all the way back in ''1987''.

* [[FunnyAneurysmMoment Although it eventually worsened his addiction to Demerol and propofol later]], Michael's 1999 performance of "Earth Song" in Seoul, South Korea, deserves a mention: like most other performances of the song, MJ is lifted up high into the air on a wired platform that would then slowly descend back to stage level. Unfortunately, in this performance, [[https://youtu.be/zPIFLhR-BGA?t=352 the wires gave out]], and Michael dropped down ''fifty feet'' like a metric ton of bricks, wrecking both his back and legs in the process. However, Michael somehow remained standing, and [[{{Determinator}} not only managed to finish the song]], but [[TheShowMustGoOn refused to be rushed to the hospital, and ended the concert off with "You Are Not Alone", before FINALLY collapsing from pain and exhaustion backstage]]. The man barely survived getting crippled or killed, but still wanted to send his fans home happy. ''That's'' dedication, if nothing else.

** The mother of 'em all is "Thriller," considered one of the most influential music videos ever made - with all the production value of a classic zombie movie, the sequence when Michael [[AndThenJohnWasAZombie becomes a zombie]] and does a huge choreographed dance with the other zombies in particular is some seriously iconic stuff. For a brief period, they went so far as to give the video a theatrical release as a short film, ahead of ''Disney/{{Fantasia}}''.[[note]]This was an ultimately failed attempt to get the video an Academy Award nomination as a short subject.[[/note]]

* [[FunnyAneurysmMoment Although it eventually worsened his addiction to Demerol and propofol later]], Michael's 1999 performance of "Earth Song" in Seoul, South Korea, deserves a mention: like most other performances of the song, MJ is lifted up high into the air on a wired platform that would then slowly descend back to stage level. Unfortunately, in this performance, [[https://youtu.be/zPIFLhR-BGA?t=352 the wires gave out]], and Michael dropped down ''fifty feet'' like a metric ton of bricks, wrecking both his back and legs in the process. However, Michael somehow remained standing, and [[Determinator not only managed to finish the song]], but [[TheShowMustGoOn refused to be rushed to the hospital, and ended the concert off with "You Are Not Alone", before FINALLY collapsing from pain and exhaustion backstage]]. The man barely survived getting crippled or killed, but still wanted to send his fans home happy. ''That's'' dedication, if nothing else.