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Go back to the 70's and 80', witness the insane popularity of songs by the Jacksons, and in particular how popular Michael's songs were.
He also did duets with other artists and I believe he had hand in songs that became popular with other artists.
That's all, really. The Jackson's had their finger on the pulse of pop. And I say this as someone who never listened to their music intentionally, even I was very aware of it (and will admit much of it had a strong appeal).
Edit: Pop is tricky to stay on top of. By definition, "popular" music has the broadest appeal, which also means it's less complex. The more complex music is, the smaller the group that can appreciate it. I like to use Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue" as an example - I have musical training and still find it challenging to "grok".
So Michael and family had an unusual ability to change going forward, and keep their music engaging, while still having a broad appeal. Few musicians can do this, let alone to Michael's level.
Say what? Kind of Blue is very popular for the genre. I'm middle-aged, but I don't know anyone who doesn't appreciate that album. It sold more than 5 million albums in the US alone, making it a landmark jazz album.
So, he was essentially just producing more of the same and was good at it?
Not "the same", more like "same enough" to have broad appeal - that is he understood what was immediately accessible in music, but it wasn't always the same thing. That's what was so brilliant about his music.
What's more, his music is still getting radio play. He's been dead for fifteen years, and his music was most popular thirty years ago, but one of your local radio stations probably played a few of his songs within the last week. That kind of staying power almost never happens outside of more niche genres. That he did it with pop is insane.
I never expected to feel old on a comment about Michael Jackson, but here we are. Man, I can't believe it has honestly been that long.
For real. 15 years ago? Feels like yesterday.
Here, I can make it worse. There are highschoolers now who's parents hadn't met yet when when Michael Jackson died.
No, dude. His music in the 80's was completely original, and sounded like nothing else of the time. Go read the top level comment I left you.