Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson,
Usher, Jermaine Jackson, and Shaheen Jafargholi sang Jackson's
songs. Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson gave eulogies, while
Queen Latifah read, "We had him," a poem written for the occasion
by Maya Angelou. The Reverend Al Sharpton received a standing
ovation when he told Jackson's children, "There wasn't nothing
strange about your daddy. It was strange what your daddy had to
deal with." Jackson's 11-year-old daughter, Paris Katherine, cried as
she told the crowd, "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best
father you could ever imagine ... I just wanted to say I love him so
much."

Steve Huey of Allmusic said that, throughout his solo career, Jackson's versatility allowed
him to experiment with various themes and genres. As a musician, he ranged from Mo-
town's dance fare and ballads to techno and house-edged new jack swing to work that in-
corporates both funk rhythms and hard rock guitar. Michael, himself, stated at his pre-
release party for his Off The Wall album that Little Richard had a "huge influence" on
him.
Unlike many artists, Jackson did not write his songs on paper. Instead he would dictate
into a sound recorder; when recording he would sing from memory. Several critics ob-
served Off the Wall was crafted from funk, disco-pop, soul, soft rock, jazz and pop bal-
lads. Prominent examples include the ballad "She's out of My Life", and the two disco
tunes "Workin' Day and Night" and "Get on the
Floor".
According to Huey, Thriller refined the strengths of
Off the Wall; the dance and rock tracks were more
aggressive, while the pop tunes and ballads were
softer and more soulful. Notable tracks included
the ballads "The Lady in My Life", "Human Nature"
and "The Girl Is Mine"; the funk pieces "Billie Jean"
and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'"; and the disco set
"Baby Be Mine" and "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)".
With Thriller, Christopher Connelly of Rolling Stone
commented that Jackson developed his long associa-
tion with the subliminal theme of paranoia and darker imagery. Allmusic's Stephen Tho-
mas Erlewine noted this is evident on the songs "Billie Jean" and "Wanna Be Startin'
Somethin'" In "Billie Jean", Jackson sings about an obsessive fan who alleges he has fa-
thered a child of hers. In "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" he argues against gossip and the
media. The anti-gang violence rock song "Beat It" became a homage to West Side Story,
and was Jackson's first successful rock cross-over piece, according to Huey. He also ob-
served that the title track "Thriller" began Jackson's interest with the theme of the super-
natural, a topic he revisited in subsequent years. In 1985, Jackson co-wrote the charity an-
them "We Are the World"; humanitarian themes later became a recurring theme in his lyr-
ics and public persona.
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