"Jackson's feathery-timbred tenor is extraordinarily beautiful. It slides smoothly into a
startling falsetto that's used very daringly". 1982 saw the release of Thriller, and Rolling
Stone were of the opinion that Jackson was then singing in a "fully adult voice" that was
"tinged by sadness".
The release of "Bad" in 1987 displayed gritty lead vocals on the verse and lighter tones
employed on the chorus. A distinctive deliberate mispronunciation of "come on", used
frequently by Jackson, occasionally spelt "cha'mone" or
"shamone", is also a staple in impressions and caricatures of
him. The turn of the 1990s saw the release of the introspec-
tive album Dangerous; here Jackson used his vocals to inten-
sify the split themes and genres described earlier. The New
York Times noted that on some tracks, "he gulps for breath,
his voice quivers with anxiety or drops to a desperate whis-
per, hissing through clenched teeth" and he had a "wretched
tone". When singing of brotherhood or self-esteem the musi-
cian would return to "smooth" vocals. "In the Closet" con-
tained heavy breathing and a loop of five scat-sung syllables,
whereas in the album's title track, Jackson performs a spoken
rap. When commenting on Invincible, Rolling Stone were of
the opinion that—at the age of 43—Jackson still performed "exquisitely voiced rhythm
tracks and vibrating vocal harmonies”. Nelson George summed up Jackson's vocals by
stating "The grace, the aggression, the growling, the natural boyishness, the falsetto, the
smoothness—that combination of elements marks him as a major vocalist".
Steve Huey of Allmusic observed how Jackson transformed the music video into an art
form and a promotional tool through complex story lines, dance routines, special effects
and famous cameo appearances; simultaneously breaking down racial barriers. According
to director Vincent Paterson, who collaborated with the singer on several music videos,
Jackson conceptualized many of the darker, bleak themes in his filmography.
US patent 5255452, filed by Jackson, described the anti-gravity
lean used in the music video for "Smooth Criminal".
Before Thriller, Jackson struggled to receive coverage on MTV,
allegedly because he was African American. Pressure from CBS
Records persuaded MTV to start showing "Billie Jean" and later
"Beat It", leading to a lengthy partnership with Jackson, also help-
ing other black music artists gain recognition. MTV employees
deny any racism in their coverage, or pressure to change their
stance. MTV maintains that they played rock music, regardless of
race. The popularity of his videos on MTV helped to put the relatively young channel "on
the map"; MTV's focus shifted in favor of pop and R&B. Short films like Thriller largely
remained unique to Jackson, while the group dance sequence in "Beat It" has frequently
been imitated. The choreography in Thriller has become a part of global pop culture, rep-
licated everywhere from Indian films to prisons in the Philippines. The Thriller short film
marked an increase in scale for music videos, and has been named the most successful
music video ever by the Guinness World Records.
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