50. May 16, 1983: Moonwalk Magic – With choreographic finesse, Michael Jackson makes ‘Thriller’ the highest-grossing album of all time
“I thought ‘Billie Jean’ was one of the greatest records of all time even before I saw Michael on ‘Motown 25,'” says Antonio “LA” Reid, former boss of Island/Def Jam. “But the way he slid across the stage was like an earthquake. I was constantly dealing with breakdancers trying things like that, but none of them ever made it. It looked like he was a robot.” Prior to his May 16, 1983, television appearance on Motown’s 25th anniversary, Jackson had called his management office with a request: “Get me a hat, you kind of cool fedora – something a secret agent would wear.” Jackson wanted to bring “Billie Jean,” which had been at number one on the singles chart for several weeks. He’d been rehearsing for weeks, but the night before the recording, he’d go down to his mansion’s kitchen, put on his cool hat, crank the stereo up, and start practicing new dance moves. He later said he was trying to perfect “a breakdance move, kind of a popping thing” that some hip-hop kids had taught him. “All I knew was that in bridge I wanted to run forwards and backwards at the same time. Like someone walking on the moon.” Jackson’s choreography for “Billie Jean” is one of the most exciting dance routines in television history, but it was actually all prelude to the few seconds he introduced the world to the “Moonwalk.” Jackson later said Fred Astaire called him the next day and said, “You’re one hell of a dancer.” Astaire even videotaped the show and analyzed Jackson’s step sequences closely. Jackson’s “Thriller,” released in December 1982, was already breaking sales records, and the accompanying videos had opened doors on MTV to other black musicians like Prince. But the Motown 25 appearance turned the hit into a phenomenon: Five more number one singles followed, and the album stayed at the top of the US charts for 37 weeks. To date, “Thriller” has sold 40 million worldwide, earning Jackson an entry in the “Guinness Book of Records”. “At some point,” claims Walter Yetnikoff, then head of Jackson’s record company CBS, “the Smithsonian Museum thought about opening a separate section for Michael Jackson. With ‘Thriller’ this young man set the world on fire.”
49. Summer 1984: Germany’s mood music – Herbert Grönemeyer sings about “Bochum”
He had released four albums since 1979, with “the Intercord”, as he still – almost affectionately – called it many years later. The sales figures remained modest, the criticism took care of the Neue Deutsche Welle. Songwriters did not flourish. After “Mixed Feelings”, his best record to date, the contract with Herbert Grönemeyer was terminated. EMI Electrola in Cologne gave the 28-year-old theater musician and actor another chance. In the spring of 1984, the single “Menner” was released, Grönemeyer went on an ox tour through the German music programs and television shows, hopped on the keyboard in the regional program in front of candy-colored backdrops, shook his head. “Men” was played on the radio in an endless loop, suddenly everyone wanted an interview with Herbert. Then, in August, “4630 Bochum” appeared, reached the top of the charts and stayed on the list for 78 weeks. Later, in the 90s, a new edition was also noted in the top places. Grönemeyer recorded the album in the EMI recording studio II on Maarweg in Cologne from January to March 1984. He was supported by his “boys” – Norbert Hamm (bass) and Alfred Kritzer (keyboards), Gaggy Mrotzek (guitar) and Jakob Hansonis (guitar). Charly Mariano contributed a weird-sounding saxophone. “In the solo on ‘Bochum’ there are also a few wrong notes,” Grönemeyer recalls. Of course, that fits so well with the homage to the grey, ramshackle mining town with its heart in the right place. “Alkohol” and the ballad “Flugzeuge im Bauch” gave the album additional wings, and the critical homage to “Amerika”, which was typical of the time, also found a grateful audience who were unsettled by the retrofit plans. The panic of that time and vague fears of horror like the census are captured in “Now or Never”: “They will take pictures of you/ They will register you/ You’re ruining your whole life/ Time is running out/ We have to tackle it.” Never has anyone in German – with the exception of Lindenberg – mumbled songs about jealousy, relationship spats and the new dawn of love as emotionally as Grönemeyer. A humorous song “4630 Bochum” ends with “Mambo”. It was not until 2002 that this work was surpassed by the German spirit – by Herbert Grönemeyer’s “Mensch”.
48. September 14, 1984: Not a virgin – Madonna stuns at the inaugural MTV Video Music Awards
“People in the audience held their breath,” Madonna’s longtime publicist Liz Rosenberg describes of her protégé’s performance at the very first MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. “A friend whispered to me, ‘Your career will be over before it really gets going.’ I was terrified, of course.” Madonna sang “Like a Virgin” while wearing something vaguely reminiscent of a wedding dress—white bustier and tattered tutu, topped with lace gloves, dangerously high heels, baubles around her neck, and a tulle veil that didn’t last long on her head. At the beginning of her performance she danced on a gigantic wedding cake, at the end she rolled around on the stage, did unspeakable things with her veil and gave the millions in front of the TV a good look at her underwear. “None of us thought she would take it this far,” says Rosenberg. “Some got on their knees in front of her, others found her disgusting.” Huey Lewis, who also performed that night, admired Madonna’s courage: “It wasn’t a spontaneous idea. She had already done that at rehearsals. It was a planned, historic moment. She knew how to deal with the medium of television. We obviously didn’t know that.” MTV, then just three years old, wanted to break away from “serious” awards shows like the Grammys. That worked. “We wanted to make a show that would carry MTV’s image and go against the grain,” explains John Sykes, who served as executive producer on the early VMAs. “When we discovered all those hydraulic lifts and stage props in Radio City Hall, we were as excited as kids. We had a lot of cool effects, but I’ll never forget the looks from our advertising partners in the front row as Madonna walked out and rolled on the floor in her maiden dress. The next day there were discussions, but no one said we should have prevented it.”. “Some got on their knees in front of her, others found her disgusting.” Huey Lewis, who also performed that night, admired Madonna’s courage: “It wasn’t a spontaneous idea. She had already done that at rehearsals. It was a planned, historic moment. She knew how to deal with the medium of television. We obviously didn’t know that.” MTV, then just three years old, wanted to break away from “serious” awards shows like the Grammys. That worked. “We wanted to make a show that would carry MTV’s image and go against the grain,” explains John Sykes, who served as executive producer on the early VMAs. “When we discovered all those hydraulic lifts and stage props in Radio City Hall, we were as excited as kids. We had a lot of cool effects, but I’ll never forget the looks from our advertising partners in the front row as Madonna walked out and rolled on the floor in her maiden dress. The next day there were discussions, but no one said we should have prevented it.”. The most futuristic stage designs seemed unattractive in comparison to this woman. It’s the only performance that you can still remember even after 24 years. MTV is now present around the world, and the budget of the “VMAs” is eight times higher than in 1984. What hasn’t changed is the constant attempt to match the shock value of the first edition. This is only rarely successful: Howard Stern in 1992 as “Fart Man” in stretch pants with an exposed bottom. The kiss Michael Jackson gave his then-wife Lisa Marie Presley in 1994. And, not so long ago, a reboot of “Like A Virgin” when Madonna poked her tongue in Britney Spears’ mouth (and then kissed Christina Aguilera, albeit half-heartedly). “After the Madonna performance that first year, we knew we had to have at least one ‘oh, wow!’ moment on every show,” says Sykes. “That was the plan from the start. What scene would people get upset about the next day?” So far, however, no Madonna has been able to take the crown of scandal queens.