M.J. Content;4289302 said:
About this Earth Song "foul-up," I'll just leave this text here, from the book "Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson's Magnum Opus," by Joseph Vogel:
Because of the religious symbolism and the passionate response of the crowd (audience members are often shown sobbing), perhaps the most common criticism associated with “Earth Song” was that Jackson, or the song (or both), were “messianic.” This label gained more currency after a performance at the 1996 BRIT Awards in which Pulp singer, Jarvis Cocker, stormed the stage to protest what he perceived as Jackson’s “offensive” Christ-like portrayal.
This reading of Jackson’s performance(s)—which has been recycled by numerous journalists and critics—is staggeringly literal-minded. There is no question Jackson used iconic messianic gestures in his performances. What isn’t taken into consideration, however, is how, as a dancer/performance artist, his body acted as his canvas. He used specific gestures and symbolism to communicate meaning and express emotion. Would a critic claim Michelangelo is “messianic” and “narcissistic” for painting Jesus on the cross? What is far more interesting is considering how Jackson is deploying such symbols and gestures.
“When Jackson embodies a particular archetypal stance,” notes Constance Pierce, “his physical body transfigures into a kind of symbolic, elegant calligraphy wherein the Divine may channel gestures of explosive emotion or intimate compassion. The artist becomes shamanic, taking on our massive cumulative “shadow” and sweeping it whole into the light.
Jackson, then, uses messianic gestures, not because he thinks he is the messiah, but because of what such symbols can express and communicate. It is not about him personally, but how his body can translate the emotions of the song.
