Why was everything out of place/wrong with Invincible?

[DuranDuran]

Rock music is rightfully considered to be superior to RnB and dance music because rock music requires more talent and skills to create, to record, but also to perform it live.

First of all, the only reason rock n roll exists is because of R&B, blues, gospel, & jazz. The term "rock n roll" itself was old Black American slang for sex. It's even mentioned in songs going all the way back to the 1930s. Rock n roll as a music genre was only titled that when white people started doing R&B in the late 1950s. It's technically just an earlier version of the term "blue eyed soul". R&B was code for "Black", the genre was even called "Black Singles/Albums" in Billboard during the 1980s. Just like before it was called "rhythm & Bues", it was called "race music". A lot of the early white rock singers also charted on the R&B chart at the same time like Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, & even Conway Twitty who later switched to country music.

Also are you saying that AC/DC music takes more talent than Barry White's to create & perform? Barry often has an orchestra on his songs. The reason why acts like Elvis, Rolling Stones, & Eric Clapton sold more is because they are white and white people ususally bought more records than other races. Pat Boone would sell more than Little Richard & Fats Domino doing the same songs. People in general tend to buy more records by artists of their own race, unless they like hip hop. It's the reason that if you look at the Top 50 highest selling artists, the majority are white males. Are you saying that white men have more talent than women of any race? It's the reason Black artists had to "crossover" to the "mainstream" Top 40 pop radio to get big sales. So saying rock music takes more talent is basically saying white people have more talent than Black people, since most rock artists are white (or at least the really popular ones not named Jimi Hendrix are) and most R&B artists are Black. I'm guessing you are one of those "disco sucks" people, which was thinly veiled racism, sexism, & homophobia by 1970s white rock fans.

The founders of Rolling Stone are white, so of course they're going to mainly write about white acts. Remember they refused to put Michael Jackson on the cover after Off The Wall, because they didn't think a Black artist would sell as well and that was true with mainstream publications. There's a reason that magazines like Ebony & Jet and TV shows like Soul Train were created. Because they were mostly ignored by the mainstream white publications

 

[zinniabooklover]

First of all, the only reason rock n roll exists is because of R&B, blues, gospel, & jazz.

This 1000x.

In fact, let me repeat that. Rock and roll Would. Not. Exist. without blues, jazz, gospel and r&b.

Without the influence, energy and brilliance of African American music the British pop charts in the 1960's would have consisted of Val Doonican.

The term "rock n roll" itself was old Black American slang for sex. It's even mentioned in songs going all the way back to the 1930s. Rock n roll as a music genre was only titled that when white people started doing R&B in the late 1950s. It's technically just an earlier version of the term "blue eyed soul". R&B was code for "Black", the genre was even called "Black Singles/Albums" in Billboard during the 1980s. Just like before it was called "rhythm & Bues", it was called "race music". A lot of the early white rock singers also charted on the R&B chart at the same time like Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, & even Conway Twitty who later switched to country music.

Also are you saying that AC/DC music takes more talent than Barry White's to create & perform?

Barry often has an orchestra on his songs. The reason why acts like Elvis, Rolling Stones, & Eric Clapton sold more is because they are white and white people ususally bought more records than other races.

Also, the UK and USA are the two biggest markets for 'popular' music. In both countries, Black people are in the minority, numerically. Which is why Black and African American artists needed to 'crossover' to get the success that would bring greater record sales.

Are you saying that white men have more talent than women of any race? It's the reason Black artists had to "crossover" to the "mainstream" Top 40 pop radio to get big sales. So saying rock music takes more talent is basically saying white people have more talent than Black people, since most rock artists are white (or at least the really popular ones not named Jimi Hendrix are) and most R&B artists are Black. I'm guessing you are one of those "disco sucks" people, which was thinly veiled racism, sexism, & homophobia by 1970s white rock fans.

It's depressing that you had to spell it out. But I'm glad you did.

 

[zinniabooklover]

Rock music is rightfully considered to be superior to RnB and dance music because rock music requires more talent and skills to create, to record, but also to perform it live.

First of all, the only reason rock n roll exists is because of R&B, blues, gospel, & jazz.

Dig this!!


"On 7 May 1964, a gaggle of excited passengers alighted on to a rainy disused railway station platform in south Manchester and took their seats for what one of the city's leading music academics says was a "massively culturally significant" gig.
The show at Whalley Range's Wilbraham Road station, recorded for Granada TV as the Blues and Gospel Train, saw greats including Muddy Waters and Sister Rosetta Tharpe perform.
The University of Salford's Dr Chris Lee says the show "influenced nearly everyone who saw it" and was as important as the Sex Pistols' 1976 show at the city's Lesser Free Trade Hall, which spurred attendees Morrissey, Mark E Smith and the musicians who would become Joy Division and Buzzcocks into action.
The gig was born out of the Blues and Gospel Tour, which was touring Europe for a second year running, having made its debut in 1963.
The line-up was the stuff of musical legend - alongside Waters and Tharpe were Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Cousin Joe, Otis Spann and the Reverend Gary Davis.
But while in 1964, the tour was a hit across the country, Dr Lee says the previous year the only British stop was in Manchester.

'Country catching up'​

That, he says, is exactly why the TV programme came to be made in the city.
"Manchester was the hottest blues and jazz scene in the country and we already had a very big R'n'B appreciation scene.
"The Twisted Wheel [nightclub] had been operating since 1961, playing more or less all urban black music and concerts at the Free Trade Hall were always sold out.

"In fact, Manchester was the only place that took the first tour in 1963 - what many people don't know is that a minibus came from London to that show and in it were Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Keith Richards and Brian Jones. They came all that way just to watch the concert.

BBC News
Chris Long
May 2014

I'm just gonna leave that there.

 

[dethorro]

Rock music is rightfully considered to be superior to RnB and dance music because rock music requires more talent and skills to create, to record, but also to perform it live.

You simply cannot generalise it in this manner, I’m afraid. There are skilled and less-skilled musicians on both sides. Jeff Beck, for example, is a rock musician and he is a virtuoso with prodigious talent and incredible skills on the guitar.

Prince, on the other hand, is mostly considered an RnB musician, but he was certainly also a virtuoso guitarist with a deep understanding of music and musicianship.

And then there are lesser musicians in both fields. I won’t name anybody, but I’m sure you can think of some yourself. Your logic is, once again, flawed.

 

[zinniabooklover]

I like Invincible but it's the only album of Michael's I don't love. I feel jealously for those who love it, I wish I could appreciate more, that's the seed of my frustration

Back on topic.

I love Invincible and always have from the first moment of listening to it. I love every song on there. Not equally, of course, but I get something out of all of them. I don't know what answer I could offer here since I never try to analyse why I do or don't like music. I'm a simple soul, lol. I didn't have any expectations of the album, though. I didn't try to figure out its place in Michael's canon, I just took it as it is. I don't know if that had anything to do with it. I genuinely have no interest in trying to decide if it's better or worse than, say, HIStory. Not to criticise people who like to do that sort of stuff. It's just not me.

My relationship with the songs ebbs and flows but that happens with all albums that I like.

 

[Nite Line]

I personally don't get the hate for songs like Don't Walk Away and You Are My Life.

Don't Walk Away is a great vocal performance. You can feel that pain and emotion in his voice. I consider DWA the modern and better version of She's Out Of My Life.

You Are My Life is a sweet song that is for his kids. I wasn't a MJ fan when he passed away and this was one the very first MJ songs that I listen to in the summer of 2009. So perhaps I am a bit biased but I really love this song.

If I was choosing the tracklist for Invincible, I would make the following changes.

- Replace Invincible with Xscape.
Invincible is Michael's worst title track. I don't even understand the song. The song is about some girl who won't reciprocate Michael's feelings of love, so she is Invincible? That doesn't make sense. If the song was about Michael, then I would understand, but It isn't, so it doesn't make sense to have it as the title track. The song itself isn't that good and the highlight for me is the rap section and I don't even like hip hop.
Xscape is a really good track and with the massive media witch-hunt against Michael after the 93 allegations, it is a song that perfectly describes Michael's feelings of wanting to get away from everything and just Xscape, so a perfect title track in my opinion.

- Replace Cry with We've Had Enough.
While Cry is a song that I have grown to appreciate, I still think it is a weak song and vastly inferior to the other world peace song from the Invincible era... We've Had Enough.

- Replace Privacy with Price of Fame.
Michael reworked on POF during the Invincible sessions. Both Privacy and Price of Fame are songs of similar themes, but POF's demo version from the Bad era is vastly superior. Imagine a more complete version from the Invincible sessions.

- Replace The Lost Children with Blue Gangsta.
While I don't mind TLC, I think it should have been released as a B side. Blue Gangsta has that modern feel of Smooth Criminal. It features a great vocal delivery. It is criminal that it was left of Invincible.

Other the aforementioned changes, I would have also reduced the length of certain long songs by half a minute to a minute. And obviously, the order of the track list would be different.

But despite its flaws, Invincible has its great moments. Invincible is a good album, an album that I enjoy listening to from start to finish. That isn't to say that it is a perfect album. It isn't, but I rather listen to Invincible from start to finish than History, even though History is a better album.

 

[mj_frenzy]

First of all, the only reason rock n roll exists is because of R&B, blues, gospel, & jazz. The term "rock n roll" itself was old Black American slang for sex. It's even mentioned in songs going all the way back to the 1930s. Rock n roll as a music genre was only titled that when white people started doing R&B in the late 1950s. It's technically just an earlier version of the term "blue eyed soul". R&B was code for "Black", the genre was even called "Black Singles/Albums" in Billboard during the 1980s. Just like before it was called "rhythm & Bues", it was called "race music". A lot of the early white rock singers also charted on the R&B chart at the same time like Elvis Presley, Bill Haley, Jerry Lee Lewis, & even Conway Twitty who later switched to country music.

Also are you saying that AC/DC music takes more talent than Barry White's to create & perform? Barry often has an orchestra on his songs. The reason why acts like Elvis, Rolling Stones, & Eric Clapton sold more is because they are white and white people ususally bought more records than other races. Pat Boone would sell more than Little Richard & Fats Domino doing the same songs. People in general tend to buy more records by artists of their own race, unless they like hip hop. It's the reason that if you look at the Top 50 highest selling artists, the majority are white males. Are you saying that white men have more talent than women of any race? It's the reason Black artists had to "crossover" to the "mainstream" Top 40 pop radio to get big sales. So saying rock music takes more talent is basically saying white people have more talent than Black people, since most rock artists are white (or at least the really popular ones not named Jimi Hendrix are) and most R&B artists are Black. I'm guessing you are one of those "disco sucks" people, which was thinly veiled racism, sexism, & homophobia by 1970s white rock fans.

The founders of Rolling Stone are white, so of course they're going to mainly write about white acts. Remember they refused to put Michael Jackson on the cover after Off The Wall, because they didn't think a Black artist would sell as well and that was true with mainstream publications. There's a reason that magazines like Ebony & Jet and TV shows like Soul Train were created. Because they were mostly ignored by the mainstream white publications

The claim that American singer Elvis Presley had such a huge success (record sales, chart hits) just because he was white cannot explain the fact that other white male singers (in the same period who also sang cover versions of mainly black songs) did not manage to achieve similar success.

Elvis Presley's success is contributed to many factors, being white was simply one of them.

It has been pointed out that the factors of his success were, among others:

- his smooth, melodic and wonderful voice
- his voice that also could comfortably range from baritone to tenor
- his overt sex appeal of his dance moves
- the way he blended so many different musical genres
- the way he could sing any cover song and make it his own
- the fact that he was a handsome man

Also, the claim that people in general tend to buy more records by artists of their own race unless they like hip hop, is not really true.

For example the success of certain black artists is also because millions of white people have bought their records.

Like, Janet Jackson, Prince, Whitney Houston, Michael Jackson, or more recently, Beyoncé, Rihanna, and so on, regardless of the fact that their music is described as crossover to white audiences.

You simply cannot generalise it in this manner, I’m afraid. There are skilled and less-skilled musicians on both sides. Jeff Beck, for example, is a rock musician and he is a virtuoso with prodigious talent and incredible skills on the guitar.

Prince, on the other hand, is mostly considered an RnB musician, but he was certainly also a virtuoso guitarist with a deep understanding of music and musicianship.

And then there are lesser musicians in both fields. I won’t name anybody, but I’m sure you can think of some yourself. Your logic is, once again, flawed.

Prince's core musical genre has always been funk.

He was also the one who pioneered the Minneapolis sound, which is a blend of funk and rock music.

 

[zinniabooklover]

Also, the claim that people in general tend to buy more records by artists of their own race unless they like hip hop, is not really true.

I do agree with this.

Prince's core musical genre has always been funk.

He was also the one who pioneered the Minneapolis sound, which is a blend of funk and rock music.

A blend of funk and rock music?

Sly and the Family Stone - 1960's
P-Funk - early 1970's (or possibly earlier)

Those are the two obvious ones that immediately spring to mind. There's probably more. I don't remember hearing anything from Prince that was so amazingly innovative in terms of the actual *sound* he created. He just sounded like a standard mix of rock / funk / pop. To my ears, at least.

 

[dethorro]

Prince's core musical genre has always been funk.

He was also the one who pioneered the Minneapolis sound, which is a blend of funk and rock music.

Yes, funk…”a type of dance music with a strong rhythm, developed by African American musicians in the 1960s”(Oxford Dictionary).

By the way, funk is another musical style, just like Rock’n’Roll, which originated from RnB.

 

[zinniabooklover]

Yes, funk…”a type of dance music with a strong rhythm, developed by African American musicians in the 1960s”(Oxford Dictionary).

Exactly so.

We can argue about the exact origins of funk but it's not unusual to hear people attribute the creation of funk to James Brown. There's probably more to it than that but he certainly is an important part of its early development.

" a type of dance music" - yes, indeed. Urban aggressive dance music.

By the way, funk is another musical style, just like Rock’n’Roll, which originated from RnB.

Yep. Black music generally and African American music specifically is pretty much where it all came from, those genres which have been under discussion. I love rock music but no way is it superior to soul, funk, gospel, blues or r&b. Nor is rock music superior to disco, just to mention the other obvious genre of music dominated by black musicians.

 

[DuranDuran]

Also, the claim that people in general tend to buy more records by artists of their own race unless they like hip hop, is not really true.

What do you mean it's not true? The fact that decades ago Top 40 primarily played white artists and was marketed to "mainstream" aka white audiences means that white people bought white artists. The same with rock and country radio, except for Jimi Hendrix (AOR) & Charley Pride (country). That a few non-white artists were allowed to crossover to pop radio does not mean anything. Did those white people who bought Michael Jackson, Billy Ocean, & Lionel Richie have more records by Black artists than white? Unlikely. How much pop airplay did Maze, Teddy Pendergrass, Millie Jackson, Johnny Guitar Watson, Zapp, L.T.D., and many other acts popular with R&B audiences get? Jimi Hendrix & Charley Pride were not the only Black artists to make rock & country music. But few if any others got airplay. David Bowie even did an interview in the early years of MTV and asked why they didn't show many videos by Black artists. Do more white people buy Ebony magazine than Black?

If you look at the R&B chart (aka Black artists), there were no Journey, Bruce Springsteen, Def Leppard, Or Paul Simon. The white artists that did get R&B airplay made R&B music or had R&B elements (Teena Marie, Hall & Oates, Doobie Brothers/Michael McDonald, Wham!/George Michael, Culture Club, Average White Band, Bob James, etc.) Black people usually have more records by Black artists than other races. It's like Latinos such as Puerto Ricans, Mexicans, & Cubans are likely to have salsa, Tejano, ranchero, bossa nova, tropical, reggaeton records. There's a separate Latin Grammy Awards show. Indians are likely to have Bollywood music style records. You know the stuff white people call "world music". That "world music" primarily sells to the race/ethnicity that made it. Because it is their culture and in their language. White people mainly buy it in large quantities when Paul Simon, The Beatles, or Peter Gabriel does it. Paul Simon won a lot of Grammys for Graceland. It took Eric Clapton doing a remake of I Shot The Sheriff to get mainstream audiences to find out about Bob Marley.

 

[DuranDuran]

Also the fact that The Jackson 5, Jacksons, & Mike's solo Motown do not get as much attention because they are more R&B/soul than Mike's solo records on Epic. Some of the R&B audience & Black media said that artists like Mike, Lionel Richie, & Prince, Whitney Houston were sellouts making music designed to crossover. Whitney was even booed at The Soul Train Awards one year.

 

[mj_frenzy]

@DuranDuran, it is not necessarily a bad thing when a black artist achieves wider commercial and chart success via crossover music (to a white audience).

Besides, this would make that black artist even more famous, meaning also it would give that artist an elevated status among black, African-American people.

Yes, funk…”a type of dance music with a strong rhythm, developed by African American musicians in the 1960s”(Oxford Dictionary).

By the way, funk is another musical style, just like Rock’n’Roll, which originated from RnB.

Regardless of funk music's origins, it later became a distinct, separate musical genre.

Just like pop music which initially referred to popular music (so it included various musical genres), but it later became a distinct, separate musical genre, as well.

I do agree with this.

A blend of funk and rock music?

Sly and the Family Stone - 1960's
P-Funk - early 1970's (or possibly earlier)

Those are the two obvious ones that immediately spring to mind. There's probably more. I don't remember hearing anything from Prince that was so amazingly innovative in terms of the actual *sound* he created. He just sounded like a standard mix of rock / funk / pop. To my ears, at least.

The 'Little Red Corvette' song, from Prince's '1999' album, is one characteristic example of the Minneapolis sound that he created (guitars, drum machines, synthesizers).

 

[zinniabooklover]

The 'Little Red Corvette' song, from Prince's '1999' album, is one characteristic example of the Minneapolis sound that he created (guitars, drum machines, synthesizers).

'LRC' always just sounded like lightweight pop rock. He doesn't sound that innovative to me.

 

[DuranDuran]

@DuranDuran, it is not necessarily a bad thing when a black artist achieves wider commercial and chart success via crossover music (to a white audience).

Besides, this would make that black artist even more famous, meaning also it would give that artist an elevated status among black, African-American people.

The point isn't whether crossover is good or bad. I originally said that in general that people tend to buy more music of their own race and/or ethnicity. Just because the mainstream listened to a few non-white artists that crossed over does not mean they bought more music by that ethnicity. There's only one Japanese artist that had a Top 10 single in the USA and that was in the 1960s (Sukiyaki by Kyu Sakamoto). Like I mentioned earlier the majority of the Top 50 biggest selling artists are white males and who made rock music. It's like white rock artists who made blues or blues influenced music (Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, Eric Clapton, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughn, etc ) records sold way more than the Black artists who originated it (B.B. King, Muddy Waters, Little Milton, Buddy Guy, etc). They also get more writeups in the music magazines. Rolling Stone magazine once said that Eminem is the "King Of Hip Hop". Notice that the mainstream media is always saying somebody is the new "King Of Pop" like Justin Timberlake, Drake, or Justin Beiber. But there are never any replacements for the "King Of Rock N Roll".

As far as the "elevated status" with African Americans go. Depending on their age, think more of the Commodores funk songs like Fancy Dancer than Lionel Richie solo songs like Say You Say Me and Dancing On The Ceiling that were pop hits. Like older hip hop fans are more likely to praise Eric B & Rakim over rap acts that had big pop success like MC Hammer, Tone Loc, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. The reason The Fresh Prince got a sitcom (Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air) is because he had crossover appeal and the songs by the duo were Top 40 pop hits. Same for the Fat Boys getting a movie (Disorderlies) made by Warner Brothers. A major TV network like NBC was not going to make a TV series for Public Enemy, Kool Moe Dee, or Rakim. Funkadelic had little if any crossover and neither did Maze, but they are still popular with the older R&B audience. If being more famous was a criteria for having more pride about them, then Whitney would not have been booed at the awards show. Mainstream audiences would also not have been shocked that she married Bobby Brown, who had the opposite public image of Whitney.

To this day, oldies R&B radio plays J5/Jacksons songs that the pop oldies radio stations ignore, such as Show You The Way To Go, Good Times, Whatever You Got I Want, Lovely One, I Am Love, and so on. The only song by the brothers that gets on Top 40 oldies is Shake Your Body. R&B radio also still plays Butterflies & You Rock My World.

 

[zinniabooklover]

Rolling Stone magazine once said that Eminem is the "King Of Hip Hop".

Jeez, really? I didn't see that. RS is such a rag.

Notice that the mainstream media is always saying somebody is the new "King Of Pop" like Justin Timberlake, Drake, or Justin Beiber. But there are never any replacements for the "King Of Rock N Roll".

Excellent point.

To this day, oldies R&B radio plays J5/Jacksons songs that the pop oldies radio stations ignore, such as Show You The Way To Go, Good Times, Whatever You Got I Want, Lovely One, I Am Love, and so on. The only song by the brothers that gets on Top 40 oldies is Shake Your Body. R&B radio also still plays Butterflies & You Rock My World.

Very true. It's so disappointing.

 

[dethorro]

Notice that the mainstream media is always saying somebody is the new "King Of Pop" like Justin Timberlake, Drake, or Justin Beiber. But there are never any replacements for the "King Of Rock N Roll".

While I agree with most of your arguments, this one is not convincing, to me, and I have seen other people mention it over the years. Rock’n’Roll is not a genre which is still dominant in the charts in any way, shape or form. It’s not a genre which has continued to be popular after its peak in the 50s and early 60s and, in fact, it started to slowly decline in the subsequent years after evolving into what we know as rock music.

Of course the media would not ”crown” anybody else the “King Of Rock’n’Roll”, because there are no real Rock’n’Roll artists out there anymore, not in the mainstream, at least. It’s pretty much a dead genre. Who should or could be crowned the new ”King Of Rock’n’Roll”?

 

[Spaceship]

But there are never any replacements for the "King Of Rock N Roll".

That's because Rock is dead lol

 

[DuranDuran]

That's because Rock is dead lol

You mean Maroon 5 isn't rock?

 

[Spaceship]

You mean Maroon 5 isn't rock?

Not real rock, no. They are pop rock aka wannabe rock lol.

I think the last popular real rock act was Foo Fighters and that was like what, 2005?

 

[DuranDuran]

Not real rock, no. They are pop rock aka wannabe rock lol.

I think the last popular real rock act was Foo Fighters and that was like what, 2005?

Recently I've been hearing I Ran by A Flock Of Seagulls on the local classic rock station. Which I never knew was a rock song or group. I guess they'll be playing Pet Shop Boys next.

 

[zinniabooklover]

Recently I've been hearing I Ran by A Flock Of Seagulls on the local classic rock station. Which I never knew was a rock song or group. I guess they'll be playing Pet Shop Boys next.

That is all kinds of wrong but it made me laugh like a hyena so I'm gonna forgive them.

 

[PurpleThriller]

'LRC' always just sounded like lightweight pop rock. He doesn't sound that innovative to me.

Really?:0

 

[zinniabooklover]

'LRC' always just sounded like lightweight pop rock. He doesn't sound that innovative to me.

Really?:0

Yeah.

I'm not saying he didn't have his own sound. Any good musician or band will get their own sound, usually quite early on. His songs definitely sound like 'Prince'. But they don't sound particularly innovative to me. I never heard a song by him that made me think I'd never heard *anything* like that before. If that's a definition of 'innovative' that's being used. Synth - pop was already a thing. Guitar / synth / drum machine was already happening. Prince was good but to me he just sounds like decent pop rock.

I would always wanna give a special shout-out to Sign O' The Times (the song) bc that is a towering achievement. That's his legacy right there.

 

[PurpleThriller]

Yeah.

I'm not saying he didn't have his own sound. Any good musician or band will get their own sound, usually quite early on. His songs definitely sound like 'Prince'. But they don't sound particularly innovative to me. I never heard a song by him that made me think I'd never heard *anything* like that before. If that's a definition of 'innovative' that's being used. Synth - pop was already a thing. Guitar / synth / drum machine was already happening. Prince was good but to me he just sounds like decent pop rock.

I would always wanna give a special shout-out to Sign O' The Times (the song) bc that is a towering achievement. That's his legacy right there.

Oh gotcha

 

[SmoothCriminal1995]

I'll never forget how amazing You Rock My World sounded, when it premiered on the radio. Like RTT or BOTDF it's one if those songs no matter how loud it is you want to turn it up. It felt like Mike was back with a vengeance

I think that's part of my personal disappointment with Invincible, aside from a few songs, most didn't match the promise of You Rock My World

 

[Nite Line]

I'll never forget how amazing You Rock My World sounded, when it premiered on the radio. Like RTT or BOTDF it's one if those songs no matter how loud it is you want to turn it up. It felt like Mike was back with a vengeance

I think that's part of my personal disappointment with Invincible, aside from a few songs, most didn't match the promise of You Rock My World

You Rock My World is one of the best songs, if not the best song on Invincible and it was the lead single. For Michael’s previous albums, the lead single wasn’t always the best song, so fans have better songs to look forward to when the album was released. That wasn’t the case with Invincible, which explains the disappointment of a lot of fans.

 

[kreen]

You Rock My World is one of the best songs, if not the best song on Invincible and it was the lead single. For Michael’s previous albums, the lead single wasn’t always the best song, so fans have better songs to look forward to when the album was released. That wasn’t the case with Invincible, which explains the disappointment of a lot of fans.

I remember that when the song leaked in 2001, the general reaction was « this is good but not as amazing as what we hoped, but don’t worry, better songs will follow, as MJ doesn’t release the best songs as first singles. » Turns out it was by far the best thing on the album, which isn’t saying a lot.

 

[mj_frenzy]

In Michael Jackson's case, the lead single was not the best or the strongest song from the album.

The selection of the lead single came down to other reasons.

For example, the record company chose 'You Rock My World' because it was a safe solution (a song with a sound familiar to the audience at that time).

Also, it appears that Rodney Jerkins had a lot of power at that time to the point where he forced the artists and record companies to release as lead singles the songs in which the artist uttered the producer's stage name (Darkchild) as the first word of the song.

He used to do that with artists (with whom he worked), such as with Toni Braxton's 'He Wasn't Man Enough' lead single (2000), and this was the producer's digital signature.

He again did that with the 'You Rock My World' lead single where Michael Jackson utters his stage name as the first word of the song.

Also, with 'Scream' as the lead single Michael Jackson showed that with this album he wanted to fight those accusations and his family was by his side (which was represented by Janet Jackson).

Or, with 'The Girl Is Mine' they wanted to capitalize on the fame of Paul McCartney, but also because this song had a specific sound, and songs with such a sound used to chart a lot on the Top Charts at that time.

@DuranDuran, Whitney Houston was booed at that Awards Show by some black people.

These people certainly do not represent the entire black, African-American community.

 

[DuranDuran]

These people certainly do not represent the entire black, African-American community.

Nobody represents an entire race. Black people aren't all the same & don't do the same things. There are Black rodeos, but most Black people are not into rodeos or cowboys. The Jackson siblings have said their mother Katherine is a big fan of country music and the family sang country songs when they were growing up. But the brothers did not go into the country music field. Like a redneck doesn't represent everybody white. But there are still a lot of rednecks. And not all Black people in the USA claim "African American". Some are Jamaican, Dominican, Brazilian, West Indian, Haitian, Afro Mexican, and so on. Some are directly from Africa such as Nigerians. African immigrants don't usually use African American, they use the country in Africa they are from. Unless they are filling out a form/application where that is the only choice. Applications don't use words like Jamaican or Italian, it's black or white (not of Hispanic origin). Technically a white person can be "African American" like the actress Charlize Theron, because she is from South Africa.