Yesterday marked what would have been the 57th birthday of the legendary Michael Jackson. And, with Kanye West getting ready to receive the Michael Jackson Vanguard Award at tonight’s MTV Video Music Awards, we thought it apt to dedicate this week’s From The Vault to the one and only King Of Pop.
Today’s pick is the love song and its star-studded video ‘Liberian Girl.’
The ninth and final release from the record-breaking, genre-defining, game-changing blockbuster ‘Bad’ LP, it was only released in Europe and Australia in 1989 where it was a moderate hit peaking at #1 in Ireland, #13 in the UK and #50 in Australia.
Written by MJ and produced by musical genius Quincy Jones with additional production from Mike himself, the song features a Swahili intro by South African singer Letta Mbulu. Back in ’87 when the ‘Bad’ album was unleashed, there had been much speculation concerning who Jackson was referring to… he has never disclosed who the recipient of this serenade was.
Way before Taylor Swift surprised the world with ‘Bad Blood’ and its cameo-heavy visual, the Jim Yukich-directed video for ‘Girl’ housed a plethora of A-listers (most of who remain household names today) waiting for the King to show up to shoot the visual for that very song. The big reveal? He was there all along documenting their every single move and capturing the conversation that occurred throughout the night.
A simple, yet clever concept.
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Six years removed from his passing, it’s still difficult to digest that “Michael Jackson” is no longer with us. His unparalleled creativity and constant appetite for raising the bar are just a few of the reasons why – even in the afterlife – he remains untouchable. Invincible, if you will.
MJ, we love you, we miss you and once again, we say THANK YOU!
This is one of my fave songs from “Bad”, althought Dangerous is my fav album, Michael was at his best during the Bad era IMO.
Legend!
RIP KING!