But cleared of all criminal charges. Photograph: AP
Legacy watch: will he be remembered as that guy who was tried and acquitted on child abuse charges (wasn't he a pop star or something?) - or as that guy who sang and wrote some of the best pop songs of all time (wasn't there some trial or something)?
Since Michael Jackson is officially not guilty of the child abuse, it is about time our focus swung back to the music. Let us examine the facts: Pretty much everything he produced up to and including Thriller is touched by genius. I want you back is officially* the best pop song of all time. The rot set in after Bad. Smooth Criminal was probably the last half decent single. (Although the blog has a secret respect for Black and White - it's actually a decent song to dance to. Give it a try.)
[*Note: I want you back was voted best pop record of all time by an Observer blog expert panel.]
The case of Mr Jackson then reveals a more profound musical conundrum. Why do pop musicians get worse with age, while pretty much every other artist in their field gets better? Think about it. When Dostoevsky reached his forties he wrote the Brothers Karamazov. When Beethoven wrote his 9th Symphony no-one was saying 'he's completely sold out, I prefer the early symphonies, they had more edge'.
But look what happened to the Beatles, the Stones, Prince, Sting. Age in pop musicians means inevitable decent into mediocrity and obsolescence. And death is just cheating. Let's not delude ourselves that John Lennon wouldn't have produced some Frog Chorus-type aberration by the time he was 50. So we can't even blame Michael Jackson for making rubbish music. Once he hit a certain age he had to obey the inexorable law of pop.
Listens to Off The Wall. Feels nostalgic.
