Stories

The Magazine

Long reads and close listens. Original writing on the moments, records and ideas that made Michael Jackson a cultural landmark.

MusicAnalysisFashionBehind the ScenesLegacyDanceHistory

Off the Wall was the sound of Michael Jackson stepping out on his own, and the record that made Thriller possible.

For the first time since Off the Wall, Michael Jackson made an album without Quincy Jones. Teddy Riley and new jack swing led the way.

Michael Jackson did not just star in music videos. He redefined what one could be, and how much it could cost and mean.

A single white glove. A red zippered jacket. A military coat with gold braid. How Michael Jackson turned clothing into signature.

It was one of his most ambitious recordings, a plea for a wounded planet built like an opera. A close look at Earth Song.

The anti-gravity lean gets all the attention. But Smooth Criminal is full of smaller touches worth a closer look.

It was Michael Jackson's first solo world tour, and it turned stadiums into cathedrals of pop. The story of the Bad Tour.

A backward glide across a 1983 stage turned into one of the most imitated movements in the world. Here is how it spread.

Behind one of the most recognizable songs in pop lies a bass line Michael Jackson fought for, and a live performance that changed everything.

Released in November 1982, Thriller did more than break records. It changed what a pop album could be, and who it could reach.

One met the other on the set of The Wiz. Together they made three albums that still set the standard for pop production.

A pop star, a horror director, and a fourteen-minute idea that no one had tried before. The story behind the Thriller short film.