A daily tribute to Michael Jackson from 26/06/09 - 10/07/09Every day, a great song gets analysed
Song: Streetwalker
Album: Bad - Special Edition
Album: Bad - Special Edition
One week into these tributes, I've now been eclipsed by the stunning job done by Time magazine. They've devoted not just a few pages, but an entire issue towards Michael Jackson. There's little more I can do that could possibly beat some of the best writers in the world, along with stunning (and sometimes, rare) full-page glossy photos of his brightest moments. Meanwhile, MJ's just become the only artist to ever sell more albums than the Billboard's current #1 (Black Eyed Peas sold a measly 80,000 or so CDs last week... meanwhile Michael's albums sold around 400,000 copies... it's getting to the point where the studio will need to press more) Still, this blog series might not be as professional as a $6 magazine, but it sure as hell got there first, and it's free.
So, today, rather than celebrate some massively famous #1 single, I'll talk about my favourite of Michael's rarities. If you're keen on blowing $1.79, I highly recommend purchasing Streetwalker from iTunes. Observant listeners can tell it's special, right from the start; a honking harmonica groans under its own weight, then the player seems to walk into the background. If you've got a good pair of headphones, you'll hear Michael slowly walk towards you rapping "why don't you give me some time?" Just as you've got comfortable with the sonic depth, a series of drums blast your ear-drums out and we're in FM RADIO LAND!
A riff on the bass line from Billie Jean (which Jackson was always so proud of; he wrote that hit and argued for its case on Thriller while the producer hated it) and the usual Bad-era solid beat follow. Just when you think you've got it figured out though, a wicked horn section turns up, playing staccato parts, like it's some sort a rock / pop / ska genre hybrid. Then, just when things couldn't get any more interesting, the track breaks down (the 1:58 mark) and... man if this track hadn't been culled from Bad, I'd loved to have seen Michael dance to that moment... the brass parts keep the beat going while he raps his plead for "some time" again.
His lead vocals are coarse, ragged, stretched, as if he'd gargled egg shells before starting the recording session. If Mick Jagger had a vocal range bigger than the limited one he has, he'd probably have been recording similar parts in this era. Streetwalker changed my own approach to singing when I first heard it in 2001, released as part of the Bad - Special Edition CD. I didn't realise musicians were allowed to put so much grit into mainstream, accessible, pop. Then again... perhaps they aren't, and that's why they shelved the track? In any case, Michael and Quincey Jones chose Another Part of Me instead of Streetwalker. Back in those days, an album had to fit onto a 50-minute vinyl LP, and an even shorter cassette tape; real limits had to be applied to manage. In the digital age, freed from restrictions like this, I'd argue Jackson's albums got bogged down, mired by too many tunes / too longer songs. Streetwalker, if it had been included on Bad would have been the lengthiest of its songs. At, 5:49 minutes, it would have been more epic than Man In The Mirror. Meanwhile, his follow-up, Dangerous had 6 songs over 6 minutes long! This was his last moment of restraint. Enjoy it.
So, today, rather than celebrate some massively famous #1 single, I'll talk about my favourite of Michael's rarities. If you're keen on blowing $1.79, I highly recommend purchasing Streetwalker from iTunes. Observant listeners can tell it's special, right from the start; a honking harmonica groans under its own weight, then the player seems to walk into the background. If you've got a good pair of headphones, you'll hear Michael slowly walk towards you rapping "why don't you give me some time?" Just as you've got comfortable with the sonic depth, a series of drums blast your ear-drums out and we're in FM RADIO LAND!
A riff on the bass line from Billie Jean (which Jackson was always so proud of; he wrote that hit and argued for its case on Thriller while the producer hated it) and the usual Bad-era solid beat follow. Just when you think you've got it figured out though, a wicked horn section turns up, playing staccato parts, like it's some sort a rock / pop / ska genre hybrid. Then, just when things couldn't get any more interesting, the track breaks down (the 1:58 mark) and... man if this track hadn't been culled from Bad, I'd loved to have seen Michael dance to that moment... the brass parts keep the beat going while he raps his plead for "some time" again.
His lead vocals are coarse, ragged, stretched, as if he'd gargled egg shells before starting the recording session. If Mick Jagger had a vocal range bigger than the limited one he has, he'd probably have been recording similar parts in this era. Streetwalker changed my own approach to singing when I first heard it in 2001, released as part of the Bad - Special Edition CD. I didn't realise musicians were allowed to put so much grit into mainstream, accessible, pop. Then again... perhaps they aren't, and that's why they shelved the track? In any case, Michael and Quincey Jones chose Another Part of Me instead of Streetwalker. Back in those days, an album had to fit onto a 50-minute vinyl LP, and an even shorter cassette tape; real limits had to be applied to manage. In the digital age, freed from restrictions like this, I'd argue Jackson's albums got bogged down, mired by too many tunes / too longer songs. Streetwalker, if it had been included on Bad would have been the lengthiest of its songs. At, 5:49 minutes, it would have been more epic than Man In The Mirror. Meanwhile, his follow-up, Dangerous had 6 songs over 6 minutes long! This was his last moment of restraint. Enjoy it.
