MICHAEL JACKSON: Social Entrepreneurship Through Music

Susan Koscis of Search for Common Ground discusses the death of Michael Jackson and his social entrepreneurship through music.

I worked for CBS Records, Michael Jackson’s record company, in NYC before coming to Washington to work at SFCG. The closest I ever got to Michael was when I saw his bejeweled glove wave across the tops of heads in a crowded room at a CBS party, as he was led into a private party room. I haven’t thought much about him, and frankly have been relieved when he wasn’t in the news. And so his death, and the coverage of his life, have caused me to revisit his music, remember some of his songs, and be newly inspired by his wish to change the world and make it a better place.

There were many sides to Michael Jackson. One side was that he wanted to make a difference in the world and tried to do that through his music. And so here is my own personal tribute to Michael Jackson. Take a look. Listen. And Change.

Nick Oatley, my SFCG colleague from the UK, just introduced me to a Michael Jackson song that I had never heard of. It was never released in the U.S., although it was a #1 hit in the UK. It’s a plaintive song for the earth and about the earth and about what we humans are doing. “…For me, this is Earth’s Song,” Jackson said, “Because I think nature is trying so hard to compensate for man’s mismanagement of the Earth. And with the ecological unbalance and a lot of the problems in the environment, I think earth feels the pain, and she has wounds. But it’s about some of the joys of the planet as well.” Have a look below:

http://www.ecorazzi.com/2009/06/26/watch-michael-jacksons-earth-song-music-video/

Other inspirational songs:

Man in the Mirror: “If you want to make the world a better place, start with yourself, look in the mirror, and change.”

Black or White: “It don’t matter of you’re black or white.”

We Are the World: “We’re the Ones who make a brighter day.”

Heal the World: “Heal the World. Make it a better place.”

And while I’m on the topic of music, this new online version of Stand By Me arrived in my inbox today. It isn’t about governments or politics. It’s about we, the people. And that we (Americans) and they (Iranians) are one.

A new version of “Stand By Me” with Jon Bon Jovi and LA-based Iranian singer Andy Madadian, was made as an online video, and is “a musical message of worldwide solidarity” to the Iranian people. The session took place June 24 in LA after a conversation with Madadian about “whether there was something we could do to send a little message of solidarity, remembering the ’60s, believing music can change things.” Madadian – who has lived in the U.S. since the 1979 Iranian revolution — and Bon Jovi sing the first verse in Farsi. At the end Madadian and Bon Jovi hold a sign saying “We are one” in Farsi.

Enjoy the music!