Break with Tradition : MJ Tribute
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Some may find it hard to believe, but here at Synthtube, we do actually have an appreciation for more than just Synthesizer-based music.
In a break with tradition, and because we think that enough time has passed now since the media circus, Synthtube has decided to post a (large) tribute to Michael Jackson.
Yes, you heard it right. The simple fact is that after rising form his exceptionally talented Motown roots, Michael Jackson quietly did his part through pop for making the synthesizer an irrevocable part of mainstream popular music. Who could imagine listening to “Thriller” without the synth intro and bassline? Who could imagine the 90’s esque song “Smooth Criminal” without the signature synth bassline and indeed synth drum-machine? The metamorphosis of synthesizer based music, such as the niche Synthpop of the 1970’s (which we’ll admit we’re partial to featuring here on this site) was mostly made possible by pop artists who utilised these new instruments in a mainstream way – such as Michael Jackson. Indeed, there were many artists in the 1980’s who did this, however, the incredibly gifted songwriting capability of Motown veteran Jackson, is probably the most famous example of how the Synthpop sound went mainstream and blended into pop seamlessly. Today, in 2009, nobody flinches when they hear a synthetic instrument in a popular song of any kind. It’s our contention that Pop artists, and in particular, Michael Jackson made this possible.
Our tribute to Michael Jackson, ironically, consists of a list of the best covers we’ve found on youtube by average, acoustic artists who decided to cover Michael Jackson as a tribute to his death. In our opinion, most of these renditions are notable not for their synthesizer content, but for the fact that when you lay most of Michael Jacksons’ songs bare, down to something as simple as a voice and a guitar, you are left with the original songwriting that really he should be remembered for – pure, simple and brilliant, even at a very young age. Synthesizers simply became a tool to help bring that talent to the forefront, with such well written songs. Without further ado – here’s our list of best Michael Jackson Covers on Youtube today.
1- “Terra Naomi” covers “You are Not Alone” with such depth that you almost forget it’s an MJ song. What if MJ had indeed had a “comeback”, and entered that “Serious” phase that many pop stars inevitably do when their music becomes more mature – which he tragically never had the chance to do. Would he have done something like this? Naomi does that thing that a good singer does, and makes this song “her own”.
2 – A pretty, somewhat “religious” cover of the same song as above, recorded in a church, alongside the same singer overdubbed/harmonizing with “AVE MARIA”. The singer, Jane Lui, has a pretty, and powerful voice, and brings her own sound to the song.
3 - Emily Elbert does a VERY funky acoustic cover of “Thriller” that IMHO preserves just enough of the original “Chutzpah” required for this song. She has SERIOUS guitar chops, on top of her great pipes. The best thing about this cover is that she “gets” it – there are literally dozens of “Emo” covers of this song on YouTube by kids who have failed to grasp that the song is about ZOMBIES TRYING TO KILL ME OMG, which they miss entirely in their sappy emotive performances. This girl has got the ZING in this song which is just right for a cover.
4 – Kina Grannis, does a very funky and soulful cover of “Do You Remember The Time” . It’s great to see songs reinterpreted like this – so different from the original, but still preserving the pure simplicity of the songwriting. One could almost hear a Hip Hop remix here.
5 – “Gabe Bondoc” does a tasteful acoustic cover of “Man In the Mirror” that unlike the MJ version, leaves the lyrics in the song raw for everyone to hear without over the top pop production to bury the message. This is probably one of MJ’s most classy uses of language and metaphor in a song.
6 - This is a nice acoustic cover by “lna-t” of “Black or White”, complete with wooden box percussion. By today’s standards this song’s openly optimistic view on race-relations could be seen as a bit pie in the sky, but it reflects an innocent positivity that only early 90’s pop could. To most who followed MJ from back at “Beat It” and “Thriller”, this could be seen as the pinnacle of MJ’s career, after this it was all downhill. It’s really great to see a younger generation getting inspiration by that particular era of MJ pop.
7 – A rather talented Jazz trio performing a version of the Charlie Chaplin (made famous by Michael Jackson) song, “Smile”, as a tribute to MJ, apparently the group is called “Leonard and Paul”. The vocalist is brilliant – he sounds like the next “Lemar”. Made all the more amusing cause the vocalist appears to be reading the lyrics off of his cell phone.
8 – This is a random mobile phone video of a guy covering “Man In The Mirror”, apparently from a few kids in the Phillipines (with weirdly painted fingernails ), but what is touching about this video, is it highlights the underlying funky and crafty musicality of the original songwriting, in a beautifully simple way.
9 – “Cobus Potgieter” is a very talented drummer, jamming along happily to “Billie Jean”, and “Smooth Criminal” accordingly.
10 - “She’s Out of My Life”, a touching minimalist performance on Ukelele, by “seeso”. Nuff said.
Goh Nakamura does a wonderfully soulful cover of “Human Nature” . Nuff said.
A bunch of kids doing a medley w/ “Endlessly” / “More Than Words” / “Man In the Mirror”. It’s worth the wait for the MJ cover – these kids have obviously been jamming together for a while – and the skills of “Kat” are alone enough to keep you listening.
Michael Jackson 1958 – 2009.
Copyright 2009, Synthtube.Com
September 19th, 2009 at 1:43 am
[...] tribute show at the Palms. Download The Higher’s new album, It’s Only Natural on iTunes. Break with Tradition : MJ Tribute – synthtube.com 09/18/2009 Some may find it hard to believe, but here at Synthtube, we do [...]
September 22nd, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Technically, this is a Jackson 5 cover, but I think it’s worth adding to your list.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xa868j_kt-tunstall-i-want-you-back-live-ta_music
September 22nd, 2009 at 1:21 pm
[...] Break with Tradition : MJ Tribute (synthtube) [...]
September 22nd, 2009 at 4:12 pm
[...] Break with Tradition : MJ Tribute (synthtube) [...]
September 22nd, 2009 at 8:00 pm
[...] Synthtube fan unha recompilación de versións de temas de Michael Jackson feitas por rapaces de todo o mundo, de xeito que afeccionados á música e futuras estrelas renden homenaxe ao Rei do Pop [...]
September 22nd, 2009 at 11:42 pm
This one is decent as well…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RW8HUG9cOYE&NR=1
More of a medley, but it ends on Man in the Mirror, and the large group of kids performing are excellent.
September 23rd, 2009 at 12:01 am
Thanks James – AWESOME stuff.. These guys are on their way to success for sure!
I’m especially a fan of the voice of “Kat” – she is brilliant!
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:32 am
Nice list…might want to check out youtubes video embedding feature next though. Just sayin.
September 23rd, 2009 at 1:50 am
@Ryan
Thanks for the feedback
Actually, you’ll find that if you click the image associated with the post, you’ll get a playlist that shows all the vidoes posted. Nonetheless, I never thought about embedding these, I usually only post one video per post, so thanks for the tip. 
September 26th, 2009 at 1:23 pm
[...] Break with Tradition : MJ Tribute – "Our tribute to Michael Jackson, ironically, consists of a list of the best covers we’ve found on youtube by average, acoustic artists who decided to cover Michael Jackson as a tribute to his death." [...]
September 27th, 2009 at 10:11 pm
[...] Rompe con la tradición. Tributo a Michael Jackson (synthtube) [...]