by While Michael Jackson did not openly cite nature as a direct inspiration for his music, a closer examination reveals threads connecting his extraordinary artistry to the natural world around him.
From his signature dance moves to themes in his lyrics and videos, elements of nature’s beauty, mystery, and transformation can be found woven throughout Jackson’s oeuvre.
One of the clearest through-lines is Jackson’s ability to capture a sense of childlike wonder and innocence in his performances. Children are naturally curious observers of the world, fascinated by even small details in their environment. Jackson seemed to retain this wide-eyed perspective into adulthood. His music videos often depicted fantastical worlds and magical creatures, reflecting the imagination of a child exploring nature for the first time.
This wonder is evident in videos like “Smooth Criminal” with its zero-gravity lean and alien-like thriller dancers. The “Black or White” short film transports viewers to a lush jungle setting filled with strange illusions. Even the hyper-detailed sets and costumes had an otherworldly quality inspired by nature. Jackson sought to create environments where viewers could momentarily escape into fantasy, just as children do by getting lost in the beauty of forests and meadows.
Beyond visuals, Jackson’s lyrics and melodies also conveyed this sense of mystery and discovery. Songs like “Nature Boy” and “Childhood” directly reference natural elements with a sense of awe and belonging. Lyrics in “Earth Song” express how “the trees are red, oh, and the sky is grey” with innocent, observant detail. The music itself flows with the gradual unfolding of melodies, much like peeling back layers of the natural world over time.
Jackson’s ability to tap into nature-inspired wonder likely stemmed from keeping touch with his own inner child. As he matured into an international superstar, Jackson faced immense pressures from the music industry and public scrutiny. But he refused to lose sight of his youthful spirit and sense of play. Spending time with children, studying their behaviors and ways of seeing the world, allowed Jackson to maintain that childlike lens in his artistry.
In addition to wonder, Jackson frequently explored themes of transformation in his music – another process deeply ingrained in the natural world. Seasons change, animals metamorphose, and ecosystems continuously evolve across generations. Songs like “Man in the Mirror” and “Earth Song” convey messages of positive personal growth and societal change. Music videos for these tracks depict individuals transforming, from caterpillar to butterfly, in tune with nature’s cycles of renewal and rebirth.
Even Jackson’s iconic dance moves seem to draw inspiration from the fluid movements found in nature. His gravity-defying spins and glides mirrored the circular motions of water, wind through trees, and animals in motion. Like a bird taking flight or fish darting through coral reefs, Jackson’s choreography flowed with seamless coordination, energy, and grace. Through dance, he channeled nature’s continuous flow of energy transfer between all living things.
This fluidity is best exemplified in Jackson’s moonwalk – a move so smooth, it appears as if he is floating across the ground. By mirroring the floating gait of astronauts in low gravity environments, the moonwalk transports viewers beyond earth through lyrical motion. It reflects the dancer becoming one with gravitational forces, just as animals adapt their movements according to their habitats. Jackson merged with rhythm and space as naturally as creatures merge with their ecosystems.
Beyond wonder and transformation, Jackson also directed his artistry towards protecting the natural world. Songs like “Earth Song” and “Heal the World” carry explicit messages encouraging environmental stewardship and humanitarianism. Through vivid imagery and calls to action, Jackson shone a light on issues like deforestation, pollution, and lack of access to resources. He recognized humanity’s deep interdependence with nature and responsibility to sustain the planet for future generations.
Music videos for these songs depict barren, damaged landscapes that begin regenerating as characters unite in song. Their choreographed movements symbolize collective efforts to nurture re-growth. Jackson highlighted nature’s resilience when nourished by compassion – a theme that remains tragically relevant today as the climate crisis intensifies. He urged viewers to cultivate empathy for all living things and view humanity as inextricably tied to the natural cycles we depend upon.
While Jackson did not openly cite nature as a direct creative influence, examining his body of work reveals threads of connection between his artistry and the beauty, mystery, transformation, and vulnerability of the natural world. From capturing wonder through fantastical visuals and lyrics, to conveying environmental advocacy, Jackson filtered many of his most iconic creative expressions through a nature-inspired lens. Perhaps he found solace observing nature’s enduring cycles of renewal during periods of immense personal challenge and global change.
In the natural world, Jackson may have discovered mirrored the wonder of new life, resilience through change, and flow of interconnected energy that defined his groundbreaking performances and messages of hope. Nearly a decade after his untimely passing, appreciating Michael Jackson through a nature-centric lens offers new perspectives on his enduring genius and humanity. His artistry continues nurturing transformation, as both a reflection of nature’s eternal lessons and force inspiring collective care for our fragile planet.
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