MJ Studies Today LXXXVIII

In 1987, Michael Jackson released a song called “Liberian Girl” on his album Bad. But how many people outside of Africa who heard the song knew about the country Jackson depicted as a lush, fantasy landscape? The history of the real Liberia was then one of years of civil unrest, a far cry from the paradise Jackson evoked with his song. In this month’s MJ Studies Today, columnist Kerry Hennigan looks at the history of the country, and the song that remains much beloved in Liberia – and by Jackson fans everywhere. Read More …

CHAPTER 3 – “EXACTLY WHICH MICHAEL JACKSON ARE WE TALKING ABOUT ANYWAY?” AGENCY AND IDENTITY IN BAD

Songs: “The Way You Make Me Feel,” “Speed Demon,” “Liberian Girl” The next three songs introduce the more specific normative constructs of gender, identity, and agency and go beyond troubling or disrupting them the way “Bad” did. They envision alternatives to hegemonic constructs and playfully Read More …