Earth Song: Inside Michael Jackson's Magnum Opus Paperback – October 6, 2011

Wonderful book about an amazing song written by the incredibly gifted and truly kindhearted and caring Michael Jackson. The song even without any background or explanation is beautiful, moving and heartbreaking; a stunning achievement to be sure. Joseph Vogel's book describing in detail how Michael Jackson conceived of and wrote the song and the journey to its completion (to Michael's satisfaction) is compelling and very well written. If you are a Michael Jackson fan or just a fan of Earth Song, do not miss this book!

When I hear beautiful music, I can't help but wonder how it came into being. What was the person thinking and doing at that moment?From all that I read about Michael Jackson, he undeniably believed beautiful music is always there....waiting to be "plucked" out of the Universe's opulent garden of creation. Of course, not just anyone can recognize this delightful bounty. I believe that certain individuals are chosen and through the mighty swirl of cosmic energy, the creator and creation unite to passionately give birth to the symphony of sound. Mr. Vogel, your many interviews and exhaustive research into Earth Song reveal the incredible gift of genius and artistic expression that IS Michael Jackson.I don't remember when I first heard or watched Earth Song but I do remember being drawn in by the sounds and vivid images and the plaintive opening chords. I immediately recognized Michael's voice so I watched. The song stayed with me for days. In so many ways Michael Jackson is a kindred spirit. What humanity is doing to this precious planet breaks my heart. If you care, you cannot watch Earth Song, absorb the overwhelming music and words, and not feel this man's deep anguish and pleadings for us to wake up from our apathetic sleep and do our part to address the ills of the planet. What makes Earth Song so incredibly moving is that it resonates from his soul. Only a gifted artist, a person filled with emotion and compassion, could bear his soul and become the channel through which God speaks.Being a part of the entire creative process which conceived and nurtured Earth Song must have been pure ecstasy. I close my eyes and imagine Michael Jackson, singing in the darkness, ignited by the fire of passion, pouring his whole being into the words and melodic expression of Earth Song. I've since listened to it countless times, watched him perform it during many concerts and each and every time I am lifted up and carried to another place, wanting to raise my voice and hands to the heavens and shout...What about us? Every time a majestic elephant is shot by a poacher for its ivory tusks, or a swath of irreplaceable forest is burned in the Amazon jungle to make way for a palm oil plantation, I grieve for the many creatures who lived there and must now search desperately for a new home. He pleads, "Do you ever stop to notice all the children dead from war? Do you ever stop to notice the crying Earth, its weeping shores?" I think about how mankind continues to take--to plunder and exploit--in the mistaken name of progress. I feel the pain and despair that Michael surely felt from the depth of his soul.This was a man who lived and and breathed compassion and love. Even as a tiny child watching television with his mother, he would cry at images of starving and sick children in advertisements for humanitarian efforts. The gifts he gave us through his unforgettable music and his often overlooked humanitarian efforts in visiting children's hospitals and orphanages, his unselfish donation of millions of dollars from concerts to children's causes, and his soul-stirring images at these hospitals, handing out toys and sweetly holding and kissing babies and toddlers clearly reveal a rare and precious human being. Yet for more than four decades this gentle, kind man was cruelly dehumanized and trashed by an ignorant populace addicted to tabloid lies and sensationalism. Were we all watching the same thing? How could so many get it so wrong?I tell myself I don't have a favorite Michael Jackson song but I have to be honest--I do. Earth Song IS Michael Jackson! It represents so much of who he was (is!). Imagine life without beautiful music. I can't. The more I study Michael Jackson's life, the more perfectly I understand his heartfelt message of love. He knew that music is the universal language of love; that every human being is moved by, or touched in some way by music.I count myself so fortunate and privileged to have lived during this time--to experience the music of Michael Jackson, the beauty of his loving nature. I'm so deeply grateful that he lived among us for a brief time. His final arrangement of Earth Song for the ill-fated This Is It concerts is one of his most brilliant musical triumphs. The beautiful, innocent little girl touches a nerve that many believed to be numb.Mr. Vogel, I cannot thank you enough for capturing this beautiful musical creation in such amazing detail and with such vivid expression. Michael Jackson's brilliant, compassionate legacy will live forever because people like you will ensure that it does.Your book will be transforming!God bless you!

When I received the book “Earth Song inside Michael Jackson’s Magnum Opus” for Christmas, I was as excited as ever to read it as soon as I had the chance. The book had a lot to say about the making of Earth Song and how Michael worked with many people to make the dream come true. I found a section that talked about the message behind Earth Song which is to make a change in order to help the earth and consider all living things. At the end of the book, there is a quote by Michael which reads: “I respect the secrets and magic of nature. That’s why it makes me so angry when I see these things that are happening in our world-I really, truly worry. Every second, I hear, the size of a football field is torn down in the Amazon. I mean, that kind of stuff really bothers me. That’s why I write these kinds of songs, you know, to give some sense of awareness and hope to people. I love the planet. I love trees. I have this thing for trees- and the colors and the changing of leaves. I love it! And I respect those kinds of things. I really feel nature is trying so hard to compensate for man’s mismanagement of the planet. The planet is sick, like a fever. If we don’t fix it now, it’s at the point of no return. This is our last chance to fix this problem that we have. It’s like a runaway train. And the time has come. This is it! People are always saying “Oh they’ll take care of it, the government will do it.’ They? They who? It’s us. Or it will never be done.” __Michael Jackson, June 2009.As a Michael fan I know how important this song is and the video was shot in the Amazon Rainforest among other places. The book also featured many lyrics from the song that allowed me to play the song in my head while reading it. The book also said that the song is a combination of opera, gospel and rock if one listens closely, the will pick up these genres within the song. The book is composed of small short stories of how Earth Song came about. I believe you will find the author to be very knowledgeable about the history of Earth Song. I remember one story out of the book that is about a performance Michael was doing of Earth Song and all of a sudden the stage collapsed with Michael falling off the stage. This is one of the most exciting parts of the book since it is suspenseful but the good news is that Michael turns out just fine in the end. The book goes into great detail especially during this part of the story. This book is written by Joseph Vogel who has written about and knows a lot about Michael Jackson. The book also speaks about the song “We are the World” which was written to give relief to people in Africa through the song’s sales. The book also talks about the lyrics and what they mean within Earth Song itself. “What about the seas? What about us?” Is an example from the song and the “us” refers to those who have been silenced, marginalized, oppressed and disregarded. It sounds like the cry of the people and animals whose land is being torn apart by those who do not care about the place they live in. The book gives the reader a detailed look into the song itself and into the vocals and instruments. I enjoyed reading the book and learning about the song itself since I love Michael Jackson and music. If one were to listen to the song, it would sound much like a crescendo the entire time with everything becoming louder and more powerful until the end. The reader can learn about what Michael wanted with the song and how the ideas developed for the song’s inclusion on Michael’s album HIStory. The book also backs up and talks about the BAD album before going into detail about Earth Song’s development. Readers can learn about who Michael worked with on the song and his other musical works. I recommend this book to every Michael or music fan.

Thank you! I remember where I was when I first heard this song. It was June 25, 2009. I had just came home from work after receiving the devastating news of Michael's passing. The TV was on BET and they were playing all of his videos. I walked into the room and Earth Song was playing. I sat on my bed mesmerized. I walked in right before the climax of the song. This became one of my all time favorite songs. I consider this a masterpiece.Joseph provided an excellent analysis of this song. The research he did is amazing. He provided some much feedback. It felt like I was right there in Vienna with Michael. I felt like I was in the studio. If only I could've been there when he was in the dark recording the climax. I can only imagine how amazing that had to be.Michael proved that its more to music than just singing a song. He is the true definition of an artist and composer. He feels his music. He's not the one in control. He just the channel and what a beautiful channel that is. I hope you continue to write these books. I would like one on Morphine. I consider that another masterpiece.Thank you for all that you do!

I loved reading this so much. It really gave me a further insight into the man and reading about how both the song and video came together, as well as the aftermath of the release, has really moved me. It’s inspired me in fact to do more and be more and care more.Thank you so much for writing and publishing this book. It’s invaluable as a part of Michael’s history and the future he would have us realise. The future we must all aspire to.I’m deeply grateful to you and commend your work infinitely.

One of the most evident reasons that Michael Jackson’s art was so poorly reviewed by critics in the last decades of his career was because he often went ‘over their heads’ in terms of complexity, artistic influences, self-expression and sincerity. Researching and studying Michael Jackson’s art is always a fresh wind which blows away old prejudices and re-appreciates the artist.Vogel approaches ‘Earth Song’, possibly the single-most important and effective song of Jackson’s career, through the prism of intensity focus. He uses the artist himself as his primary source: Jackson’s interviews, words, lyrics, harmonies, and personal convictions lie at the heart of this short-but-incisive book, and this is where its key strength lies.Throughout the book, ‘Earth Song’ is also placed into the context of contemporary music as well as timeless artistic expression, placed in the framework of prejudice against the artist and the artist’s struggle to present a new view to his listeners and change the world.Whether you’re an academic, a fan or spectator, this book will captivate and teach you things you never knew.– Elizabeth Amisu, author of THE DANGEROUS PHILOSOPHIES OF MICHAEL JACKSON: HIS MUSIC, HIS PERSONA, AND HIS ARTISTIC AFTERLIFE and editor of THE JOURNAL OF MICHAEL JACKSON STUDIES.

Short - more of a pamphlet than a book - but with some interesting depth analysis. Vogel is notable as a handful of authors including the excellent Susan Fast (and not including Margo Jefferson) to publish serious and rigorous material on Michael Jackson. He successfully eludes the gushy fandom that floods one end of the pool and the prurient hackery clogging the other, to produce a book that succeeds as a work of criticism as well as a work of journalism. The decision to focus on Earth Song as a clef d'oeuvre is a good one, yielding a deep dive into process. Vogel is simply one of the best authors there is on MJ. This gets four stars because it doesn't match Susan Fast' s book, but it's so much better than the rest of the field that matters little. Looking forward to the Man in the Music reissue and hope this is the sign of a new turn in books about MJ that treat him with the seriousness he deserves.

He was a divine force sent to this world. Not as purely an entertainer but with his own message of kindness, love, care, and togetherness. He always stayed true to himself through his music and authenticity. People need to delve into researching more and stop buying tabloid junk and see what an incredible human being he really was, a gift to this world.

This is a book many of us have been waiting for! At last someone has the courrage to talk strictly about MJ's art as such. We get a background for the song, the inspirations, the influences from other art, from his worries for the planet etc. You feel so much into MJ's situation and the state of the earth.Joe Vogel is a blessing to the world. After reading both his "Man in the Music" and this book I am so grateful to him and I will highly recomend both books for those who are really intersted in MJ's music, where it comes from, how it was created and all other things strictly to the creation of this wonderful piece of art that we can enjoy also after the Master is gone. Thank you!