Spend enough time drinking with me and you’ll likely hear my spiel about how Michael Jackson, aka the King of Pop, is the greatest artist of all time. But, you won’t hear me wax nostalgic about Thriller. Or talk about his music videos. Or even mutter a single lyric.
No, my argument is simple: Play MJ anywhere — a London pub, a Japanese discotheque, a shipping boat heading to Australia, or even the most racist bar in Jacksonville, Florida — and people will move. Rarely (if ever) does the guy fail to please.
Well, Sam Smith nearly negates that entire argument.
As Complex points out, the English pop star was recently living the life aboard a giant yacht, where his pal Adam Lambert snapped him listening to “Human Nature”. Smith’s response? “I don’t like Michael Jackson, but this is a good song.”
Here’s the clip:
Naturally, his hot take has spawned some mild outrage, particularly from Stephanie Mills:
As expected, things have escalated way too fast. After all, Smith actually complimented the song. He called it “good,” and while that’s admittedly a tad dismissive given how spectacular the song is, the fact remains: MJ still won Smith over.
In other words, Michael Jackson remains the King.
