“What about sunrise? / what about rain/ what about all the things that you said we were to gain.” We enjoy the natural resources of the Earth, but we seldom think to give something back to Earth. We even did not think whether these things belong to us or not. “Earth Song” draws our attention on the animal and environment protection. He uses explicit lyrics to portray the negative effect that we, human, have on the Earth. “I used to dream/ I used to glance beyond the stars/ Now I don`t know where we are.” When we enjoy the prosperity of the massive industry, what left for our next generations are only fog and dust. Besides, Michael Jackson also mentions the children died during the war, which broaden the issues concerned in this music from the environmental protections to the anti-war.
As a world-known artist, Michael Jackson was great for using his voice to advocate for our environment. When people were immersed in the prosperity brought by the industry development, it is hard to sober them up. However, with his amazing voice and powerful influence, Michael Jackson made it. He drew the attention of the general public to the dark side of this rapidly increasing the prosperity of industry, and the issue left behind becomes the topic that we will continuously discuss in this century, the sustainable development.
Written By Yida Chen
Politics Through Rhythm 