MJ vs Elvis Who will be remember as the biggest icon?

[Bob Sacamano]

I don't know a Frank Sinatra song. I'd know it when he sings it, tho. Cuz I know his voice.

If someone else were to sing his song, they'd get the blank stare.

uh, Strangers in the Night? C'MON!!

 

[Avaj]

I don't know a Frank Sinatra song. I'd know it when he sings it, tho. Cuz I know his voice.

If someone else were to sing his song, they'd get the blank stare.

WG they can't not seem to understand that, you can know a voice but not a song

I don't know how much plainer to make it.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

WG they can't not seem to understand that, you can know a voice but not a song

I don't know how much plainer to make it.

I guess I'm just more well-rounded than you guys

 

[ethiostar]

The difference here is that Britney Spears is not an iconic figure in American culture. Michael Jackson is. Elvis Presley is. Frank Sinatra is. The Beatles are.

To know you don't like someone's music you have to listen to it first generally. How can someone tell me they do not like KISS if they have never listened to a KISS song in their life?

I couldn't tell you the name of a Britney Spears song. Maybe some day I will be able to.

30 years from now if someone tells me they "honestly could not name a Michael Jackson song," I promise you I will find it every bit as funny as I have this stuff so far.

It is virtually impossible not to know something by the icons named above.

Well i'm not sure if your talking about Americans or the rest of the world but i think you have evidence of both on this thread that it is very possible.

I get that Elvis is an icon, as was MJ on his own right for his own time, but if out of the 3 dozen or so people who participated in this thread you have a handful who couldn't or still can't name a song by Elvis or any other 'icon' imagine how many you would find out of 300+ million Americans or 6 billion+ world citizens.

To me it is actually insane to assume everyone in the US and/or abroad have had to have heard of Elvis.

 

[WoodysGirl]

uh, Strangers in the Night? C'MON!!

That sounds familiar now that you mentioned it, but prior to then, I'd have been hard-pressed to name one.

Knowing songs here or there doesn't make you more well-rounded, it just means you know the song.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Well i'm not sure if your talking about Americans or the rest of the world but i think you have evidence of both on this thread that it is very possible.

I get that Elvis is an icon, as was MJ on his own right for his own time, but if out of the 3 dozen or so people who participated in this thread you have a handful who couldn't or still can't name a song by Elvis or any other 'icon' imagine how many you would find out of 300+ million Americans or 6 billion+ world citizens.

To me it is actually insane to assume everyone in the US and/or abroad have had to have heard of Elvis.

but you're assuming more people have heard of MJ

ALRIIIIIIIGHTY THEN!

 

[Bob Sacamano]

That sounds familiar now that you mentioned it, but prior to then, I'd have been hard-pressed to name one.

Knowing songs here or there doesn't make you more well-rounded, it just means you know the song.

it means I have better musical tastes?

 

[masomenos]

I guess I'm just more well-rounded than you guys

You do have a fat gut, so that does make you round. Is that what you meant by well-rounded?

 

[Bob Sacamano]

You do have a fat gut, so that does make you round. Is that what you meant by well-rounded?

mason...

this are serious discussion

get out of here

 

[Hostile]

That is exactly what I said earlier, I know who they are but can't name a song. So it is okay for your daughter but not for us.

First of all, she is 12. Ignore that if you wish.

You never saw these Nike Commercial series?

[youtube]p3sjW5LTm9c[/youtube]

You never heard of Charles Manson?

You've never watched old footage of The Beatles anywhere?

I find all of that incredible. It is hard for me to even fathom.

 

[Avaj]

it means I have better musical tastes?

All because you like Elvis

 

[Bob Sacamano]

All because you like Elvis

I don't like Elvis

my knowledge just encompasses everything

 

[bbgun]

That sounds familiar now that you mentioned it, but prior to then, I'd have been hard-pressed to name one.

Knowing songs here or there doesn't make you more well-rounded, it just means you know the song.

He only knows the song because it has "scooby doo" in the lyrics.

 

[ethiostar]

but you're assuming more people have heard of MJ

ALRIIIIIIIGHTY THEN!

There is a very huge distinction between saying that in my opinion that MJ is more popular than Elvis around the world and saying that EVERYONE in the world had to have heard of Elvis.

Sorry you can't get that through your head.

 

[Hostile]

I don't know a Frank Sinatra song. I'd know it when he sings it, tho. Cuz I know his voice.

If someone else were to sing his song, they'd get the blank stare.

New York, New York is the theme song of New York City. It is played at every New York Yankees game. To not know it is Frank Sinatra means you have never seen a Yankees baseball game.

It is played every New Year's Eve from Times Square. You have never stayed up until midnight to see the ball drop and watched it drop on the East Coast first?

Like I said earlier, these claims of no clue are unreal to me. I cannot fathom the idea of it.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

There is a very huge distinction between saying that in my opinion that MJ is more popular than Elvis around the world and saying that EVERYONE in the world had to have heard of Elvis.

Sorry you can't get that through your head.

I think that's Hos' opinion as well

everything that has been said in this thread is an opinion

 

[Avaj]

First of all, she is 12. Ignore that if you wish.

You never saw these Nike Commercial series?

[youtube]p3sjW5LTm9c[/youtube]

You never heard of Charles Manson?

You've never watched old footage of The Beatles anywhere?

I find all of that incredible. It is hard for me to even fathom.

Nope, never seen that commercial

Yes I've heard of Charles Manson

Nope never watched old footage of The Beatles anywhere.

First of all I'm black. I don't know too many blacks that would consider themselves Beatles fan, if even know there music. I just asked my family, no they can't name a Beatles song.

 

[bbgun]

New York, New York is the theme song of New York City. It is played at every New York Yankees game. To not know it is Frank Sinatra means you have never seen a Yankees baseball game.

When the Yanks lose, they play the Liza Minnelli version of NY NY, which probably confuses even more people.

 

[ethiostar]

I think that's Hos' opinion as well

everything that has been said in this thread is an opinion

Yes but one can and has been refuted by people who say they hadn't heard of him until they came to the US and others who can't tell you a song title.

But never mind......

Yes it's an opinion. If you want to continue believing that everyone of the Dani from Papua New Guinea or the Massai from Kenya can tell you who Elvis is go right ahead.

 

[Hostile]

Well i'm not sure if your talking about Americans or the rest of the world but i think you have evidence of both on this thread that it is very possible.

I get that Elvis is an icon, as was MJ on his own right for his own time, but if out of the 3 dozen or so people who participated in this thread you have a handful who couldn't or still can't name a song by Elvis or any other 'icon' imagine how many you would find out of 300+ million Americans or 6 billion+ world citizens.

To me it is actually insane to assume everyone in the US and/or abroad have had to have heard of Elvis.

First of all I am not now, nor have I ever said Michael Jackson was not an icon. I have repeatedly said, and as usual it gets ignored, that I like him better than Elvis.

In fact the vast majority of my contributions to this thread are about the silly claims of no clue what these artists have contributed. Since no one is saying they don't know Michael Jackson's music like they are every other American music icon

What makes someone an "icon?" It only happens when they are so influential that their contributions cross over and influence other avenues of popular culture. Mentions in the movies, on TV on the news. No one ever heard news about these people? None of you? Unreal to me. Can't fathom it.

Hence my adding the Nike commercials to a post earlier. To say you don't know a Beatles song is to say you never saw those commercials. I am sorry that I find it impossible given we are sports fans of a team sponsored by Nike. I apologize sincerely to everyone that is pissed off by my doubts that you can't name a Beatles song. You have to know next to nothign about Charles Manson not to know that he used psychadelic drugs like LSD and the Beatles White Album to brainwash his followers the "Manson family." I can't fathom not knowing about that. I hoenstly can't. I promise you I am not being flippant. This is mind boggling to me.

I have openly admitted many times that I know very little about current popular culture. But to ignore thousands and thousands of references in popular culture to the artists I have mentioned before is simply something I cannot fathom.

Not you, nor WG, nor Avaj, nor Maikeru-sama, nor any other poster who know of my respect for all of you (both publicly and privately) are ever going to make me fathom this. It is simply beyond my imagination.

How can anyone in the face and say they have never heard New York, New York at a sporting event in New York? They play it at almost every event. From the Knicks, to the Yankees (only an American institution as large as our Cowboys) to the Belmont Stakes races. Hell, they played it at the Olypmics. No one watches the Olympics? I can't grasp that. I just can't.

To not know an Elvis song means you have never seen movies like "Forrest Gump." You have never seen commercials for Elvis Presley compilation CDs. You have never seen an Elvis impersonator. You have never played "Guitar Hero." You never could have seen the TV Show "Full House" with the Olsen twins. Uncle Jesse on that show was an Elvis geek. You can never have seen an episode of "Coach." Luther was an Elvis geek. You can never have watched "Seinfeld." Elvis references all the time. I am sorry that it pisses you people off as bad as it does, but I cannot fathom that. I just can't. It is beyond amusing to me. He has beeen in thousands of references in your lifetimes and you guys have missed all of them?

Forgive me. Please forgive me. I beg all of you to forgive me for my very serious doubts as to your claims. As I said earlier in the thread, it isn't "damn near impossible but it's close enough that you can see damn near impossible."

So yes, I'm insance by your definition of insanity. Yeah me, bring on the rubber room.

I even admitted that I have never seen Pele play soccer but I know he he is, know he played for Brazil, and could pick him out of a lineup in a suit. I hate soccer, but when someone is an icon, they transcend things. Muhammed Ali transcends things to me. I cannot fathom someone saying they have never heard of Muhammed Ali, or Gandhi, or Hitler, etc. and on and on. It just doesn't seem plausible, possible, or even attractive (for lack of a better word) to make these claims.

I don't get it. It's really that simple. Once again I apologize to all of you who are pissed off that I don't get it.