There were three Michael Jacksons in my lifetime. The little black boy that sang like an angel. That same little black boy changed by a nose and Jheri Curls. And then there was the plastic surgey superfreak, masked by his dreams of whiteness and tainted by the stench of pedophilia.

I reckoned going through the threads of places like Oh No They Didnt and Metafilter that there's a whole generation of people who never saw Michael Jackson as a black boy and young man. That boggles the mind.

And yet, all commenters, even detractors, cannot but give the man his due. When it came to talent, music and entertainment chops, there has been nobody like him.

This a cappella rendition of "I'll be there" proves the point.

Check out also: Tom Watson's Billie Jean Is Not My Lover.