By admin 
Introduction
The year was 1984, and the American Music Awards were set to be a coronation for Michael Jackson, who was riding the stratospheric wave of Thriller. In a gesture of industry camaraderie, Michael had personally reached out to Barry Manilow, asking the pop balladeer to “do some work” for him at the ceremony. It was a golden ticket—a request from the biggest star on the planet. But instead of a duet or a cool, contemporary collaboration, Manilow made a creative choice that would go down in infamy. He decided to perform a medley of Michael’s early hits, stripping away the funk and soul and replacing them with his signature Las Vegas schmaltz.
As Manilow crooned through “I’ll Be There” and “Never Can Say Goodbye,” he took a fatal artistic risk: he began singing “Ben”—Michael’s tender ballad about a pet rat—but changed the lyrics to sing directly to Michael. Cameras cut to the audience, expecting to see a beaming MJ. Instead, the world saw a frozen mask of pure discomfort. Michael Jackson, known for being fiercely protective of his art, looked visibly unamused, arguably even angry, as his soulful classics were turned into a cabaret act. The “collaboration” effectively ended before it began.
It remains one of the most awkward moments in awards show history. While Manilow later insisted he was singing “to Michael alone” and meant it as the ultimate compliment, the footage tells a different story. It was a clash of two musical worlds that didn’t just miss the mark—it shattered the vibe. That night likely sealed the door on any future studio magic between the two icons.