What does “shamone” actually mean?
There’s a strange dissociation that comes with watching some Michael Jackson performances. Maybe it’s more a sign of the times, but it’s like peering at something that never really existed, with many audience members caught up in the middle like they also can’t quite grasp being central to a fever dream that could never quite be real.
That said, there’s a lot to unpack as to why that might be. Granted, Jackson is undeniably one of the biggest, most impactful artists to ever walk the earth, with a cultural significance that ventures deep into its fabrics like it was somehow always there to begin with. But there’s also a slight disparity there, too, isn’t there? Like we’re not sure exactly where we’re supposed to place him now, or whether it’s ultimately best to let him be a relic of the past that once changed the game forever.
In all honesty, though, music aside, one of the biggest things that’s always been particularly enticing about Jackson and everything he exuded was his charisma. Obviously, he soared above the rest when it came to dancing and pop tunes that seemed to be rooted nowhere specific, but he also had a subset of characteristics that made him, to put it bluntly, easy to parody. Just like Elvis Presley became subjected to eccentric impressions based on his classic voice and common quip, “Thank you very much”, Jackson also had a few that outlived many of his deeper cuts, one of which was “shamone”.
It’s one of the first things people do when conjuring up their best impression, and something impersonators make sure to include knowing the reaction from any onlooker waiting to recognise the quintessential Jackson ticks, a word as excitement-inducing as his familiar hee-hees or even as iconic as the one move that started it all, the moonwalk. But “shamone” didn’t just become a familiar favourite because of how much he repeated it over the years, it almost became a sort of exclamation mark that drew you in because it was so odd, because it sounded like something you couldn’t quite put your finger on, a made up word, maybe, that was close enough to something real to make it catch on.
So, what does “shamone” mean?
Most of these adlibs came from the world of soul and funk, with James Brown likely a name most think of when thinking about certain things stars said on stage that caught on because they urged people to get up and move to the beat. If it’s not Presley’s remarks, it’s the way James Brown pushed the audience with words and phrases like “come on!” and “get on up!”, the kind that became central to the rock ‘n’ roll spirit because it encouraged enjoyment in the present.
Jackson continued this trend in many ways, but “shamone” became a staple specifically because it evoked the same kind of excitement, especially when it came during moments when the singer felt especially like a slave to his own music, caught up in the joy of rhythmic hypnotisicm enough to push onlookers to feel the same fervour with words that sounded suspiciously close to “come on!”
One of the most notable examples of this happens in Jackson’s ‘Bad’, but it became so common in his music and live performances that it’s almost detectable everywhere, in everything he did, his mash-up of “come on” signalling the energy of someone beyond basic pronunciation, because such pleasantries and pretences aren’t a match in the face of such raw energy and emotion. In the end, maybe that’s how Jackson’s reign lives in: in the openness with which he performed, and the shunning of fundamental principles and rules in the name of fun.
