Timmy84 said:

Militant said:

Michael is arguably THE most famous person of all time in pop culture. I've met people who either don't know who the Beatles were or know who they were but couldn't tell you one of their songs...

I've never met a single person who doesn't know who Michael is and can't tell you one of his songs. His influence was truly global. So he's #1 on my list.

And there's no way Madonna should ever be higher than Michael on any iconic list or musical talent list....lol

I'm gonna throw a wild card into the list. Assuming we're not just limited to actual people.... Bart Simpson.

Now he fits the bill of being a pop culture icon.

Osama is an interesting choice, Joe. I personally wouldn't consider him to be part of "pop culture".

I consider those people brain-dead.

I consider those people who don't take intrest in boring dated music they can't relate to...

Maybe it depends what country you're from. I hadnt heard of the beatles untill I was about 14 and still hadnt heard a song of theirs untill I was about 18 and I had to actively seek that out. Whereas I had known of Michael, Madonna, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis since I was a tiny child. And no my parents werent fans of any of them. Maybe the beatles boom only came in the 2000's? (or should I say re-boom). I'm a child of the 90's and honestly never heard of them much from that time.

[Edited 1/24/11 5:20am]

TotalAlisa said:

Timmy84 said:

I consider those people brain-dead.

I consider those people who don't take intrest in boring dated music they can't relate to...

i consider those who write off certain music because it's 'old' mentally challenged

(btw i suppose you haven't even actually ever heard any of their songs in full)

same goes for those who can't appreciate the Beatles or who can't at least acknowledge

their impact in music

[Edited 1/24/11 5:47am]

thatruth said:

I like the list, it doesn't matter who's #1, the list is accurate but:

Although this is a music website and sports is rarely talked about on here, an important figure is clearly missing from this list.

I don't have to say his name, all you have to say is basketball and you already know who it is, same initials as another icon on the list.

isn't this about global pop icons ?

then Michael Jordan shouldn't be on

basketball players aren't global pop icons

they're only populair in the USA

[Edited 1/24/11 5:55am]

Arnotts said:

Maybe it depends what country you're from. I hadnt heard of the beatles untill I was about 14 and still hadnt heard a song of theirs untill I was about 18 and I had to actively seek that out.

I can believe that. I feel MJ's global reach was bigger than the Beatles, for sure.

Timmy84 said:

I consider those people brain-dead.

I was/am one of those people. It depends on where you from. There are actually some places and cultures where the Beatles just aren't relevant or no one really knows about them. I wasn't aware that it was them nor did anyone in my family listen to them. They just weren't relevant to us. I learned about them when I became older though.

As time goes on pop culture figures start to become less relevant. That being said, I do agree with Miltant that MJ's solo career far surpassed the Beatles in terms of reach. One factor, I believe, being that his career happened around the satellite era and had mass appeal. He wasn't a niche act.

[Edited 1/24/11 8:46am]

[Edited 1/24/11 8:46am]

It's funny y'all say that but I can agree that in the time the Beatles were popular, satellites weren't around because if they were, you'd know about them in your country. The world was a DIFFERENT world back then. Michael came at the RIGHT TIME, I say.

MickyDolenz said:

THANK. YOU.

This list is invalid.

Timmy84 said:

It's funny y'all say that but I can agree that in the time the Beatles were popular, satellites weren't around because if they were, you'd know about them in your country. The world was a DIFFERENT world back then. Michael came at the RIGHT TIME, I say.

now 2011 you have little kids still to this day taking interest in michael... like he came out yesterday, and they weren't even born while michael was in his prime or making albums...

and NOW its equal playing field for MJ and the Beetles especially with the internet and sites like youtube... So really it wasn't about michael coming out at the right time, it was the quality of his music and his talent that was able to reach so many people and really surpass time...

the beetles music was very dated IMO.... you have to like that kind of sound...

You Bruce Lee fanatics need to get real.

He had half a decade of fame and then died and received less after death exposure than James Dean or Marilyn. Now, if we were talking "geek icons" maybe...

TotalAlisa said:

Timmy84 said:

It's funny y'all say that but I can agree that in the time the Beatles were popular, satellites weren't around because if they were, you'd know about them in your country. The world was a DIFFERENT world back then. Michael came at the RIGHT TIME, I say.

now 2011 you have little kids still to this day taking interest in michael... like he came out yesterday, and they weren't even born while michael was in his prime or making albums...

and NOW its equal playing field for MJ and the Beetles especially with the internet and sites like youtube... So really it wasn't about michael coming out at the right time, it was the quality of his music and his talent that was able to reach so many people and really surpass time...

the beetles music was very dated IMO.... you have to like that kind of sound...

First it's "Beatles" and second I don't have to be old to appreciate the Beatles. I've heard their music for so many years I can sing them almost without forgetting the words. I'm kinda pissed that the Beatles are even dissed especially here in the ORG. And I love Michael all the same but I'm getting tired of the comparisons and everything. I accept them both as equals so I don't get with this inferior vs. superior argument with them. But if that's how you feel, knock yourself out.

In my world:

Bruce Lee

James Brown

Prince

Magic Johnson

Halle Berry

Michael Jackson

Al Pacino

Michael Jordan

Malcolm X

Muhammed Ali

Graycap23 said:

In my world:

Bruce Lee

James Brown

Prince

Magic Johnson

Halle Berry

Michael Jackson

Al Pacino

Michael Jordan

Malcolm X

Muhammed Ali

[img:$uid]http://www.threadbombing.com/data/media/2/popcorn_2.gif[/img:$uid]

sosgemini said:

Now, if we were talking "geek icons" maybe...

musicjunky318 said:

Se7en said:

Let me rephrase: he's not a POP CULTURE icon.

LOL

Books

• The Cassius Clay Story, by George Sulivan (1964)
• Black is Best: The Riddle of MUHAMMAD ALI, by Jack Olsen (1967)
• Muhammad Ali, who once was Cassius Clay, by John Cottrell (1968)
• Loser and Still Champion: Muhammad Ali, by Budd Schulberg (1972)
• The Fight, by Norman Mailer (1975)
• The Greatest: My Own Story, by Muhammad Ali with Richard Durham (1975)
• Free to Be Muhammad Ali, by Robert Lipsyte (1979)
• Muhammad Ali, the People's Champ, by Elliott J. Gorn (1988)
• Muhammad Ali: The Fight for Respect, by Thomas Conklin (1992)
• Clay V. United States: Muhammad Ali Objects to War (Landmark Supreme Cou-rt Cases), by Suzanne Freedman (1997)
• The Tao of Muhammad Ali, by Davis Miller (1997)
• I'm A Little Special: A Muhammad Ali Reader, by Gerald Early (1998)
• King of the World, by David Remnick (1999)
• More Than a Champion: The Style of Muhammad Ali, by Jan Philipp Reemtsma (1999)
• Learning About Strength of Character from the Life of Muhammad Ali (Character Building Book), by Michele Ingber Drohan (1999)
• Muhammad Ali (Journey to Freedom), by Clay Latimer (2000)
• Redemption Song: Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties, by Mike Marqusee (2000)
• The Greatest, by Walter Dean Myers (2001)
• Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World, by Mark Collings (2001)
• Ghosts of Manila, by Mark Kram (2002)
• Lucky Man: A Memoir, by Michael J. Fox (2002)
• Muhammad Ali: Trickster Celebrity in the Culture of Irony, by Charles Lemert (2003)
• The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey, by Muhammad Ali and Hana Ali (2004)
• The Untold Legacy Of Muhammad Ali, by Thomas Hauser (2005)
• Clay V. United States And How Muhammad Ali Fought the Draft: Debating Supreme Court Decisions, by Thomas Streissguth (2006)
• What's My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States, by Dave Zirin (2005)
• The psychodynamics of white racism: An historical exploration of white racial pathology as elicited by prizefighters Jack Johnson and Muhammad Ali : (Dissertation), by Michal Louise Beale (2006)
• I'm a Bad Man: African American Vernacular Culture and the Making of Muhammad Ali, by Shawn Williams (2007)

Music

• In 1976 Ali released the album Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay, to educate children about the dangers of tooth decay. The album was narrated by Howard Cosell, with guest appearances by Frank Sinatra and Richie Havens. A sequel Ali and His Gang vs. Fat Cat the Dope King was planned, but apparently never released.
• Ali himself released a 45rpm version of the song "Stand by Me" (written by Ben E. King, Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller), a track which also featured on his 1963 Columbia album I am the Greatest (released under the name Cassius Clay).
• Bob Dylan composed a song about the young Cassius Clay "I Shall be Free No. 10" from the 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan featuring the lyrics: I was shadow-boxing earlier in the day; I figured I was ready for Cassius Clay; I said "Fee, fie, fo, fum, Cassius Clay, here I come; 26, 27, 28, 29; I'm gonna make your face look just like mine; Five, four, three, two, one, Cassius Clay you'd better run; 99, 100, 101, 102; your ma won't even recognize you; 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19; gonna knock him clean right out of his spleen.
• In December 1969, Ali appeared on Broadway in the musical Buck White.The show ran for just seven performances; but Ali and the cast performed the number "We Came in Chains" on the Ed Sullivan Show.
• In Tom Lehrer's satirical song "National Brotherhood Week", Lehrer speculates that for the occasion Cassius Clay would dance "cheek to cheek" with Mrs Wallace.
• In 1970, Skeeter Davis recorded "I'm a Lover (Not a Fighter)" about a wife frustrated with fighting with her husband. The chorus is "I'm a lover,/Not a fighter./I kinda like it that way./If you want a fighting partner,/Go live with Cassius Clay."
• In 1971, New York singer Vernon Harrell released a record about him called "Muhammed Ali" (sic) (Brunswick Records #55448) as Verne Harrell. This misspelling of Ali's name was printed on the labels of the 45s.
• In 1974, a song about Ali titled "Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)" was recorded by British reggae group Johnny Wakelin & the Kinshasa Band.
• In 1981, Dutch guitarist Harry Sacksioni composed and played a song called "Ali's Shuffle".
• The Fabulous Thunderbirds' 1986 song Tuff Enuff contains the reference, "I'd climb the Empire State / Fight Muhammad Ali / Just to have you, baby / Close to me."
• The Freakwater song "Louisville Lip" on their 1998 album Springtime is a tribute to Muhammad Ali framed around the story Ali told in his 1975 autobiography about tossing his gold medal into the Ohio River after being refused service in a nearby diner.
• In his early 20s, singer-songwriter and piano impressario Ben Folds wrote the song "Boxing", a fictional monologue by Muhammad Ali to Howard Cosell pondering the end of his fighting career. The song was inspired by Folds' father's love of the sport. The song was eventually recorded and appeared on Ben Folds Five's eponymous album (1995). It has also appeared in a live version on the album Naked Baby Photos (1998),a solo version by Folds on iTunes Originals - Ben Folds (2005), and in a symphonic version with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra on the DVD Ben Folds and WASO Live in Perth (2005). The song has also been covered by a number of artists, most notably Bette Midler on her album Bathhouse Betty (1998).
• The R. Kelly song "World's Greatest" is a tribute to Muhammad Ali and it is featured on the soundtrack to the 2001 motion picture Ali. In 2002, the song peaked at #34 on Billboard's Hot 100 US singles chart and at #4 on the UK singles chart. The song's video features archived footage of Ali as well as an homage to the firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical workers regarded among the greatest heroes of the rescue operations necessitated by the events of 9/11.
• The British dance band Faithless recorded a song titled "Muhammad Ali" which was released as a single on September 23, 2001. The single reached #29 on the UK singles chart. The song was included on their 2001 album Outrospective.
• In 2001, he was mentioned (under the name Cassius Clay) in the lyrics to De Phazz's Death By Chocolate album in the song "Something Special".
• In their debut 2006 album, British Indie band The Hours mention Ali in their song "Ali in The Jungle".
• Australian alternative band Butterfingers mention Cassius Clay in their song "Fig Jam"
• A line from LL Cool J's 1991 single "Mama Said Knock You Out" off of his album of the same name goes: "Just like Muhammad Ali, they called him Cassius"
• Muhammad Ali appears in the music video for "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty in an old black and white videoclip of him boxing.
• Japanese rock band the pillows released a song on their 2001 album Smile called "Monster C.C," the C.C standing for "Cassius Clay." The ending bridge contains the repeated line, "What's my name?"
• The Tori Amos song Professional Widow contains the lyrics "Beautiful angels calling/"we got every re-run of Muhammad Ali""
• 50 Cent references Ali in the song "Many Men" using the lyrics 'I'm the greatest, something like Ali in his prime'
• T.I. references Ali in the song "No Matter What" using the lyrics "Ali say even the greatest gotta suffer sometime"
• In Billy Joel's 1978 album, 52nd Street, Ali is mention in the opening lines of the song Zanzibar.

Movies & Television

When We Were Kings is a 1996 Academy Award-winning documentary film about the "Rumble in the Jungle", Ali's legendary 1974 fight against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami is a 2008 WLRN documentary which charts Cassius Clay's remarkable transformation from young boxing hopeful to cultural icon. The film traces Ali’s stunning rise through the heavyweight ranks, his friendship with Malcolm X, his historic clash with champion Sonny Liston, and his subsequent refusal to fight in Vietnam.

A.k.a. Cassius Clay is a 1970 documentary that covered Ali's triumphs and setbacks up to that moment in time.

Several individuals have portrayed Ali in film biographies, including Ali himself in the 1977 film, The Greatest. Others include:

• Will Smith, in the 2001 film, Ali
• Maestro Harrell, in the 201 film, Ali (portraying a young Cassius Clay)
• Terrence Howard, in the 2000 ABC TV movie, King of the World
• Jamie "Showtime" Stafford, in the 2000 ABC TV movie, King of the World (portraying a young Cassius Clay)
• David Ramsey, in the 2000 Fox TV movie, Ali: An American Hero
• Aaron Meeks, in the 2000 Fox TV movie, Ali: An American Hero (portraying a young Cassius Clay)
• Darius McCrary, in the 1997 HBO TV movie, Don King: Only in America
• Future Amazing Race winner Chip McAllister, in the 1977 film, The Greatest (portraying a young adult Cassius Clay)
• Jerrod Paige, in the 2007 film, American Gangster

Ali has appeared as himself in numerous scripted films and television series, including the films Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), Body and Soul (1981), and Doin' Time (1985); and the television series Vega$ (1979), Diff'rent Strokes (1979), and Touched by an Angel (1999). He also provided the voice for the titular character in the 1977 NBC animated series, I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali.

Ali portrayed a former slave in Reconstruction-era Virginia who is elected to the United States Senate in the 1979 NBC TV movie Freedom Road, which was based upon the 1944 novel by Howard Fast.

Ali is featured prominently in a series of ESPN specials in honor of his 65th birthday. The shows include Ali Rap, Ali's Dozen and Ali 65. They premiered on December 9, 2006 at 9 pm EST on ESPN. Ali's fight with Larry Holmes was also the subject of one of ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary series; "Muhammad and Larry" by Albert Maysles first aired on ESPN on October 27, 2009.

Ali appeared on the WGBH series Say Brother, where he spoke about his reasons for not serving in the Vietnam War.

Facing Ali is a 2009 documentary on the topic of all the fighters which Ali faced during his career. Each one is interviewed at length. The film made the shortlist for the 82nd Academy Awards in the category of Best Documentary Feature, but did not make final list.

His boxing gloves made an appearance on the Christmas episode of Warehouse 13. Anyone on the vicinity of them "sees stars' without being hit. Was used by Claudia to make the Warehouse more festive

Video Games

Ali has appeared in numerous video boxing games, some of which feature him as the title character. Examples include Foes of Ali, Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing and the Knockout Kings series and its follow up, the Fight Night series

Television Advertisments

In 1969, Ali appeared with Pop Icon Andy Warhol in a short-lived television campaign for Braniff International Airways. The commercial was not well-received by Braniff's customer base and was pulled from the airwaves in 1970.

In 1971, Ali appeared in a television commercial for Vitalis alongside fellow boxer Joe Frazier, and he appeared in Super Bowl TV commercial for Pizza Hut with his real-life trainer Angelo Dundee.

In 1980 Ali also appeared in a very amusing television ad for D-Con Roach Proof: after hitting heavy bag (a training device suspended from above that simulates the bulk of an opponent for punching), he turns to the camera in his boxing gear, raises and shakes a fist, and exclaims to the audience, "I don' want you livin' wit' roaches!"

Ali appeared in one of the posters for the "Think Different" campaign by Apple Computer in 1997.

Has appeared in at least one poster advertising Coca-Cola.

Ali appears with other famous athletes in a Gatorade advertisement, narrated by rapper Lil Wayne.

Comics

• New Grappler Baki — In Search of Our Strongest Hero, Japanese manga series portraying Muhammad Ali and a fictional son, Muhammad Ali, Jr.
• Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, by Dennis O'Neil & Neal Adams, (DC Comics, 1978)
• Asterix and the Big Fight - The way Chief Vitalstatistix's strategy of wearing down is opponent and his victory dance is based on Ali's.
• The main protagonist in Asterix and the Olympic Games is a Roman athlete named Cassius Ceramix.
• The character of Killerbee/Kirabi from the manga series Naruto seems loosely based on Muhammad Ali.

Trading Cards

• The 1965 Lampo (Italian) is generally considered to be Clay/Ali's true rookie card as it meets most collector's definition of a rookie card. The 1965 Swedish candy card has been authenticated by Beckett. Other early Clay/Ali issues are also popular including the 1964 Mac Robertson game card (Australian) and Panini (Italian) cards originating in the mid 1960's. Ali did not appear on an American trading card until 1982 with an appearance in a Topps Olympic set.

Magazine Articles

• Playboy - Interview: Cassius Clay, by Hugh M. Hefner (October 1964)
• Life Magazine - Cover: Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), by Editor Henry Luce (March 6, 1964)
• Esquire - "The Passion of Muhammad Ali", by George Lois (April 1968)
• Life Magazine - Cover: Muhammad Ali, by Editor Henry Luce (October 23, 1970)
• Life Magazine - Cover: Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, by Editor Henry Luce (March 5, 1971)
• Life Magazine - Cover: Ali vs Frazier by Frank Sinatra, by Editor Henry Luce (March 19, 1971)
• Time Magazine - "The Greatest is Gone Muhammad Ali * Much Ado About Haldeman", (February 27, 1978)
• ESPN Sports Century - "Muhammad Ali: "The Greatest" by Joyce Carol Oates (1999)
• Time Magazine - "100 Heroes & Icons: Muhammad Ali", by George Plimpton (June 14, 1999)
• "UN Messengers of Peace reflect on their work. (Muhammad Ali, Jane Goodall and Anna Cataldi)" An article from UN Chronicle, (2005)
• "The fight of his life: boxing Great Muhammad Ali battles Parkinson's disease" An article from: Science World, by Mona Chiang (2006)

You can post all the books, articles and interviews you want . . . I firmly disagree that he is not a pop culture icon. He is definitely an icon within the sports world, civil rights world and even Muslim world.

Do you get where I'm coming from? Maybe my definition of Pop Culture differs from yours. His world impact is simply too GREAT to simply be a pop culture icon. Is Rosa Parks a pop culture icon then? Martin Luther King Jr?

The current definition of pop culture is anything popular but also disposable, temporary and trivial. Rubik's Cubes, Pac Man and WHAM! are pop culture . . . sorry, but Ali is too good to be called that. I'm not insulting the man, in fact, quite the opposite.

mistatee said:

10) Osama Bin Laden/Barrack Obama

Why did you put these two together?

Se7en said:

musicjunky318 said:

LOL

Books

• The Cassius Clay Story, by George Sulivan (1964)
• Black is Best: The Riddle of MUHAMMAD ALI, by Jack Olsen (1967)
• Muhammad Ali, who once was Cassius Clay, by John Cottrell (1968)
• Loser and Still Champion: Muhammad Ali, by Budd Schulberg (1972)
• The Fight, by Norman Mailer (1975)
• The Greatest: My Own Story, by Muhammad Ali with Richard Durham (1975)
• Free to Be Muhammad Ali, by Robert Lipsyte (1979)
• Muhammad Ali, the People's Champ, by Elliott J. Gorn (1988)
• Muhammad Ali: The Fight for Respect, by Thomas Conklin (1992)
• Clay V. United States: Muhammad Ali Objects to War (Landmark Supreme Cou-rt Cases), by Suzanne Freedman (1997)
• The Tao of Muhammad Ali, by Davis Miller (1997)
• I'm A Little Special: A Muhammad Ali Reader, by Gerald Early (1998)
• King of the World, by David Remnick (1999)
• More Than a Champion: The Style of Muhammad Ali, by Jan Philipp Reemtsma (1999)
• Learning About Strength of Character from the Life of Muhammad Ali (Character Building Book), by Michele Ingber Drohan (1999)
• Muhammad Ali (Journey to Freedom), by Clay Latimer (2000)
• Redemption Song: Muhammad Ali and the Spirit of the Sixties, by Mike Marqusee (2000)
• The Greatest, by Walter Dean Myers (2001)
• Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World, by Mark Collings (2001)
• Ghosts of Manila, by Mark Kram (2002)
• Lucky Man: A Memoir, by Michael J. Fox (2002)
• Muhammad Ali: Trickster Celebrity in the Culture of Irony, by Charles Lemert (2003)
• The Soul of a Butterfly: Reflections on Life's Journey, by Muhammad Ali and Hana Ali (2004)
• The Untold Legacy Of Muhammad Ali, by Thomas Hauser (2005)
• Clay V. United States And How Muhammad Ali Fought the Draft: Debating Supreme Court Decisions, by Thomas Streissguth (2006)
• What's My Name, Fool? Sports and Resistance in the United States, by Dave Zirin (2005)
• The psychodynamics of white racism: An historical exploration of white racial pathology as elicited by prizefighters Jack Johnson and Muhammad Ali : (Dissertation), by Michal Louise Beale (2006)
• I'm a Bad Man: African American Vernacular Culture and the Making of Muhammad Ali, by Shawn Williams (2007)

Music

• In 1976 Ali released the album Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay, to educate children about the dangers of tooth decay. The album was narrated by Howard Cosell, with guest appearances by Frank Sinatra and Richie Havens. A sequel Ali and His Gang vs. Fat Cat the Dope King was planned, but apparently never released.
• Ali himself released a 45rpm version of the song "Stand by Me" (written by Ben E. King, Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller), a track which also featured on his 1963 Columbia album I am the Greatest (released under the name Cassius Clay).
• Bob Dylan composed a song about the young Cassius Clay "I Shall be Free No. 10" from the 1964 album Another Side of Bob Dylan featuring the lyrics: I was shadow-boxing earlier in the day; I figured I was ready for Cassius Clay; I said "Fee, fie, fo, fum, Cassius Clay, here I come; 26, 27, 28, 29; I'm gonna make your face look just like mine; Five, four, three, two, one, Cassius Clay you'd better run; 99, 100, 101, 102; your ma won't even recognize you; 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19; gonna knock him clean right out of his spleen.
• In December 1969, Ali appeared on Broadway in the musical Buck White.The show ran for just seven performances; but Ali and the cast performed the number "We Came in Chains" on the Ed Sullivan Show.
• In Tom Lehrer's satirical song "National Brotherhood Week", Lehrer speculates that for the occasion Cassius Clay would dance "cheek to cheek" with Mrs Wallace.
• In 1970, Skeeter Davis recorded "I'm a Lover (Not a Fighter)" about a wife frustrated with fighting with her husband. The chorus is "I'm a lover,/Not a fighter./I kinda like it that way./If you want a fighting partner,/Go live with Cassius Clay."
• In 1971, New York singer Vernon Harrell released a record about him called "Muhammed Ali" (sic) (Brunswick Records #55448) as Verne Harrell. This misspelling of Ali's name was printed on the labels of the 45s.
• In 1974, a song about Ali titled "Black Superman (Muhammad Ali)" was recorded by British reggae group Johnny Wakelin & the Kinshasa Band.
• In 1981, Dutch guitarist Harry Sacksioni composed and played a song called "Ali's Shuffle".
• The Fabulous Thunderbirds' 1986 song Tuff Enuff contains the reference, "I'd climb the Empire State / Fight Muhammad Ali / Just to have you, baby / Close to me."
• The Freakwater song "Louisville Lip" on their 1998 album Springtime is a tribute to Muhammad Ali framed around the story Ali told in his 1975 autobiography about tossing his gold medal into the Ohio River after being refused service in a nearby diner.
• In his early 20s, singer-songwriter and piano impressario Ben Folds wrote the song "Boxing", a fictional monologue by Muhammad Ali to Howard Cosell pondering the end of his fighting career. The song was inspired by Folds' father's love of the sport. The song was eventually recorded and appeared on Ben Folds Five's eponymous album (1995). It has also appeared in a live version on the album Naked Baby Photos (1998),a solo version by Folds on iTunes Originals - Ben Folds (2005), and in a symphonic version with the West Australian Symphony Orchestra on the DVD Ben Folds and WASO Live in Perth (2005). The song has also been covered by a number of artists, most notably Bette Midler on her album Bathhouse Betty (1998).
• The R. Kelly song "World's Greatest" is a tribute to Muhammad Ali and it is featured on the soundtrack to the 2001 motion picture Ali. In 2002, the song peaked at #34 on Billboard's Hot 100 US singles chart and at #4 on the UK singles chart. The song's video features archived footage of Ali as well as an homage to the firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical workers regarded among the greatest heroes of the rescue operations necessitated by the events of 9/11.
• The British dance band Faithless recorded a song titled "Muhammad Ali" which was released as a single on September 23, 2001. The single reached #29 on the UK singles chart. The song was included on their 2001 album Outrospective.
• In 2001, he was mentioned (under the name Cassius Clay) in the lyrics to De Phazz's Death By Chocolate album in the song "Something Special".
• In their debut 2006 album, British Indie band The Hours mention Ali in their song "Ali in The Jungle".
• Australian alternative band Butterfingers mention Cassius Clay in their song "Fig Jam"
• A line from LL Cool J's 1991 single "Mama Said Knock You Out" off of his album of the same name goes: "Just like Muhammad Ali, they called him Cassius"
• Muhammad Ali appears in the music video for "How Far We've Come" by Matchbox Twenty in an old black and white videoclip of him boxing.
• Japanese rock band the pillows released a song on their 2001 album Smile called "Monster C.C," the C.C standing for "Cassius Clay." The ending bridge contains the repeated line, "What's my name?"
• The Tori Amos song Professional Widow contains the lyrics "Beautiful angels calling/"we got every re-run of Muhammad Ali""
• 50 Cent references Ali in the song "Many Men" using the lyrics 'I'm the greatest, something like Ali in his prime'
• T.I. references Ali in the song "No Matter What" using the lyrics "Ali say even the greatest gotta suffer sometime"
• In Billy Joel's 1978 album, 52nd Street, Ali is mention in the opening lines of the song Zanzibar.

Movies & Television

When We Were Kings is a 1996 Academy Award-winning documentary film about the "Rumble in the Jungle", Ali's legendary 1974 fight against George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo).

Muhammad Ali: Made in Miami is a 2008 WLRN documentary which charts Cassius Clay's remarkable transformation from young boxing hopeful to cultural icon. The film traces Ali’s stunning rise through the heavyweight ranks, his friendship with Malcolm X, his historic clash with champion Sonny Liston, and his subsequent refusal to fight in Vietnam.

A.k.a. Cassius Clay is a 1970 documentary that covered Ali's triumphs and setbacks up to that moment in time.

Several individuals have portrayed Ali in film biographies, including Ali himself in the 1977 film, The Greatest. Others include:

• Will Smith, in the 2001 film, Ali
• Maestro Harrell, in the 201 film, Ali (portraying a young Cassius Clay)
• Terrence Howard, in the 2000 ABC TV movie, King of the World
• Jamie "Showtime" Stafford, in the 2000 ABC TV movie, King of the World (portraying a young Cassius Clay)
• David Ramsey, in the 2000 Fox TV movie, Ali: An American Hero
• Aaron Meeks, in the 2000 Fox TV movie, Ali: An American Hero (portraying a young Cassius Clay)
• Darius McCrary, in the 1997 HBO TV movie, Don King: Only in America
• Future Amazing Race winner Chip McAllister, in the 1977 film, The Greatest (portraying a young adult Cassius Clay)
• Jerrod Paige, in the 2007 film, American Gangster

Ali has appeared as himself in numerous scripted films and television series, including the films Requiem for a Heavyweight (1962), Body and Soul (1981), and Doin' Time (1985); and the television series Vega$ (1979), Diff'rent Strokes (1979), and Touched by an Angel (1999). He also provided the voice for the titular character in the 1977 NBC animated series, I Am the Greatest: The Adventures of Muhammad Ali.

Ali portrayed a former slave in Reconstruction-era Virginia who is elected to the United States Senate in the 1979 NBC TV movie Freedom Road, which was based upon the 1944 novel by Howard Fast.

Ali is featured prominently in a series of ESPN specials in honor of his 65th birthday. The shows include Ali Rap, Ali's Dozen and Ali 65. They premiered on December 9, 2006 at 9 pm EST on ESPN. Ali's fight with Larry Holmes was also the subject of one of ESPN's "30 for 30" documentary series; "Muhammad and Larry" by Albert Maysles first aired on ESPN on October 27, 2009.

Ali appeared on the WGBH series Say Brother, where he spoke about his reasons for not serving in the Vietnam War.

Facing Ali is a 2009 documentary on the topic of all the fighters which Ali faced during his career. Each one is interviewed at length. The film made the shortlist for the 82nd Academy Awards in the category of Best Documentary Feature, but did not make final list.

His boxing gloves made an appearance on the Christmas episode of Warehouse 13. Anyone on the vicinity of them "sees stars' without being hit. Was used by Claudia to make the Warehouse more festive

Video Games

Ali has appeared in numerous video boxing games, some of which feature him as the title character. Examples include Foes of Ali, Muhammad Ali Heavyweight Boxing and the Knockout Kings series and its follow up, the Fight Night series

Television Advertisments

In 1969, Ali appeared with Pop Icon Andy Warhol in a short-lived television campaign for Braniff International Airways. The commercial was not well-received by Braniff's customer base and was pulled from the airwaves in 1970.

In 1971, Ali appeared in a television commercial for Vitalis alongside fellow boxer Joe Frazier, and he appeared in Super Bowl TV commercial for Pizza Hut with his real-life trainer Angelo Dundee.

In 1980 Ali also appeared in a very amusing television ad for D-Con Roach Proof: after hitting heavy bag (a training device suspended from above that simulates the bulk of an opponent for punching), he turns to the camera in his boxing gear, raises and shakes a fist, and exclaims to the audience, "I don' want you livin' wit' roaches!"

Ali appeared in one of the posters for the "Think Different" campaign by Apple Computer in 1997.

Has appeared in at least one poster advertising Coca-Cola.

Ali appears with other famous athletes in a Gatorade advertisement, narrated by rapper Lil Wayne.

Comics

• New Grappler Baki — In Search of Our Strongest Hero, Japanese manga series portraying Muhammad Ali and a fictional son, Muhammad Ali, Jr.
• Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, by Dennis O'Neil & Neal Adams, (DC Comics, 1978)
• Asterix and the Big Fight - The way Chief Vitalstatistix's strategy of wearing down is opponent and his victory dance is based on Ali's.
• The main protagonist in Asterix and the Olympic Games is a Roman athlete named Cassius Ceramix.
• The character of Killerbee/Kirabi from the manga series Naruto seems loosely based on Muhammad Ali.

Trading Cards

• The 1965 Lampo (Italian) is generally considered to be Clay/Ali's true rookie card as it meets most collector's definition of a rookie card. The 1965 Swedish candy card has been authenticated by Beckett. Other early Clay/Ali issues are also popular including the 1964 Mac Robertson game card (Australian) and Panini (Italian) cards originating in the mid 1960's. Ali did not appear on an American trading card until 1982 with an appearance in a Topps Olympic set.

Magazine Articles

• Playboy - Interview: Cassius Clay, by Hugh M. Hefner (October 1964)
• Life Magazine - Cover: Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), by Editor Henry Luce (March 6, 1964)
• Esquire - "The Passion of Muhammad Ali", by George Lois (April 1968)
• Life Magazine - Cover: Muhammad Ali, by Editor Henry Luce (October 23, 1970)
• Life Magazine - Cover: Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier, by Editor Henry Luce (March 5, 1971)
• Life Magazine - Cover: Ali vs Frazier by Frank Sinatra, by Editor Henry Luce (March 19, 1971)
• Time Magazine - "The Greatest is Gone Muhammad Ali * Much Ado About Haldeman", (February 27, 1978)
• ESPN Sports Century - "Muhammad Ali: "The Greatest" by Joyce Carol Oates (1999)
• Time Magazine - "100 Heroes & Icons: Muhammad Ali", by George Plimpton (June 14, 1999)
• "UN Messengers of Peace reflect on their work. (Muhammad Ali, Jane Goodall and Anna Cataldi)" An article from UN Chronicle, (2005)
• "The fight of his life: boxing Great Muhammad Ali battles Parkinson's disease" An article from: Science World, by Mona Chiang (2006)

You can post all the books, articles and interviews you want . . . I firmly disagree that he is not a pop culture icon. He is definitely an icon within the sports world, civil rights world and even Muslim world.

Do you get where I'm coming from? Maybe my definition of Pop Culture differs from yours. His world impact is simply too GREAT to simply be a pop culture icon. Is Rosa Parks a pop culture icon then? Martin Luther King Jr?

The current definition of pop culture is anything popular but also disposable, temporary and trivial. Rubik's Cubes, Pac Man and WHAM! are pop culture . . . sorry, but Ali is too good to be called that. I'm not insulting the man, in fact, quite the opposite.

Hmm now that you mention it I see your point now.

before 1983... Madonna meant the Mother of Jesus

after 1983 Madonna means a singer from Detroit ...

that's influence if you can usurp a name for the Mother of God.

ehuffnsd said:

before 1983... Madonna meant the Mother of Jesus

after 1983 Madonna means a singer from Detroit ...

that's influence if you can usurp a name for the Mother of God.

True.

sosgemini said:

You Bruce Lee fanatics need to get real.

He had half a decade of fame and then died and received less after death exposure than James Dean or Marilyn. Now, if we were talking "geek icons" maybe...

Umm...No.

The entire martial arts action genre of film-making post-1973 is heavily (if not entirely) based on what Bruce Lee started. Before him, martial arts films were inane and fake, with actors flying in the air from trees like animals, or with white men terribly/satirically impersonating Asian people. Bruce changed all of that. His style of compelling plots and realistic stunts/cinematography totally upgraded the way Kung Fu, Karate, Kickboxing, etc, were captured for movies, especially during the 80s and 90s. Without Bruce, there would be no Jackie Chan, Van Damme, Jet Li, Jason Statham, etc, etc. And just like Michael Jackson, Bruce's vocal sound effects alone are iconic worldwide. So, yeah, since you're somehow not aware of this, LOL, please don't tell others to "get real."

Dewrede said:

thatruth said:

I like the list, it doesn't matter who's #1, the list is accurate but:

Although this is a music website and sports is rarely talked about on here, an important figure is clearly missing from this list.

I don't have to say his name, all you have to say is basketball and you already know who it is, same initials as another icon on the list.

isn't this about global pop icons ?

then Michael Jordan shouldn't be on

basketball players aren't global pop icons

they're only populair in the USA

[Edited 1/24/11 5:55am]

Um

Athletes can be global Pop icons. Michael Jordan IS the most recognizable athlete around the world. So yes, he is a global Pop culture icon.

WaterInYourBath said:

sosgemini said:

You Bruce Lee fanatics need to get real.

He had half a decade of fame and then died and received less after death exposure than James Dean or Marilyn. Now, if we were talking "geek icons" maybe...

Umm...No.

The entire martial arts action genre of film-making post-1973 is heavily (if not entirely) based on what Bruce Lee started. Before him, martial arts films were inane and fake, with actors flying in the air from trees like animals, or with white men terribly/satirically impersonating Asian people. Bruce changed all of that. His style of compelling plots and realistic stunts/cinematography totally upgraded the way Kung Fu, Karate, Kickboxing, etc, were captured for movies, especially during the 80s and 90s. Without Bruce, there would be no Jackie Chan, Van Damme, Jet Li, Jason Statham, etc, etc. And just like Michael Jackson, Bruce's vocal sound effects alone are iconic worldwide. So, yeah, since you're somehow not aware of this, LOL, please don't tell others to "get real."

In his case, literally. Jackie was a stuntman/extra in The Big Boss and Enter The Dragon. Sammo Hung was in Enter The Dragon too. Chuck Norris was in Return Of The Dragon. David Carradine became famous indirectly because of Bruce, since Bruce came up with the TV show that wound up being Kung Fu. But the networks at the time didn't want to build a show around a Chinese actor. There's even a new Green Hornet movie now.

Mario Vazquez should be on the list!

Se7en said:

You can post all the books, articles and interviews you want . . . I firmly disagree that he is not a pop culture icon. He is definitely an icon within the sports world, civil rights world and even Muslim world.

Do you get where I'm coming from? Maybe my definition of Pop Culture differs from yours. His world impact is simply too GREAT to simply be a pop culture icon. Is Rosa Parks a pop culture icon then? Martin Luther King Jr?

The current definition of pop culture is anything popular but also disposable, temporary and trivial. Rubik's Cubes, Pac Man and WHAM! are pop culture . . . sorry, but Ali is too good to be called that. I'm not insulting the man, in fact, quite the opposite.

Muhammad Ali is a pop culture icon. His name is synonymous with boxing.

[Edited 1/24/11 15:00pm]

ratethis99 said:

Mario Vazquez should be on the list!

Who is that?

MickyDolenz said:

ratethis99 said:

Mario Vazquez should be on the list!

Who is that?

Omg...u never heard of him? He was on American Idol.

ratethis99 said:

Mario Vazquez should be on the list!

ratethis99 said:

MickyDolenz said:

Who is that?

Omg...u never heard of him? He was on American Idol.

I don't watch that.

OK, thread's over.

trueiopian said:

Dewrede said:

isn't this about global pop icons ?

then Michael Jordan shouldn't be on

basketball players aren't global pop icons

they're only populair in the USA

[Edited 1/24/11 5:55am]

Um

Athletes can be global Pop icons. Michael Jordan IS the most recognizable athlete around the world. So yes, he is a global Pop culture icon.

no he is not

basketball is really only populair in the USA

if i were to ask certain people in here in Holland 'do you know Michael Jordan ?'

they'd tell me 'who?"

[Edited 1/24/11 15:24pm]