When I was a little boy, one of the first albums I remember being absolutely hypnotized by was the ABC album. Five kids on the cover and three gigantic letters and that album would become a cornerstone in my learning to read. My sister would play the album for me and I clearly remember asking her to replay ABC over and over again and she would tell me about other songs on the album and for a long time I would listen to her and smile…I only wanted to hear ABC.
The first time I played an album on our record player without adult supervision was a Jackson 5 album. I tried to be certain to pick the needle up on our Zenith carefully so I didn’t scratch the LP but I was scared to touch it anymore than I had already and I was forced to listen to an entire side of that great album. Now understand that was before my life would change completely and totally and Michael and the brothers were friends of mine…at least in my mind. We had adventures together and they provided the soundtrack. I didn’t know anything about love but I knew that Michael was letting some young lady know that the love you save may be your own…their music remains so important to me that I am honored to have been around when they were fresh and unfettered.
When I was in high school in the ‘80’s, I was caught in the middle of Michael Jackson fever. It was CRAZY! Imagine that every day on TV, Michael’s face or song or dance move or glove was being imprinted on the world. Please make no mistake – Michael Jackson set this planet musically on fire. No human being will duplicate what he did in the music industry simply because they don’t make LP’s anymore…he was paramount in revolutionizing the “music video”. He was on the verge of being the most recognized human being on the planet but we loved him too much. We got upset when we felt he failed us. We turned our back on him and made him the centerpiece of our jokes and now we are reflecting on how he played a role in our lives. We are all guilty of it whether we want to admit it or not.
This is one of those “do you remember where you were when” days like 9/11, when Reagan was shot, when you first saw Thriller – see what I mean?! Michael Joseph Jackson has made his transition and even though in coming days his life will be relinquished to the public and pundits to scrutinize and analyze and dissect…I want to remember the great comfort I took as a little boy in the ‘70’s and as a teenager in the ‘80’s…as a grown up now, I want my sense of recall to continue to be amazed that I saw it. I saw Michael and his brothers literally change the attitudes of the world during difficult times and prosperity.
I am probably going to write more about my feelings. I’ll certainly write a poem or two...I will certainly make it my business to listen to my MJ downloads since we naturally continue to move forward and rely on our sense of recall… rest in peace brother and know that you changed the world for a little while. We hope to live long enough to see the likes of you again.
Peace Michael Joseph Jackson – rest.
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