Thursday, June 25, 2009

The King of Pop

The recent death of Michael Jackson was shocking to me, & I'm more upset than I imagined I'd be. Even though I always thought something tragic would happen to him eventually, I still find myself sad. Just last week I thought: "Haven't heard much about him lately. He's probably not going to make it much longer."

I've never really been a fan of 'pop' anything. I never owned a Michael Jackson album, glittery glove, or had a poster in my room. But I'm still very saddened, because I realize that Michael Jackson's music has been there my whole life. From his 'ABC' 'I'll Be There' Jackson 5 days, through the 80's and 90's, his music paralleled the milestones and 'eras' of my own life. From the late 60's through the early 90's, those were my growing up years too. It makes me nostalgic.

I didn't like all Michael Jackson's music, but there are a few songs that stand out in concert with events in my life. I remember "Rock With You" at a junior high school dance, and "Beat it" and "Billie Jean" in my second year of college. The 'Thriller" video was my favorite of his, (it's hard to imagine it was made in 1983) & I recall watching it on MTV with my sister. Here's Michael Jackson at his best. One of my favorite songs is "Human Nature."

Michael with Diana Ross

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