Yes Michael, I do. And I will never forget...
Today has officially been a month since Michael Jackson passed away. I refused to say that he has died. Not out of denial but because his spirit possessed so much energy while he was on this side of the Earthly realm: with his music and artistry, Michael Jackson will never die in my heart ...
I have contemplated writing a blog entry for a month. I had zero energy to do so the night that we all heard the bad news... I felt weak. I remember writing on my Facebook status for that day June 25th that "I was feeling great..." I went home from work, got in the bed to take a nap into sweet dreams but woke up to a phone call in a beautiful nightmare. I had no idea what was going on in the world while I was asleep. My Blackberry rang, it was my mom she said "Yellowswan... Michael Jackson died". I immediate broke inside like glass against a wall. I turned to CNN and seeing the breaking news in the yellow box, cameras at the UCLA Ronald Reagan Medical Center... I immediately cried for someone I never met before but I felt a relatively sense that he was a friend for life for many years... I told my mom while crying "Now I can't write that song with him in the studio..." I felt like there was no reason to dream anymore - I almost lost the want and feelings of doing music. The number one person, the only person I ever wanted to work with is gone... what was the point? LA Times confirming something so... this did not seem true. Legends never die: Michael Jackson died? No...
I jumped onto Twitter... the news was true. I turned to MTV and they were playing all of his videos as were other music video channels. The feeling of that day: the world stopped. Hate all you want, but when the news broke that Michael Jackson had passed, the world stopped. Watching his videos on Youtube was always something that I did on my late weekend nights. I would search for one video and that would lead to another and I would just get lost in music videos. Watching his video "Another Part of Me" live from the Bad played by MTV reminded me of finally getting the message beyond the surface while I was living in Germany; when I really looked deeper into what he was saying, I felt sad because I could not let Michael know that: I got it - Man I understand you loud and clear, your message is so right. The music to "Liberian Girl" was always so enchanting to me... and seeing the video listening to those enchanting lyrics crossed me in touch to my spiritual side: Michael's soul was making that walk home. And ... blank... His passing shook my core and I did not expect it to be that way. I read other blogs on the internet and I was not the only person feeling this way. I would be at work quiet, going to Google looking at his images and I would have a moment when I teared up at my desk. I hear stories now that I was not the only one - It made me feel a bit better but sad because we were all feeling the same pain.
The entire weekend of the 27th of June, I felt a return to the magic that I always felt and saw whenever I heard Michael music or watched his performances. The return of the magic was a reminder of the greatness of his talent. I always felt a return to my childhood almost like it was time to say goodbye... but I refuse to say goodbye - "Never can say goodbye..." . Michael Jackson's music will always be the soundtrack to my life. From birth to now: his music strikes a chord almost like it fits into my DNA. It was meant to be there. I suddenly felt like I visiting my childhood all over again memories that I had not thought upon for years suddenly came back - and I needed these memories ... Listening to the music from his Jackson 5 to Thriller days reminded me of my grandmother's house. I remember listening to "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" and I can honestly say that this song is why I wanted to do music. I wanted to learn music to see the machinery of this song. This song stayed with me my whole life: this song re-energizes me in such a way like an explosion. If I am having a bad day and this song comes on KA-BOOM! - Everything that was I was upset or stressed about: it has been bombed away. "Off The Wall" - like the song says "gotta leave that 9-5 up on the shelf, and just enjoy yourself". "Rock With You" - I swear I remember listening to this song when I was a tiny tot in my grandmother's living because I was throwing pennies into her closet to the beat.
To this day; the Thriller video still scares me. It has the same fearful effect that it had on me the first time I saw it. I will be turning 29 years old next month, and I can't watch the video past the part when Michael is dancing like a zombie. I live near the woods... put it together... its dark in those woods. "Billie Jean" ... moment of silence. This to me is Michael Jackson's signature song. I remember being amazed at four years old at how the floor lit up whenever he walked on the tiles. Yes I went to my grandmother's kitchen and imitated the same. "Beat It" - ok I have my own four year thought at this video. When you are young, you have your own understanding of things. And I always thought that the reason that Michael went downstairs in this video was because he was trying to sleep, and the guys downstairs were making noise. Seems logical right? In my child mind it did. And in a way I was right. The gangs were down on the streets making noise and Michael was not having it. Michael brought gangs together for one moment not to fight, and the LAPD couldn't even do that. Michael Jackson's fan base crosses gender, race, social and country lines. The man was the most popular person in the world since the Thriller album was released.
This album is untouchable. 60 million units stands in between "Thriller" album and the second best selling album of all time. And with the way each generation has discovered his music, re-added it to their collections, I don't see that record ever being broken. Michael told yall he was bad. Yes he was... Bad as in good for those who ahh keep reading...
The Bad era: YES! I remember seeing the clips on TV from his Bad tour and not understanding why everyone was passing out. I don't think there is any other artist out there today, that can fill up stadiums and have people faint by just standing on stage with no music... can you think of anyone? I didn't think so. I always wanted to be the girl from the "The Way You Make Me Feel" video. I remember being seven years old and standing on a storage crate in the middle of my bedroom; pretending to sing this song to my second grade crush. It was a cute memory. My empathetic side broke through by this time, "Man In The Mirror" made me cry. And I don't know how many times I have destroyed by ankles throughout the years imitating the "Smooth Criminal" video. Can you do the lean?
Did you know that Michael got that move patented? Coincidentally, a week before MJ's passing I found
this video. Michael Jackson always paid tribute to those who came before him, and I will always pay tribute to MJ for being the great teacher he was. Another coincidence on that same night was something in my mind told me look up Jackson's entry on Wikipedia: amazing. I always loved me some Michael Jackson. I just wish he knew how much he was loved by us, his fans.
"Dangerous... the girl is so dangerous". Christmas 1991 I was in the sixth grade. I saw a gift under the tree with my name on it. Sneaky me, I noticed that they were two cassette tapes. One was MC Hammer's "Too Legit To Quit" and the second was Michael Jackson" Dangerous". When I was in sixth grade, I was at a time in my life when I begin to shut down everything around me: I became quiet and I would not talk. I didn't feel accepted. And every time I open my arms up for acceptance, I was torn down. The age of eleven... was so hard. I didn't like school or my home life. The only thing that I found comfort in was: music. It was my security blanket. I went to school one morning, and snatched the tapes from under the tree. I listened to the Hammer tape, but what really stuck with me was the "Dangerous" album. I stared at the album cover for the longest time... and I still do. I like to decipher things. I also noticed that this was a time when Michael hid himself more. This album and some might disagree was best with the R&B songs. I still say that "Can't Let Her Get Away" should have been the second single. It should have been a single period. Michael at his best was funky. I did not like the world around me when I was eleven years old. I was picked on at school, and was bullied in my neighborhood. I couldn't even sit on my porch without the idiots from the neighbor hood wanting to come over and tease me. I never threw the poison back because I did not hate in my heart... so I just stayed in the house. "Do You Remember the Time..."yes! Who else can buy broadcast network time and premiere their videos... I'll wait. Nobody... only Michael Jackson can do that. I was into my second year of playing the clarinet by this time and music saved my life. It gave me shelter. This album was a breakthrough for me... and these memories of my life came back full blast during that 27th of June weekend... God knows I needed to be reminded of the drive that I had when I was 12 years old. I wanted to tell Michael how much he meant to the twelve year old me... I just wanted to say thank you. God I hope he knows how much we thank him.
We played his music in marching band. Even dedicated field shows to his music. When the "His-Story" album came out, all of us gave a "Scream" when we FINALLY saw Michael and Janet in the same video. YES! I know the whole dance. Because yet again, I watched this video over and over again. Tell me you don't lift up your shirt in the car while driving during the dance break? Be honest: you wanted to wear some leather pants but gave it up and left it to Janet? This video was a statement that Michael made over and over again throughout his career on almost every album. This time, he brought his sister on team with him. And I love how Janet always had/has her brother's back. And in case you didn't know, "Scream" was co-written and produced with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis. If I was in the studio during that time with those four people, pass me one of those gurney's from the Bad tour, I would have fell out.
To this day I still do the stair dance that Michael does during the "Rock My World" video. I was living in Germany when this song came out from the "Invincible" album. And I remember my heart going "yes" that he was back making more music. Raise your hand if "Butterflies" takes you to another place. I don't ever want to come down from "Heaven Can Wait"- its so bittersweet listening to that song while we realize that he has passed... Heaven couldn't wait. God is always in control. Le sigh...

I can go on and on about every MJ song but his music had that major effect on me. And I always daydreamed even up to the week before he passed that he would win a Grammy for the song that I wrote for him. I had this weird idea that I was going to write him a number one song to bring him back to the top.But as we see, Michael was always number one. Michael will always stay on the top. There will never be another person like him. I don't care how many lookalikes or imitators you show me: they are not in line to take his throne. The world is so quick to crown someone the next Michael Jackson, the next Janet Jackson or the next Madonna. There can only be one. Immortal he is not, but Michael Jackson will live on forever with his music... Nah I don't really think there will ever be another like Michael, even in the year 4000... only God knows.
And if we were feeling this way I can't even imagine the pain his family feels; his family I pray that God continues to send them strength. And wow... the memorial service... for the first time it taught me to celebrate the spirit of the person. People talk so much about how Michael changed his appearance throughout the years. I did not care about that at all. We don't know about his life, only God knows: and I thought that his soul was beautiful. You could always sense that his soul came alive on stage... that taught me another lesson. You have to operate in the energy that you came to this world to be. You have to be yourself. If you don't you get weak: I learned that lesson years ago and indeed now, I need to break out. The memorial service taught me so much... your body and soul go hand in hand. Cliche as it sounds, you really need to have a peaceful soul... this summer is showing me a lot of lessons and I am just taking it all in because I want to be a better person.
I will just say that I felt like I lost a brother/cousin/friend/father/music teacher all in one the day that Michael passed away. So much inspiration from my childhood that I felt all over again has come back to me. And maybe that is in God's essence... the Lord does work in mysterious ways... Oh Michael I just say thank you soul brother... you came here to the world from God to do a job and you did it well. Peaceful blessings on the other side into your next life and beyond... thank you man...