Thursday, July 2, 2009

Gone Too Soon


This post is long overdue. I've been walking around broken-hearted for the past week and still I can't get my mind to wrap around the fact that Michael Jackson is gone.
I understand everyone may not feel me in this post, but then again most people don't even know him for his music, (the newer generations) only for what the tabloids spread about him.


The man was a genius and I am so sad that I won't hear anything new from him ever again. His choreography was so slick and he had every move perfected but I think he was way bigger than all that. That's what attracted me the most. Throughout his life I didn't know too much about him; all i knew was I've heard his music since I was 4. It was catchy and upbeat but I never looked beyond that. In high school I began to pay more attention to his lyrics. I would read them often and I realized how deep they were, and I had to respect him for that. That's when I became a fan.

He'd broken every record in music, yet the best one is creating charities every turn he took. His song "We Are the World" alone raised millions of dollars for Africa. Yet, without even knowing all these facts, I was always convinced he had a great character, but I'm sad.

I'm sad because it took his death for me to realize how much I liked him and I don't know if it's possible to "miss" someone you've never met ... but I do. *sigh*

You know MTV never played black music in their baby days? This was in the 80's, people!!! They wouldn't air a single black artists' video because it didn't fit the "style." But he was persistent and his video Billie Jean was the first time a black artist premiered on their show. He's also the visionary behind modern day music videos i.e. before his style came along, a singer would generally be standing around vocalizing. He was the one to come up with the idea of telling a "story." He's also the one who MADE the careers of singers like Whitney Houston, Prince, Usher, and so many others. Did I mention his music was DEEP? He would bring up the division of colors, crime, and a united human race.

I think I did, but I'll leave you with some lyrics from a few chosen songs:

They Don't Really Care About Us
Beat me, hate me, You can never break me. Will me, thrill me, You can never kill me. Do me, sue me, Everybody do me. Kick me, strike me, Don't you black or white me. All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us.

Black or White
Protection For gangs, clubs And nations Causing grief in Human relations Its a turf war On a global scale Id rather hear both sides Of the tale See, its not about races Just places Faces Where your blood Comes from Is where your space is Ive seen the bright Get duller Im not going to spend My life being a color

Bad
We can change the world tomorrow
This could be a better place
If you dont like what Im sayin
Then wont you slap my face . . .

Gone too Soon
Born to amuse
To inspire to delight
Here one day
Gone one night

Like a sunset
Dying with the rising of the moon
Gone too soon
Gone too soon

I truly hope the saying is true that "legends never die."

4 comments:

*mary* said...

It is sad. Even if you weren't a huge fan it's hard not to acknowledge what a strange and difficult life the poor man had, especially his upbringing.

He was famous since before I was born, on radio and later television. Of course I didn't know him personally, but he was always there; the pop culture wallpaper of my childhood.

Artistic Logic said...

thanks mary.... yea he's etched in my memories too its hard to get rid of that

provoking invoking said...

<3

yay you put "they don't really care about us" first

i'm still sad too, its weird.

EmptyWords said...

i hear ya... death of a legend sigh