Memories of Michael

Before I do Thursday's Tidbits, I going to take a moment to pay my own respects to Michael Jackson. I'm late blogging about his death due to a death in my own family that same week.

First, I just want to say that the memorial on Tuesday was such a stunningly beautiful and heartfelt tribute. Especially touching were Brooke Shields' tearful remembrances of her & Michael as teenage friends, the songs by Stevie Wonder & Usher, and the many memories of Michael by Berry Gordy, Magic Johnson, and Smokey Robinson. And of course, the most touching remembrance of all, will always be daughter Paris Jackson's poignant farewell to her father. That was truly heartbreaking.

Going back down memory lane, I can recall watching reruns of The Jackson Five's cartoon show (forgot what it was called) on Saturday mornings in the mid-70s. I think that's really where I first heard "ABC" and "The Love You Save." By the time I was about ten (1978), I really knew who they were. By this time, The Jacksons' (having already left Motown by this time) big hits were "Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)" and "Blame it on the Boogie." Anyone remember those? They were rockin'! Another fave of mine around this time period was Heartbreak Hotel (I still LOVE that song to this day). Then came OFF THE WALL. Wow. What a great debut for him as a solo artist! My faves: Rock with You, Off the Wall, Working Day and Night, & Don't Stop Til You Get Enough. When I turned 15, the THRILLER album had just hit big and I had huge posters of Michael, as Tee Brown said in one of her posts, "wallpapered" to my bedroom walls. What can I say about THRILLER? An album where practically every single on it was a hit and got frequent airplay? For me, it's the best album ever made. Michael was at his musical best here.

In later years, there were only a few singles I liked from albums that came out after THRILLER. And some of the things he did and said, I didn't totally agree with. But who am I or anyone else to judge? No matter what anyone says about Michael, he was a true musical genius, with talent that could only be a gift from God. So let God be the judge. As Marlon stated at the memorial, "Maybe now they will leave you alone."

Rest in peace, Michael.