What a fortnight! Over the many years to come the last couple of weeks will be remembered for a number of reasons, purchasing our first home, moving into our new home but the reality is where there is a new beginning sadly there is also the end. June 25th 2009 is the day that Michael Jackson died and I couldn’t imagine anyone on this planet that have never heard of his name and/or his music. Am I fan? Of course I am! You don’t remember much when you were six years old but I certainly do remember the first time I saw and heard Michael Jackson perform “Billie Jean” Motown 25, it was also the first time I saw the legendary Moonwalk. I wouldn’t have known this at the time but as I sat there watching and transfixed to the television, I was witnessing something special and will long be remembered as one of the best performances in music history. Billie Jean makes you want to get up and dance which I probably did as a six year old flaling about in the lounge room, it doesn’t even matter if you know how but you can feel this song…One of the men that worked on this song was quoted saying:
“Billie Jean’ is hot on every level. It’s hot rhythmically. It’s hot sonically, because the instrumentation is so minimal, you can really hear everything. It’s hot melodically. It’s hot lyrically. It’s hot vocally. It affects you physically, emotionally, even spiritually” – Greg Phillinganes
So yesterday was his memorial, watched by millions around the world with the biggest names in the industry there to pay their respects. I’m not going to lie, of course I cried. I cried not because everyone else was but because I saw the effect his music had on people, the young, the old, blacks, white, asians and latinos. One woman from Queensland summed it up for me when she said:
“They just don’t make the same music anymore” – Anonymous
If there is anything that I can give back to the man who has given so much it would be this, a few simple simple words on how I remembered him and how I will always remember when I hear the name “Michael Jackson”
