A True "Thriller"

For what it's worth among the millions of online posts, written cards and flowers, and media commentaries I wanted to give my own tribute to Michael Jackson. To say I was one of his fanatics would be overdoing it, as I was just a little too young to really appreciate his superstardom. However, ever since my Dad bought a Motown hits c.d. when I was just a kid and "ABC" came on, my ears perked right up and I was hooked. It may have been one of the first real songs after my Raffi days that I truly fell in love with. And of course not a weekend goes by that I don't plead with a DJ or band to play "I Want You Back" (it never fails to get a crowd up). Through the years my collection of MJ hits has greatly expanded all the way up until his last great singles "You Rock My World" and "Butterflies."

I suppose the reason why I and many others feel the need to make tribute to this man whom we never knew personally is that because of a marred image, we became ashamed of being his fan. An image that was not even completely created by himself, but in large part by an ever skeptical media. What was true and what was fiction may never be known amidst all the controversy, and in all honesty it never should have mattered. The only thing about Michael Jackson that should have actually mattered was the fact that he created brilliant music. I may not be a music aficionado, but I do know this much: music that can transcend generations and cultures and never lose its tune, is truly the work of genius.

For the past couple of weeks now since his death, the frequency of my Michael Jackson and Jackson 5 song plays have greatly increased. Mostly because it's brought me back to being a kid and discovering all of his hits. It's an odd thing though because most memories are attached to specific moments, but with music that's not so much the case. Rather, it's more a memory of feeling and sensation of completely enjoying yourself. I think it's safe to say the vast majority of people have at least one Michael Jackson song in their music library, and that's probably due to the fact that you just had a good time listening to it. For instance I challenge anyone to just try and not even shift your feet to "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough." So for all his eccentricities that we maybe were unable to relate to, he did provide an abundance of moves and sounds we could all relate to. For anyone who can achieve that, a great tribute is most certainly due.