the way he made us feel

I was planning on posting about strawberry shortcake today (and still very may will), but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Michael Jackson’s passing.  Linda Holmes at NPR’s Monkey See has a great post up memorializing MJ and talking about his 1983 performance of Billie Jean at the Motown 25 special, and, as usual, she says everything I wanted to say, except she says it better.

I was over at Abby’s last night and this was all we could talk about or watch on television.  About how we both remembered watching MJ on MTV, back when MTV played videos.  About how we still chair dance to his music when it pops up on our playlists.  About how “The Way You Make Me Feel” may be the most perfect song in the history of songs.

As I look through my iTunes and the MJ YouTube station I’m struck with the realization that his music really did provide the soundtrack for much of my life.  I remember wanting to put Will You Be There (from the Free Willy soundtrack – don’t judge) on a mix tape and standing poised by my stereo, fingers on the tape deck’s record button, so I could record it from the radio.  I remember thinking the Black or White video was the coolest thing I’d ever seen in my 12 years on earth when it came out in 1991.  And as I got older and went to college and beyond, I re-fell in love with his earlier stuff – Bad, Beat It, Billie Jean, Thriller, Don’t Stop, Man in the Mirror.

And, regardless of what he may or may not have become, his music has left an undeniably huge mark on my life.  John Mayer may have actually put it best last night on Twitter when he said, “I think we’ll mourn his loss as well as the loss of ourselves as children listening to Thriller on the record player.”  Mayer also said, “I truly hope he is memorialized as the ‘83 moonwalking, MTV owning, mesmerizing, unstoppable, invincible Michael Jackson,” and honestly I think that’s what we should all hope happens.

Rest in peace and Godspeed, MJ.