You Deserve Peace, Michael Jackson
When I was 6 or 7, my dad bought a cassette tape at the mall while we waited for my mom and sister. We sat in the Cutlass and grooved to it.
Come on and do the love dance…
Around that same age, I watched the Jackson 5 cartoon on Saturday mornings. There was an episode where they were drafted into the Army and I think they ran away when they wanted to shave their Afros. There was something about peeling potatoes.
His hair caught fire shooting a commercial.
I’d cover my eyes when I went to my friend Tufu’s house because his sister had a “Thriller” poster on her door and the zombies scared me. The video did more than scare me; I feel like it taught me how to be afraid.
He invited Stevie Wonder, Cyndi Lauper, and Dan Akroyd (?) and others to record the greatest song ever in history. Looking back, it’s still really impressive.
A few years later, “Bad” came out in stores. Wesley Snipes was in the video, and I was surprised that Michael was playing a high school student. Prince said Michael called it “Bad” because “Terrible” wouldn’t fit on the album cover.
I fell in love with the girl in the music video for “The Way You Make Me Feel.” But even at 10 years old, I knew “Moonwalker” made no sense.
I’m gonna make a change for once in my life…
I grew older. Michael’s videos were on after “In Living Color” for some reason. He smashed a car. He yelled. He touched his crotch from outside his black jeans. It was on CNN.
There was a video with Michael Jordan, Heavy D, and Kris Kross. Michael (not Jordan) drop-kicked a basketball backwards into a hoop. Seriously.
Naomi Campbell. If the phrase “FTW” had existed then, I would have said it.
“Remember the Time” had a goofy video. But the song made me wish I was 25 so I could understand it. Now I understand it and almost wish I didn’t.
“An American Dream” – a mini-series about the Jacksons – aired on ABC. Vanessa Williams played Suzanne What’shername. Freddy Boom Boom played Joe Jackson. Angela Basset played Mom (and Betty Shabazz the same year) – and Boyz II Men played bullies from the neighborhood. I identified with Michael. His only friend as a kid was a mouse.
“Human Nature” was sampled on Illmatic.
I have a skin disorder…
Jacko molested kids. Did he? Yeah he definitely did. No he didn’t. I bet he did. No. No he’s a target. No, he’s just sick.
There was a marriage to Elvis’s daughter; that was unexpected. They divorced; that was expected.
Then a double album. New stuff and old stuff. All of it was great. People made a big deal over the fact that like a million dollars were spent making the music video for “Scream” – the duet with Janet. But the video was cool, and that song was not recognized for the instant classic it should have been.
Who is Debbie Rowe? So are his kids white or black? I’m sorry, did he just name his son Prince?
You rock my world…
We were all reminded that parents on balconies shouldn’t hold their children on said balcony. More accusations. Chris Rock said he showed up to court looking like Cap’N Crunch. He danced on top of a car; he didn’t seem entirely well.
I set “PYT” as the ringtone on my cell phone when my wife calls. And only my wife.
He danced with N*SYNC at some award show. People made pedophile jokes.
He said he slept with young kids. He said it on tape. He said he just wanted to share love. He may have been lying; he may have been telling the whole truth.
He moved to Dubai. He went bankrupt. He said he meant to book 2 shows in London, not 50.
He had a heart attack. He died.
None of these memories are facts i looked up on the Internet. These are just the things I remember. And I could stay here another two hours and not run out of more things I remember. Who’s Annie? Flirting with his sister in the video with Paul McCartney. White socks. Sidewalk lighting up underfoot. Yeah he starred in a video game too. Is that him singing backup for Rockwell? He poked fun at himself in Men in Black 2. My aunt said “look at the way he spins!” and I looked.
He was a headline and a punchline his whole life. We all remember.
But there’s so much we forget. Like when he was no older than 10, how could he pack so much pain into his voice? Whooooo’s loooooooving youuuuuuu. How could any ten-year-old understand heartache and loneliness like that? Or was he just channeling all the hurt he’d feel over the next four decades?
Did he spend his whole adult life trying to find a childhood?
Michael Jackson was far from perfect. As flawed as any other human being is. Maybe more so.
But he was still a human being. So let’s just honor that and give him a chance to finally get some peace.
Never can say goodbye, no no no.