Musical thoughts

I don't remember where I was the first time I heard a Michael Jackson song. (I do remember where I was the first time I heard the Bon Jovi record "Slippery When Wet" though! And yes, it was an actual record. And it came all the way from Puerto Rico as I recall, a gift from a friend's grandmother.) I remember some older friends introducing me to his music because in the 80s I was still pretty little and I thought the music from the 50s, 60s, and 70s was current. I thought the Monkees were the latest thing. I thought my parents music WAS the music of the time. I had no idea there was this whole other culture out there.

To me Michael Jackson wasn't a music god like he apparently was to some people. To me he was a singer, a dancer, an entertainer. Granted, a very good one. And he was a part of my childhood. Until these last few weeks I had no idea that I knew the words to so many of his songs. I didn't know the impact they'd had on me. The memories they brought back.

Music does that for me. It reminds me of where I was at the time, what was going on. I remember very distinctly sitting in the portable at Northwest Elementary, in what was maybe third or fourth grade, passing the worn notebook paper that held the lyrics to Madonna's "Papa Don't Preach". I remember dancing around the backyard, grass beneath my bare feet, singing my heart out with Tiffany. I remember how those New Kids on the Block songs make me think of so many dance routines I put on in the Roxberry's cool basement on hot summer days. I remember singing The Fat Boys "Wipe Out" over and over again on the way home from school, and I wonder now what my dad thought back then!

Music is amazing. It stays with me. It colors my day. There are some days I want peace and I'll put in a slow, mellow CD, maybe Joshua Kadison or Yo-Yo Ma. There are days when only Eminem or Kanye West can help me express what I'm feeling. But I often turn to music, even if it's just a song or a melody. And I sing. I sing with all my heart. And today, as I watched the memorial service for Michael Jackson, I thought about what he'd done, with his gift of music. How he'd brought so many people together. How he'd brought so much joy to so many. And to me, that's pretty extraordinary.