Today is the one-year anniversary of the death of the greatest entertainer to ever live, the unanimously reigning King of Pop. I believe there isn’t a soul on this earth who witnessed a performance by Michael Jackson that wasn’t captivated by his music, dance moves, and the unparalleled energy he brought to the stage. There were many degrading opinions and harsh judgments of MJ, particularly during the last decade of his life, and many people felt that he had been slowly loosing his grip on reality, if he ever really lived in the real world to begin with. The negative media attention certainly marred his reputation over the years, but after his unexpected drug-related cardiac arrest, all detractors and critics were forced to become his admirers again, and the whole world took time to reflect on his marvelous achievements in the wake of his passing. Michael Jackson’s greatness was undeniable, the ways in which God used him to bless the world are unfathomable, and I believe that perhaps even Michael himself never fully understood the incredible gifts that he was able to share with the world.
I was writing at my laptop on the afternoon of June 25, 2009 when I clicked to my Yahoo homepage to check my email and caught a glimpse of the flashing headline breaking that Michael Jackson had died. Usually I would’ve ignored a link with crazy statements pertaining to MJ, writing it off as more propaganda from the media leeches who refused to leave him alone. But something kept nudging me to follow up – there had been rumors about MJ’s death before that were obviously untrue, but on this day I felt compelled to keep searching. I googled the subject and found that four or five other internet articles were corroborating Michael’s passing, and then my heart began to beat a little faster and I worried if it might be true. Soon after, my phone began to buzz on the floor behind my chair, as mass RIP text messages and personal messages from my friends and family to see if I had heard the news were being sent. It really had happened – the worst rumor possible turned out to be true.
All I could do for the rest of that day was sit in my room and play Michael’s records. I didn’t want to feed into the media frenzy because I felt like most of the world was disloyal to Michael throughout the years, so I didn’t feel there were many who were qualified to be reporting (and capitalizing) on him at his death. MJ was my hero and I still am a staunch defender of him, even in the midst of his shortcomings and poor decisions. Not one time did I look at MJ and see him as weak, crazy or shameful. I sometimes felt he was naïve, he often responded to pressure awkwardly, and I never felt like he had close relationships with people that he trusted. But I never stopped believing in him or loving him.
In ’87, my father bought the Bad album on vinyl, and this was one of the first records I remember physically handling on my own. I was four years old, so obviously my dad wasn’t letting me near his record collection too much; he only let me thumb through them and look at the covers. With Bad, I remember actually pulling out the slip cover and carefully observing the pictures of Michael and reading along with the lyrics (believe it or not, I did actually read them somewhat coherently at that age, since I had the help of listening along with the music). Bad has always been my favorite album by MJ because in a way the Bad version of Michael was the first version of him I got to know. I was of course familiar with music by the Jackson 5 as well as Thriller, but I feel like I began to understand Michael the person through my interaction with Bad. I believe this album was in some ways a representation of who Michael was apart from his performances, more so than other albums. The songs on that album seemed to represent his personality. The title track, “Bad,” is him singing about how he’s too bad for all opponents, and no matter how tough they act, he will always find a way to win. And that was damn true about him – who was more competitive and focused on winning than MJ? He always achieved the highest. “Another Part of Me” and “Man in the Mirror” were the first songs that reflected Michael’s commitment to philanthropic causes, erasing prejudice and promoting unity. Long after “We Are the World” was complete, Michael continued to give generously of his time and money to charities, particularly those affecting children and poverty in Africa. And speaking of Africa, all of the stories about MJ bleaching his skin because he wanted to be white were the most ridiculous. Why would a man who hates his blackness write a love ballad called “Liberian Girl?” (The Bad album cover is when the public first saw Michael’s skin becoming lighter, but the irony is that this is when his connection to African culture and people began to grow stronger.)
Today I will be listening to my Michael Jackson albums in remembrance. I was saddened by the death of my childhood hero one year ago, but I’m proud of the life that he lived. I never felt Michael was a sell-out, and I never felt he was insincere. To understand the true essence of who he was and what he represented, returning to the music and the performances will remind you that Michael was undoubtedly the best to ever do it.
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