Michael Jackson's Talent

With the recent passing of Michael Jackson, I have become a fan all over again. It's sad that it took his passing for me and probably millions more like me to either realize his talent or rediscover it.

I have become obsessed, really, with watching or listening to all the performances, documentaries, interviews, music videos, cd's, etc. that I can get my hands on. Have I gone a little overboard? Yes, absolutely. I am enjoying myself enough, though, that I don't really care. lol...

What I think about Michael's personal life is an entirely different conversation, but one that I also definitely have an opinion on, so check back for that. For now, I just want to talk about his talent and my interest in him.

The Jackson Five burst onto the scene before my time. By the time I got old enough to keep up with music, I had heard some of their stuff, yes, but not much. It wasn't until Michael Jackson became a solo phenomenon with Thriller that I, like so many others, became a big fan. That CD was awesome! Like, seven out of nine songs were a hit! You don't even hear about seven singles off of a nine track CD anymore! Wow!

Michael's follow up album, Bad, wasn't as big of a seller as Thriller, but then again, no CD since of any artist has been, right? (I'll have to check my facts on that, but I think Thriller is the highest selling CD ever.) The tracks on this second CD were great, though, and it still went multiplatinum, so who cares, right? Again, the majority of the tracks off of this CD became hits.

I had the Thriller and Bad cassette tapes, and I loved to listen to them. By the time that Dangerous came out, Michael was already starting to become more and more eccentric and having plastic surgery and all. Again, that is all another topic. I will say, however, that I was guilty of backing away; of thinking how strange he'd become. My musical interests were changing, too, though. So, I didn't buy Dangerous or any of the later CD's that Michael put out.

After he died, and I started paying more attention to the person and the songs, I started to understand the meanings behind some of the songs... Things I just didn't get when I was younger. I mean, sure, they were always great songs, but WOW, I didn't know the background... I didn't know a lot of things that have since made me appreciate the music and the man so much more. I also heard more of just the fun songs... I've realized that I had heard more songs off of his subsequent albums than I had originally thought, and I actually liked them. A month later, I'm listening to nothing but Michael Jackson music. This guy was BRILLIANT!

I used to think Michael was cute in the Thriller days... and he stayed cute, even after the first couple of nose jobs, but then things just started going a little too far. But, I'll tell you, once you see him on stage performing live, or even in his videos, you forget so much about the face, particularly the nose. His stage shows were AMAZING... the dancing, the energy, the emotion, the effects, the participation... and yes, even the raw sex appeal that his on-stage persona emitted... I admit it, even after he started looking more and more strange, I thought he was still very sexy as long as he was on stage... lol.. He just draws you in!

Then, seeing him off stage, makes one wonder how he can be two completely different people. It's like he transforms into someone else while performing... someone rough and tough... snarling that nose and biting that lower lip... pulling the voice from way down deep with almost a growl at times... The dances. What can you say about the dances... conveying such a confidence... Everything that was opposite of the man. Amazing.... Again, another story, though... lol.

Ok, so yes, I have gone overboard. I have even watched things so much that I have my favorite little dance moves that he did, and I can just about tell you where all of them are in his videos and live performances. His music and his performances make me move, make me cry and sometimes even make me flush with excitement (*wink*). Most of all, it makes me sad that I didn't appreciate him more and pay more attention while he was still alive. That anticipation of "what will he do next," has been replaced by "we'll never see that again or anything like it." So sad.