Music Mundays: Michael Jackson

This week's Post is from Chris at Stuff as Dreams Are Made On

This week we lost a great one. Regardless of the accusations that were made against him, I doubt that anyone can deny his presence as a powerful musician, performer, and humanitarian. Michael Jackson had a lot to overcome. There were times when he wasn't the most popular person in the world and none of us will ever know what he did or didn't do. But I do know that he gave a lot to this world. What he contributed left an impression on so many in so many ways.

I can remember idolizing Michael Jackson when I was a kid. I wanted the red and black jacket from Thriller so bad! But I never got it :( I remember trying and trying to moonwalk, but to this day, I still can't do it :p I did however learn the Beat It dance and there is video evidence of that somewhere. We'll just hope that it stays buried, lol.

I think my biggest memory of Michael Jackson at a young age was watching the premier of We Are the World with my mom and dad in the living room. I was very young then, but I still remember getting chills hearing it...and yes, there is video evidence of me singing We Are the World as well :p What I didn't realize back then was how that song and album would affect so many people's lives. People in Africa and here in the US that needed more help than what our government could or would provide.

Michael Jackson always kept others in mind and he's one of the few celebrities that I can think of that I can honestly say I never recall mentioning a negative thing about anyone. All of his songs had a positive message. All of his songs hoped to make the world a better place, not to focus on the negative. That can be a hard thing to do sometimes.

It's easy to remember the scandals associated with Michael Jackson, and I won't mention any of them here. But what I'll remember is that he was a uniting force. You didn't think of Michael Jackson as a black artist. He was a human. He transcended race and encouraged everyone else to do the same. He improved the lives of countless individuals, and that's what I think makes him a true star. RIP Michael.