How does it feel/When you're alone/and you're cold inside/Like a stranger in Moscow/Lord have mercy/Like a stranger in Moscow/We're talking danger, baby.
The lyrics to Michael Joseph Jackson's "Stranger in Moscow." There is no better song that captures the feelings and depth that Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, felt for most of his life. Our greatest entertainer of all time, was probably the most tortured. But through it all, Michael Jackson still gave us memories and excitement with little to no form of selfish reason.
Since an early age, Michael possessed a relentless since of self and emotion. As he breathed life into the lyrics to classics like "Got To Be There" and "Ben," there was always this raw talent to connect to his inner most soul and inflect a since of loneliness that would make the tough and stern cry. Where did this talent come from? Who taught him how to do such? I really don't know. But I do know his talent was sent from heaven. The most astonishing thing about Michael Jackson wasn't his eccentricities. But it was his ability to unselfishly give us music despite being attacked by the masses.
The whole world is mourning the death of Michael. He represents the end of an era. An era where music was a platform for super stardom. Your looks couldn't do it. Your personality couldn't do it. It took passion, great music, and the ability to perform and capture mass attention for more than 3 minutes and 30 seconds. It took raw talent. And most of all integrity.
Michael Jackson stood for something. He believed in the healing power of love ("We Are The World," "Cry," "Man In The Mirror,"). And that music was the platform to share that power. And that dancing was the formula for love. This is why I have a particular love for the albums Off The Wall, Triumph (The Jackson's), and Thriller. This was the era in which Michael turned his troubles into a 1-2 dance step. He was young and fresh. Cool and debonair. There were no musical constraints. He explored and defined the sound that is now known as "pop." Its not that I don't love his later works. There were some awesome pieces, "Remember The Time" and "Break of Dawn." But there was some since of tarnish. He was either trying to prove a point or trying to out do himself, which resulted in grunts and groans that were indecipherable ("Scream"). Those were great pieces of art, but it's a shame the price he had to pay to write such gems. Gone were the days of his lite, alluring vocals and lyrics like on "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough," "Lovely One," and "PYT." Yes, Michael Jackson was our biggest star, but at a huge cost.
As I sit back and think about the musical life of Michael, I don't mourn for him so much because I know he's in a much better place. To be honest I'm more sorry to see him go the way he did. Yet, in the back of my mind I thought it was better for him to retire. But I still mourn for all the children and the future generations that will never get a chance to experience The King of Pop. However, there's still hope. Just recently, my 7 year-old cousin proclaimed that Chris Brown stole his moves from "Mickey Jackson," and my 3 year-old cousin thought she saw "Michael Jasmine" on TV when The Temptations was on VH1. I know it would be an extreme rarity, and I know there will never be another. I just hope there's another entertainer that will capture our attention as much as Michael Jackson has, but next time we will appreciate him or her while they're still on earth. The angel, Michael Joseph Jackson, was truly a stranger on earth. Now, he's where he belong--in heaven. All hail the King of Pop!
The lyrics to Michael Joseph Jackson's "Stranger in Moscow." There is no better song that captures the feelings and depth that Michael Jackson, The King of Pop, felt for most of his life. Our greatest entertainer of all time, was probably the most tortured. But through it all, Michael Jackson still gave us memories and excitement with little to no form of selfish reason.
Since an early age, Michael possessed a relentless since of self and emotion. As he breathed life into the lyrics to classics like "Got To Be There" and "Ben," there was always this raw talent to connect to his inner most soul and inflect a since of loneliness that would make the tough and stern cry. Where did this talent come from? Who taught him how to do such? I really don't know. But I do know his talent was sent from heaven. The most astonishing thing about Michael Jackson wasn't his eccentricities. But it was his ability to unselfishly give us music despite being attacked by the masses.
The whole world is mourning the death of Michael. He represents the end of an era. An era where music was a platform for super stardom. Your looks couldn't do it. Your personality couldn't do it. It took passion, great music, and the ability to perform and capture mass attention for more than 3 minutes and 30 seconds. It took raw talent. And most of all integrity.
Michael Jackson stood for something. He believed in the healing power of love ("We Are The World," "Cry," "Man In The Mirror,"). And that music was the platform to share that power. And that dancing was the formula for love. This is why I have a particular love for the albums Off The Wall, Triumph (The Jackson's), and Thriller. This was the era in which Michael turned his troubles into a 1-2 dance step. He was young and fresh. Cool and debonair. There were no musical constraints. He explored and defined the sound that is now known as "pop." Its not that I don't love his later works. There were some awesome pieces, "Remember The Time" and "Break of Dawn." But there was some since of tarnish. He was either trying to prove a point or trying to out do himself, which resulted in grunts and groans that were indecipherable ("Scream"). Those were great pieces of art, but it's a shame the price he had to pay to write such gems. Gone were the days of his lite, alluring vocals and lyrics like on "Don't Stop 'Till You Get Enough," "Lovely One," and "PYT." Yes, Michael Jackson was our biggest star, but at a huge cost.
As I sit back and think about the musical life of Michael, I don't mourn for him so much because I know he's in a much better place. To be honest I'm more sorry to see him go the way he did. Yet, in the back of my mind I thought it was better for him to retire. But I still mourn for all the children and the future generations that will never get a chance to experience The King of Pop. However, there's still hope. Just recently, my 7 year-old cousin proclaimed that Chris Brown stole his moves from "Mickey Jackson," and my 3 year-old cousin thought she saw "Michael Jasmine" on TV when The Temptations was on VH1. I know it would be an extreme rarity, and I know there will never be another. I just hope there's another entertainer that will capture our attention as much as Michael Jackson has, but next time we will appreciate him or her while they're still on earth. The angel, Michael Joseph Jackson, was truly a stranger on earth. Now, he's where he belong--in heaven. All hail the King of Pop!
