I have some pretty vivid memories of a particular afternoon when I was nine years old. I arrived home from school, walked up the gravel driveway, and detected an unusual sound coming from the house. It was music.
Now, it was not unusual to hear music in our house. My parents had a pretty nice collection of LP's & 8-tracks. If the TV wasn't on, the stereo probably was. And Dad was never one to enjoy his music quietly. If a favorite song came on, the volume went up. Regardless of the time of day or acts of slumber the rest of us may have been engaged in at the time.
Music was a big part of our lives. And I'm very grateful for that. On this particular day, however, the music I heard was not something my father or mother had ever chosen to blast throughout the house ever before.
It was Michael Jackson. The album, of course, was Thriller.
Holy shit was I excited! I was bouncing of the frickin' walls! My parents tried to explain that they had started a remodeling project that day and thought some new inspiration music would help keep them going. Remodeling? What? I had hardly noticed the sheets of plastic covering the floor, the dust mask on my father's face, the bits of peeled paint & wallpaper speckling my mother's hair. Why were these people talking to me? Michael Jackson was coming from our speakers!
They set my sister and I up at a makeshift table in the living room so we could have dinner while they steamed & peeled through layers of poor decorating choices made by previous owners in the dining room. I barely ate, afraid to chew too loudly and make myself miss something. I was completely mesmerized. I fell instantly in love.
There's been a lot of unfortunate press surrounding Michael Jackson in the past few years. I'm choosing to use my selective memory...and forget those headlines...or at least move them to background. I'd much rather remember him as the man who stole my nine year old heart. It's true what they say, You never do forget your first love.
And I'll never forget him.
4 comments:
so sad to hear he passed....
Rose
That clip was exactly the one I was going to look up to memorialize Michael Jackson. Do you remember when they'd play it up on the big screen at Nappi's? I remember just stopping and staring in awe, with chills up and down my arms thinking, "Wow...."
Great memories, Sis - I'll link to your post from mine later!
I totally remember that! I still get chills thinking about it!
I have so many memories with this album. My friend I am would play barbies to it - Making the barbies have dance parties. We'd pretend Ken was Michael Jackson, performing a show.
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