There's a Place in My Heart for Michael Jackson

When I heard the news of Michael Jackson's death, I was in disbelief. Not that I have followed him for sometime, but he was just sooo young (he was about our parents' age), and I have such fond memories of his music from when I was a kid. How could he be gone?

As I remember him, I think of 4 things, really:

1. Beat It
2. Black or White
3. Erika Lizotte's Dancing
4. How did a black man make himself look so white? And what happened to his nose?

Beat It
When I was a kid, I think like 4 or 5 years old, I can remember jamming out to Beat It in the back of my aunt Laurel's van with my cousins, Chris and Jon, during our Ohio trips to visit my grandparents. This was our song. As soon as the cassette tape began to play, Dong, Dong, Donnnnng ... we got all revved up. I didn't even know most of the words to the song, but we certainly would belt out, "Beat It, Beat It." And any time I hear the song today, I remember those fun times. In addition, I think this was my very first Pop music tape.

One other fun thought about Beat It is the time I took a trip with Brad and his family to Charleston, SC (we were still dating at this time), and we were playing Cranium. For those of you who are familiar with this game, you'll be familiar with the Copycat category where you're suppose to act out the famous person whose name is on the card you draw. Well, when it was Nancy and Mark's turn to draw, Nancy selected the Copycat category and low and behold, the name Michael Jackson appeared on her card. At first, to act out her card, she hurried over the banister by the stairs and proceeded to dangle a baby doll over the banister, but none of us guessed it. So, after consulting with Mark, she decided to moonwalk across the floor for our entertainment pleasure. She did her best to scoot across the floor and sing Beat It, Beat It, Beat It ... however, it wasn't in the tune that you would normally accompany with it ... it was more mono toned due to her quick-thinking and excitement of the moment (Nancy actually does have a very nice voice, but the heat of the moment didn't showcase it well) ... I can just hear it now ... thanks Nancy for a great laugh. Remember, we're still laughing WITH you, not at you!!

Black or White
Many years after my cousins and I adopted Beat It as our song, Michael Jackson's hit Black or White came out. I'm not sure where we came up with this idea, but during another summer visit to Grandma & Grandpa's house, we decided that it would be fun to put on a show for the entire family to showcase our singing and dancing skills to Black or White. So we cleared out space in the basement, changed the spotlights in the ceiling to red and green (real classy) and worked on our moves. I'm sure that Jon & Chris will attest to this, but it was more their moves than our moves. I can't dance worth a flip and Jon & Chris were showcasing their break-dancing and karate (not sure how that played into the repertoire, but karate was part of the show too and Courtney, yes me, was doing her darn dist to keep up. Ha, what memories!

Erika Lizotte's Dancing
I'm sure Erika's really going to appreciate me including her in this post, but I can't resist. WhenI think of Michael Jackson, I can't help but think of her and how excited she gets when Thriller or Billie Jean comes on. The songs take her back to her childhood as well, but it's not just in thought, it's in the form of dance. And man can she bust it! Go Erika! If you want to see her in action, just invite her to your wedding and play one of these songs. You'll be sure to see a great showcase of her skill! (I wish I had a picture! If anyone has an electronic copy, please let me know :).

How did a black man make himself look so white? And what happened to his nose?
This last thought of Michael Jackson doesn't really pertain to a fond memory that I have of MJ, but when I said that when I think of MJ, these are the 4 things that come to mind ... if I'm honest, I've always wondered about his skin color and nose. Not that it makes much difference to me, but it's always been a bit odd to me.

Well ... Michael Jackson, thanks for the years of great music. Beat It and Black or White helped create some great memories in my childhood and I will always remember you for that.

I came across a neat commentary of MJ's death from Sojourn Music. Check it out if you're interested.