Remember the Time

It was a blow to hear that Michael Jackson died of cardiac arrest yesterday, and the remembrances and analyses (some of which are neither desired or required) are too many to count. I can't think of one friend under the age of 60 who can't sing at least one line from any Jackson 5 or Michael Jackson tune. I have to admit that I was much more sad than I thought I would be—after all, I didn't know him personally. But when I think of how he touched so many people's worlds with his music—my dear friend John, who is a deejay, told me that he would never be able to count how many times he played MJ's music at weddings and birthdays and sweet sixteens for people of all races, cultures, religions, and socioeconomic levels, that Michael made his career possible in a big way.

At 7 I was going to marry Michael (this was in 1969 when the Jackson 5 came out with "I Want You Back"). I declared it just as all my fellow female classmates declared that they were going to marry him. On rainy days during recess in 4th grade we'd bust out "Rockin' Robin" and play it until our teacher couldn't stand it any more and made us take it off the turntable. On Saturday mornings there was the Jackson 5ive cartoon, which my brother and I always watched. Michael continued to be a part of my life when the movie Ben came out. My mom would not let me see it, I was 10, and she thought it was morbid, but I sure did buy the record. And looking back on it, Ben was the hit single, but "We've Got a Good Thing Going" was the one I played over and over and over.

At 16 Michael was there with me when I entered a disco dance concert at Rancocas Valley Regional High to "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough" from his stellar Off The Wall. I don't remember if I placed at all, but I had so much fun I don't think I cared one way or another. It was 1978 or 1979, I was rocking my wine-colored Quiana disco dress and high-heeled black patent leather strappy sandals, and Michael was killing it!

Michael knocked me out when he showed up on MTV, the first black performer to do so. I was 20 or 21 when "Thriller" debuted, a 12-minute video (unheard of then) that I made a date to see. I was an official adult and Michael had been with me through my entire childhood.

So it is there I'm going to leave him, at the dawn of my adulthood. Let's remember the time and smile.