Gone Too Soon….
Now that he is gone don’t you miss him?
Desperately?
His trance like music?
His unique rhythm?
His gyrating, levitating, unique dance style?
His soul stirring music!
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) conceptualized, visualized, created and popularized several physically complicated dance techniques, such as the ‘Robot’ and the ‘Moonwalk.’
He accomplished such incredible dance feats even as he created and vocalized music too. He did that for us ever since he was 10 years old.
Much as we tried, we could never learn to emulate what he presented to us so effortlessly through his performances. There we were, living it, loving it and enjoying it in awe, all the time knowing we could never reach his heights of accomplishments, as they were indeed out of this world. We were beaten to it….by miles.
Beat It!
His distinctive musical sound and vocal style not only influenced many hip hop, pop and contemporary R&B artists across several generations, it also inspired some of the greatest film makers in the Indian sub continent like Ram Gopal Verma. He has gone ahead and painfully recorded on his blog, “I truly truly hate Michael Jackson for becoming a grim realty from a fantastic fantasy. (www.rgvzoomin.com).
For RGV, Michael Jackson was somebody from outer space. Such was the impact of MJ’s creativity on this creative professional of global repute.
Not that the impact is not there within us as well. Isn’t there an inner sense of subtle pain gnawing ever since we heard the news of his death? Isn’t it there within each and every one of us who have lived, loved and loathed his creativity in these past thirty plus years?
We miss him like hell…now that he is gone.
I do for sure. I miss MJ a lot. I never met him in person even for a second. Still I do. Such is the power of his music. I lived and loved his presence so much that now it’s like a vacuum that has been created in me. A void that is there to stay. The pain within is numbing and constant.
The music he gave us has been haunting me since last Thursday, when I first heard about his sudden demise. I am unable to think my way out of that trance with his songs reeling in my mind. One by one. I am conjuring images of his videos as well. From the very first one, to the last one. I am so numb that I am unable to play them on any of my music playing devices. I am afraid I might cry in pain if I do so.
We grew up hearing tales about sensational performers like Elvis, The Beatles and other greats of the fifties and the sixties, that our elder friends and relatives enjoyed in their time. They would talk so much about their icons when we were teenagers. That left us yearning for our own musical icons as the seventies and eighties unfolded.
That was the time when ABBA and Boney M were rocking the airwaves. But the really phenomenal artiste that our generation deserved was quietly coming into focus in America in the form of a 10 year old called Michael Jackson. He was gyrating, moon walking and singing his way up as a part of ‘The Jackson Five.’
Then one day, he finally arrived. He arrived in style and ‘moon walked’ into our hearts to stay there for ever.
He arrived big and bold in the seventies and graduated too with his “Thriller” album, enthralling us to ecstasy in the early eighties. He was soon to be the ‘tsunami’ of music world. He arrived and remained as” The Music Maker/Entertainer of the Century.”
“Veni Vedi Veci” is one phrase that was defined and created for the likes of MJ. Conquer he did. Not a part of the world but the entire world as such. MJ conquered the music world and stayed as the number one artiste all these years. With more that 750 million records sold, he has set a record that would be very difficult to break in times to come. Those 750 million records are stirring billions of souls every day.
As an outstanding, respected and admired artist of African American origin, MJ has the distinction of being inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame not once but twice. The Guinness Book of Records highlights his recording successes a number of times as well – including the honour for being the “Most Successful Entertainer of All Time.” He had 13 Grammy Awards and 13 number one singles.
He made his debut on the professional music scenario back in 1968 as a member of ‘The Jackson 5.’
He made a mark and embarked on creating HIStory as well, moving up and mesmerizing viewers and music lovers with every performance. He continued to scale even higher heights, thanks to his decision to go solo in 1971, while he was still a member of that group. Soon he emerged as the “The King of Pop.” He still holds that title, even after death. His Album Thriller, released in 1981, is till today, positioned as number one, as it is still the world’s best-selling album of all time. With his death, the sales have gone up another notch as indicted by early reports. People want to desperately own a piece of him now that he is no more.
Four of his other solo studio albums are among the world’s best-selling records: (1) Off the Wall (1979); (2) Bad (1987); (3) Dangerous (1991); (4) HIStory (1995).
Convergence of technology as it happened in those years, helped MJ and his entertainment reach every home thanks in part to the efforts of his record company that pushed an initially-reluctant MTV to show his videos. His followers quadrupled within no time. He made billions of dollars in the bargain. But he had his feet on the ground all of the time. MJ donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundations and supported 39 charities through the years.
Aspects of his personal life, including his often changing appearances and eccentric behavior, generated significant controversy which damaged his public image. And two ruptured marriages added to his many woes. Despite his personal conflict, he loved his children and since breaking up with second wife, Debbie Rowe, he has paid 9 million dollars a year to have sole custody of them.
Michael Jackson endured many tribulations but was all set to get back into the limelight with a bang in the near future. But fate had other plans for him. When death came, it came out of nowhere, as an unexpected gloomy surprise. It came while he was working extensively on a come back trail through a series of 50 concerts scheduled for London. Alas! He is no more. Physically, he is gone but spiritually he lives on through his unique soul stirring music.
I do not have the heart to witness his funeral which is expected to break all records as well. I would rather play his songs in my mind and remember him alive and rocking the night away. Rest in Peace Michael Jackson. We’ll miss you.
You will like these as well!
|
Featured Tickles  Heal Your Relationships to Heal YourselfIt has been rightly said that this world is a mirror. It reflects back our inner/true reality to us. As within, so without. Everything in our life; our job, our economic condition, our dwellings, and the people in our life reflect one or the other aspect of our reality. Isn’t this a beautiful arra The Power of UnlearningAs I picked up the vacuum machine and started vacuuming the carpet in my living room, a sense of dissatisfaction loomed over me. It had been just about a year since I bought this vacuum cleaner and it was already low in its efficiency. The buzzing sound of the motor from that machine sounded healthy 15 elephant tethers that stop you from being creative!The problem is never how to get new, innovative thoughts into your mind, but how to get old ones out. Every mind is a building filled with archaic furniture. Clean out a corner of your mind and creativity will instantly fill it. - Dee Hock When still a baby, the elephant is tethered by a very thick Smoking a cigarette is like talking to your mother-in-law because...Once upon a time, many years ago, in prehistoric times, at a time when there were no cities, no buildings and perhaps even no villages, there was a hunter. He had had a successful day and was walking through a forest back to his tribe. He had slung a deer across his shoulder with some homemade rope Here Is Your D-I-Y Kit For A Leading Edge LifeManagement gurus and their disciples, thinkers, strategists and business process re-engineers have been busy propelling the modern world into not only coping with, but also keeping in step with the rapid changes of an ever shrinking, increasingly competitive and exhaustingly demanding global market. I Wish I Were A GoldfishI am told that a goldfish cannot remember anything beyond a 3 minute time frame. One of my favorite pastimes is to sit and watch our goldfish swim around lazily and rising up only to gobble at the food before going back to their contented existence. Their swimming around actually reminds me of chil The Fine Art of Persuasive Communication!There are many areas to look at in communication: a message is communicated through visual, vocal and verbal means. From that, comes the importance of body language, how we present ourselves, and so on. The visual and vocal elements are indeed very important to effective communication, but we will Teaching the teacherThe arbiter of knowledge and skills, the teacher, is a revered figure around the world. In India, the teacher is known as the guru, the wise one who can be trusted to lead the knowledge-blind and shine the light of competence and skills in the darkness of ignorance and incompetence. Over time it ha How To Nurture A Successful RelationshipHave you ever wondered how certain couples were able to stay together for many years? What are they doing right? What are the factors that contribute to the success of healthy, long term relationships? There are a few fundamental components that will improve your chances of having a successful relat Waves Of InspirationI stay in the coastal city of Chennai and one of my favorite pastimes is to explore the coastline that borders one side of the city. Starting from the crowded marina and Eliot’s Beach to the less crowded and secluded ones that dot the East Coast Road (or ECR as it is called), I have always found How To Be Depressed"Depression was, indeed, the hand of a friend trying to press me down to the ground on which it was safe to stand--the ground of my own truth, my own nature with its complex mix of limits and gifts, liabilities and assets, darkness and light." Parker Palmer I've never been through pregnancy depress Make an ass of yourself but do not let the world know...Many a time we are swept by that overwhelming feeling to bare all. Not to be mistaken with confession which is done after ensuring that there is nothing further to lose on account of reputation. I am referring to pure tear jerker stuff. Born out of righteous indignation. Or plain stupidity. The form Time management with the monksOne mile south of Georgia O'Keefe's beloved Ghost Ranch in New Mexico, thirteen miles down a cliff-hugging dirt road in the heart of Chama Canyon, you will find Christ In The Desert. The Benedictine Monastery is cloister to about twenty monks. I'd fantasized about retreating to the remote monastery Forcing yourself to get up early in the morning is pointless!A google search on early rising gives 1,500,000 results. Amazon has 6699 books on getting up early. Countless self-development ‘gurus’ have written books and articles that extol the benefits of getting up before your friendly neighbourhood rooster does. They have together compiled a list of 10 5 Reasons Why I Got Off My Tail And Found A New Passion!I've taken some time this month to clean out my Gmail inbox, the main goal being to have a completely empty inbox. I went through each email one by one, until I got to the very last entry. It was labeled "journal" and dated 12/14/06. I knew it was there for me to print and tape into my actual jour If Excellence Is Your Ideal Everything Else Will Fall Into PlaceA young man went to Gautama Buddha and sought the Master’s guidance on how to achieve Enlightenment. The conversation, which in my opinion must be required reading for anyone, went roughly as follows: Young Man (YM): Master, how long will it take for me to achieve enlightenment? Gautama Buddha ( |
Loading ...
Twitter 
Facebook
Subscribe
I completely understand what you have mentioned in your article – with complete honesty. Realization is only now dawning on me that he wont be there anymore to create more music, add more of that energy with his presence.
The void, the deep deep void is growing in me as every minute passes. I can only miss him now that he is gone, like you miss someones overwhelming presence after they have left you. Imagine his power, although I never met him – personally.
May be that’s why its taken me almost 2 days to realize that he is actually gone, and not coming back. Therefore, perhaps, its easy for me to say that I am going to miss him, but I mean it.
This article was an excellent tribute to Michael Jackson, yet my overall thoughts differ from those of its author. Instead of lamenting Michael’s death at a relatively young age, why not celebrate the fact we were privileged to be present on this earth while he was alive, and that he didn’t die one day sooner. And we’ll always have his music and video clips to turn to. Hopefully, Michael is in a better place now.