I've been fortunate enough today to be working in my office (not out on location) and have had the Michael Jackson memorial playing in the background. The musical performances have been very, very good... Jennifer Hudson's version of "Will You Be There" is something that I hope sees release as a single... Mariah Carey revisited her MTV Unplugged performance of "I'll Be There" and even pulled Trey Lorenz out of obscurity to recreate it exactly - and she proved she can still truly sing.
But the one performance that stopped me in my tracks and made me switch over to watching rather than just listening was when John Mayer's guitar solo switched from improvised noodling to the recognizable chorus from "Human Nature". That song is, without a doubt, one of the finest pieces of Pop Music ever produced, and even as an instrumental guitar driven piece, it still had me mesmerized.
I'm dragging the Song of the Day out of its coma today so I can highlight the original sonic masterpiece. When contrasted with what most music recorded in 1982 sounds like, you understand why it's so often said that Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones created magic.
Click here to read more about the song, which was written by Toto's keyboardist, Steve Porcaro around the same time his own band was flying high with the keyboard driven single "Africa".
I haven't written anything regarding Michael's death, because I've really been at a loss for words. I'm not the type to be emotionally invested in celebrities, but his sudden and young death does leave me sad. I would have loved to see him in concert, and I hope that his now-posthumous "comeback" album doesn't sell well because of his death, but because it contains brilliant music.
In my career as a DJ, I've had an awful lot of fun thanks to the music of Michael Jackson. I'll miss his presence in the music world.
Rest in Peace, Michael.
Very,very nice obit Mike.
ReplyDeleteI have always felt a connection to M.J. since he first rose to popularity around the same time I was REALLY discovering music. During all of the controversies, surrounding him I never could believe that he really did those things. I think he was still such a child, that he left himself open to predators.
I think he is now in a place where he will really shine.
With none of the pain.
In the case of Michael Jackson, I like to remember the good ol' days. His genus and the mark he left on our culture.
ReplyDeleteHis death hasn't had much of an impact on me though. I think that is because he died a long time ago in my opinion. I mourned the loss of a musical hero when the allegations came out. So, his actual physical death is just a technicality to me.
I think I did the same thing with the memorial this afternoon. Two performances made me turn around and actually watch. Jennifer Hudson and John Mayer.
Still curious about what you did for the 4th. Gonna post on that perhaps? hmmm :)
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