Some Thoughts on Michael

This Friday, June 25th, will mark the one year anniversary of the passing of Michael Jackson. As a teenager, growing up in the 1980s, you were either Team Michael or Team Prince. Although I was a out and proud Prince fan, I was a closeted Michael Jackson fan. The loss of Michael Jackson was a devastating one for his legions of fans. I myself was sad, but for entirely different reasons. I had mourned the loss of Michael Jackson many years before his actual passing.

My favorite Michael Jackson album is Off The Wall. Off The Wall was Michael's first adult solo album. Jay-Z recently commented in the introduction of the Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs of All Time that "Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album may not have been bigger than Thriller, but the songs had better melodies". Even to to this day, I could listen to that album from start to finish without skipping over any of the cuts. My personal favorites are "Girlfriend", "I Can't Help It', and "It's The Falling In Love". With the help of Quincy Jones Michael Jackson was able to get his feet firmly planted in his musical independence. Randy, Tito, Jackie, and Marlon must have have been afraid the first time when they heard the album.

Just as when any other person dies, when tend to remember the time and the place that we were when we heard the news. I remember reading about Michael Jackson's death on Twitter. When you read about some one's death on Twitter, you tend not to believe right away because shortly there after, contrary tweets denying the rumors follow. I had gotten off of work and was reading my tweets prior to boarding my train ( WMATA hasn't seen fit to provide coverage for my network of choice through their entire underground tunnel system as they have for Verizon as of yet). By the time I got home, Twitter was flooded with tweets regarding Michael's death. When I got home, I immediately turned on CNN to see if this horrible news were true. CNN would neither confirm nor deny. Much to my chagrin, the only channel that would confirm the story was FOX and TMZ (No surprise there).

I remember feeling numb at first. I also remember feeling bad for Janet and his children. I felt worse for Michael because he was so young, yet severely tormented by his own demons. I also remember feeling a sense of dread for all of the continuous video and musical tributes that would flooding the airwaves. That weekend was the same weekend that we celebrated my daughter's 22nd birthday. We had reserved a VIP section at a club, where they played a 20 minute Michael Jackson mix. It was nice to see how Michael's music had stretched across cultural as well as generational boundaries.

People will talk about Michael Jackson for the rest of their lives. His legacy will live on forever. It's true what they say, Michael, you're gone too soon. I hope that you are finally resting in peace - the peace that you deserve and craved.

Prince Fan For Life

Prince turned 52 years old today. It started me thinking about all of the special moments that I have experienced with his music. I am a self admitted Prince fanatic. During my teen years, my walls were plastered with various Prince posters and pictures (My parents weren't feeling the damage that the tape and staples left behind. Sorry Mom and Dad!). I used to joke around and say that Prince taught me everything that I know about sex. Just as he and his music have evolved over the years, so have I.

My first recollection of Prince was when I heard "Soft and Wet", I was too young to understand what he was really singing about. My cousin Michelle loved Prince, and I remember teasing her relentlessly about him looking like a girl on the album cover of For You. When his self-titled album Prince came out, I had matured a little more and grew to appreciate songs like "I Wanna Be Your Lover", "I Feel For You", "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad", and "Sexy Dancer". My real awakening to to the genius that is Prince came with the release of the Dirty Mind album. Although "Uptown" was my jam, I really liked "Dirty Mind" and "Head". Who could forget the Dirty Mind album cover? Controversy was another power play Prince favorite of mine. To this day, I can hear the piano chords of "Do Me, Baby" and still go weak.

When I 13, Prince released the 1999 album. It was a double album. I almost lost my mind. I had the album and the cassette. I would listen to the cassette when my parents would make me turn off the stereo in the living room. In confines of my room, with 1999 as the soundtrack of my life, I partied like it was 1999. My cousin and I made a pact that on December 31, 1999, we would throw a party to celebrate "two thousand zero, zero". At 13, age 30 seemed so old. Needless to say there was no party. 1999 is my all time favorite Prince album. I love the entire album and could probably quote the lyrics word for word. Although at age 41, I may have forgotten a word or two. You can always count on a Prince album to have at least one showstopping slow jam. On 1999, that cut is "International Lover". It makes me wonder how many children have been conceived to Prince slow jams? 1999 also has my all time favorite Prince song, "Lady Cab Driver". "Lady Cab Driver" is full of social commentary coupled with a disturbing rape fantasy. I don't condone rape in no way, shape , or fashion. For me, the song goes deeper than that. Besides, I didn't figure out the rape fantasy until well in my 20s.

In 1984, Prince decided to make a movie, Purple Rain. The acting was pure bullshit, but the soundtrack was pure gold. Purple Rain allowed Prince to do something that Michael Jackson would never do, win an Academy Award. Although Purple Rain is my top five of Prince favorites, the album is a sore spot for me. The movie and the subsequent tour massed Prince his biggest fan following ever. As a longtime Prince fan, the newcomers were annoying to us veterans. To me, it was too much pressure for one man and a Revolution. So much so that the albums following the release of Purple Rain were commercial disappointments. The newcomers did not understand the man nor his music. I also felt like they didn't understand how Prince is cyclical. With a birth date of June 7, 1958, Prince is a Gemini. He truly lives up to his sign. He is two people in one; therefore he's ever changing.

Despite all of the changes in his style, his band, his music, I've been in it for the long haul. I am a Prince fan for life. My iPod is loaded with a ton of his music. Every song evokes a memory or flashback to a particular space and time. His songs are personal friends. They console me, they poke fun at me, and they remind me of who I am. Our relationship has withstood the test of time, as well as my transition from teenager to woman. There is no denying Prince's talent and staying power. I've even managed to convert some folks into Prince fans. I tell people all the time, you either love him, or hate him. I love him. I always have and I always will.

Happy 52nd Birthday, Mr. Prince Rogers Nelson from a dedicated fan. Peace and blessings to you today and always.

Follow up: Prince blessed us with a gift on his birthday, a new song, Hot Summer.