I’m eating dinner at some restaurant in Michigan on August 16, 1977, and the waitress tells us that Elvis Presley had died. I will never
forget that moment or that waitress, or my aunt’s reaction. I was on vacation with my aunt and uncle and cousin. I had no clue what I was going to be in for when I got home the next day! We arrived home the day after Elvis had died. As we turned the corner onto my block you could hear Elvis music blaring down the road. I was so embarrassed, cause I knew it was coming from my house!! My mom was a HUGE Elvis fan. Sure enough, we walk in my house and there’s my mom literally balling her eyes out in the living room listening to REALLY LOUD Elvis music. Again, I was so embarrassed.
Obviously, Elvis’s death was huge. Just like today, Michael Jackson’s death is huge. For us, who grew up with Michael Jackson’s music, it’s as if a part of our childhood has died. It’s the replaying of the videos of when Michael was young and with the Jackson 5 that makes me cry. His voice, especially for that age, was just incredible. And those songs were incredible. I remember arguing with kids on the block (not the band, literally kids on our block) that the Jackson 5 was way better than the Osmond Brothers. I did agree Donny was way cuter than any of the Jackson 5, but the Jackson 5 were way better talent wise. That’s because they had Michael Jackson.
As time went on, Michael Jackson provided so many FUN memories, especially in my college days:
The Thriller Video: The first time I ever saw the Thriller video was at midnight at Dibbos in Hudson, WI. Everybody stopped dancing and just watched it. It was just incredible!
Billy Jean: Every song on that album and the Thriller album is awesome and gives me so many wonderfully fun memories of times when we were still innocent, and free, and YOUNG.
Michael’s Moon Walk: How on earth did he do that? And no one could ever duplicate it the way he did it. (so sad to write about him in the past tense)
The Pepsi Commercial: Here’s something I haven’t heard about today. Remember when his hair caught fire filming the Pepsi commercial. Now that was funny, but not really.
Anyway…. even though Michael Jackson ended up such a different person in the past years, his music and his videos, and all the work he has done for charities is timeless. He is a legend.
*An interesting observation: Elvis died when he was just 42. My mom was 42, and I was entering 7th grade. Now I’m 43 and my son is entering 6th grade. I just find that interesting – the ages reflect what I had titled this post as – Michael Jackson was the Elvis of our generation.
