INSPIRATIONAL SONG SATURDAY

It is Inspirational Song Saturday again. This week has been particularly easy. In fact, I knew last weekend who my MTV feature was going to be. The only problem was going to be narrowing down the video selection. And, even then, I kinda sorta had that figured out, too. There are some things that you just know.

The inspirational song to me was actually the song that was more difficult. This is going to sound totally contradictory, but the song I had in mind is actually by the same artist who is my MTV feature. I FREAKING LOVE THIS SONG. And it is a song that I play when I feel down when I want to feel up. There is a part of me that when I feel down that wants to play really depressing music so that I can just really let myself feel it. You know just let it penetrate my soul. And, sometimes, I have been known to do just that. I don't think that is the healthiest choice, by the way. I think that John Cusack's character had it right in BETTER OFF DEAD. He was soooo depressed (hence the name of the movie) because this girl broke things off with him. So, he's driving down the road and a sad song comes on the radio, so he changes the station and it's another sad song, so he keeps changing the station and they are ALL SAD SONGS. He becomes so frustrated and pissed off that he pulls the entire radio out of the car and throws it out the window. That movie is just one awesome scene after another. (I want my two dollars!) But that is one of the best.

Anyway, I am not going to play for you this song that I freaking love because I don't freaking love the video. As in the original video. The one made by the artist that got all of the play on MTV. What I will play for you is another song that I really like that is a tribute to the era known as the 80s and MTV. It never fails to put a smile on my face. The song and the video. Don't forget to turn off my music player at the bottom of the page.



Yeah, that was awesome.

Okay, now let's get down to business.

You can't talk about the 80s, MTV, and NOT talk about Michael Jackson. Unlike some other musicians, Michael Jackson wasn't an unknown in the industry. He was part of the Jackson 5. He was the youngest member of the Jackson 5, but the one that spent the most time in the spotlight. So, one could safely argue that he was the most talented member of the Jackson 5. In 1982, something phenomenal happened. Something that hasn't happened again. THRILLER was released. Would it have been the success that it was if not for MTV? I don't know. However, the combination of MTV and Michael Jackson was magic. And THRILLER set the music industry ablaze and the public went wild. I don't think Michael Jackson knew what hit him. THRILLER was not his first solo album, but it might as well have been, because nothing could have prepared him for what was to come. To this day, THRILLER is the best selling album of all-time. Let that sink in. (best selling album of all time) There were nine tracks, and all but two, hit the charts, which is unbelievable! Here they are:

1. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" Michael Jackson 6:02
2. "Baby Be Mine" Rod Temperton 4:20
3. "The Girl Is Mine" (with Paul McCartney) Michael Jackson 3:41
4. "Thriller" Rod Temperton 5:57
5. "Beat It" Michael Jackson 4:17
6. "Billie Jean" Michael Jackson 4:54
7. "Human Nature" Steve Porcaro, John Bettis 4:05
8. "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" James Ingram, Quincy Jones 3:58
9. "The Lady In My Life" Rod Temperton 4:58

Let's take a look at what had the fans in such a frenzy.



Do you remember when I talked about how some stars knew how to rock a video and some didn't? Michael Jackson knew how to rock a video. People watched that and their jaws hit the floor. It wasn't just that the concept was awesome, there was some story there, the singing was incredible, but how cool was the dancing? He hit you in every sense you had. In fact, it was sensory overload. You wanted to call MTV and ask them to play it again. Please, pretty please play it again. Just two or three more times. Billie Jean knocked it out of the park. Michael Jackson understood the power of video. Video and song. They fed each other. You could do a video of yourself in concert, but why would you? So, he didn't. And he hit one homerun after another while everyone else stood around with their mouths hanging open wondering, "How is he doing that?"

I found this video looking for other videos and it isn't a song, but more of a "what they were thinking back then" video. I thought it was really interesting. If you find it tedious. You know where the stop button is. You can move on...



Of course, the last song has to be Thriller. The video is 13 minutes long and people couldn't get enough of it. We waited for Thriller to come on. Even me. And the only other thing I waited on was Duran Duran videos. So, that should tell you something. It was like a mini-movie. If this doesn't indicate that Michael got the connection between video and music, nothing will.



The only two videos I picked were from the Thriller album. That doesn't mean that Michael Jackson's career ended there. In fact, one of my favorite songs of his is Man In The Mirror.

It made me really sad that Michael Jackson died so early in his life. It made me even sadder that he felt the need to change his appearance so dramatically. I like these videos, not just because it is Michael in his prime, but it is because Michael when he still looks like himself. Just because you have the money to lighten your skin and have all kinds of plastic surgery to make yourself look different, (in his case, more Caucasian) doesn't mean you should. If I could have given him one thing, it would have been simply loving what he saw in the mirror.

RIP Michael Jackson. You are one of a kind. There will never be another musician like you.


image found at www.weheartit.com