It's So Hard to Say Good-bye

I remember when people said that Boyz II Men were bringing Motown back to life. Songs like “It’s So Hard to Say Good-bye” were indeed reminiscent of the sound that the label brought to the public. But nothing. Nothing. Nothing nothing nothing will ever be like what the Jackson 5 were. And no one will ever approximate the enormity of Michael Jackson.

From moments like this one at Motown 25 when MJJ globalized the Moonwalk:

To songs like “We Are the World” (co-authored with Lionel Richie) that raised money for famine victims in Ethiopia:

Michael Jackson rocked our world and urged us to rock it too.

Michael Jackson has been the soundtrack of the two deepest forces in my life: dancing and making change. In 1984, I was wandering around the wedding of two family friends carrying a copy of “Thriller” on tape and saying to everyone, “Mika Jacks.” A year later, at age 3, I started watching MTV. Watching Michael Jackson’s incredible videos for “Billy Jean” and “Thriller,” I learned my first dance moves.

My earliest memories of Disneyland include repeated viewings of MJJ’s captivating sci-fi dance thriller “Captain Eo”: (the following two videos contain the entire 16 minute feature)

It’s Sunday now, and I still can’t listen to “Man in the Mirror” without crying. I’m thinking of Tehran and the people who are following his words to the letter. I’m thinking of “Earth Song” and his words urging us to remember the children dead from war. I’m thinking of Iraq. I’m thinking of the indigenous people in Peru fighting for their land right now. I’m hearing “We Are the World” and remembering that we are the ones who make a better place. I’m feeling “Heal the World” and remembering that Michael always seemed to remind us that ALL our lives depended on making the world better. This wasn’t charity. It was self-preservation.

As the child of a Black Caribbean mamma and a white Jewish father, I remember being stunned as I watched MTV’s World Premiere of “Black or White”: “If you’re thinking of being my baby, it don’t matter if you’re Black or White.” It was the first time I had ever seen anything in the popular media that validated what my family looked like.

And say what you will with madcap theories about his skin color: the man was not afraid of his African roots or color. Just have a look at the video for “They Don’t Really Care About Us,” featuring Brazil’s Oludum drum troupe. The video is a rare opportunity to see Michael freestyling his dance moves. (embedding this video isn’t possible, so follow this link.) Also have a look at the end of the full version of the “Bad” video where MJJ performs a traditional call and answer, inspired by centuries of African American musical innovation. The man was Black, and he sure wasn’t afraid to show it and LOVE it.

But Michael, like his music, transcended Black and white. Michael became an embodiment of the other world that was possible: the one where we enjoyed who we were and loved what was unique about everyone else. As he sang in “Another Part of Me”:

This Is Our Planet
You’re One Of Us

We’re Sendin’ Out
A Major Love
And This Is Our
Message To You
(Message To You)
The Planets Are Linin’ Up
We’re Bringin’ Brighter Days
They’re All In Line
Waitin’ For You
Can’t You See . . .?
You’re Just Another Part Of Me . .

One person on facebook said, “I’m not sure I’m ready to live in a world without Michael Jackson.” I know I’m not ready. But I know I’ll have to make do. And I think that’s what Michael would want. He would want us to keep dancing. He would want us to keep loving. He would want us to keep trying to change the world. He would want us to see ourselves in each other.

So I’m going to keep talking to that woman in the mirror, and make a change, always thankful that Michael Jackson made sure that a new generation watched MTV and saw Martin Luther King and Gandhi setting an example for all of us:

As Captain Eo sang to me all those years ago, We Are Here to Change the World.

Farewell, Michael.