Thank You For The Music

I reached Bangalore at 7am this morning and the first thing I get is via sms from my husband - no, not "Good morning baby, how was your journey" but "Watch the news, Michael Jackson is dead".

To say this news "upset" me would be putting it mildly. To say I would miss him would be a slight exaggeration, because I never knew him as a person and his best years, I feel, have already passed him by. When a friend casually remarked just last week, "Why is he doing a concert NOW, at this age?", I told her that if I could afford a trip to London, or if he was having the concert HERE in India - I would not think twice to shell out my savings for it. I even reminded her of what an icon he was to us in our teen years and that if any one of us got to see him for this concert they are damn lucky cos we may never see him again. I spoke too soon I guess.

When I open my Facebook page my newsfeed shows an overwhelming number of people paying their respects. There are always those whose tasteless jokes really grate on my nerves. We have all had our share of "plastic" jokes but there is a TIME for everything. Does his death erase any of the controversies that were raised during his life? There are those who wrote "no matter what you did, your music will live on" - obviously referring to the child molestion charges of WHICH he was ACQUITTED. At what point do you lose all faith in your justice system? I have never felt that he was capable of molesting a child and a judge and jury have said the same. You may think - hmmm, he has loads of money and may have bought his own justice league. The pictures of his youth depict a man who is not only talented but also very, very handsome. The reasons as to why he has had so many nose jobs and paint jobs are his own. The world loved him and that was his curse. He put himself out on the line and got dragged down by those who professed to be his friends but were simply out to make a quick buck off his fame. The man had his ghosts and he is finally at peace. Let him be.

Michael - every song of yours that has come my way has been an inspiration to me. My teen years, which were abounding in passions I could barely rein will never forget you (especially Give In To Me). Your music gave me some level of sanity, brought me peace, helped me to believe in the world in a time when my dreams were crumbling. There is not one specific song I can mention of yours because they were all special. ALL of them. Your passing signifies the passing of an era - a time I often long for but know I will never get back. Come what may, your music will live on in our home and in our hearts and as a result, so too will you.

*All images courtesy Google (of course, if they were my own I would share them too :O)