Michael Jackson Remembered

Michael Jackson’s death was a tragedy. It seems as if it is something that should not have happened. It seems unfair that his children were abandoned, and left without their loving “Daddy.” It seems unfair that the world lost the artist of the century, who was an inspiration and a joy to many millions worldwide. Uncountable hearts continue to bleed with grief. It seems as if a great evil occurred when a lethal dose of surgical anesthetic was administered to Michael. It seems unfair that money, power and greed drive people to hurt each other.

Life isn’t always fair, in the way that we deem fair. But life moves toward balance and wholeness. My insightful daughter reminds me that, “God never allows an evil to occur where he will not bring a greater good.” Her wisdom calls to mind a passage in the Jewish and Christian Scriptures which narrates the story of Joseph, whose brothers tried to kill him. “As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive. So therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones. So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.” ~Genesis 50:20

God’s control over Joseph’s life is confirmed by the fact that “evil devised became good bestowed,” with God’s Providence overriding the many wicked deeds suffered by Joseph. The theme of Divine Providence permeates the entire story of Joseph, and illustrates God’s ability to guide the course of history. As difficult as it is to recognize, our sufferings often have a purpose within that Divine Providence.

Michael said it himself:
“I know that keepin’ the faith
Means never givin’ up on love
But the power that love has
Has to make it right

You Tube video thanks to “unknownMJfan” from Serbia

The one purpose of evil in the Providence of God is to cause us to seek Him. “God whispers to us in our pleasure, speaks to us in our conscience, but shouts to us in our pains; it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” ~C. S. Lewis

The untimely death of Michael Jackson is like a megaphone rousing a deaf world. Grief-stricken hearts are listening. Michael’s message is simple. “It’s all for love…L.O.V.E.” His music and his message are resounding over the globe even more so in his death than in his life. Global harmony was Michael’s deepest desire. Harmony around the globe is Michael’s precious gift.

Music and Me (1973)

We’ve been together for such a long time now
Music, music and me
Don’t care whether all our songs rhyme
Now music, music and meOnly know wherever I go
We’re as close as two friends can be
There have been others
But never two lovers
Like music, music and me

Grab a song and come along
You can sing your melody
In your mind you will find
A world of sweet harmony

Birds of a feather will fly together
Now music, music and me
Music and me

To reiterate the significance of the story of Joseph, we could also say that the theme of Divine Providence permeates the entire story of Michael Joseph, and the illustration of God’s ability to guide the course of history remains to be seen. As difficult as it is to recognize, our sufferings often have a purpose within that Divine Providence, lest our hearts bleed for naught ♥

You Tube video thanks to TheMJDefenderz Channel

There’s a place in your heart
And I know that it is love
And this place could be much
Brighter than tomorrow.
And if you really try
You’ll find there’s no need to cry
In this place you’ll feel
There’s no hurt or sorrow.
There are ways to get there
If you care enough for the living
Make a little space, make a better place.

Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race
There are people dying
If you care enough for the living
Make a better place for
You and for me.

If you want to know why
There’s a love that cannot lie
Love is strong
It only cares for joyful giving.
If we try we shall see
In this bliss we cannot feel
Fear or dread
We stop existing and start living
Then it feels that always
Love’s enough for us growing
Make a better world, make a better world.

Heal the world
Make it a better place
For you and for me and the entire human race.
There are people dying
If you care enough for the living
Make a better place for
You and for me.

And the dream we would conceived in
Will reveal a joyful face
And the world we once believed in
Will shine again in grace
Then why do we keep strangling life
Wound this earth, crucify it’s soul
Though it’s plain to see, this world is heavenly
Be God’s glow.

We could fly so high
Let our spirits never die
In my heart I feel
You are all my brothers
Create a world with no fear
Together we’ll cry happy tears
See the nations turn
Their swords into plowshares
We could really get there
If you cared enough for the living
Make a little space to make a better place.

Heal the world…

There are people dying if you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me.
There are people dying if you care enough for the living
Make a better place for you and for me.

This is truly a joy-filled concert! It is one of my all time Michael experiences. To put the timing in context, this Munich performance was part of the HIStory World Tour in September of 1996. It would be another seven years before all HELL would break loose with the airing of Martin Bashir’s twisted documentary in 2003, and culminating in the 2005 trial based on the Arvizo Family extortion plans and accusations.
At the time of this concert, Michael was blissfully anticipating the birth of his first child, the magic that, for him, would stand before all magic. Five months later Michael’s miracle, Prince, came into his life. He must have been so very excited living in anticipation of the supreme crowning glory of his entire life. The emotion in his voice, with every song, is profound. L.O.V.E. at it’s best!

Blessed are those who were there in person! He sincerely told his fans in the crowd, “I love you more…” Then with glowing smiles and giggles he repeats the phrase IN GERMAN! ” “Ich liebe dich mehr!” with more sweeeeet smiles ♥♥♥ He gives the gift of a bow to the audience in his playful way. He professes DEEP love from “the abyss” of his heart. He orders a bug to swept off the stage… without killing it! Michael oozes so much joy. This video captures MJ at his sweetest.

TRUST ~Michael Jackson, from Dancing The Dream, published 1992

“As I was feeding squirrels in the park, I noticed a small one that didn’t seem to trust me. While the others came close enough to eat out of my hand, he kept his distance. I threw a peanut his way. He edged up, grabbed it nervously, and ran off.

Next time he must have felt less afraid, because he came a little closer. The safer he felt, the more he trusted me. Finally he sat right at my feet, as bold as any squirrel clamoring for the next peanut.

Trust is like that – it always seems to come down to trusting in yourself. Others can’t overcome fear for you; you have to do it on your own. It’s hard, because fear and doubt hold on tight. We are afraid of being rejected, of being hurt once more. So we keep a safe distance. We think separating ourselves from others will protect us, but that doesn’t work, either. It leaves us feeling alone and unloved.

Trusting yourself begins by recognizing that it’s okay to be afraid. Having fear is not the problem, because everyone feels anxious and insecure sometimes. The problem is not being honest enough to admit your fear. Whenever I accept my own doubt and insecurity, I’m more open to other people. The deeper I go into myself, the stronger I become, because I realize that my real self is much bigger than any fear.

In accepting yourself completely, trust becomes complete. There is no longer any separation between people, because there is no longer any separation inside.

In the space where fear used to live, love is allowed to grow.”

We wear the mask that grins and lies,
It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be overwise,
In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while
We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries
To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;

But let the world dream otherwise,

We wear the mask!

~Paul Luarence Dunbar (1872-1906)

Famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass once called Paul Luarence Dunbar “the most promising young colored man in America.”

We’ve Had Enough ~Written by Michael Jackson ~ MJ Connections Fanvid [HQ]

Love was taken from a young life
And no one told her why
Her direction has a dim light
From one more violent crime 

She innocently questioned why
Why her father had to die
She asked the men in blue
How is it that you get to choose
Who will live and who will die   
Did God say that you could decide?
You saw he didn’t run
And that my daddy had no gun

In the middle of the village
Within a distant land
Lies a poor boy with tears, broken toy
Too young to understand
He’s awakened, ground is shakin’
His father grabs his hand
Screaming, crying, his wife’s dying
Now he’s left to explain

He innocently questioned why
Why his mother had to die
What did these soldiers come here for?
If they’re for peace why is there war?

Did God say that they could decide
Who will live and who will die?
All my mama ever did
Was try to take care of her kids

When innocence is standing by
Watching people losing lives
It seems as if we have no voice
It’s time for us to make a choice

Only God could decide

Who will live and who will die
There’s nothing that can’t be done
If we raise our voice as one

Did God hear it from me?
Did God hear it from you?
Did God hear it from us?
We can’t take it
We’ve already had enough

Did God hear it from me?
Did God hear it from you?
Did God hear it from us?
We can’t take it
We’ve already had enough

Thank God I hear it from me
Thank God I hear it from you
Thank God it came from you babe
We can’t take it
We’ve already had enough

Deep in my soul baby
(Deep in your soul and by your side)

Deep in my soul
(It’s so big and I’m still alive)
Did God hear it from us?
We can’t take it
We’ve already had enough

It’s going down baby

Just let God decide,
It’s going on baby
Just let God decide
Deep in my soul baby
We’ve already had enough

Did God hear it from me?
Did God hear it from you?
Did God hear it from us?
We can’t, we can’t
We’ve already had enough

Below are a few touching comments that were posted on Facebook today. Thanks to you, beautiful Michael fans.

“In the end, what should matter is all of the good that he did, looking at his heart and his pure desire to help others, seeing the beauty that was within, and accepting and forgiving his humanity just as we would want done for us…In my opinion, Michael was a beautiful person inside and out and he did his best to live out the beauty that was inside of him and in the end, who we are inside and what we do with what God has given us, is what will change the world, affect others’ lives, make a difference and be our legacy. Michael’s legacy still shines bright because he dared to share who he was inside with all of us. He dared and risked being transparent even if it wasn’t easy for him and was something that may not be received favorably. He hurt and felt pain because of it, though many forgot that he was, in his own words, just like everybody else. He hurt and he bled. He was…wonderfully human. ” Deborah Kunesh, journalist, from Reflections on the Dance.

Is this the Michael Jackson the media showed you? I didn't think so. Please take the time to get to know who Michael Jackson truly was. THIS is the REAL Michael Jackson!

“Michael was all that and more. He embodied and encompassed all that is good and right with man kind ~He was pure and gentle. He loved life, he loved his friends, he loved his children and he loved (most members) his family ~He was a father, a brother, a lover, a world class human that will never be replaced but always missed.” ~Kristina Stewart

“He never gave up, never backed down. many say he was a broken man but I don’t believe that for a minute. I believe Michael Jackson’s spirit and heart overcame all the trials and suffering that the world put him through.” ~Rebecca Edwards

“We hurt, like everyone else. We’re not made of steel. We’re human beings. We’re family. And when Michael passed and the world cried, they didn’t cry because of an entertainer. They cried because of the love that he put back out there, and what he was about.” ~Jermaine Jackson

I find these lyrics providential for MJ. From his initial jaunt down the yellow brick road with Diana Ross at his side, to his glorious Moonwalk strides at Motown 25 and beyond, Michael eased on down the road, didn’t lose no ground, and kept on keepin’ on♥

♥♥♥♥♥

What a joy that Dorothy’s fun-loving Scarecrow friend can dance like Michael Jackson! His ability to simultaneously kick up his heels while singing “Ease On Down the Road” elicits endearing affection. Far from being afraid, even the king crows of the cornfield loved him!

Michael breathed life into the Scarecrow while expanding his own musical style. On his own for the first time, after parting from his brothers and The Jackson 5, Michael embarked on his solo career. Working with Quincy Jones on the set of The Wiz would be the first of many projects that the two would share.

It is obvious that Michael had already been studying the likes of Charlie Chaplin and the greats of stage and silent film. Michael developed his Scarecrow into a clumsy, goofy, shy, malleable and earnest character. Until he started singing and dancing, you actually felt sorry for him, the victim of the cornfield. When he gets freed from the confines of his wooden pole, and the bullying of the big, black birds, he bumbles, buckles his legs and then he does a series of tight, perfect pirouettes. Michael dances up the yellow brick road with his mentor and friend, Diana Ross, on the precipice of his astronomical solo fame.

It would be only a year later that the success of Off The Wall would launch Michael into his very own Land of Oz, a terrain which held the promise of eternal glory. Move over King Crows of the Cornfield…make way for the King of Pop!

♥PREFACE♥

“The Dangerous World Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American superstar Michael Jackson as a solo artist, covering Europe, South America, Mexico and Asia from June 27, 1992 to November 11, 1993. The tour, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola, who also sponsored Jackson’s previous tour, included 69 concerts to 3.9 million fans. The tour grossed up approximately $125 million and all profits were donated to various charities including the new Heal the World Foundation that was set up by Jackson.

During the tour’s third leg in 1993, Jackson decided to end the tour due to, as he announced, illness which ultimately resulted in hospitalization. Jackson had become dependent on painkillers and suffered from dehydration, migraines, back aches, frequent ankle injuries and stress.” ~Wikipedia

♥♥♥

Michael was at the height of success in the midst of his record-breaking Dangerous World Tour when, in August 1993, false allegations of child molestation surfaced as part of a well crafted extortion plan.

After nearly four months of inflated gossip by the mainstream media and tabloid outlets, and disgusted by the allegations, Michael recorded a heartfelt and sincere statement from his Neverland Ranch in response to the defamatory manner in which their stories were being reported. His statement was televised worldwide on December 22, 1993. Michael said:

“At every opportunity, the media has dissected and manipulated these allegations to reach their own conclusions. I ask all of you to wait to hear the truth before you label or condemn me. Don’t treat me like a criminal because I am innocent.“

Since the early 1980′s Michael had consistently donated large sums of money to numerous children’s charities all over the world. This practice continued until the day he died. For more details on Michael’s humanitarian efforts over the years click here.

These efforts were grossly overlooked, in favor of the reportedly, more eccentric side of his personality and life circumstances. Throughout his entire solo career, MJ had a tenuous relationship with the media. In 1991, Why You Wanna Trip on Me, was released. This is a song, among many that Michael wrote, which addresses his early relationship to tabloid and mainstream reporting.

♥ Tribute video by rivieracar1992, posted on You Tube May, 2010. Producer creatively uses footage from This Is It.

Michael retreated from the public eye in late November 1993, in an attempt to regain stamina, and resolve a prescription drug dependency brought on by the overwhelming emotional stress of his unfairly damaged reputation. This resulted in the remainder of the two-year Dangerous World Tour being canceled. He released an audio statement to the press:

“I was humiliated, embarrassed, hurt and suffering great pain in my heart. The pressure resulting from these false allegations coupled with the incredible energy necessary for me to perform caused so much distress that it left me physically and emotionally exhausted. I became increasingly more dependent to the painkillers to get me through the days of the tour.”

The tabloids, as well as mainstream media, offered no sympathy toward Michael, whose emotional and physical health was at risk. They continued instead to exploit him as the subject of taunts and ridicule. Once the allegations were in the public domain, the mainstream and tabloid media went on full attack:

♥ Newsweek questioned “Is he Dangerous or Off the Wall?” on it’s cover page ~  September 6 1993.

♥ Time stated “Michael Jackson: Who’s Bad?” ~ September 6, 1993.

♥ The Daily Mirror held a “Spot the Jacko” contest offering readers a vacation to Disney World

♥News of the World ran the headline “Hunt for Jacko the Fugitive.”

♥ The Sunday Express headline read “Drug Treatment Star faces Life on the Run.

♥ The New York Post on it’s front-page declared “Peter Pan or Pervert?” ~ August 23 1993

The press continued their malicious coverage of Michael during the course of many years, succeeding in their creation of the caricature they dubbed “Wacko-Jacko,” previously known as Michael Jackson. In an interview with Barbara Walters in Paris 1997, Michael declared his dislike for the commonly used nickname. He said in the interview, “Wacko Jacko – where’d that come from? Some English tabloid…I have a heart, and I have feelings. I feel it when you do that to me. It’s not nice. Don’t do it. I’m not a ‘wacko’. I’m Jackson.”

Stranger in Moscow (song and video) was well-received and highly acclaimed by industry critics.  The song was originally written by Michael, as a poem, in September 1993, in a hotel room in Moscow, just a month after the false allegations of child molestation broke during his Dangerous World Tour.  It is perhaps one of Michael’s most personal songs, as his lyrics are direct and vulnerable. He was alone, outside of his home country away from family and friends during this shocking, and extremely emotional and physically taxing period. The opening verse of Stranger in Moscow speaks of isolation and despair. The verses refer to the unfair ridicule by the press.

In the chorus of Stranger in Moscow, Michael asks the listener a question that he has been asked many times, regarding his fame, fortune, talent and celebrity. He suggests that it all means nothing when you feel isolated, disconnected and alone.

Over the years, Michael was continuously deemed a criminal, regardless of the fact that no court of law ever recognized that to be the case. After years of hugely celebrated success, Michael felt forsaken by the public. Through his song lyrics and occasional public interviews, he repeatedly asked the media to separate his celebrity persona, from his true self. He continually asked for privacy, and for the public and the media to understand that, behind his image, he was a man, worthy of respect simply by virtue of being a child of God.

Stranger in Moscow concludes with lyrics spoken in Russian. The lyrics, spoken by an unnamed individual, lend to the feeling of paranoia, despair, fear and isolation. Stranger in Moscow is a ballad about a man merely trying to have his voice heard, while by being crucified by the unjust lies and money hungry media machines.

Information sources:

* Campbell, Lisa D. Michael Jackson: The King of Pop’s Darkest Hour. Branden Books. 1994
* Halstead, Craig and Cadman, Chris. Michael Jackson: The Solo Years. Authors OnLine Ltd. 2003
* Jackson, Michael. “Stranger in Moscow” HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1. Epic Records. 1996

“Stranger In Moscow”

I was wandering in the rain
Mask of life, feelin’ insane
Swift and sudden fall from grace
Sunny days seem far away
Kremlin’s shadow belittlin’ me
Stalin’s tomb won’t let me be
On and on and on it came
Wish the rain would just let me

How does it feel (How does it feel)
How does it feel
How does it feel
When you’re alone
And you’re cold inside

Here abandoned in my fame
Armageddon of the brain
KGB was doggin’ me
Take my name and just let me be
Then a beggar boy called my name
Happy days will drown the pain
On and on and on it came
And again, and again, and again…
Take my name and just let me be

How does it feel (How does it feel)
How does it feel
How does it feel
How does it feel
How does it feel (How does it feel now)
How does it feel
How does it feel
When you’re alone
And you’re cold inside

How does it feel (How does it feel)
REPEAT (above)

Like stranger in Moscow
Like stranger in Moscow
We’re talkin’ danger
We’re talkin’ danger, baby
Like stranger in Moscow
We’re talkin’ danger
We’re talkin’ danger, baby
Like stranger in Moscow
I’m live in lonely
I’m live in lonely, baby
Stranger in Moscow

[KGB interrogator - Russian to English Translation]
“Why have you come from the West?
Confess! To steal the great achievements of
the people, the accomplishments of the workers…”

Stranger in Moscow Behind the Scenes Footage:

Thanks to YouTube member JR2008JR