I was at my best friend's house. I loved going there because she had her own record player. So when Bad was over and the radio started playing something we weren't interested in, she took out her Michael Jackson records, put them on, and we were entertained for hours.
We danced to the songs on Thriller and Bad and, a few years later when Dangerous was released, Black or White and Heal the World took the top spots on our most favorite songs list. We were eight, and a little too old for jumping on the bed at that point, but we listened to the songs just the same.
Our parents were cool; cooler than cool, so there was very little kids music for us. Michael Jackson was all over the radio, all the rage in the late 80s and early 90s. It was what our parents listened to, so it was what we listened to. It was the background music to our childhoods, and the soundtrack to our friendship.
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| These Girls |
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| Became These Girls |
I was sitting at my desk at work in 2009 when I heard the news that Michael Jackson had died. Suddenly, his music was everywhere. It was playing on every radio station, his music videos were garnering a massive volume of hits on YouTube, and all the morning shows did daily retrospectives on his life and his life's work.
And every time I heard the first strains of Billie Jean, Heal The World, or Rock With You I thought of two little girls jumping on the bed who grew up into bigger girls, and gave thanks for a friendship that has spanned thirty years. A forever friendship.
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| And Then Grew Up Into These Girls |
Awww. What awesome memories to associate with such great music. There will never be another Michael...
ReplyDeleteI love MJ but I was in college when Thriller came out (yes, I'm old). So we would dance around listening to it while we got ready for parties! Loved seeing the pictures of you guys over time.
ReplyDeleteMichael Jackson was a staple to my childhood too. Yesterday I took my toddler to the Children's Museum in Memphis where there is a disco party room, and when he came on I almost lost it. Nobody can make me shake it like MJ!
ReplyDeleteLove the pics! Great idea to celebrate the soundtrack of your friendship. Michael Jackson plays big in my memories also. And forever friends? Nothing better!
ReplyDeleteThat is so amazing! What a unique bond. My parents were cool, too, so I grew up listening to Peter Gabriel and Led Zeppelin, lol.
ReplyDeleteI still remember the flood of MJ's music playing after his death...we were all so crushed.
This is really beautiful. I'm obviously a huge advocate for music in any shape or form, but I think people often forget how much their lives are influenced by music. Just thinking about any memory, you can usually associate some kind of song with that time. We all have our homecoming song, prom song, wedding song, etc. It's awesome to be able to think back to a specific time and think "I still know all the words to that song!"
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