Trying to remember when I first became aware of Michael Jackson, I realized I had two separate exposures to him around the age of ten–and I’m not sure that as a child, I realized both came from the same person.

I vividly remember hearing the ballad “She’s Out of My Life” on AM radio, particularly at the town swimming pool. I was fascinated by it. It was overwrought and intense and exhausting and connected to emotions I didn’t really understand. It didn’t sound like anything else on the radio and it always felt like it lasted about seven minutes until the singer had his nervous breakdown at song’s end.

I also was an avid watcher of the Jackson 5 cartoon series. I remember only one episode now: the group breaks up, which meant that their fans had to buy five separate records and play them all at the same time to hear their new song.

posted 2 July 2009 in Tasty Bits and tagged Jackson 5, Michael Jackson. no comments yet