Michael Jackson dropped the Thriller album on November 30, 1982. At that time, I was still listening to my parents music. Old Motown records and the country music that was popular with my mom and dad at that time. Alabama was always a favorite of theirs on long road trips.
My cousin got Thriller for Christmas, and I still remember watching the Epic label spin around on the turntable as she queued up “The Girl is Mine,” a duet with Paul McCartney, and the first single released from the album. We played it over and over.
Then, 1983 happened. In March, he dropped this video:
And that’s it. Michael Jackson was all anyone at school was talking about. I was acquainted with his earlier work, but none of it connected with me the way this album did at that point in my life. It would be a few more weeks before I would have my own copy — a birthday present from my parents. I already had every song memorized before he unveiled the moonwalk on live television in May.
And oh . my . God. Gym class? Forget it. The teacher couldn’t do anything with us. One of our classmates had learned how to do it, and we were all far too interested in him to focus on kickball. After that, I went home determined to learn it myself. Michael makes it look effortless, but it was difficult for me. I don’t even know how long it took me to figure out how, but I finally pulled it off. It wasn’t clean, but I kept working at it. For no other reason except to prove to myself that I could.
This is a long video, but it’s a fun look at how the moonwalk evolved for Michael through the years. It was pretty mesmerizing for me.
On December 2, 1983, MTV premiered the music video for “Thriller,” and my friends and I had a “premiere party” sleepover for it. That may have been the quietest 14 minutes we ever spent in a room together. Not a peep out of us. Not one of us averted our gaze from the television until the very end. But when it was over? You could not shut us up. Once again, Michael’s name was on everyone’s lips.
Here’s that groundbreaking video. Even if you’ve seen it before, watch it again. It’s always worth it for the group dance alone. 🙂
This format suited him. Nobody did music videos like Michael. They were always a production — the costumes, the makeup, the choreography — he thought about every detail, and it showed. It gave him an outlet to be creative in all sorts of ways. This one feels a little inspired by Broadway to me.
Sadly, his life was riddled with controversy, and it wouldn’t be long before that became the focus. But I never could divorce myself from Michael. I couldn’t if I tried. He’s too heavily embedded in my adolescence and played such a big role in shaping my musical interests. He got me excited about music, dance, and art, and I was heartbroken when I learned of his passing.
It was June 25, 2009. I was sitting at the airport waiting to board a plane to Los Angeles where I was meeting my friend. It would be my first time in Hollywood. When we arrived at Hollywood Boulevard to see his star on the Walk of Fame, a line had already started to form and the sidewalk adjacent to it had begun to fill with flowers and gifts left as a tribute to the King of Pop.
Some of the photos from that day:
This marquee was visible was from the line that had formed to see Michael’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 
So many people were there that they had to corral the line. This is just a partial view of it. 
Flowers and gifts for Michael. 
More flowers and gifts. 
Memorial wreaths. 
White glove memorial wreath. 
Photo memorial. 
The wait was worth it.
What a legacy! I hope his weary soul is at rest now.