On December 8, 1980 John Lennon was assassinated. I won't ever forget that day for many reasons. The first reason is that date is my husband's birthday. Another reason is that on the morning of Dec. 8, 1980 I woke up to the news on my clock radio. My eyes flew open when I heard the news and then I quickly closed them tight hoping to go back to sleep so I did not have to deal with the horrifying news.
After a few minutes, my husband whispered to me asking me if I was awake and knowing I had to face the shock, I told him I was awake and I heard the news, but I wanted to go back to sleep and pretend it didn't happen. I later remember sitting on the top of the stairs in our apartment and crying my eyes out. I did not understand why I was so emotional and how could I feel so strongly about a man that I had never met?
Later that day an older woman that I was friendly with called me to chat and when I spoke to her she immediately recognized that I was upset. She said that she had been listening to the news and saw all the Beatle fans on TV who were so distraught because of John's death. She said she dismissed them as silly and childish. But she knew me. I was a mature young woman with a new baby and if I was feeling so upset about John's passing then she felt that she had to rethink her opinion and try to understand.
All I knew is that I loved the Beatles since I was 11 years old, Paul was my favorite, and I was devastated that John had died. The Beatles music was the soundtrack of my life and I felt I had grown up with all of them, even though I never met them. Their impact on the culture and music was unsurpassed at that time.
I turned the news on that evening just to see if it would be mentioned on TV and low and behold, Walter Cronkite opened the CBS Evening News with the the story of a man and his guitar. It was then I knew that all that I was feeling was much bigger than myself.
The news of Michael Jackson's death has had me reflecting back to that day in 1980 when John died under those tragic circumstances. I first read on the Internet that Michael Jackson was in the hospital, then I took a ride down the street to the store. As I came home and got out of my vehicle, a car passed on my street playing Michael Jackson music, really loud. I knew at that moment that Michael was dead. I understood the outpouring from the fans, as I had experienced that so many years ago when John died.
I never considered myself a big Michael fan. When he as at his height, I was a married woman and working mom going to school and raising two young boys. I totally forgot that I actually owned the Thriller album, until I started hearing all of the old Jackson songs playing after Michael died. I was a fan and didn't even realize it.
I was a Top 40 girl and I have always loved music. When I liked a song or an album, I would sit by the record player and learn the words by heart and teach myself every lick. So that is what I did with the Thriller album as well. It was also a new age of MTV and I loved watching the videos and was drawn in by Michael's dancing. My sons were at the age where they were paying attention to what was going on in the pop world and they enjoyed the music and videos as well. A relative gave my son the Michael Jackson doll. When the song, "We are the World" came out I used to play it every day before work for inspiration. I had forgotten all about those times, they seem so very long ago.
The memories came flooding back to me as I watched the coverage of Michael's death and began to feel something. Again, feeling sad over a man I never met and concerned for his children that I don't even know.
Back in 1980 when John died, Yoko Ono, his wife called for 10 minutes of silence to honor John Lennon. I clearly remember thinking about how I wanted to spend those 10 minutes. I decided I wanted to spend it walking up the hill of my family's farm, my favorite place in the whole world. My husband and I took that 10 minute walk in silence, while all the TV and radio stations went off the air for 10 minutes. It was unheard of.
I had to work today, so I could not watch the MJ memorial service live. I actually hadn't given much thought to watching it, but when I came home I put the TV on right away only to catch the heart wrenching ending with his daughter Paris. Since then I have been watching all of the highlights on TV and will be glued to them for the evening. What an outstanding line up of performances, what a dignified and respectful service. I hope they repeat it in its entirety, as I am sorry I missed it.
It seems to me that nothing connects people together more than music. Music is a prayer. And where there is music, there is healing.
After a few minutes, my husband whispered to me asking me if I was awake and knowing I had to face the shock, I told him I was awake and I heard the news, but I wanted to go back to sleep and pretend it didn't happen. I later remember sitting on the top of the stairs in our apartment and crying my eyes out. I did not understand why I was so emotional and how could I feel so strongly about a man that I had never met?
Later that day an older woman that I was friendly with called me to chat and when I spoke to her she immediately recognized that I was upset. She said that she had been listening to the news and saw all the Beatle fans on TV who were so distraught because of John's death. She said she dismissed them as silly and childish. But she knew me. I was a mature young woman with a new baby and if I was feeling so upset about John's passing then she felt that she had to rethink her opinion and try to understand.
All I knew is that I loved the Beatles since I was 11 years old, Paul was my favorite, and I was devastated that John had died. The Beatles music was the soundtrack of my life and I felt I had grown up with all of them, even though I never met them. Their impact on the culture and music was unsurpassed at that time.
I turned the news on that evening just to see if it would be mentioned on TV and low and behold, Walter Cronkite opened the CBS Evening News with the the story of a man and his guitar. It was then I knew that all that I was feeling was much bigger than myself.
The news of Michael Jackson's death has had me reflecting back to that day in 1980 when John died under those tragic circumstances. I first read on the Internet that Michael Jackson was in the hospital, then I took a ride down the street to the store. As I came home and got out of my vehicle, a car passed on my street playing Michael Jackson music, really loud. I knew at that moment that Michael was dead. I understood the outpouring from the fans, as I had experienced that so many years ago when John died.
I never considered myself a big Michael fan. When he as at his height, I was a married woman and working mom going to school and raising two young boys. I totally forgot that I actually owned the Thriller album, until I started hearing all of the old Jackson songs playing after Michael died. I was a fan and didn't even realize it.
I was a Top 40 girl and I have always loved music. When I liked a song or an album, I would sit by the record player and learn the words by heart and teach myself every lick. So that is what I did with the Thriller album as well. It was also a new age of MTV and I loved watching the videos and was drawn in by Michael's dancing. My sons were at the age where they were paying attention to what was going on in the pop world and they enjoyed the music and videos as well. A relative gave my son the Michael Jackson doll. When the song, "We are the World" came out I used to play it every day before work for inspiration. I had forgotten all about those times, they seem so very long ago.
The memories came flooding back to me as I watched the coverage of Michael's death and began to feel something. Again, feeling sad over a man I never met and concerned for his children that I don't even know.
Back in 1980 when John died, Yoko Ono, his wife called for 10 minutes of silence to honor John Lennon. I clearly remember thinking about how I wanted to spend those 10 minutes. I decided I wanted to spend it walking up the hill of my family's farm, my favorite place in the whole world. My husband and I took that 10 minute walk in silence, while all the TV and radio stations went off the air for 10 minutes. It was unheard of.
I had to work today, so I could not watch the MJ memorial service live. I actually hadn't given much thought to watching it, but when I came home I put the TV on right away only to catch the heart wrenching ending with his daughter Paris. Since then I have been watching all of the highlights on TV and will be glued to them for the evening. What an outstanding line up of performances, what a dignified and respectful service. I hope they repeat it in its entirety, as I am sorry I missed it.
It seems to me that nothing connects people together more than music. Music is a prayer. And where there is music, there is healing.
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