For those who are in my age bracket, you should remember it well. Whether you were a middle school or high school student Thriller defined much of the 1980’s music. It is well known that Thriller is the best selling album of all time. When one considers who was vying for the spot at the time this feat is only more amazing. During this time Purple Rain, She’s So Unusual, Can’t Slow Down, Born in the USA, Footloose, 1984, Make it Big, Synchronicity, and Like a Virgin were released. All of these albums were monster hits of course. In fact, it was a really great time to listen to music. However, Michael’s music always managed to top artists like Cyndi Lauper, Lionel Richie, Prince, The Police, Van Halen, Huey Lewis and the News, Bruce Springsteen, and many other greats. This is not surprising when you consider the following;
· Beat it made use of the guitar talents of Eddie Van Halen and paved the way for other heavy metal acts to score chart-topping songs.
· Thriller paid homage to the classic monster films and bought true added value to the music video.
· Billie Jean introduced us to the Moonwalk.
· Three words- “red leather jacket”
After Thriller, Michael Jackson released several follow up albums all of which were commercial successes. However, none of them would sell as well. This as well as other circumstances personally hurt Jackson. I remember that Michael would keep trying to outdo Thriller and would be frustrated by his inability to do so. This phenomenon is not uncommon as it affected many of his contemporaries. Madonna and Bruce are masters at reinventing themselves while other artists like Lionel Richie, Cyndi Lauper, and Huey Lewis and the News have faded into obscurity.
Having said that, I think its important to understand that life can be an unpredictable roller coaster. One never knows when the “ups and down” will occur. Remember the “ups” are a gift to be appreciated; not to be taken for granted. When the “downs” occur, keep in mind it could have been worse. For example, a few months ago I caught a nasty virus and as a result went to several doctors. I am thankful it was nothing fatal. I am thankful that my family and boss were very supportive during this uncertain time. I am thankful that this happened a month before the swine flu epidemic hit. I am thankful that I started an exercise regimen almost 3 years ago as this certainly helped my recovery.
So… like many others I am playing the music, watching the videos, and remembering to appreciate the good even during the tough times.
13 comments:
I agree with your statement on life having its ups and downs and appreciating life when everything is peachy and great. When we are down, life is teaching us a lesson that we must learn from. It also helps us become much stronger and appreciate the small things we never bothered to.
I agree that life is not always happy times. We need to be able to handle life when hard times come. Alot of people today turn to drugs and alcohol in order to cope with the pressures that life.
We need to teach our children coping mechanisms that will help them deal with the ups and downs.
It is so important to be able to remember that tough times get better, and better times are a gift. I also agree with the major phenomenon behind Michael Jackson's music. So many other artists have tried to top thriller, or used his music as an influence in their own. Danielle Ponsiglione technology 650 sunday morning
From Janet Pollack,
It is important to take each day as a gift and try to remember that everything happens for a reason. We can only hope that we are wise enough to figure out the reason and learn from it.
Again, great memories from this blog. I agree with your statement that when things are bad, they could be worse. I have a special needs child with health issues and he was recently diagnosed with yet another health issue. I know that although I wish there were no issues, all of the diagnoses could have been worse and there are parents who do have children that are worse. These "bumps in the road" have actually made my son a stronger and more resilient person who understands and realizes that he needs to work harder than his peers.
It is true that life has many ups and downs. The ups bring great memoires back to us of better times. While the downs teach us a greater lesson in life and many times make us thankful for what we have. I agree with your statement that life can be an unpredictable roller coaster, and you just don't know what it brings next.
Denise C.
You mentioned “life can be an unpredictable roller coaster”. I could not agree with you more. There is a saying that the Lord never gives you more than you can handle. These words are a testament to my life this past year. To deal with the ups and downs I always tell myself “it could always be worse”. I never take anything for granted. I try to enjoy life to the fullest and let those around me know how I feel about them because you never know what tomorrow brings.
From Stella Gindel
Michael Jackson’s Thriller was indeed a significant influence culturally and musically—although I am too young to have experienced it directly. It seems to me that music was more alive and immediate in the 80’s than it is today. The blogger compares his sense of proportionality to celebrity artists like Jackson to make a deeper point about counting each of our blessings. Whatever the present circumstances, or the struggles we may have encountered, I think it is important to place them in perspective. We must stop focusing on the personal nature of disappointment and strive to remind ourselves of the advantages we have over other more unfortunate people. Ups and downs happen to everyone, we should appreciate the downs, and anticipate the ups.
We must learn that life has its ups and downs. We should not allow ourselves to get too high when things are going well, and too low when things are not going well. We should try to be stable and steady in all aspects of our lives.
Chaya Dusowitz
I loved the 80’s. I was in high school and I had the same hair-do and pants as the girl that played Michael Jackson’s girlfriend in the Thriller video then. Michael Jackson, who is one of my favorite musician, did have some ups and downs in his career. He was trying so hard to reinvent himself that he died trying. I know from experience that life is full of ups and downs. I believe that you have to ride it out. What I mean by this is that during the down, hold on tight, look to the heaven, do what you need to do to keep sane and strong, and remember old proverbs that,” this too shall pass”, and ” happier days are just around the corner”.
In the Thriller’s lyrics, “And wonder if you’ll ever see the sun. There ain’t no second chance”, I don’t think Michael was suggesting anything negative in this lyric because he was at the peak of his career but it is hunting because he probably felt this at the end of his career. ‘’And let me hold you tight’’, I hope that there were people, friends, and family support during his downs time. RIP Michael!
Although I wasn't around in the 1980's it was very interesting to read this post. I like the message of enjoying the "high" times while it is still going on. Very often people only appreciate the "high" times during the "low" times when they realize how much worse it can get. It is a gift when a person can truly appreciate every situation and find the silver lining in the bad times too.
I was born just about half way through the 80's, so I was too young to appreciate those songs when they were 'in', however, I am a fan of that era and often listen to the 80's on pandora.
It can be hard for people to find their way back up when they are really down. It's important for us to surround ourselves with caring and supprotive people to help us through difficult times.
I was not born in the 80's I'm a 90's child and only started realizing about different era's probably in the 2000's and up. I do appreciate music from the 80's as I do listen to it same goes for movies. I've started to understand that things will never go back to what they were back then and that we only keep moving forward as well as your minds. But It is good to reminiscence about the past the seniors as my nursing home where I worked sure told me crazy stories about the past. I'm pretty sure we all go through troubling times when were just down on your luck and sometimes you dont want to get up. By having great friends and family to support you always makes a difference and in no time will bounce back up. I will always appreciate the "ups" in life because I feel there a blessing.
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