The day was December 2, 1983 and the temperature was near 45 degrees. An excited boy accompanied his mother and younger sister on a Christmas shopping adventure. The family arrived at Heck’s department store in Christiansburg, Virginia and the store was packed with excited but frantic shoppers. The young boy never stayed with his mother long, when they entered a store, and on this day had made his way to one of his most favorite areas, Electronics. He noticed a countdown to a video release and that was when the display caught his eye,
As the boy took in the site before him, he noticed rows and rows of vinyl albums and cassette tapes with the face of a rising pop star that he already loved. Today was the release of the epic video, Thriller by Michael Jackson and the boy could not wait for the event to start.
That little boy was me and little did I know that Michael Jackson would be an artist who would change how I felt about music for the rest of my life. Join me today as I relive my past memories and how one artist instilled a love in me that I carry through to this very day. This is Thriller: The Day Music Changed My Life
- The soundtrack of my life
- A coming of age story
- The impact of an icon
- The thrill of it all
- Life-long influence of an icon
The soundtrack of my life
I have said this in a few posts before, music was constant around our house, during my youth. My father actually sang in a church choir as a kid and my mother was in chorus in high school. We had a huge record player cabinet and a pretty big collection of vinyl records that were often played. My mother would sing while she drove us places, and even our grandparents would grace us all with a melody, from time to time.
I probably took it all for granted, really.
For my own part, I have vivid memories of dressing up in my mothers gowns and wearing one of her bras, stuffed with stuffed animals. I would pretend to be Donna Summer or Aretha Franklin and sing into a curling brush in front of our bedroom mirror. I even have the clearest memory of being on the bus and hearing the song Two of Hearts by Stacie Q come on and signing right along with it. It was simply a thing, nothing more. Something would come along that would cause me to be thrilled with music in a way that I didn’t know before.
A coming of age story
The year was 1982 and I was learning quickly what peer pressure was like. I was an awkward kid, I was once rather boisterous but when school came along I started to recede into a shell. Even with having a best friend, I was struggling to find a place to fit in. The one place where the playing field was somewhat leveled was when it comes to music. The radio gives everyone access to the same kinds of music, no matter your social standing. This was where I could hide away and feel just like everyone else.
All of that was about to change, for me, with one song. On November 29th, 1982 the Thriller album was released and the title track, Thriller, was blowing up on the music charts. The minute I heard it, I was instantly entranced. The thing that caused the song to stick out to me the most was the elements of horror used in the lyrics and Vincent Price’s voice. At nine years old, I was already developing a fascination for old school horror. But it was the lyrics that resonated with me and I could not understand why.
It would be later that I would learn that the song was actually a coming of age story. The overall theme was about urges you go through that seem out of control and shape you into something that is hard to recognize. When we see Michael changing into the Thriller, it is talking about hair growing in places that seem strange, your voice changing, and being at the whim of urges beyond your control. It was the very things that I was going through and left me feeling like an outsider. That and slowly realizing that I was, indeed, different than most of my classmates.
The impact of an icon
MIchael Jackson was the first musician that I fell in love with. From his music, his signature look, and everything about him fascinated me. I didnt know that what I was experiencing was a crush, at the time. I remember sitting in class next to Lisa and Kim writing “I luv MJ” on our notebooks and talking about how cool he was. They never seemed weirded out by my fascination for who would become the King of Pop, all we knew is we shared a common interest.
I talked my mom into buying me the cassette so that I could listen to it and that was the beginning of what would become an epic ride. I would listen to that cassette over and over. Since we didnt have cable or satellite, I didnt get to see any kind of music video, so all I had was singing to my mirror. I didnt care, I loved this music. I started looking at every magazine that had Michael Jackson on it. As the popularity of the album increased, so did his media coverage. Soon a magazine about Michael Jackson came out and I begged my mother for it. I consumed it as if it was the very bread of life. I memorized facts about him and his life. It is safe to say he left a lasting impression on me.
The thrill of it all
A year and three days later and the video that would send all of music history on its ear was released, Thriller. There I was, standing in a crowd of people at Heck’s Department store waiting for MTV to debut a new video from Michael Jackson. I knew the song, backwards and forwards, but I had no idea what to expect on the television screen. My mother was content to leave me standing there watching while she did her shopping, it kept me away from seeing her shop and kept me from bugging her to buy some new toy.
The announcement came of the start of the new video and everyone gathered excitedly started talking about how excited they were to see the new video. As the opening started everyone in the immediate vicinity went quiet. The first image was a disclaimer of how Michael didnt believe in the occult and then the title card. What happened next was epic in a way that I had no comprehension of.
The video starts out with Michael and a date driving to a movie but their car breaks down. They decide to proceed on foot and it is like so many horror movies of the time. Light banter to break sexual tension and then just as the monster reveals himself, you are thrown to a scene of a couple on a date in a movie theater. Then the song starts and magic is made. Never before had a music video taken on the scope and scale of a movie, this was THE game changer for all that would come. Music took on another facet for me. It became a way to feel my life, to accentuate my feelings, and express ideas that were hard for me to put into words. From that day on, music became a part of my life.
Life-long influence of an icon
Michael Jackson and his music left a big impact on me. It led to a love of music that sticks with me to this very day. It would be the start of me having music playing anytime I was home, in a car, or anywhere else I could. It would create a love that lasts to this very day. Music was a way for me to cope with not being popular in school, to hide away from the emotional issues I constantly dealt with, it was my escape. Through Michael, I was able to explore my thoughts and feelings and learn to come to terms with some of them. It is because of him that I continue to surround myself with music, to this day.
What about you, was there one singular artist that impacted your life and love of music? Maybe it was one specific artist that created that love for you. Were you swept up in the Michael Jackson craze? How was it for you? Let me know in the comments below. Just like Michael was there for me, you guys are what keeps this blog going. Thanks to each and everyone of you that comes back to GayintheCLE. This page may be mine but it was created to share my world with you. Thanks again.
Gay in the CLE 