Quotes Mix Tape: Michael Jackson

"Quotes Mix Tape" is a series of posts in which I present and discuss five quotes from films, literature, TV series, or music that made an impact in my life.                              

Today, Michael Jackson would've turned 54 years old. To celebrate his life and his art, this edition is dedicated to him. 

1. "Every time I think I've had enough and start heading for the door / There's a very strange vibration piercing me right to the core / It says turn around you fool, you know you love her more and more / Tell me why is it so?" -Never Can Say Goodbye, The Jackson 5 (1971)                                           

MJ was only 11 years old when he recorded this song, yet he managed to sing it with such a feeling, that you might think he had an old soul trapped in his body. Then again, his main issue and obsession in his life was growing up too fast and losing his childhood. I can't really explain why I like this part of the song so much. I do know that every time I hear this part of the song, I sing it and I even act it out in a very dramatic way (I only do this in the privacy of my bedroom, thank you very much!) Maybe I like it because it deals with the eternal battle between the heart and the brain: Should I follow my heart or should I follow my brain? That's up to each one of us to decide.

2. "Lift your head up high / And scream out to the world / I know I am someone / And let the truth unfurl / No one can hurt you now / Because you know what's true / Yes, I believe in me / So you believe in you / Help me sing it! Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa! / Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa!" -Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' (1983)

I think pretty much the whole song is quotable, since it has very interesting metaphors that describe MJ's relationship with the press (You're a vegetable / You're just a buffet / You're a vegetable / They eat off of you). It even has a shout-out to Billie Jean. I chose the last verses for a simple reason: because they are uplifting and they make me feel good. It was MJ's way of saying that no matter what people said about him, he would not let them get him down and that he believed in himself. Of course, the last years of his life weren't exactly like that: we'll see in some of his other songs that his own lyrics contradict the way he led his life (the media scrutiny affected him deeply, adding up to his other issues). However, we can still apply those positive messages to ourselves and be inspired by them. I also chose this quote because I love singing out of my lungs "Ma ma se, ma ma sa, ma ma coo sa!" It's liberating!

3. "If this town / Is just an apple / Then let me take a bite” -Human Nature (1983)

This is definitely one of the most beautiful songs that I've ever heard. It portrays MJ's fragility. Its lyrics about the desire to go out to the world and see what's out there, even though he didn't write them, seem autobiographical. His broken soul and his pain can be heard especially in the last part of the song, in which he only vocalizes. It would've been great if this song would've been promoted more heavily and that a music video would've been made for it. With MJ's imagination, I'm sure it would have been out of this world. Other quote from this song that strikes me is "Electric eyes are everywhere", because of its powerful imagery. For me, the electric eyes are the city lights, which are always fascinating no matter how many times you've seen them. One of the best versions of Human Nature is the one featured in 2009's This Is It, which you can see above.

4. "Your butt is mine" -Bad (1987)

Enough said! No wonder Prince turned down the idea of Bad being a duet between MJ and him.

5. "I'm starting with the man in the mirror / I'm asking him to change his ways / And no message could have been any clearer / If you wanna make the world a better place / Take a look at yourself and then make a change" -Man in the Mirror (1988)

This is a song that a lot of people need to listen carefully. It contains a strong message that still applies to present day (this song is 25 years old). No matter how many peace messages from religious personalities or PR campaigns are released, things will never change if human beings don't start making a change within themselves and their households. As long as there's selfishness, this world and most of its inhabitants will keep on rotting themselves and succumbing to secret agendas. I guess it's time to finally look ourselves in the mirror.

One more thing: Happy Birthday, MJ! Hee heeeeee! Auu!