Michael Jackson’s Music Will Live Forever

– Uh, You Know … Probably Not –

There’s an old Scottish saying that it’s better to buy a man a beer when he’s alive than to cry at his funeral when he’s dead.

So, while I believe Michael Jackson was an important cultural touchstone, a brilliant pop songwriter and one of the best dancers of our generation, I’m already tired of the posthumous Michael Jackson hype.

And, everybody … stop saying, “His music will live forever.”

Maybe it will last for a couple of generations but, even if you believe in global warming, “forever” is a long-assed time.

I’m pretty sure there was a Babylonian version of Michael Jackson and they probably said his music was going to live forever, too. Guess what? It didn’t even make it past the Renaissance.

Am I being too harsh? Can we say Michael Jackson’s music will last hundreds of years?

Hmmm. Remember the most popular entertainer from the Civil War?

Yeah. Neither do I.

I’ve heard of Elvis but only because his music occasionally shows up in a mash-up or a Nike commercial.

So, maybe as long as Pepsi and Nike are around, Michael’s music may still be with us.

How quickly does a generation’s music fade? When somebody hollers out “Elvis!” my first reaction is to look around and see if I can spot Elvis Costello.

I’m really not trying to be a kill-joy here. We should celebrate the life of an amazingly talented performer who captured our imagination throughout his career.

And, in a couple of years, maybe even go to Vegas to get married in a chapel by a Michael Jackson impersonator.

In the meantime, I’m going to try to stop hummingBillie Jean. That song’s been sticking with me for the last three days.

That isn’t really that long but, when you’ve got a melody in your head like that, it seems like forever.

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These guys were going to live forever, too…

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Image: Zuma Press

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