Monday, June 29, 2009

Song of the Week


Michael Jackson – Ben/Human Nature
This week it would be hard to talk about any other music except Michael Jackson’s I spent the weekend watching hour after hour of Michael videos on MTVJams. In keeping with theme of this regular feature, I’d like to focus on a couple of underappreciated Michael tunes. Ben was one of Michael’s first solo outings and he recorded it at thirteen! Ben was a theme song for a movie of the same name. A love ballad from a boy to his pet rat brings a tear to my eye. The emotion Michael can put behind this song is amazing. We’ll forget that this film was about a trained killer rat. When I hear this song today, I think of mine and my sister’s beloved rat, Vito.
Second up is the 1983 track, Human Nature off the mega-juggernaut Thriller album. This has always been my favorite off this album and I feel it’s stood the test of time better than songs like PYT and Thriller. It’s one of those songs that I refer to as an “ache” song. When it comes on the radio you’re washed over with nostalgia and the mind starts to wander down memory lane. Human Nature always makes me think of summertime and kickin’ back, sipping a Coke and enjoying that there’s no school tomorrow. In memory of Michael Jackson, I hope you’ll give these two songs a new listen.

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