Here I am, sitting, listening to the song Jam by Michael Jackson. Makes perfect sense to listen to it, since this is a blog about the 1990's, and this song came out in 1991 on the album Dangerous. I think this song was an introduction to the 1990's. Two music artists, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, both stand out in my mind. They were the first artists I remember from the 1990s. Quite ironic since they were famous long before. The first picture I saw of Michael Jackson beguiled my 5 year-old mind. For one, I thought Michael Jackson was White. In 1991, I was 5 years old. I had no idea what vitilgo was. There were many things I didn't know, such as the nose surgeries. I didn't even know by the time the Dangerous was released, he was 33 years old. I couldn't tell that Michael Jackson was born in 1958, or that he used to be darker. I never knew(until today 15 December 2011), that "Jam" was written by René Moore, an R&B artist known more for songs such as "Your Smile" and "You Don't Have To Cry" and who sang with Angela Winbush. I guess I shouldn't be surprised because Michael Jackson song love songs too. All I knew at age 5 was that I really loved his music and loved listening to it. I liked the trips in the car with my father and he would play that music. I grew up on Michael Jackson's music.
1991 was also the year Jungle Fever soundtrack was released. At the time, I didn't know that this soundtrack was part of the movie of the same title. Also, being a 5 year-old, I didn't know that the movie was of heavy subjects such as interracial relationships and marital infidelity.
In a way, the Dangerous album and the Jungle Fever soundtrack were both like preludes to new changes.The song "Jungle Fever" itself was like a sign of the new 90's, an era where there was to be more openness about things. After all, the song did talk about people of different races being attracted to one another. "Heal The World" and "Black or White" were like the anthems of the multicultural 90's. Talking about things such as making this world a better place, harmony with people of different ethnicities and generally, people loving one another more. It was like the new message was "come together".
1991 was also the year Jungle Fever soundtrack was released. At the time, I didn't know that this soundtrack was part of the movie of the same title. Also, being a 5 year-old, I didn't know that the movie was of heavy subjects such as interracial relationships and marital infidelity.
In a way, the Dangerous album and the Jungle Fever soundtrack were both like preludes to new changes.The song "Jungle Fever" itself was like a sign of the new 90's, an era where there was to be more openness about things. After all, the song did talk about people of different races being attracted to one another. "Heal The World" and "Black or White" were like the anthems of the multicultural 90's. Talking about things such as making this world a better place, harmony with people of different ethnicities and generally, people loving one another more. It was like the new message was "come together".
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