“I remember writing ‘Earth Song’ when I was in Austria, in a hotel, and I was feeling so much pain and so much suffering for the plight of the planet Earth.  For me, this is Earth’s Song, because I think nature is trying so hard to compensate for man’s mismanagement of the Earth.  And with the ecological imbalance going on, and a lot of the problems with the environment, I think Earth feels the pain, and she has wounds and it’s about some of the joys of the planet as well.  But this is my chance to pretty much let people hear the voice of the planet.  And this is ‘Earth Song’ and that’s what inspired it.  It just suddenly dropped into my lap when I was on tour in Austria.”  Michael Jackson  EARTH SONG Inside Michael Jackson’s MAGNUM  OPUS 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAi3VTSdTxU

PLANET EARTH

PLANET EARTH, MY HOME, MY PLACE

A CAPRICIOUS ANOMALY IN THE SEA OF SPACE

PLANET EARTH, ARE YOU JUST

FLOATING BY, A CLOUD OF DUST

A MINOR GLOBE ABOUT TO BUST

A PIECE OF METAL BOUND TO RUST

A SPECK OF MATTER IN A MINDLESS VOID

A LONELY SPACESHIP, A LARGE ASTEROID

COLD AS A ROCK WITHOUT A HUE

HELD TOGETHER WITH A BIT OF GLUE

SOMETHING TELLS ME THIS ISN’T TRUE

YOU ARE MY SWEETHEART, SOFT AND BLUE

DO YOU CARE, HAVE YOU A PART

IN THE DEEPEST EMOTIONS OF MY OWN HEART

TENDER WITH BREEZES, CARESSING AND WHOLE

ALIVE WITH MUSIC, HAUNTING MY SOUL.

IN MY VEINS I’VE FELT THE MYSTERY

OF CORRIDORS OF TIME, BOOKS OF HISTORY

LIFE SONGS OF AGES THROBBING IN MY BLOOD

HAVE DANCED THE RHYTHM OF THE TIDE AND FLOOD

YOUR MISTY CLOUDS, YOUR ELECTRIC STORM

WERE TURBULENT TEMPESTS IN MY OWN FORM

I’VE LICKED THE SALT, THE BITTER, THE SWEET

OF EVERY ENCOUNTER, OF PASSION, OF HEAT

YOUR RIOTOUS COLOR, YOUR FRAGRANCE, YOUR TASTE

HAVE THRILLED MY SENSES BEYOND ALL HASTE

IN YOUR BEAUTY I’VE KNOWN THE HOW

OF TIMELESS BLISS, THIS MOMENT OF NOW.

PLANET EARTH, ARE YOU JUST

FLOATING BY, A CLOUD OF DUST

A MINOR GLOBE ABOUT TO BUST A PIECE OF METAL BOUND TO RUST

A SPECK OF MATTER IN A MINDLESS VOID

A LONELY SPACESHIP, A LARGE ASTEROID

COLD AS A ROCK WITHOUT A HUE

HELD TOGETHER WITH A BIT OF GLUE

SOMETHING TELLS ME THIS ISN’T TRUE

YOU ARE MY SWEETHEART, GENTLE AND BLUE

DO YOU CARE, HAVE YOU A PART

IN THE DEEPEST EMOTIONS OF MY OWN HEART

TENDER WITH BREEZES, CARESSING AND WHOLE

ALIVE WITH MUSIC, HAUNTING MY SOUL.

PLANET EARTH, GENTLE AND BLUE

WITH ALL MY HEART, I LOVE YOU.

Michael Jackson DANCING THE DREAM 1992  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QeR1suwpCsQ

“Earth Song is epic and theatrical.  Incorporating elements of gospel, blues, opera, and pop-rock, Jackson delivers a dramatic plea for the planet that has been called ‘the most popular green-themed tune ever’.  Indeed it is not an overstatement to say it is one of the most powerful anthems of the past century.”  Joseph Vogel MAN IN THE MUSIC 2011  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3n0J54vlx8

“THE ACCOMPANYING SHORT FILM IS A TOUR DE FORCE IN ITS OWN RIGHT.  Shot on four continents, the seven- minute short film depicts the various ways in which man, technology, and greed are destroying the world: rain forests are cut down by loggers: beautiful animals, killed by poachers: a North American forest burned to stumps: the devastation of war in Croatia.”  Joseph Vogel MAN IN THE MUSIC 2011

“The song wasn’t designed to make people feel good; it was designed to prick people’s consciences, to wake people up.  Great prophetic art is often neglected or misunderstood in its time.  There are so many examples of this, from Blake to VanGogh to Mozart to Picasso.  Michael was a student of history and art and he understood this.  He was confident that the work he created would hold up over time.  EARTH SONG is a song that was and continues to be massively popular throughout the world.  But ultimately it was a song that was going against the grain…so the resistance from corporate executives, critics and other gatekeepers makes sense.”  Joseph Vogel EARTH SONG  INSIDE MICHAEL JACKSON’S MAGNUM OPUS  2011

In the Beginning

     “Michael Jackson was alone in his hotel room, pacing.  He was in the midst of the second leg of his BAD WORLD TOUR, an exhausting, 123-concert spectacular that stretched over nearly two years.  The tour would become the largest-grossing and most-attended concert series in history.

Just days earlier, Jackson had performed in Rome at Flaminio Stadium to an ecstatic, sold-out crowd.  In his downtime, he visited  the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Cathedral at the Vatican with Quincy Jones and legendary composer, Leonard Bernstein.  Later, they drove to Florence where Jackson stood beneath Michaelangelo’s masterful sculpture, DAVID, gazing up in awe.

Now he was in Vienna, Austria, music capital of the Western world.  It was here where Mozart’s brilliant SYMPHONY NO. 25  and haunting REQUIEM were composed; where Beethoven studied under Haydn and played his first symphony.  And it was here, at the Vienna Marriott, on June 1, 1988, that Michael Jacksons magnum opus, EARTH SONG, was born.

The six-and-a-half-minute piece that materialized over the next seven years was unlike anything heard before in popular music.  Social anthems and protest songs had long been part of the heritage of rock.  But, not like this.  EARTH SONG was something more epic, dramatic, and primal.  Its roots were deeper; its vision more panoramic.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwsvfHu5ojs

EARTH SONG would become the most successful environmental anthem ever recorded, topping the charts in over fifteen countries.  It defied almost every expectation of a traditional anthem.  In place of nationalism, it envisioned a world without division or hierarchy.  In place of religious dogma or humanism, it yearned for a broader vision of ecological balance and harmony.  In place of simplistic prop-agenda for a cause, it was a geniune artistic expression.  In place of a jingly chorus that could be plastered on a T-shirt or billboard, it offered a wordless, universal cry.”  Joseph Vogel  EARTH SONG INSIDE MICHAEL JACKSON’S MAGNUM OPUS 2011

MOTHER earth

“I was walking along the beach one winter day.  Looking down, I saw a wave push a feather up on the sand.  It was a sea gull feather stained with oil.  I picked it up and felt the dark slick film on my fingers.  I couldn’t help wondering it the bird had survived.  Was it all right out there?  I knew it wasn’t.

I felt sad to think how carelessly we treat our home.  The earth we all share is not just a rock tossed through space but a living, nurturing being.  She cares for us; she deserves our care in return.  We’ve been treating Mother Earth the way some people treat a rental apartment.  Just trash it and move on.

But there’s no place to move on to now.  We have brought our garbage and our wars and our racism to every part of the world.  We must begin to clean her up, and that means cleaning up our own hearts and minds first, because they led us to poison our dear planet.  The sooner we change, the easier it will be to feel our love for mother Earth and the love she so freely gives back to us.”  Michael Jackson DANCING THE DREAM 1992

“For the average person, he sees problems ‘out there’ to be solved…But I don’t feel that way…those problems aren’t ‘out there,’ really, I feel them inside me.  A child crying in Ethiopia, a seagull struggling pathetically in an oil spill…a teenage soldier trembling with terror when he hears the planes fly over.  Aren’t these happening in me when I see and hear about them? Michael Jackson EARTH SONG INSIDE MICHAEL JACKSON’S MAGNUM OPUS 2011

To me, Earth Song is meant to be listened to with wonderful headphones.  Michael’s storytelling is epic…his musical design has epic weight.  His voice reaches to the depth of his soul portraying Earth’s cry to all of us.  “Jackson’s sensuous language evokes a different kind of relationship with the natural world:  one of intimacy, wonder, and respect.  It rejects the traditional Western notion that humans ‘own’ nature and can do with it as they please.”  Joseph Vogel  MICHAEL FELT THIS SONG WOULD ULTIMATELY HELP SAVE THE WORLD.  It wasn’t about making people feel good…it was about getting people to act.  It was to be the centerpiece of his upcoming THIS IS IT concert at the O2.  And, it was the last song Michael performed…just 12 hours before he died.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CrMU7AE-OuE

HAS EARTH SONG FULFILLED MICHAEL’S DREAM?  Judge for yourself…

“Thousands of teachers now use “Earth Song” in classes to bring awareness to environmental and animal rights issues.  It has inspired activism.  “After seeing the Earth Song segment in This Is It (which moved me to tears) I felt absolutely compelled to do something to help, as Michael asked, so I started a project to plant trees all over the world in Michael’s name.  ‘A Million Trees For Michael’ now has over 13,000 fans on Facebook and we get thousands of hits a month on our website.  We have planted 20,000 trees all over the world and are hoping to plant thousands more.

     Its impact continues to resonate for new generations.  After seeing the Earth Song music video, one sensitive ten-year-old (Draven) was so profoundly moved he pledged to tell everyone he knew about its message.  He hadn’t known about most of the issues the song revealed and told his grandmother it ‘made him realize how important it is to take care of the earth.’

     Such stories may seem insignificant given the scope and complexity of the problems humanity faces.  But they are seeds.  They represent resistance to status quo that Jackson recognized as not only unjust but unsustainable.”  Joseph Vogel  Earth Song Inside Michael Jackson’s Magnum Opus 2011

In my life, Michael has inspired me to think and act.  I have joined several groups that are trying to change the world for the better and I am proud that I have been given this opportunity.  As Michael said, “One child at a time.”  And, one act at a time…Each time I get really discouraged with what I see happening in the world, how I see the media’s lack of duty of care to one another…I turn to Michael’s music, his words, his work.  He is my role model.  He is my inspiration and my hope.  I dry my tears and I continue.  Together I know we can make a difference.  “There’s nothing that can’t be done if we raise our voice as one.”  Michael’s words give me strength for today.  I pray they will strengthen you as well.  Together, let’s turn this planet into “A HAVEN OF JOY.”

LET’S MAKE EVERY DAY EARTH DAY!

Jude

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