Michael Jackson has died. Said to be the King of Pop, what made him such a legend? He's in the headlines. His face, besides being one of a kind, can be seen smothered all around the media. It gives rise to a powerful question: how does one become a music legend? Each great musician had to start some where. Whether a garage band hoping to stand where Tom Petty, the Rolling Stones, and U2 have stood or a girl with a guitar in the bar dreaming of hearing her songs played over the radio, they all started somewhere. A voice, an instrument, and pretty face are just a few of reasons we remember names like the Beatles, Eric Clapton, and, let's be honest, Britney Spears , but what is the next step? When does a musician step out into the abyss between a musician and a legendary one? I sat and pondered this a while until I fell upon a quote "Music is the universal language of mankind." (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow) I was struck by its truth. I have found myself at a variety of music scenarios from heavy metal to church hymns to African tribal music. More than once I felt like I was somewhere foreign and distant from the music I knew and understood, a lot like being in another country where they speak another language. And just like verbal language, music is something we must translate and try to understand. Yes once in a while we will encounter the music genre or band that is comparable to the Chinese man who only speaks a remote dialect and no matter how hard we try we will never understand, but all we can really ask is that we still respect that language. You never know when it might be a beautiful poem or a great word of wisdom. However, I think that when you become a legend, you have the ability to speak the language of a diversified group so it is music to their ears. Take Michael Jackson for example. He's loved by many generations and his death shook the music world. So the next time you turn on the radio, give respect to the music legends that have died and turn up the volume to old songs like "Thriller". Let it the music fill the air.
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