Remembering Michael

I was just discovering music when Michael Jackson released "Thriller," and I will never forget the way that album shaped my current love of R&B and pop music. His music allowed me to move my hips in a way that I hadn't even thought of before. He filled my head with an euphoria that I couldn't quite explain as a teenager.

Today, I know where that feeling came from: a recognition of pure genius, a gift for music that cannot possibly be reinvented - no matter how hard anyone might try. I continued to follow him, even when others forgot about him. It wasn't hard for me - surprisingly - to hear the music through the hype. And in that music, there was always genius - but more so sadness. Maybe it was the sadness that kept me listening to Michael - my way of offering empathy to someone I thought had no one - despite his millions of fans and record sales.

I remember playing "You are not Alone" from the 1995 album "HIStory" over and over and over again, attempting to find some sort of hope for the man, who appeared to me to have transformed into a caged animal at the zoo - sad and lonely, swarmed by spectators with no way out. "You are not Alone" seemed like a lullaby to himself - a reassurance that he wasn't alone. And despite all of his hits, there was something in those lyrics: "... you are not alone/For I am here with you/Though we're far apart/You're always in my heart/But you are not alone" that touched me.

Michael touched us all in so many ways. How did his songs touch you? What's the song you'll always remember him by?