Will you be there?

As today is his funeral, I felt I should share my most vivid Michael Jackson memory. I'm sure some of you can relate to this...it has to to with the movie Free Willy.

I was in 2md or 3rd grade I think when the movie came out. I remember watching it in the theater and then over and over and over again after we bought the movie on VHS. I was obsessed with the Michael Jackson song on the soundtrack called, "Will you be there." I would hover over my alarm clock/radio/tape recorder (yes, I still have it and use it) with a blank tape at the ready to capture the song when it would play on the oh-so-great and hip 107.3. I had at least 8 tracks recorded back to back that I would play, rewind and replay on my walkman for hours and hours.

I'm laughing at myself now too, ok? :)

During the same summer as my obsession I had the opportunity to stay overnight with my cousin Carrie and her roommate Kim at their apartment in Tri-Cities. Carrie was a new WSU grad, had her own place, her own car, didn't have a bed time or parents telling her to get some chores done before she could play. It was pretty awesome to me that I got to go spend the night there. We watched Ground Hog's Day, ate cereal for dinner and stayed up "late." The next day she took me to the mall and while in the music store, she asked me if I wanted to get a tape.

I knew exactly which one I wanted...the single of "Will you be there."

I still remember finding it in the rack of cassettes. I remember the red-colored sleeve it was in and how Michael was positioned or looking sideways on the cover. If I were in Grandview, I'd have a pretty sweet picture of me with the tape to post in this blog. It's probably still in my nightstand at my parents house, along with my tape soundtrack of Ghostbusters, Amy Grant (you can't get any better "Heart in Motion") and GT and the Halo Express.

Good times. Free Willy forever.