On June 20th I arrived in Atlanta after a four and a half hour redeye flight during which I listened to a little less than a third of the songs in my Earth Wind & Fire itunes library (I have 14 hours of just EW&F music). I live in Los Angeles but I flew home because my mother was having surgery and my plan during this vacation was to catch up on a few things I’d pushed aside, particularly this blog and my book about the band. I got off to a very slow start and for the first three days I hadn’t done a thing. Then on Thursday, June 25 at 5:30 pm EDT, Robert Siegel of the National Public Radio news show “All Things Considered” led with this: “We’re hearing the news now from multiple outlets citing many sources that Michael Jackson has died.” I was paralyzed.
Ever since then and certainly until Tuesday’s memorial service, I have attempted to grapple with this huge loss and I’ve come to understand that the ONLY thing that will help me get over the shock of his death is time. All day yesterday and the day before, I was glued to the television and for the last six days I’ve listened to nothing but the music of MJ and the Jackson 5…until today.
As I lay awake in this morning’s predawn hours, I began redirecting my focus to EW&F and how during every painful episode of my life, I’ve been able to turn to their music. It came to me in an instant that the record “Spirit” was dedicated to Maurice White’s collaborator, producer, songwriter, arranger, musician, and friend Charles Stepney, who died an untimely sudden death at the age of 45 in 1976. The sadness, anguish, and sorrow are palpable from the opening notes but by the end of the recording there is an angelic vocal and instrumental celebration that would uplift the heaviest heart. In a very rich way, EW&F’s requiem to Stepney embodies what Michael’s music and life have come to represent: brotherhood, friendship, humanity, love. I am hard pressed to find another record that speaks so magnificently to the grief that we are all sure to experience at some point in our lives and when we do meet that moment, we’ll want to be still, stand in love, and pay attention…
Our spirits perpetuate
Our spirits meditate love and faith…
Look into each other’s eyes
Humanity will arise
In love…
And our spirits, they will be one.
The song was written for Charles Stepney and I dedicate it to
Michael Joseph Jackson 1958-2009.
Rest In Peace.
Spirit - Earth, Wind & Fire
