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Can't really "enjoy" listening to Childhood

helena22

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I mean, it's such a painful song. I love the song, but I can't see myself "enjoying" listening, like sitting back and sipping on something while the song played, like I sometimes do while listening to some other songs. What's more heartbreaking is, he sings the lyrics so softly like, he says something like, "I'm alright now'. That makes the song more sad...

Have you ever felt this way?
 
well...certainly i feel like MJ knows he's conveying a message that some people will refuse to hear, no matter how many times they listen to the song....i feel his frustration. i am guessing that MJ doesn't expect us to enjoy his pain..but, just listen...and at that, he is successful.
 
This song doesn't get the respect it deserves. Just from an artistic stand point, it's a brilliant piece of work, musically and lyrically. The song itself of course is more then just another track on an album. Michael's said himself it is his most autobiographical song. Some fans complain about it, moaning that they're sick of hearing him complain about his lost childhood (what I always laugh at is this is the only song he's ever written about that subject). But that's not fair to Michael. It's something which affects him to this day. You heard him in the interview he gave to Good Morning America, when he said he gets emotional just watching his own children actually have a childhood. People can't understand or relate to the pain he feels over the loss of that period in his life and so they dismiss it and fail to grasp the weight of it. He's struggled with it since forever and it's what's shaped, in large part, who he is and the direction his life has taken.

Michael, in a way, takes us through his emotional journey in life in those few minutes. His voice and the music soar at certain points, as though he's reaching out for that thing he lost, nearly grasping it in his hands, nearly living the care free, burdenless state of existence that most children take for granted, nearly forgetting any sense of worry or responsibility and simply being, simply living in the moment. And the key word here is nearly. He's right on the cusp of it, he can touch it with his fingertips, he can feel it, and just as the song reaches it's climax, the thing he desires most, the thing he most needs, escapes him, and it's gone, and he knows deep down, despite having tried so hard to find it and to hold it in his hands, that he never will, that he's destined never to know what it is to be a child, what it means to be in such a state. And then that pain comes in, the dull ache of deprivation, the impact of never having something so necessary and essential to all of our well being.
 
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Wow....vncwilliam and wannabestartinsomething...wow.....

I think you two know what I mean. See, I've become a fan this year, but even before that, had respect and love for this man. Now here I am, listening to many of his songs (including Childhood) for the first time in my life, sharing the emotion with you....

Thank God, I could play all day long outdoors as a child, so I try hard to get closer to him and understand and sympathize him as much as possible. That's why I can't listen to the song as a type of ordinary entertainment (this is what I mean by "enjoy"). Can't even musically analyze the song. It's like, you don't sit beside your best friend who's going through something, without feeling the same and hurting together.

I, too, gotta say, wannabestartinsomething, his pain ain't just all about pain at the end of the day. He went through all that and survived, so he knows what it means to smile more than many others. So, I believe his pain 100% and believe his joy 100%. When I listen to songs like, "Smile", I know he means the every single word and am moved just the same way I'm moved by the songs like "Childhood". IMO, the two songs are like twins in that sense.
 
oh! i cant believe it! u dont enjoy CHilDHooD? :-o

its my fav song of allllllllllllllllllllll time. i dig it!!!! :heart: :wub:
i love it and adore it endslessly. :heart: :inlove: :love: :heart: :heart:


but u r right, it is sad but it it has a very special place in my heart :)
its somehow the way i feel, that why i love it.
 
helena22 said:
Wow....vncwilliam and wannabestartinsomething...wow.....

I think you two know what I mean. See, I've become a fan this year, but even before that, had respect and love for this man. Now here I am, listening to many of his songs (including Childhood) for the first time in my life, sharing the emotion with you....

Thank God, I could play all day long outdoors as a child, so I try hard to get closer to him and understand and sympathize him as much as possible. That's why I can't listen to the song as a type of ordinary entertainment (this is what I mean by "enjoy"). Can't even musically analyze the song. It's like, you don't sit beside your best friend who's going through something, without feeling the same and hurting together.

I, too, gotta say, wannabestartinsomething, his pain ain't just all about pain at the end of the day. He went through all that and survived, so he knows what it means to smile more than many others. So, I believe his pain 100% and believe his joy 100%. When I listen to songs like, "Smile", I know he means the every single word and am moved just the same way I'm moved by the songs like "Childhood". IMO, the two songs are like twins in that sense.
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Totally. Despite everything he's been through, and he's been through a lot, he continues to be an eternal optomist and that's amazing.
 
helena22 said:
Wow....vncwilliam and wannabestartinsomething...wow.....

I think you two know what I mean. See, I've become a fan this year, but even before that, had respect and love for this man. Now here I am, listening to many of his songs (including Childhood) for the first time in my life, sharing the emotion with you....

Thank God, I could play all day long outdoors as a child, so I try hard to get closer to him and understand and sympathize him as much as possible. That's why I can't listen to the song as a type of ordinary entertainment (this is what I mean by "enjoy"). Can't even musically analyze the song. It's like, you don't sit beside your best friend who's going through something, without feeling the same and hurting together.

I, too, gotta say, wannabestartinsomething, his pain ain't just all about pain at the end of the day. He went through all that and survived, so he knows what it means to smile more than many others. So, I believe his pain 100% and believe his joy 100%. When I listen to songs like, "Smile", I know he means the every single word and am moved just the same way I'm moved by the songs like "Childhood". IMO, the two songs are like twins in that sense.
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see..this is why i have a problem when people tell Michael how to write a song, and who to work with and who not to work with...and, why i appreciate albums like Invincible..

because time is MIchael's best freind. with the passage of time...new people discover songs that other people thought Michael was a bonehead to write. and they enjoy those 'bonehead' songs. and live off of those 'bonehead' songs...those songs have been known to save peoples' lives.

just because a certain unusual MJ song doesn't fit the category of one disappointed fan, does not mean that very same song didn't save the life of another very grateful ten or more fans. and this kind of thing contributes to MJ's long term sales....and success...and joy and happinesss..as well as the happiness of many fans, who otherwise would not be fans if MJ didn't write those very unusual 'bonehead' songs. or..perhpaps, work with some 'undesirable' partners.

somewhere down the road, somebody's life will be saved by 'hold my hand', because MJ chose Akon to work with him..and the addition of Akon saved someone's life, for a reason we may not know anything about. and that's all that matters to that particular fan. MJ has plenty of those particular fans...but he would not, if he listened to his critics. and those critics include some fans.

so..yes...nobody would have imagined MJ writing 'childhood'...and many criticize him for having written it. but a whole legion of fans are fans because of 'childhood'...and a whole nother legion of fans who criticize 'childhood' are fans because of whatever songs THEY love him for.

in the end...it's all good, because MJ has more fans than regional thinking critics, and regional thinking fans and artists who listen to critics could ever imagine.
 
MichaelsGuardianAngel said:
oh! i cant believe it! u dont enjoy CHilDHooD? :-o

its my fav song of allllllllllllllllllllll time. i dig it!!!! :heart: :wub:
i love it and adore it endslessly. :heart: :inlove: :love: :heart: :heart:


but u r right, it is sad but it it has a very special place in my heart :)
its somehow the way i feel, that why i love it.
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Sweety, you know we're on the same page:) I do love the song. If you read my posts more carefully, you'll see why I said (can't) "enjoy". I personally the word "enjoy" ain't fit exactly to describe how I appreciate this song. You know, in a sense, "enjoy" can mean you can have fun with something in a lighthearted fashion. That's not the case with this song for me.

@vncwiliam: Really? Did critics knock him for this song?? You got me wondering why? I know critics who ain't fans (among critics, there are his fans) are different from fans, tho. It's a matter of heart-to-heart understanding. I can understand some fans might not like this song. It all comes down to personal preference. Yeah, I'm a "baby" fan and this song right here is one of many, many MJ songs that I've just started diggin. I know I'll dig them til I die!
wannabestartinsomethin said:
Totally. Despite everything he's been through, and he's been through a lot, he continues to be an eternal optomist and that's amazing.
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Yes, amazing....Oh I fogot to say this, your post is so touching. I read it line by line and can read it again and again. MJ is blessed to have fans like you who connect with him on that deep level. I feel I'm beginning to be one of the fans like you. Man, I'm really thankful I joined this community.
 
Sweety, you know we're on the same page:) I do love the song. If you read my posts more carefully, you'll see why I said (can't) "enjoy". I personally the word "enjoy" ain't fit exactly to describe how I appreciate this song. You know, in a sense, "enjoy" can mean you can have fun with something in a lighthearted fashion. That's not the case with this song for me.
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well i know and i was surprised why u dont :)
i can somehow guess it.

i feel the same for Heartbreaker and who is it :)
love but they r painful to me.

do u feel that way towards ChildHood?
 
i can understand that and emphasise with one of the pillars of his message here, which depresses me in a way when listening to it. but i wish i had the ability of dissociating from these emotions and fully enjoy the beauty of the composition.

thankfully i always have this neat clip to help a little:









(download)

this is the interlude before Smooth Criminal on the '97 tour in Gothenburg. it's a great keyboard solo of Childhood from Brad Buxer done on your typical 80s DX piano road synth that's used in so many cheesy ballads.
f_loveblush.gif


great thread.
 
^^ Beautiful, I've always loved that interlude...it's simply beautiful.

I know what you mean Helena22, I've always sort of felt the same way towards Childhood, Smile and Little Susie, they're not 'enjoyable' songs for me, IMO they're not meant to be enjoyed like any other song but to be reflected upon, which only makes them much better than the rest. They're not only great songs melodically and lyrically but they carry a profound meaning for many people.
 
Thanks for the download arXter. I always wanted that to listen to. The best instrumental of the song I had before was one where the vocals were musted to almost inaudable. It's still awesome to listen too though.
 
I don't really care for the song. I have a lot of respect for it: the composition, the emotion, and the bravery he had for putting out such a song (and video), but I just can't get into it.
 
Well at least you respect it Supserstition. I just HATE it when fans write it off as corny or sappy and bitch about him "complaining" about his lost childhood. That kind of attitude makes me really angry. I can understand not being in to the song, as long as you respect what it is , musically and how much it means to Michael on an emotional level.
 
wannabestartinsomthin21 said:
Well at least you respect it Supserstition. I just HATE it when fans write it off as corny or sappy and bitch about him "complaining" about his lost childhood. That kind of attitude makes me really angry. I can understand not being in to the song, as long as you respect what it is , musically and how much it means to Michael on an emotional level.
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well Mike sure has his corny tracks (i know how strongly you disagree with that statement Nic), but this is by far not one. and i couldn't have put my emotions into words like you did so thoughtfully up there. but the composition i dig so much, it's why i enjoy that interlude and been occasionally playing the same thing on keys for years now even before rekindling my fandom of Mike back in '03/'04. it's funny because i'm not a fan of anything else that's remotely similar to this.
 
Well see, I can understand people thinking "Heal The World" or "We Are The World" or other songs like that are corny, even though like you pointed out I don't agree because I think those songs are an embodiment of Michael's ideals, but this one I just can't understand anyone thinking that, because it's essentially about Michael's life and his relationship with the world, or the world's relationship with him. There's nothing corny about that. Its actually really heavy when you think about it.

And yeah, the composition is just amazing to me. Melodically and in terms of it conveying emotion. It's just brilliant.
 
I think it's truly a gem....I listen to it every now and then it's not a song you can listen to everyday though but if you listen to it's a quality vocal performance from MJ
 
helena22 said:
I mean, it's such a painful song. I love the song, but I can't see myself "enjoying" listening, like sitting back and sipping on something while the song played, like I sometimes do while listening to some other songs. What's more heartbreaking is, he sings the lyrics so softly like, he says something like, "I'm alright now'. That makes the song more sad...

Have you ever felt this way?
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Personally i wouldn't describe it painful. It is beautiful and reflective but I associate its sound with a positive and quite dry, calm emotion rather than with sadness or pain. actually it never made me cry. Go listen to Be Not Always or With A Child's Heart - these songs literally move me to tears.
but perhaps it's just me.
 
Chihiro2 said:
Personally i wouldn't describe it painful. It is beautiful and reflective but I associate its sound with a positive and quite dry, calm emotion rather than with sadness or pain. actually it never made me cry. Go listen to Be Not Always or With A Child's Heart - these songs literally move me to tears.
but perhaps it's just me.
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If that's how you feel, that's how you feel. I respect that.

When you hear a song about deep emotion like Childhood, you come to realize how limited words can be. When I wrote "painful", my take on the song can be heard and defined a lil, but it ain't enough to capture the complexities. Personally, sometimes I feel more sadness from calm, soft singing. Childhood is one example.
MichaelsGuardianAngel said:
well i know and i was surprised why u dont :)
i can somehow guess it.

i feel the same for Heartbreaker and who is it :)
love but they r painful to me.

do u feel that way towards ChildHood?
Click to expand...
I feel Who Is It is very painful, but not the same way about Heartbreaker:D Heartbreaker sounds more playful and confident even though the woman broke his heart. Childhood asks for a more delicate breakdown to show how I feel about it.
 
"Childhood" is a song about Michael and his relationship to the world, and the world to him. And it's sobering in the fact that it really paints a vivid picture and described so effecitently his prediciment, not just from his own, inner suffering at having never experienced what it means to be a child, but also the pain of being so totally misunderstood because of that deprivation in his life. He suffers from that pain on top of the pain of having the onlly truly care free and wonder filled part of life taken from him. I understand why it's painful for you to listen to helena. Because Michael's life has, in many ways, been a painful one and that song is about his life and his position in life.
 
I wonder if anyone would see that song as a painful and sad if there were no story attached to it. the music itself seems to me to rather as a reflective appreciation of life and its beauty with much optimism and joy. this is the way how i see it.

Michael’s emotions related to his painful childhood are totally different thing imo. It doesn’t mean I don’t respect them, understand or emphatize with them. I really appreciate ability of you all to perceive his emotions towards his childhood and I think there is much truth in what you wrote about it in this thread. I also agree with Michael’s philosophy of importance of childhood in human emotional development.

However I don’t think you need to listen to this song to understand Michael’s pain, loneliness and feeling of being misunderstood. It’s already written on his face and what you can read from his eyes and voice is far more painful and complex than lyrics of the song childhood. comparing to that nonverbal expression I don’t find the lyrics exceptionally emotionally enlightening and I think it was unnecessary to attach them to that composition which is beautiful itself.
 
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