Lisa Marie Presley's complicated feelings for MJ Was anyone else surprised when she posted that MySpace message to MJ fans last month regarding the need for more sunflowers at his tomb?
I don’t know why but after the funeral last September, I didn’t think she would go out of her way to involve herself in preserving MJ’s memory all these months later.
After all, she’s a Presley first and foremost and who can forget that she did anything and everything possible to distance herself from MJ while promoting her two albums in the 00’s?
She was a total bitch at times and came off as completely disrespectful towards Michael when openly talking about their marriage with blowhards like Diane Sawyer and Oprah Winfrey.
For someone who used to claim “detachment” and “indifference” towards MJ after their divorce, I think it all blew up in her face after he died and she was emotionally back at square one – loving and missing Michael Jackson just like the rest of the world.
Late last night while thinking about her thinking about MJ, I became motivated to revisit her music.
Unlike some MJ fans, being a fan of hers has never really been an issue for me.
True, I would never support anyone who would dare slam MJ out of my silent allegiance to the man, however, Lisa Marie has always been given a free pass in my book.
As a former love of MJ’s, I’ve always excused her actions as that of a scorned ex-wife rather than asinine hater like the rest.
Plus, I don’t have a short memory and vividly remember her standing by and supporting him ardently after one of the roughest periods in his life.
Therefore, I’ve always been keenly interested in hearing her perspective on things – for better or for worse - since it provided small pieces of insight into the psyche of Michael Jackson – something I’ll always be interested in since he’s by far the most fascinating personality I’ve ever witnessed in my lifetime.
Plus, her music has always stood very well on its own with me – not too surprising since I’m also a big fan of Alanis Morissette – and in my opinion, Lisa Marie’s sparse two album catalog of material proves a worthy challenger to any of Alanis' angst ridden material circa Jagged Little Pill/Supposed Former Infatuation Junkie.
I know many not appreciate her vocal style/approach, however, I do.
That dark, husky tone of hers compliments her music beautifully. Many of the songs on her two CD’s are deeply introspective, reflective, revealing, depressing, cathartic, and emotionally wrought – qualities I appreciate since they show an artist willing to bypass the commercial expectations of her family name and instead choosing the less celebrated route of revealing her personal demons through song .
Anyways, after listening again to some of the songs which reference MJ in some capacity - “Indifference”, “S.O.B” and most importantly “Sinking In” and “Savior” (the obscure B-side to “Lights Out”) – it became much more clear to me that her feelings for MJ were a lot more diehard and left a bigger impact than any one of us could have ever imagined.
This wasn't just a woman who loved and left.
After all, why else would she write/record a number of songs where she essentially tears him a new one repeatedly? Haven’t we all been in a similar situation before where we’ve been in love with someone so much only to have it turn out miserably at the end thereby becoming bitter caricatures of our former selves for a good while?
I think only a woman who loved him as deeply as she did could have written and sung such harsh things about him.
And then it became a little more clear to me.
And the thought of her wanting his tomb to be completely drenched by sunflowers made more sense. |