Turning 50 hits everybody a little differently. For most of us there’s a card in the mail, a joke from the kids and that funny feeling of being old and young at the same time.
It turns out the King of Pop felt it too.
Right around his 50th birthday, Michael Jackson called in to “Good Morning America” from home and talked about getting older. He sounded relaxed and happy. He was asked the question a lot of us dread, whether he had gotten his AARP card yet.
You’ll want to hear how he said it, not just read it.
Michael on the phone with “Good Morning America” at 50
Listen for the laugh right after the AARP question, because that’s the moment the whole thing turns warm.
He laughed and said, “Not that I know of!”
Then he got a little thoughtful about the age. “I feel very wise and sage,” he said, “but at the same time very young.” A lot of people over 50 know that exact feeling, the sense that you’ve learned so much and somehow still feel like a kid inside.
He talked about home more than music. He said he had been teaching his children two things lately, how to ride bicycles and how to read. He had James Brown playing at the house, one of his own heroes from way back. And he said he was still looking forward to doing a lot of great things.
So how does a man who sold out stadiums all over the world mark his big 5-0?
Nothing fancy at all.
He said he would “just have a little cake with my children and we’ll probably watch some cartoons.” After that, he figured, he’d get right back to work.
Cake, cartoons and the kids on the couch. That was the plan.
There’s something lovely about that answer. The biggest entertainer on the planet, a man who could have thrown any party he wanted anywhere on earth, and what he really wanted was an afternoon at home with his little ones and a cartoon on the TV.
A lot of grandparents watching will nod at that. The older you get, the more those quiet days with family start to feel like the good ones.
The clip is short, and his voice carries all of it. You can hear the easy laugh and the way he lit up the second he started talking about his kids. Give it a listen and you’ll understand why this little phone call still makes people grin all these years later.
He really did sound like a man who had everything he wanted that morning.