literature

Here Today - Rewrite for Michael Jackson

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alexjackson1988's avatar
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Literature Text

And if I said
I really loved you so
What would your answer be?
If you were here today
Ooh, ooh, ooh…
Here today

Well, knowing you
You'd probably smile and say
That you loved me more
If you were here today
Ooh, ooh, ooh…
Here today

But as for me
I still remember what you were before
And I am holding back the tears no more
Words like…
I love you.

What about the time you sang?
Well I guess that you could say you would finish with a bang
Never knew the truth
But you loved every youth
What about the night we cried?
Because you were overwhelmed
And I couldn't keep it inside
Never loved you more
But you could always sing
And you'd smile

And if I said
I really love you and was glad you came to Earth
And you were here today
Ooh, ooh, ooh
I'll sing for what it's worth
Ooh, ooh, ooh
Here today…
I could explain every little reference to Michael's behind-the-scenes videos mentioned here, but the one I'm going to point out is the last lyric from "Speechless" (from his album Invincible, which came out in 2001): "Words like...like, I love you."

It's a rewrite because I am not trying to make fun of the song, I decided that it made more sense in this context than any song structure I could ever come up with.

Here Today (c) Paul McCartney - any lyrics that are in here that are in the original song were written by him
This rewrite was done by me. You do not have permission to use this particular rewrite unless you are writing something where this would be appropriate.

The original song was very personal to Paul McCartney. It was a song that was supposed to be like an imaginary conversation between Paul and his very good friend, John Lennon, who unfortunately was murdered in 1980 outside his apartment in New York City. After the break-up of the Beatles, Paul and John had a rivalry, which was evident through Lennon's "How Do You Sleep (At Night)?" Paul's response was less angry than John's, but they didn't end the feud until shortly before John's death. I remember seeing the pain in Paul's eyes when he was singing this song.

I ended up choosing this to rewrite because it had the tone and structure that I wanted, but the relationship between the singer and the intended audience is much different in my case. I didn't let that stop me. Some of the lyrics I kept in - especially the "I love you", because while I don't think Paul or John were gay for each other, they had one of the greatest friendships of all time, topped only by Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.

...We miss you, Michael.
© 2012 - 2024 alexjackson1988
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SomberoScrafty's avatar
R.I.P Michael Jackson.