Happy belated 50th birthday, Michael. Here is a new poem celebrating your gifts. Enjoy!
February 5, 2010
Michael Hutchence, Our Shining Star
Welcome, Michael, to Wherever You Are
We hope that it's a good, happy place
Because you deserve to be somewhere good
We miss you hear on earth and we wish you had not left us so soon
But we are glad you were here for as long as you were
We can celebrate, because the gifts you gave will last forever
You are a shining star, because you were so good at what you did
You were, of course, one of six guys in a great Australian band called INXS
We must not forget that you were not INXS by yourself
But, you added that extra dimension to make INXS the band that they became
Michael, you had that rare combination of gifts that helped make the magic that was INXS and we thank you for that combination of gifts, which very few people have
Your way with words that made people sit up and take notice-the words that, with Andrew Farriss and his musical abilities, combined to become classic, timeless, intelligent, and passionate songs that we all still enjoy years after they were released
The intelligence that allowed you to create those kinds of songs
And your honest and sincere love for what you were doing
Your voice, very unusual, yet beautiful, which you used so well
We were spellbound by it, just as we were spellbound by your amazing performances on stage, so natural, nothing false about them, because you gave your performances everything you had
Of course, those performances could not happen if it were not for the fantastic musicians you were part of
So we must celebrate all of INXS, not just you, Michael
Andrew, the keyboard and guitar player, who was your friend and songwriting partner for over 20 years
Tim, Andrew's older brother, the lead guitarist
Garry, the bass player
Kirk, the saxophonist, guitarist, and your main backup singer
Jon, the drummer
They enjoyed your sense of humor, your intelligence, your natural and graceful stage performance, your brilliant song lyrics, the empathy you displayed
They looked upon you as a brother, and they still feel your loss even now-twelve years later
Just as your daughter Tiger Lily does
Just as the rest of your family misses you, too
And just as we fans miss you and wish you were still here
But, we all rejoice that you shared your God-given talents with the world
You did not hide them from the world, you shared them, just as God intended for you to do
Not just your gifts in music
Those gifts were wonderful in and of themselves
But you had so much more to give
A generous and loving heart
An ability to connect and truly share yourself with other people
A passion and love for what you were doing that was completely natural and you were not afraid to show it
Empathy for the pain and suffering in the world
No fear of baring your soul for all to see
No fear of being yourself
A vulnerability that made you human
The flair for making people feel like they had known you all of their lives
A love for and appreciation for life
And a great sense of humor
So many gifts that God blessed you with and that you shared with the world, and the world is a better place for your having been here and doing what you did
Your life ended too soon
But we celebrate you, because we had you and your gifts, Michael
The gifts you gave will last forever
We love your precious heart
They can never tear us apart
So, Michael, keep being a Shining Star
And Welcome to Wherever You Are
Thank you for sharing your gifts
We miss you
But we celebrate our Australian Shining Rock Star forever
Keep shining for us and for you
Always
For Michael Hutchence, lead singer of the Australian Rock Band INXS, to celebrate him and his gifts, on what would have been his fiftieth birthday.
Donna Woodford
Vancouver, Washington
February 5, 2010
February 5, 2010
Michael Hutchence, Our Shining Star
Welcome, Michael, to Wherever You Are
We hope that it's a good, happy place
Because you deserve to be somewhere good
We miss you hear on earth and we wish you had not left us so soon
But we are glad you were here for as long as you were
We can celebrate, because the gifts you gave will last forever
You are a shining star, because you were so good at what you did
You were, of course, one of six guys in a great Australian band called INXS
We must not forget that you were not INXS by yourself
But, you added that extra dimension to make INXS the band that they became
Michael, you had that rare combination of gifts that helped make the magic that was INXS and we thank you for that combination of gifts, which very few people have
Your way with words that made people sit up and take notice-the words that, with Andrew Farriss and his musical abilities, combined to become classic, timeless, intelligent, and passionate songs that we all still enjoy years after they were released
The intelligence that allowed you to create those kinds of songs
And your honest and sincere love for what you were doing
Your voice, very unusual, yet beautiful, which you used so well
We were spellbound by it, just as we were spellbound by your amazing performances on stage, so natural, nothing false about them, because you gave your performances everything you had
Of course, those performances could not happen if it were not for the fantastic musicians you were part of
So we must celebrate all of INXS, not just you, Michael
Andrew, the keyboard and guitar player, who was your friend and songwriting partner for over 20 years
Tim, Andrew's older brother, the lead guitarist
Garry, the bass player
Kirk, the saxophonist, guitarist, and your main backup singer
Jon, the drummer
They enjoyed your sense of humor, your intelligence, your natural and graceful stage performance, your brilliant song lyrics, the empathy you displayed
They looked upon you as a brother, and they still feel your loss even now-twelve years later
Just as your daughter Tiger Lily does
Just as the rest of your family misses you, too
And just as we fans miss you and wish you were still here
But, we all rejoice that you shared your God-given talents with the world
You did not hide them from the world, you shared them, just as God intended for you to do
Not just your gifts in music
Those gifts were wonderful in and of themselves
But you had so much more to give
A generous and loving heart
An ability to connect and truly share yourself with other people
A passion and love for what you were doing that was completely natural and you were not afraid to show it
Empathy for the pain and suffering in the world
No fear of baring your soul for all to see
No fear of being yourself
A vulnerability that made you human
The flair for making people feel like they had known you all of their lives
A love for and appreciation for life
And a great sense of humor
So many gifts that God blessed you with and that you shared with the world, and the world is a better place for your having been here and doing what you did
Your life ended too soon
But we celebrate you, because we had you and your gifts, Michael
The gifts you gave will last forever
We love your precious heart
They can never tear us apart
So, Michael, keep being a Shining Star
And Welcome to Wherever You Are
Thank you for sharing your gifts
We miss you
But we celebrate our Australian Shining Rock Star forever
Keep shining for us and for you
Always
For Michael Hutchence, lead singer of the Australian Rock Band INXS, to celebrate him and his gifts, on what would have been his fiftieth birthday.
Donna Woodford
Vancouver, Washington
February 5, 2010