Darren Hayes "Black Out the Sun" - MJ connection

Tonight I was on the couch reading when I heard a voice from the television that sounded like Darren Hayes. I looked up to the screen and... WOW. I felt like I got punched in the stomach, sort of like the first time I saw Claire Maguire's "The Last Dance". Claire wrote "The Last Dance" about Michael, although he's not explicitly mentioned in the song. Once you know, though, it's all quite clear, especially lines like "I will kiss your crown when life takes me down ... (I've got) your love in my heart". Her video contains a few veiled references to Michael, like the restaurant that looks similar to the "One More Chance" set, the bright door of light and dancers performing a couple of MJ poses in silhouette. I only caught the last half of it that very first time, but still, it hit me immediately. Before I saw anything that would make it obvious, the words and the energy said, "This is for Michael".

Screenshots: Michael Jackson's "Earth Song" and Darren Hayes' "Black Out the Sun"

I was struck with this same feeling tonight when I saw "Black Out the Sun", the brand new Darren Hayes video. I admit to only having one of Darren's albums, but I like him and I know he's a MJ fan. I was sitting here watching the video's very striking images and thinking, "Oh my God, is this for Michael?" Now, I don't know if it is or not. Maybe it's just about the ending of a relationship or other loss, but the lyrics and images are intense. The set reminded me right away of "Earth Song", especially when the dirt falls from his hands while he collapses to his knees. The red and black clothing, the dirt, the desolation, the smoke, the red sky with lightning, the dancers in tattered black shrouds, the windblown fabrics and the bright lights all create a very powerful, painful image of loss and mourning.

[NOTE: Since writing this it has come to my attention that the song was "written with Carl Falk in Sweden, and recorded the day Michael Jackson died " - source: Darren Hayes official Facebook page. I would like to know if it was recorded before or after the news and where. It was nearly midnight CET when Europe found out what happened. If they were in the US or Australia, though, the situation was probably different. Oh my God :*( updated Sep 6, 2011]

[Update #2: It was recorded after he got the news, using the emotion of the day while singing. Whoa. I'm stunned that it was felt so much just be hearing it. He mentions Michael in the following video at 1:35 and 4:45 ... ]


What really drove it right through my heart the rest of the way, though, was the lyrics. In the first days after Michael passed, the poem 'Stop All the Clocks' by W.H. Auden ran often through the cracks and shreds of the devastation in my soul:

"The stars are not wanted now: put out every one;
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun;
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the wood.
For nothing now can ever come to any good."

Similarly, lyrics from the Rolling Stones' "Paint It Black" (one of the most heart-wrenching songs ever, in my opinion - it simply hurts too bad to listen to) also attacked my soul from time to time:

"No colors anymore,
I want them to turn black...
I wanna see the sun
Blotted out from the sky,
I wanna see it painted black"

That's how it felt. Surely the world cannot go on without this angel, this light, this beautiful soul in it. And if it does, oh, let me go with him then. The worst times in my life, as for many of you. I do apologize for dredging this up now (I've also made myself cry), but I did so to point out the similarities with the lyrics from Darren Hayes' song and thus why, when combined with the imagery in the video, I immediately thought it could be for Michael in some way. Here are some of those lyrics:

"No, turn off the sun, take down the moon, For I don't need them anymore, Go, switch off the stars and paint the sky black, Love isn't ever coming back, There's no use in imagining a world without you, Your love was like a drug I was addicted to ... Now all the love's gone and nothing grows here, And I just feel wrong, So black out the sun."

Below is the full video for "Black Out the Sun". Let me know what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJMNWTioW34