This article is about HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. You may have been looking for HIStory.
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (often shortened to just HIStory) is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, released through Epic Records on June 16, 1995. The album includes two discs: the first one, with Jackson's greatest hits, and the second with fifteen completely new songs. HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I sold a little less than it's predecessor, Dangerous, selling 20 million copies. However, it was still a sucess, debuting at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and garnering positive reviews from critics alike.
The release is widely considered Jackson's most personal and became his first following the 1993 sexual child abuse allegations. The fan community regards HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I as some of the top material he ever released. Several of the new songs refer to not only the injustice towards Jackson, but also environmental issues, greed, and more.
Background[]
Throughout the early 1990s, Jackson battled tabloids and other forms of media spreading lies and mocking him in one way or another for years, whether it was poking fun at his looks, character, or acts. This especially showed during the promotion of Dangerous, where Jackson was accused of racism and trying to "become white" due to his skin becoming pale. However, this was the result of losing pigmentation of his skin caused by Vitiligo, a skin condition Jackson struggled with for a long time and couldn't control.
In 1993, Jackson was accused of child sexual abuse by Evan Chandler, which further affected his career and reputation. Jackson's health, both mental and physical, had worsened over time due to emotional exhaustion and such, which eventually led to his painkiller addiction. It made him not only cancel the Dangerous World Tour, but also enter rehabilitation.[1][2]
Production[]
Jackson recording "Childhood" at The Hit Factory in New York (August 1994)
Having already written many songs expressing his frustration and loneliness, Jackson began gearing up for his next big release. He recorded the next album between January 1994–March 1995, mostly at The Hit Factory in New York City.[3]
Jackson invited even more producers he hadn't worked with until then, including Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, who previously collaborated with his sister and rising star, Janet. The controversial R. Kelly also wrote and produced "You Are Not Alone".
A couple of features found their way into the project, too, such as Jackson's aforementioned sibling on "Scream". Slash of Guns N' Roses made his return on "D.S." as well, and The Notorious B.I.G. and Shaquille O'Neal had their respective rap verses on "This Time Around" and "2 Bad".
The album was transformed into a celebration of Jackson's career as a whole, having been divided into two discs: "HIStory Begins" and "HIStory Continues". The first half is a compilation of his greatest solo hits, seemingly having evolved from the initial idea for Dangerous, Decade.
Artwork[]
For the album cover, Jackson wanted a statue that resembled “The Motherland Calls”, another statue created by Yevgeny Vuchetich. The sculpture was made by Diana Walczak.
The team would create a 3D model of the statue. Initially, it was covered fully in gold, although Sony wasn't too fond of it. It'd go through many coloristic changes, completely removing the golden textures and switching the bright blue skies to dark, red clouds. Multiple statues were built and placed around the world to promote the album, one of which was placed on the River Thames on June 15, 1995.[4]
Promotion[]
Tour[]
Jackson performing during the HIStory World Tour, 1997
- Main article: HIStory World Tour
On May 29, 1996, Jackson's HIStory World Tour was announced; his third, worldwide concert tour. It began in Prague, September 7, 1996, and finished in Durban, October 15, 1997. It grossed $165 million, becoming one of the highest-grossing tours of the 1990s and Jackson's highest-grossing concert tour. The tour ended up being Jackson's last one, as although Sony wanted him to tour for Invincible, the tenth and final studio album, it ultimately didn't come to fruition due to the September 11 attacks.[5]
The songs from the HIStory World Tour featured on the set list included "Scream", "They Don't Care About Us", "Stranger in Moscow", "You Are Not Alone", "Come Together", "D.S.", "Earth Song", and "HIStory". Following the release of Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, "Blood on the Dance Floor" was added to the set list for select dates in 1997. "In the Closet" also made its live debut.
Awards[]
The album received six Grammy Award nominations between 1996-1997, including Album of the Year, but only won Best Music Video - Short Form for "Scream". Jackson also won three nominations at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards.
Controversies[]
Antisemitism accusations[]
The possibility that the lyrics to "They Don't Care About Us" contained antisemitism was first raised publicly by The New York Times on June 15, 1995, one day before the album's release. The publication highlighted the lyrics, "Jew me, sue me, everybody do me/ Kick me, kike me, don't you black or white me" and labeled them "slurs". Jackson responded directly to the publication, stating:
| “ | The idea that these lyrics could be deemed objectionable is extremely hurtful to me, and misleading. The song in fact is about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the black man, I am the white man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them. I am angry and outraged that I could be so misinterpreted. | ” |
–Michael Jackson for New York Times, 1995[6] | ||
When questioned further about the lyrics, Jackson denied that "They Don't Care About Us" was antisemitic, commenting, "It's not anti-Semitic because I'm not a racist person ... I could never be a racist. I love all races." That same day, Jackson received support from his manager and record label, who described the lyrics as "brilliant" and said that they were about opposition to prejudice and taken out of context.
On June 17, Jackson issued another public apology to anyone offended by his choice of words and promised that future copies of the album would include it. Jackson concluded, "I just want you all to know how strongly I am committed to tolerance, peace, and love, and I apologize to anyone who might have been hurt". On June 23, Jackson decided, despite the cost incurred, he would return to the studio and alter the offending wording on future copies of the album; "Jew me" and "Kike me" would be substituted with "do me" and "strike me", but the recording itself featured censoring, using distorted synthesizer sounds over the words.
Plagiarism[]
- Main article: You Are Not Alone
After "You Are Not Alone" reached worldwide popularity, R. Kelly was accused of ripping off a song composed by Edward and Daniel van Passel in 1993, "If We Can Start All Over". He was sued for it; however, his claim was disputed, with the court stating it was just a coincidence.
Singles[]
August 15, 1995
November 13, 1995
April 8, 1996
September 9, 1996
Promotional singles[]
December 26, 1995
December 28, 1997
Spotify[]
Track list[]
| Disc 1: HIStory Begins/Greatest Hits: HIStory, Volume I | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Billie Jean" (single version) | 4:54 |
| 2. | "The Way You Make Me Feel" (album version #2) | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Black or White" | 4:15 |
| 4. | "Rock with You" (album version #2) | 3:40 |
| 5. | "She's Out of My Life" | 3:37 |
| 6. | "Bad" (7" single mix) | 4:07 |
| 7. | "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (featuring Siedah Garrett) (7" edit) | 4:11 |
| 8. | "Man in the Mirror" | 5:19 |
| 9. | "Thriller" | 5:57 |
| 10. | "Beat It" | 4:18 |
| 11. | "The Girl Is Mine" (duet with Paul McCartney) | 3:41 |
| 12. | "Remember the Time" | 3:59 |
| 13. | "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" | 6:04 |
| 14. | "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" | 6:02 |
| 15. | "Heal the World" | 6:25 |
| Total length: | 1:11:37 | |
| Disc 2: HIStory Continues | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 16. | "Scream" (featuring Janet Jackson) | 4:38 |
| 17. | "They Don't Care About Us" | 4:44 |
| 18. | "Stranger in Moscow" | 5:43 |
| 19. | "This Time Around" (featuring The Notorious B.I.G.) | 4:21 |
| 20. | "Earth Song" | 6:46 |
| 21. | "D.S." | 4:49 |
| 22. | "Money" | 4:41 |
| 23. | "Come Together" | 4:02 |
| 24. | "You Are Not Alone" | 5:45 |
| 25. | "Childhood (Theme From Free Willy 2)" | 4:27 |
| 26. | "Tabloid Junkie" | 4:32 |
| 27. | "2 Bad" (featuring Shaquille O'Neal) | 4:49 |
| 28. | "HIStory" | 6:37 |
| 29. | "Little Susie / Pie Jesu" | 6:13 |
| 30. | "Smile" | 4:55 |
| Total length: | 1:17:14 | |
Notes[]
- The earliest French, German, and Dutch pressings of the album contain a hidden track on HIStory Begins, which is a 20-second message from Jackson to his fans in the matching countries.
- Some of the earlier versions of the album contain a different intro in its title track, "HIStory", which was sampled from "The Great Gate of Kiev" in Modest Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. Later versions replaced it with a similar orchestra piece.
- The earliest pressings of this album contain "They Don't Care About Us" with uncensored lyrics.
- "Smile" was slated to be the final single promoting HIStory: Past, Present, and Future, Book I, but unfortunately, the release was canceled at the last minute. Only a very few copies got to circulate in the UK, South Africa, and the Netherlands, which were eventually saved and are currently owned by collectors or being sold at very high prices.
Cut songs[]
|
Trivia[]
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Disneyland HIStory poster
- "Scream" and ''This Time Around'' are one of the few songs in Jackson's discography to have been marked as explicit.
- The booklet for copies released in the 2000s only comes in 4 pages, featuring credits.
- An alternative version of the album cover featuring Mickey Mouse was used at Disneyland Paris to celebrate Jackson's appearance in the park in 1995.[7]
- Disc 1 of HIStory marks the first non-Motown greatest hits compilation released under Jackson's name.
- Fonts used for the album's logo include Bernhard Modern and Engravers Gothic.
References[]
- ↑ Michael Jackson: The King of Pop's Darkest Hour
- ↑ Michael Jackson: The Magic, the Madness, the Whole Story
- ↑ The Hit Factory - Website
- ↑ “The Jackson Statues”1995 | The Pop History Dig
- ↑ Michael Durham Prince - BRICE NAJAR
- ↑ In New Lyrics, Jackson Uses Slurs - The New York Times
- ↑ TIL That An alternative version of the HIStory cover, featuring Mickey Mouse, was used at Disneyland Paris to celebrate Jackson's appearance in the park in 1995. : r/MichaelJackson