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 HIStory) is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, released through Epic Records on June 20, 1995, and recorded in 1994-1995. The album includes two discs: the first one, with Michael's greatest hits, and the second with fifteen completely new songs.
The release is widely considered Jackson's most personal and became his first ever since he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. His fan community regards HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I as some of the top material the artist ever released. The new material prepared for the album was recorded during 1994-1995, and several of the new songs refer to not only the injustice towards the King of Pop but also environmental issues, greed, and more.
Background[]
By the time HIStory was released, Jackson had for years battled tabloids and other forms of media spreading lies and mocking the artist in one way or another, whether it was poking fun at his looks, character, or acts. This especially showed during the promotion of Michael's eighth studio album, 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 the artist had struggled with for a long time and couldn't control. In 1993, Michael was accused of child sexual abuse by Evan Chandler, which further affected his career and reputation. The singer'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 most notably enter rehabilitation.
Michael Jackson recording "Childhood" at the Hit Factory in New York (August 1994)
Having already written many songs expressing his feelings of frustration, as well as loneliness, Jackson would begin crafting his next big release between January 1994 and March 1995, having recorded it mostly at the Hit Factory in New York City.[1] For its creation, the singer would invite more producers he hadn't worked with until then, such as Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, who had previously collaborated with Michael's sister, Janet. R. Kelly had written and produced "You Are Not Alone". Additionally, a couple of features found their way into the project too. Jackson's aforementioned sibling performed alongside her brother on "Scream". Slash of Guns N' Roses made his return as well, having performed the guitar on "D.S.". The Notorious B.I.G. and Shaquille O'Neal respectively had their rap verses on a couple of tracks as well.
The album was transformed into a celebration of Michael Jackson's career as a whole, having been divided into two parts: "HIStory Begins" and "HIStory Continues". The first disc is a compilation of the singer's greatest solo hits, seemingly having evolved from the initial idea for Dangerous, Decade.
Artwork[]
For the album cover, Michael 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 would go through many coloristic changes, completely removing the golden textures and switching the bright blue skies to dark, red clouds. A 10-meter-tall version of the sculpture would be used for the album's promo, getting to travel around the River Thames on June 15, 1995.[2]
Track list[]
| Disc 1: HIStory Begins/Greatest Hits: HIStory, Volume I | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Billie Jean" | 4:54 |
| 2. | "The Way You Make Me Feel" | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Black or White" | 4:15 |
| 4. | "Rock with You" | 3:40 |
| 5. | "She's Out of My Life" | 3:37 |
| 6. | "Bad" | 4:07 |
| 7. | "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (featuring Siedah Garrett) | 4:11 |
| 8. | "Man in the Mirror" | 5:19 |
| 9. | "Thriller" | 5:57 |
| 10. | "Beat It" | 4:18 |
| 11. | "The Girl Is Mine" (featuring 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 | |
Singles[]
August 15, 1995
November 7, 1995
April 16, 1996
November 4, 1996
December 28, 1997
Promotional singles[]
December 26, 1995
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 Michael to his fans in the matching countries.
- Some of the earlier versions of the album contain a different intro in the 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 last minute, reportedly due to conflicts with Sony Music. 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[]
|
|
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[3] | ||
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 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 an apology, 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".
Plagiarism[]
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.
- Main article: You Are Not Alone
Tour[]
Michael Jackson (HIStory World Tour, 1997)
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 Michael's highest grossing concert tour. The HIStory World Tour ended up being the artist's last, as although Jackson wanted to tour for the next studio album, this didn't come to fruition due to the September 11 attacks.[4]
The songs from HIStory 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.
- Main article: HIStory World Tour
Trivia[]
.jpg){kind=link}
Disneyland HIStory poster
- "Scream" is the one of few songs in Jackson's discography to have been marked as explicit.
- Copies date back to the 2000s, in which the booklet 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.[5]
- Disc 1 of HIStory marks the first, non-Motown greatest hits compilation released under Jackson's name.
- The album received six Grammy Award nominations between 1996 and 1997, and won one of them.
References[]
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hit_Factory
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=639784643550829
- ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/15/arts/in-new-lyrics-jackson-uses-slurs.html
- ↑ https://bricenajar.com/en/interview-with-michael-durham-prince/
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/MichaelJackson/comments/1byjkcs/til_that_an_alternative_version_of_the_history/