"Hollywood Tonight" is a previously unreleased song written and produced by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, released as the second track from the posthumous album, Michael. It was released as a single on February 11, 2011, serving as the second single from the album.
Background[]
"Hollywood Tonight" was first written at The Beverly Hills Hotel with Brad Buxer and recorded in 1999.[1] This version sampled drums from "I Can’t Go for That (No Can Do)" by Hall & Oates (which Jackson previously "stole" for "Billie Jean") and the guitar riff from "Caribbean Queen (No More Love on the Run)" by Billy Ocean.[2] The two continued working on the track for the Invincible album, but it was left off in the end.[1]
In 2007, Jackson and Buxer revisited "Hollywood Tonight" with Neff-U during his sessions in Las Vegas.[3][1] The works continued into 2008, and as engineer Michael Prince recalled, in October, Jackson asked him to provide the most recent mix of the song on CD so he could listen to it later. As it turned out, Jackson never got to do it, but the track stayed on his mind.[1] The recording is described to start the same as the 1999 demo, albeit with a funky guitar solo by David Williams, Jackson's rhythm guitarist from Thriller and Bad. This section also features ad-libs, such as "she's too young to understand". There also exists a note with lyrics written down for the bridge, but it is unclear if it was ever recorded.[4][5] It is also said that no elements from this version were reused in any future reworks.
In 2010, "Hollywood Tonight" was revisited for the Michael album. While Prince was working on initial changes to the track, he decided the kick and snare weren't sounding good enough; thus, his mix reused drums from "Billie Jean".[6] Although this didn't end up on the album, it was reused for the single as the "Throwback Mix" and the music video for "Hollywood Tonight". Engineer James Murray and Neff-U also made their mixes of the track, but Epic Records felt they were "lacking something", thus, they instead sent the files to Teddy Riley, who then made his mix, while also basing off of the already existing versions by Neff-U.[6][7]
The finished version of "Hollywood Tonight" features a spoken verse by Taryll Jackson, who was initially meant to be credited as a feature, though his name was left out after speaking out against Michael's release.[8]
Music video[]
The music video, directed by Wayne Isham,[9] was shot in front of the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California, where Jackson previously filmed "You Are Not Alone".[10] It was originally planned to be released in February 2011, the same month as the single's release, though it was pushed back to March 10, nearly a month later.
The clip features Sofia Boutella, who previously auditioned as a dancer for the This Is It concerts. The video is also filled with many Jackson-related Easter eggs and references.
Audio[]
Leaks[]
The original 1999 demo leaked in HQ on March 5, 2014, and features Jackson coming up with ideas and mumbling some of the lyrics. This demo was later reused for the Michael rework, and it's currently unknown why the producers didn't decide to work with a later version instead. This mix also features the infamous "because she's only fifteen" lyric, which was removed from the released track.
One of Neff-U's early mixes (often referred to as the "Rock Mix") leaked in 2014. As the title suggests, it includes elements of rock, replacing the bridge with a guitar solo.
On September 27, 2024, a snippet of the instrumental to another one of Neff-U's mixes leaked through the third and fourth episodes of journalist Damien Shields' Faking Michael podcast.[7] Most notably, this version is missing the beatboxing and features a different trumpet near the end of the chorus.
- Demo 1 - (
listen) - Demo 2 (Rock Mix) - ( listen)
- Demo 3 (snippet #1) - ( listen)
- Demo 3 (snippet #2) - ( listen)
- Demo 3 (snippet #2) - (
Lyrics[]
[Verse 1]
Lipstick in hand, Tahitian tanned in her painted-on jeans
She dreams of fame, she changed her name
To one that fits the movie screen
She's headed for the big time, that means
[Chorus]
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
It's true that you may never ever have that chance again
[Pre-Chorus]
That chance again, babe
[Verse 3]
Westbound Greyhound to Tinseltown to pursue her movie star dreams
And she's giving hot tricks to men just to get in
She was taught that that's not clean
She's headed for the big time, that means
[Chorus]
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
It's true that you may never ever have that chance again
[Pre-Chorus]
That chance again, babe
[Verse 3]
She gave up her life to follow her dreams (again, babe)
Left behind everything for the movie scene
Nothing more, she could want, she was determined to follow her plan
She wanted Hollywood, she wanted it bad
Now that she got her dream, she became a star
It all looked so good, but only good from afar
Imprisoned in every paparazzi's camera, every guy wished they could
Now, it's back to reality for Miss Hollywood
[Pre-Chorus]
Lipstick in hand, Tahitian tanned in her painted-on jeans
She dreams of fame, she changed her name
To one that fits the movie screen
She's headed for the big time, that means
[Chorus]
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
It's true that you may never ever have that chance again
[Pre-Chorus]
That chance again, babe
You know it, baby
[Refrain]
Westbound Greyhound to Tinseltown
To pursue her movie star dreams (that chance again, babe)
She's Hollywood, she's Hollywood
Westbound Greyhound to Tinseltown
To pursue her movie star dreams (that chance again, babe)
She's Hollywood, she's Hollywood
You know it, baby
Westbound Greyhound to Tinseltown
To pursue her movie star dreams (again, babe)
She's Hollywood, she's Hollywood
Westbound Greyhound to Tinseltown
To pursue her movie star dreams (Again, babe)
She's Hollywood, she's Hollywood
[Outro]
She's Hollywood, she's Hollywood
Hollywood, she's Hollywood
Hollywood, she's Hollywood
She's Hollywood, she's Hollywood
Lipstick in hand, Tahitian tanned in her painted-on jeans
She dreams of fame, she changed her name
To one that fits the movie screen
She's headed for the big time, that means
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
It's true that you may never ever have that chance again
That chance again, babe
Westbound Greyhound to Tinseltown to pursue her movie star dreams
And she's giving hot tricks to men just to get in
She was taught that that's not clean
Because she's only 15
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
It's true that you may never ever have that chance again
That chance again, babe
You know it, baby (aaow!)
That chance again, babe
(Bridge. You can keep the looped drum going here)
Aaaaaah, oooooooh
Oooooh, oh, baby
Aaaaaah, aaaaaah, aaaaaah
Oooooh
Lipstick in hand, deh-deh-deh
Dun-dun-do-do-duh-doh
Do-deh, dun-do-do-deh-doh-deh-deh
Deh-dah-dah-dah-deh
She's headed for the big time, that means
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
She's going Hollywood, she's going Hollywood tonight
It's true that you may never ever have that chance again
That chance again, babe
You know it, baby (aaow!)
That chance again, babe (Hoo!)
Gallery[]
Physical copies[]
![CD back cover[11]](/wiki/File:Hollywoodbackcover.jpg "Hollywoodbackcover.jpg (178 KB)")
![CD[11]](/wiki/File:Hollywoodcd.jpg "Hollywoodcd.jpg (93 KB)")
Other[]
Trivia[]
Jackson's notes for "Hollywood Tonight"
- Jackson used "Hollywood" as a shorthand for this song in his notebook, as seen both to the right and in the Michael album documentary. It is often assumed that "Hollywood" is another unreleased song, but this is completely false.
- According to Prince, after listening to "Hollywood Tonight" for the first time, Riley said "finally, something I know is Michael", referring to his concerns regarding the authenticity of the vocals on the other, controversial songs he produced for the Michael album, "Breaking News" and "Monster".[6]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Exclusive: Inside Michael Jackson's "Hollywood"
- ↑ Why Michael Jackson Apologized To Daryl Hall For Releasing 'Billie Jean'
- ↑ Michael Jackson’s new single confirmed as ‘Hollywood Tonight’
- ↑ @DamienShields - X, October 14, 2022
- ↑ The Discussion of MJ's Unreleased Tracks
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 7 Songs, 7 Stories: Michael Prince - In The Studio With MJ
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Episode 4 – Listening Session
- ↑ Episode 5 – Weitzman’s Statement
- ↑ Watch The Making of Hollywood Tonight - The Official Michael Jackson Site
- ↑ MJ Music Video Shoot Takes Over Hollywood
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Michael Jackson - Hollywood Tonight - Discogs
[]
| Michael | ||
|---|---|---|
| "Hold My Hand" • "Hollywood Tonight" • "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" • "Best of Joy" • "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" • "Behind the Mask" • "Much Too Soon" | ||
|