Product Description
Michael Jackson - Black or White(#ad)
Released from the most anticipated album of the 90s Dangerous, probably the most controversial of all Michael Jackson tracks and the only song ever to be premiered on FOX TV,MTV USA, Top of the Pops BBC (U.K) and Black Entertainment Television (BET) simultaneously on the 14th of November 1991.
"Black or White" music video premier was watched by more than a billion people in 27 countries and ranks amongst the top 5 TV shows with the highest TRP ratings ever!
It was the uncut version of "Black or White" that premiered and stirred up a controversy so big, that no other artist was ever capable of generating apart from the King of Pop himself.
If Thriller's music video showed the dark side of Michael Jackson, then "Black or White" showed the angry side of Mike..which was fuming inside him, for the way he was treated since the 1960s..when Jackson 5 released their first single in "I Want You Back" in 1969.
Back in 70s Civil Rights Movement had just ended and black musicians were not welcome anywhere in the U.S apart from L.A, NewYork City and other major cities in the north of the country (south was a nightmare for Black artists) nor were they given any prime time slots on TVs or not much of an exposure on radio and print media unless they were real good.
Michael Jackson himself has been a victim of racism..shockingly during the MTV era...when in 1983 MTV refused to play "Thriller" and “Billie Jean” on their networks because they felt Black artists are a bad thing for their television network.
It was only after the legendary David Bowie ripped apart MTV veejay Mark Goodman in 1983, confronting him on the blackout for Black Artists on MTV and Walter Yetnikoff, president of CBS records to which Jackson was contracted with..threatened to pull off every artist's video (signed to CBS records) off the MTV networks, did they reluctantly play "Thriller" and “Billie Jean”.
Michael locked away all these things deep inside his heart, until he created a music video with nothing held back, "Black or White".
The conservative America was shocked & stunned but the minorities and the rest of the world erupted with joy,that finally someone very popular in the U.S had the backbone to deal with a subject that shook the entire world.
Michael did have his revenge on the MTV Networks 9 years later when he issued a formal statement to every Radio and TV network wanting to play "Black or White" on their channel,should refer to him as King of Pop.
The song would rule the Billboard Hot 100 charts for seven weeks eventually becoming the most requested song ever on MTV Networks.
Like most MJ videos, this one begins with an intro when a 11 year old Macaulay Culkin dances to loud rock music, while his father George Wendt, who is watching a baseball match gets annoyed as the noise distracts him, as his mother Tess Harper awaits his father's orders..to serve him snacks and beer.
He goes upstairs to his son's room , shouts at him, orders him to sleep immediately and bangs the door while coming downstairs, when a framed MJ poster hanging on the door falls down as the glass pieces shatter everywhere.
The furious son wants his revenge ,turns up the volume of his loud speakers real high..till the volume level shows "ARE YOU NUTS?!!!".
He then keeps the humongous loud speakers close to the couch where his father was sitting, dresses himself like a real musician..with gloves, sunglasses, a cap and plays a power chord from a Wolfgang guitar strapped to his shoulders...uttering the words "EAT THIS!".
The noise from the guitar destroys the whole house,shattering the window panes & glasses, ripping apart the roof..as his father flies over the roof (seated on his couch) all the way to the remotest part of West Africa, where tribals are in the midst of a serious lion hunting, as the boys mothers,looks at him and says "I am afraid,Your father is going to be very upset when he gets back".
That's when the real song begins..with a melodic chord from an electric guitar, which was not played by Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash (as written in many similar articles on this song).
But by U.S songwriter, record producer and multi-instrumentalist, Bill Bottrell and Tim Pierce,American session guitarist.
As the father makes a perfect landing on his couch in the middle of the lion hunt, he looks completely baffled at Michael Jackson,who does the strange West African dance with the tribals.
Then the screen begins to slide as Michael is seen dancing with traditional female Thai dancers,Michael then walks towards his left to dance with Red Indians or Native Americans who shoot their guns in their air,celebrating Michael's arrival.
Again the screen snaps to a super-busy NewYork City highway, where MJ does Bharatanatyam or Odissi dance, a traditional South Indian dance with a female Indian/Srilankan Bharatanatyam dancer..as he reads and crushes a newspaper..while he is still dancing,high speed cars and trucks pass by them on either side of the road.
This scene is no morphing and was filmed during peak traffic hours in NYC with real cars and trucks passing around them.
As this fades away..the focus shifts to Moscow, where MJ does a Russian dance with dancers dressed in traditional Ukranian clothing with Hopaks.
Then everything gets contained in a hourglass (sand clock) as two giant babies sitting on top of the world, start playing with the hourglass.
The video then takes a serious twist,as a very angry MJ sings through fire..when the KKK cross torching ceremonies flashes in the background.
That's when the rap lines begin.. as Macaulay Culkin blurts out the rap verses along with the other children from different races, the kids end the rap part with these words "I am not gonna spend my life being a color".
MJ dressed in a white shirt and black pants, emerges from the top of Statue of Liberty..singing and dancing..as the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, Roman Colosseum,Taj Mahal and other important man made historic monuments and landmarks appear in the background.
As MJ fades away morphing begins..when people from different races and ethnic background morph each other to create a face entirely different from theirs.
With pinpoint accuracy..the morphing scene was the highlight of this entire video. With Michael Jackson driving home the message, the theme of the music video through morphing - Black or White we are all humans and look the same.
The last four minutes of the music video was censored as it has MJ turn himself into a panther, dance like a possessed demi-god, with amazing dance moves not seen in any of his videos (apart from"“Billie Jean”).
Tearing apart a car..smashing it's windows with a crowbar, grabbing his crotch, zipping his pants,breaking windows of a motel, tearing apart his clothes in a sudden fit of anger..setting a hotel on fire, eventually destroying it and then quietly slipping away back in the form of a panther.
MTV, VH1, BBC's Top of the Pops and every other music channel across the globe removed the last 4 minutes of the video..some even without the consent of MJ.
Michael Jackson's official YouTube channel uploaded the full version.. only 4 months ago, at the end of November 2016..almost 25 years after "Black or White" was released in the U.S.
As expected the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 charts for seven weeks, sold over a million copies in the U.S, as MJ became the first American singer to top the U.K charts since 1960..when Elvis weaved his magic with "It's Now or Never".
"Black or White" eventually became the second best selling single of 1992, in the U.S, after Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" and topped the charts in more than 20 countries..including Cuba, Zimbabwe, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, U.S, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Spain, Turkey, Australia, Israel, U.K, Switzerland, Mexico, France, Norway and Italy.
Michael Jackson - Black or White - Lyrics
Release Date - November 11,1991
Album - Dangerous
I took my baby on a Saturday bang
Boy is that girl with you
Yes we're one and the same
Now I believe in miracles
And a miracle has happened tonight
But, if you're thinkin' about my baby
It don't matter if you're black or white
They print my message in the Saturday Sun
I had to tell them I ain't second to none
And I told about equality and it's true
Either you're wrong or you're right
But, if you're thinkin' about my baby
It don't matter if you're black or white
I am tired of this devil
I am tired of this stuff
I am tired of this business
Sew when the going gets rough
I ain't scared of your brother
I ain'ts scared of no sheets
I ain't scared of nobody
Girl when the goin' gets mean
Protection
For gangs, clubs, and nations
Causing grief in human relations
It's a turf war on a global scale
I'd rather hear both sides of the tale
See, it's not about races
Just places
Faces
Where your blood comes from
Is were your space is
I've seen the bright get duller
I'm not going to spend my life being a color
Don't tell me you agree with me
When I saw you kicking dirt in my eye
But, if you're thinkin' about my baby
It don't matter if you're black or white
I said if you're thinkin' of being my baby
It don't matter if you're black or white
I said if you're thinkin' of being my brother
It don't matter if you're black or white
Ooh, ooh
Yea, yea, yea now
Ooh, ooh
Yea, yea, yea now
It's black, it's white
It's tough for them to get by
It's black, it's white, (repeats 3 times)
whoo
