Background and production[edit]
HIStory is primarily directed at the tabloid press. Starting in the late 1980s, Jackson and the press had a difficult relationship. In 1986, the tabloids ran a story claiming that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which Jackson stated was not true.[3] It was reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph Merrick (the "elephant man"). Jackson described the story as "a complete lie".[3][4] These stories inspired the pejorative nickname "Wacko Jacko", which Jackson despised. He stopped leaking untruths to the press, so the media began making up their own stories.[5] In 1989, Jackson released the song and music video "Leave Me Alone", a song about his perceived victimization at the hands of the press.[6] The video shows Jackson poking fun not only at the press but also the situation he was in.[7]
In 1993, the relationship between Jackson and the press soured entirely when he was accused of child sexual abuse. Although he was not charged with a crime, Jackson was subject to intense media scrutiny while the criminal investigation took place. Complaints about the coverage and media included: using sensational headlines to draw in readers and viewers when the content itself did not support the headline;[8] accepting stories of Jackson's alleged criminal activity in return for money;[9] accepting confidential, leaked material from the police investigation in return for money paid;[10] deliberately using pictures of Jackson's appearance at its worst;[11] a lack of objectivity;[11] and using headlines that strongly implied Jackson's guilt.[11] In 1994, Jackson said of the media coverage, "I will say I am particularly upset by the handling of the matter by the incredible, terrible mass media. At every opportunity, the media has dissected and manipulated these allegations to reach their own conclusions."[12]
Jackson began taking painkillers, Valium, Xanax and Ativan to deal with the stress of the allegations.[13] A few months after the allegations became news, Jackson had stopped eating.[14] Soon after, Jackson's health had deteriorated to the extent that he cancelled the remainder of his tour and went into rehabilitation.[15][16] Jackson booked the whole fourth floor of a clinic and was put on Valium IV to wean him from painkillers.[15][16] When Jackson left the United States to go into rehabilitation, the media showed Jackson little sympathy. In 1993, The Daily Mirror held a "Spot the Jacko" contest, offering readers a trip to Disney World if they could correctly predict where Jackson would appear next.[15] The same year, a Daily Express headline read, "Drug Treatment Star Faces Life on the Run", while a News of the World headline accused Jackson of being a fugitive; these tabloids also falsely alleged that Jackson had travelled to Europe to have cosmetic surgery that would make him unrecognisable on his return.[15] In early November 1993, Geraldo Rivera set up a mock trial, with a jury made up of audience members, even though Jackson had not been charged with a crime.[17]
The new material on HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I was recorded from September 1994 to March 1995.[18] Jackson co-wrote and co-produced a majority of the songs featured on the album. Aside from Jackson, other writers include Dallas Austin, The Notorious B.I.G., Bruce Swedien, R. Kelly and René Moore and other producers include David Foster and Bill Bottrell.[18] HIStory was Jackson's first studio album since his 1991 album Dangerous four years prior, and his first new material to be released since being accused of child sexual abuse in 1994.[19] HIStory was released as a two-disc album; disc one (HIStory Begins) contains already released material from Jackson, and the second disc (HIStory Continues) comprises new material. HIStorys first disc had fifteen songs from Jackson's four previous studio albums, Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987) and Dangerous (1991). Physically, the album was available on double gold CD, double cassette, and, due to the format's running time limitations, triple vinyl. Musically, HIStory's themes are credited as, R&B, pop, rock, dance, urban, new jack swing, funk, and hip-hop.[19] HIStory was released on June 16, 1995 by Sony Music's Epic Records.
Composition[edit]
"Scream" (1995)
Excerpt of the single "Scream". Both siblings vocals can be heard in the audio sample, with Janet Jackson's vocals first. Critics noted that it was hard to distinguish their voices apart.
"D.S." (1995)
Excerpt of the album track "D.S.". In the excerpt Jackson accuses "D.S." of being politically motivated, having a poor social life and a bad childhood upbringing. The song has a distinctive rock edge.
"Tabloid Junkie" (1995)
A sample of "Tabloid Junkie". The songs lyrics are about media biases and are aimed at listeners not to believe everything they read from the media and tabloids.
"Earth Song"
Unlike other songs lyrics on HIStory, the lyrics to "Earth Song" pertain to environmental concerns.
Problems playing these files? See media help.
HIStory, similar to Jackson's previous studio albums Thriller and Bad, contains lyrics that deal with paranoia. The majority of the new songs were written by Jackson. Several of the album's fifteen new songs pertain to the child sexual abuse allegations made against him in 1993[20] and Jackson's perceived mistreatment by the media, mainly the tabloids.[21] Because of this, the album has been described as being Jackson's most "personal".[22] Two of the album's new tracks were covers.[20] The genres of the album's music span R&B, pop, hard rock and ballads.[20][22][23] The lyrics pertain to isolation, greed, environmental concerns, injustice. "Scream" is a duet with Jackson's younger sister Janet; contemporary critics noted that it was difficult to distinguish their voices apart.[20] It was noted that the "refrain" of the song's lyrics "Stop pressurin' me!" is "compelling," and that Jackson "spits out the lyrics with drama and purpose".[20] "Scream"'s lyrics are about injustice.[22]
The lyrics for the R&B ballad "You Are Not Alone", written by R. Kelly, pertain to isolation.[22] Two Belgian songwriters, brothers Eddy and Danny Van Passel, claimed to have written the melody in 1993; In September 2007, a Belgian judge ruled the song was plagiarized from the Van Passel brothers, and it was subsequently banned from airwaves in Belgium.[24][25] "D.S." is a hard rock song, whose lyrics were interpreted by music critics as an attack on the district attorney of Jackson's child sexual abuse case, Thomas Sneddon.[20][23] Multiple critics reviewed the song in connection with Sneddon, Fox News Channel and CNN, noting that the "cold man" in the lyrics is Sneddon; when the name "Dom S. Sheldon" from the chorus is sung, it resembles "Thomas Sneddon".[26][27]
"Money" was interpreted as being directed at Evan Chandler, the father of the boy who accused Jackson of child sexual abuse.[20] The lyrics of "Childhood" pertain to Jackson's own childhood.[28] Similar to "Scream", the lyrics to "They Don't Care About Us" pertain to injustice, as well as racism. In "This Time Around", Jackson asserts himself as having been "falsely accused".[20] The song features The Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls) two years before his death in 1997. Jackson worked with Biggie again posthumously in 2001 on Jackson's following album, Invincible on the song "Unbreakable"; this made him the only rapper to appear on multiple Jackson LPs.[29] "Earth Song" was described as a "slow blues-operatic",[22] and its lyrics pertain to environmental concerns. On HIStory, Jackson covered Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" and The Beatles' "Come Together".[22] "Stranger in Moscow" is a pop ballad that is interspersed with sounds of rain.[20] Jackson described the lyrics as being a "swift and sudden fall from grace".[22] "Tabloid Junkie" is a hard funk song[30] with lyrics instructing listeners to not believe everything they read in the media and tabloids.[22][23] The album's title track, "HIStory" contained multiple samples, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.[31] "HIStory" was not released as a single from HIStory, but it's remix was from Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix in 1997.
As an introduction for "Little Susie", Michael used his own variation of Pie Jesu from Maurice Duruflé's Requiem. The inspiration behind the song more likely came from an artist called Gottfried Helnwein. Michael admired the artist's work and he had purchased some of his paintings. One of them, "Beautiful Victim", inspired the song. Helnwein is considered quite provocative as he paints about the human condition depicting wounded children, among others. Helnwein later painted a portrait of Michael.[32] There appears to be a similarity between the "Beautiful Victim" painting and the artwork included for the song in HIStory.[32]
Controversy and influence[edit]
Dispute regarding lyrics of "They Don't Care About Us"[edit]
One of many identical statues based on Diana Walczak's original HIStory statue (pictured June 3, 2005, in the Netherlands), that Sony positioned throughout Europe to promote HIStory.
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".[33] 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 th
Background and production[edit]
HIStory is primarily directed at the tabloid press. Starting in the late 1980s, Jackson and the press had a difficult relationship. In 1986, the tabloids ran a story claiming that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber, which Jackson stated was not true.[3] It was reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph Merrick (the "elephant man"). Jackson described the story as "a complete lie".[3][4] These stories inspired the pejorative nickname "Wacko Jacko", which Jackson despised. He stopped leaking untruths to the press, so the media began making up their own stories.[5] In 1989, Jackson released the song and music video "Leave Me Alone", a song about his perceived victimization at the hands of the press.[6] The video shows Jackson poking fun not only at the press but also the situation he was in.[7]
In 1993, the relationship between Jackson and the press soured entirely when he was accused of child sexual abuse. Although he was not charged with a crime, Jackson was subject to intense media scrutiny while the criminal investigation took place. Complaints about the coverage and media included: using sensational headlines to draw in readers and viewers when the content itself did not support the headline;[8] accepting stories of Jackson's alleged criminal activity in return for money;[9] accepting confidential, leaked material from the police investigation in return for money paid;[10] deliberately using pictures of Jackson's appearance at its worst;[11] a lack of objectivity;[11] and using headlines that strongly implied Jackson's guilt.[11] In 1994, Jackson said of the media coverage, "I will say I am particularly upset by the handling of the matter by the incredible, terrible mass media. At every opportunity, the media has dissected and manipulated these allegations to reach their own conclusions."[12]
Jackson began taking painkillers, Valium, Xanax and Ativan to deal with the stress of the allegations.[13] A few months after the allegations became news, Jackson had stopped eating.[14] Soon after, Jackson's health had deteriorated to the extent that he cancelled the remainder of his tour and went into rehabilitation.[15][16] Jackson booked the whole fourth floor of a clinic and was put on Valium IV to wean him from painkillers.[15][16] When Jackson left the United States to go into rehabilitation, the media showed Jackson little sympathy. In 1993, The Daily Mirror held a "Spot the Jacko" contest, offering readers a trip to Disney World if they could correctly predict where Jackson would appear next.[15] The same year, a Daily Express headline read, "Drug Treatment Star Faces Life on the Run", while a News of the World headline accused Jackson of being a fugitive; these tabloids also falsely alleged that Jackson had travelled to Europe to have cosmetic surgery that would make him unrecognisable on his return.[15] In early November 1993, Geraldo Rivera set up a mock trial, with a jury made up of audience members, even though Jackson had not been charged with a crime.[17]
The new material on HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I was recorded from September 1994 to March 1995.[18] Jackson co-wrote and co-produced a majority of the songs featured on the album. Aside from Jackson, other writers include Dallas Austin, The Notorious B.I.G., Bruce Swedien, R. Kelly and René Moore and other producers include David Foster and Bill Bottrell.[18] HIStory was Jackson's first studio album since his 1991 album Dangerous four years prior, and his first new material to be released since being accused of child sexual abuse in 1994.[19] HIStory was released as a two-disc album; disc one (HIStory Begins) contains already released material from Jackson, and the second disc (HIStory Continues) comprises new material. HIStorys first disc had fifteen songs from Jackson's four previous studio albums, Off the Wall (1979), Thriller (1982), Bad (1987) and Dangerous (1991). Physically, the album was available on double gold CD, double cassette, and, due to the format's running time limitations, triple vinyl. Musically, HIStory's themes are credited as, R&B, pop, rock, dance, urban, new jack swing, funk, and hip-hop.[19] HIStory was released on June 16, 1995 by Sony Music's Epic Records.
Composition[edit]
"Scream" (1995)
Excerpt of the single "Scream". Both siblings vocals can be heard in the audio sample, with Janet Jackson's vocals first. Critics noted that it was hard to distinguish their voices apart.
"D.S." (1995)
Excerpt of the album track "D.S.". In the excerpt Jackson accuses "D.S." of being politically motivated, having a poor social life and a bad childhood upbringing. The song has a distinctive rock edge.
"Tabloid Junkie" (1995)
A sample of "Tabloid Junkie". The songs lyrics are about media biases and are aimed at listeners not to believe everything they read from the media and tabloids.
"Earth Song"
Unlike other songs lyrics on HIStory, the lyrics to "Earth Song" pertain to environmental concerns.
Problems playing these files? See media help.
HIStory, similar to Jackson's previous studio albums Thriller and Bad, contains lyrics that deal with paranoia. The majority of the new songs were written by Jackson. Several of the album's fifteen new songs pertain to the child sexual abuse allegations made against him in 1993[20] and Jackson's perceived mistreatment by the media, mainly the tabloids.[21] Because of this, the album has been described as being Jackson's most "personal".[22] Two of the album's new tracks were covers.[20] The genres of the album's music span R&B, pop, hard rock and ballads.[20][22][23] The lyrics pertain to isolation, greed, environmental concerns, injustice. "Scream" is a duet with Jackson's younger sister Janet; contemporary critics noted that it was difficult to distinguish their voices apart.[20] It was noted that the "refrain" of the song's lyrics "Stop pressurin' me!" is "compelling," and that Jackson "spits out the lyrics with drama and purpose".[20] "Scream"'s lyrics are about injustice.[22]
The lyrics for the R&B ballad "You Are Not Alone", written by R. Kelly, pertain to isolation.[22] Two Belgian songwriters, brothers Eddy and Danny Van Passel, claimed to have written the melody in 1993; In September 2007, a Belgian judge ruled the song was plagiarized from the Van Passel brothers, and it was subsequently banned from airwaves in Belgium.[24][25] "D.S." is a hard rock song, whose lyrics were interpreted by music critics as an attack on the district attorney of Jackson's child sexual abuse case, Thomas Sneddon.[20][23] Multiple critics reviewed the song in connection with Sneddon, Fox News Channel and CNN, noting that the "cold man" in the lyrics is Sneddon; when the name "Dom S. Sheldon" from the chorus is sung, it resembles "Thomas Sneddon".[26][27]
"Money" was interpreted as being directed at Evan Chandler, the father of the boy who accused Jackson of child sexual abuse.[20] The lyrics of "Childhood" pertain to Jackson's own childhood.[28] Similar to "Scream", the lyrics to "They Don't Care About Us" pertain to injustice, as well as racism. In "This Time Around", Jackson asserts himself as having been "falsely accused".[20] The song features The Notorious B.I.G. (aka Biggie Smalls) two years before his death in 1997. Jackson worked with Biggie again posthumously in 2001 on Jackson's following album, Invincible on the song "Unbreakable"; this made him the only rapper to appear on multiple Jackson LPs.[29] "Earth Song" was described as a "slow blues-operatic",[22] and its lyrics pertain to environmental concerns. On HIStory, Jackson covered Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" and The Beatles' "Come Together".[22] "Stranger in Moscow" is a pop ballad that is interspersed with sounds of rain.[20] Jackson described the lyrics as being a "swift and sudden fall from grace".[22] "Tabloid Junkie" is a hard funk song[30] with lyrics instructing listeners to not believe everything they read in the media and tabloids.[22][23] The album's title track, "HIStory" contained multiple samples, including Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech.[31] "HIStory" was not released as a single from HIStory, but it's remix was from Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix in 1997.
As an introduction for "Little Susie", Michael used his own variation of Pie Jesu from Maurice Duruflé's Requiem. The inspiration behind the song more likely came from an artist called Gottfried Helnwein. Michael admired the artist's work and he had purchased some of his paintings. One of them, "Beautiful Victim", inspired the song. Helnwein is considered quite provocative as he paints about the human condition depicting wounded children, among others. Helnwein later painted a portrait of Michael.[32] There appears to be a similarity between the "Beautiful Victim" painting and the artwork included for the song in HIStory.[32]
Controversy and influence[edit]
Dispute regarding lyrics of "They Don't Care About Us"[edit]
One of many identical statues based on Diana Walczak's original HIStory statue (pictured June 3, 2005, in the Netherlands), that Sony positioned throughout Europe to promote HIStory.
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".[33] 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 th
การแปล กรุณารอสักครู่..
