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Michael Jackson may be one of the most mysterious people on earth. His life and his experiences are probably much more than any of us could imagine, but this album (by far his most personal) gives you a little peak into who he really is.
HIStory is aptly named as it gives you a "history" of his music to date with a greatest hits collection on disk one and then gives you "HIS story" on disc two. Disk two is definately my favorite MJ album. You get the sense that it was written largely as an outlet of emotions that Michael felt after going through the allegations of 93/94. The album has an angrier tone than his others, and you get the sense that you know him a bit by the end.
1. Scream: the album starts with a duet between Michael and his sister Janet. It's obviously a push by the record company to cash in on the superstardom of these two, and as a result it's a little overproduced and noisey. But the message is true to the tone of the album and lyrics like
"Tired of injustice
Tired of the schemes
The lies are disgusting
So what does it mean"
and
"Tired of you tellin' the story your way
It's causin' confusion
You think it's okay"
it sets the stage for the anger of the rest of the album.
2. They Don't Care About Us: This song is much better on the production front, smooth background vocals and strings compliment the driving beat well. The lyrics are clearly meant to cause controversy and grab attention, because Michael loves attention- and there is no better way to get attention than by causing controvsey. The song is one of my favorites of MJs, and was very successful in some parts of the world- including Brazil where the video was filmed.
3. Stranger in Moscow: Quite possibly Michael's best song EVER. The song is melancholy and shows the sadness he felt after the allegations, "Swift and sudden fall from grace/ sunny days seemed far away". Michael has said that he wrote the song in a hotel room in Moscow, while listening to the screams of fans below, but realizing that he was completely alone: thus "how does it feel when you're alone,and it's cold inside?" it feels like a "stanger in moscow". This (or earth song) is probably my favorite MJ song of all time.
4. This Time Around: The production on this song is horrible in my opinion. The "music" sounds more like noise. But the lyrics seem to be quite theraputic. "They really want to use me and then falsely accuse me". This song was basically nothing more than a way for Michael to vent his anger over the 93 allegations. And he seems to vow to "stay away from strangers" "this time around" but it didn't seem to stick as he ended up in another mess after being accused by welfare frauds and professional plaintiffs in 2003-2005.
5. Earth Song: If Stranger in Moscow isn't the best song MJ has ever done, then this is. Earth Song may be the most powerful ballad I have ever heard. Unlike his earlier Heal the World or We are the World, Earth Song does not plead for people to treat the world better- he vents his anger over the damage we've already done "what have we done to the world, look what we've done". The song has no words in the chorus- words can't express the pain and suffering humans have caused in this word- the chorus is simply a cry, Michael's expression of the world's pain. The climax of the song is truly phenomenal, and all you can do is sit back, crank up the speakers and let the emotions pour through you. The song was a HUGE hit in Europe and Britan, but was never released as a single in the US.
6. D.S.: The initials here stand for "Dom Sheldon" accordign to the lyrics, but anyone who has followed Jackson's legal troubles knows that this song is a thinly veiled reference to Tom Sneddon- the District Attorney of Santa Barbara County, California. The DA headed up both investigations of Jackson (dropping the 93 investigation when a grand jury said they couldn't not come up with any evidence to indict Jackson even after Sneddon went through all the trouble of strip searching Jackson and having his genitalia photographed and videotaped. Sneddon then lost the 2003 investigation after a jury found Jackson not guilty on all counts, despite putting 5 prosecutors on the case and spending $6 million prosecuting Jackson). Jackson lashes out venomously at Sneddon, accusing him of everything from not having a social life to consorting with the KKK (one of Sneddon's sons got into trouble in the late 90s by hanging out with a skin-head gang). The song's chorus is rather repetitive- "Tom Sneddon is a cold man" over and over. But there are many who would agree as Sneddon has been sued for malicious prosecution 14 times during his rein as DA. The song seems to be meant more for Michael's good than for listeners but the song does have a fun guitar riff and is easy listening.
7 Money: This song is clearly aimed at Jackson's accusers "they dont' care, they use me for the money/ they dont' care they sue me for the money" "lie for it, die for it, you would do anything for money". Ironically enough, Jackson was sued again by Evan Chandler (who made the accusations of molestation for his son in 93) for making this album. Evan felt the album violated the confidentiality agreement Jackson signed as part of the settlement in 94- saying he would not publicly discuss the case. But Evan also added Sony to the defendants in his case asking for $60 million. The case was eventually thrown out of court some 6 years later when neither Evan nor an attorney representing him showed up for a hearing in the case.
8 Come Together: Jackson is self-proclaimed Beatles fan and this cover is definately one of the best Beatles covers ever done. The song was recorded much before most of the other material on the album, and in fact a video of Jackson performing the song appears on the Moonwalker video Jackson released. The song is a good cover, and gives the listener a break from Jackson's anger in the album.
9 You Are Not Alone: This R. Kelly song was a huge hit for Jackson world wide and was his last number one in the US. The song is a beautiful ballad- radio friendly, but lacks the emotion of other songs on the album.
10 Childhood: This song embodies everything Jackson has always claimed about himself:
"No one understands me
They view it as such strange eccentricities...
'Cause I keep kidding around
Like a child, but pardon me...
People say I'm not okay
'Cause I love such elementary things...
It's been my fate to compensate,
for the ChildhoodI've never known..."
"Before you judge me, try hard to love me,
Look within your heart then ask,
Have you seen my Childhood?"
The music in the song is absolutely beautiful, the strings and piano tell a story the way classical music does. You can feel the emotion of the song in the music. Overall, it may be a bit sappy, but then again- overall, Michael Jackson is a bit sappy. Jackson himself has said that this song is the most autobiographical he has ever written.
11 Tabloid Junkie: Here Jackson vents his anger at the press that continually twists celebrities stories just to make a buck. "It's slander/With the words you use/You're a parasite in black and white/Do anything for news" The song is catchy and has an interesting drum percussion sound that is not a drum, but actually Jackson beat boxing. Not his best work, but catchy enough to listen to.
12 2 Bad: This another song that is a little overproduced and noisey, but the message is what's important. Jackson again speaks to his accusers, letting them know they havent' won:"Look who's standing if you please/Though you tried to bring me to my knees/Too bad too bad about it" The song appears in Jackson's short film "Ghosts".
13 HIStory: The title song, is not terribly impressive. News clips are scattered throughout the song and get a bit distracting. It's a nice thought but borders on cheesy, but then again, Jackson likes cheesy. The chorus is beautiful- the smooth vocals and harmony you expect from MJ.
14 Little Susie: This song is quite unique. It's not the type you would hear on the radio, yet it is haunting and beautiful. The song was written for a little refugee girl from Africa who was adopted by a family in Britan but was locked in a basement and died of neglect. The song has a gothic feel to it, and the music sounds like a horror movie version of carosel music. The lyrics tell a sad story and remind the listener how important it is to have compassion and care for others.
15 Smile: Jackson is huge fan of Charlie Chaplin, so it only makes sense for him to cover a Chaplin penned song. He does it beautifully, it may be his best vocal performance ever. And after the anger and sadness of the album, he leaves you on a high note: reminding you to just "smile, when your heart is breaking/ smile even though it's aching" "Smile, what's the use of crying /You'll find that life is still worthwhile /If you'll just Smile"
I highly recommend the album, for Jackson fans and non-fans alike.
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I hate that the case was busted...
Haven't tried CDs yet but as long as they PLAY that's all that matters I guess.
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Cesar Alberto
Excelente Recopilación
Reviewed in Mexico on November 18, 2023
Cesar Alberto
Reviewed in Mexico on November 18, 2023
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