Earth Song
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| "Earth Song" | ||
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| Single by Michael Jackson | ||
| from the album HIStory | ||
| Released | November 27, 1995 | |
| Format | CD single Not Released in U.S. |
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| Recorded | 1995 (Europe) | |
| Genre | Power ballad | |
| Length | 6:46 | |
| Label | Epic Records | |
| Writer(s) | Michael Jackson | |
| Producer(s) | Michael Jackson David Foster Bill Bottrell |
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| Chart positions | ||
| Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||
| "You Are Not Alone" (1995) |
"Earth Song" (1995) |
"They Don't Care About Us" (1995) |
| Michael Jackson's Visionary chronology | ||
| "You Are Not Alone" (2006) |
"Earth Song" (2006) |
"They Don't Care About Us" (2006) |
"Earth Song" is a Power ballad song by Michael Jackson. In the music video it outlines how the Earth is being destroyed by humans, and it alludes to environmental and poverty issues in the world. The visuals present rainforests destroyed by loggers, majestic animals killed by poachers, a North American forest burnt to stumps and the devastation of 90s aggression on Bosnia with Bosniaks returning to their shattered homes (the complete scene was however recorded in Croatia, due to instability in Bosnia at the time) - the feeling is further built up with real footage on Serb army shelling of Bosnian villages. In the end Michael and all the suffering native peoples cry and dig into the dirt, which somehow triggers the world to swirl back in time, and returns everything to its peaceful state.
The song is available on the HIStory album. When it was released in 1995, it reached number one in the United Kingdom, becoming the Christmas number one single in that year, selling over a million copies. The single sold over three million copies worldwide.
However, many critics considered both the song and the video to be pompous and overbearing, a charge repeated by Jarvis Cocker as partial explanation for his notorious invasion of Jackson's stage during a performance of "Earth Song" at the 1996 Brit Awards. Fans said that the critics failed to fully read the lyrics of the song, or look at the video more closely. They claim there were no indications of a "messiah complex" that some critics claimed, and in the video, Jackson represented himself as a mendicant who prays for a better tomorrow, along with the nations of the world. The posture adopted by Jackson while performing this song at the Brit Awards in fact originated in the video to his earlier single, "Will You Be There". The "Earth Song" video is available on the DVDs HIStory On Film Volume II and Number Ones.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Visionary single
- CD Side
- "Earth Song" (Radio Edit)
- "Earth Song" (Hani's Extended Club Experience)
- DVD Side
- "Earth Song" (Music Video)
[edit] Mixes
- Album Version – 6:46
- Radio Edit – 5:00
- Hani's Club Experience – 7:55
- Hanis Radio Experience – 3:33
- Hani's Extended Radio Experience – 4:34
- Hani's Around The World Experience – 14:49
[edit] Credits
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson
- Produced by Michael Jackson and David Foster
- Co-produced by Bill Bottrell
- Piano by David Paich
[edit] External links
| Preceded by: East 17 Stay Another Day |
UK Christmas Number One single
Earth Song |
Succeeded by: Spice Girls 2 Become 1 |
| Michael Jackson |
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| Album discography • Singles discography • Records and achievements • Awards • Moonwalk |
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