Black or White (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Black or White" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
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| Single by Michael Jackson | ||
| from the album Dangerous | ||
| Released | November 11, 1991 (Europe) | |
| Format | 7" single 12" single CD single |
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| Recorded | 1991 | |
| Genre | Pop/Rock | |
| Length | 3:22 (Radio edit) 4:16 (Album version) |
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| Label | Epic Records | |
| Writer(s) | Michael Jackson | |
| Producer(s) | Michael Jackson | |
| Chart positions | ||
| Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||
| "Liberian Girl" (1989) |
"Black or White" (1991) |
"Remember the Time" (1992) |
| Michael Jackson's Visionary chronology | ||
| "Leave Me Alone" (2006) |
"Black or White" (2006) |
"Remember the Time" (2006) |
| Alternate cover | ||
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| Remix cover | ||
"Black or White" was the first single taken from Michael Jackson's album Dangerous, released in November 1991.
Written, composed, and arranged by Jackson with the rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell, it is a song promoting interracial romance, i.e. the lyrics "if you're thinking 'bout being my baby, it don't matter if you're black or white." The song features an introduction on guitar by guitarist Slash.
The song peaked at number one on charts in more than twenty countries.
Contents |
[edit] Music video
[edit] Controversy
The music video for "Black or White" generated controversy. The video was first broadcast on MTV, BET, VH1, and FOX (after an episode of The Simpsons) on November 14, 1991. Along with Jackson, it featured Macaulay Culkin, Peggy Lipton, and George Wendt. It helped usher in morphing as an important technology in music videos. The video was directed by John Landis, the same director as Thriller.
The first few minutes of the video featured an extended version of the song's intro, in which Macaulay Culkin is yelled at by his enraged father (George Wendt) over playing rock music too loud and too late at night. Culkin decides to forego his father's request to go to sleep by setting up large speaker cabinets behind his father's reclining chair, donning leather gloves and sunglasses, and playing an extremely loud power chord on an electric guitar. The sound shatters the house's windows and sends his father (seated in his chair) halfway around the world, where the actual song starts. Culkin's mother declares that his father will be "very upset" upon his return. The song from the CD does not use Culkin's nor Wendt's voice, but uses unknown voice actors (with similar voices) and a different intro.
The controversy was related to the last four minutes ( called the silent "panther" scene by Jackson since this part began with Michael being a panther, before exiting a studio and morphing into himself) of the original eleven-minute music video ( called "short film" by Jackson ). Jackson smashed car windows containing racist graffiti such as Nazi symbols and slander such as "wetbacks" written on the glass of the car windows and store windows, as well as a store window with "KKK RULES" emblazoned on it; Jackson then jumped on the car, grabbed his crotch and unzipped his fly slowly - which was what probably caused the key controversy - before re-zipping, smashed a storefront window by throwing a garbage can at it, and began screaming in an enranged manner causing a building sign to collapse. This section caused such a negative reaction that Jackson was forced to announce a formal apology for its content. At the end of this short, Jackson stares on while "prejudice is ignorance" appears at the bottom of the screen in white text. The racist graffiti is not on the car or store windows in some versions of the video; it is blacked out because it is thought it may cause offense. After which, Michael turns back into a panther, and it is revealed that Bart Simpson is watching the video, and Homer (eating a banana) yells "Bart, turn off that noise."
A year later, MTV re-aired the original, uncut version of the video.
[edit] The video today
The video proper, still shown regularly today, featured a montage of sequences in which Jackson is choreographed engaging in dances among people of different cultures of the world (African, South-East Asian, Native American, East Indian, Russian). Jackson walks through visual collages of fire (defiantly declaring "I ain't scared of no sheets; I ain't scared of nobody"), referring to KKK torch ceremonies before a mock rap scene shared with Culkin and other children. The group collectively states, "I'm not gonna spend my life being a color." At the end of the song, different people (including Tyra Banks and Cree Summer) dance as they morph into one another (shown as "talking heads") , which is reminiscent of the earlier music video for the Godley & Creme song "Cry". This technique had only been previously used in films such as Willow and Terminator 2.
To date, uncut version has generally only been seen in the United States on MTV2 between the hours of 01:00 and 04:00, as part of their special uncensored airing of the "Most Controversial Music Videos" of all time. The extended version is also available on Jackson's DVDs. The video was parodied by the sketch comedy TV show In Living Color, and by the band Genesis in their video for "I Can't Dance" in which Phil Collins imitates Michael's 'panther' fit in front of a stark white background. It was still shown in its entirety for some years in Europe. Indeed, it was seen on VH1 in the UK as recently as 2004, though most recent airings have omitted the last portion of the video, which also included a brief cameo by Bart and Homer Simpson before the "prejudice is ignorance" image. The version available in the iTunes Music Store contains neither the panther scene nor the Simpsons cameo, and is cut after the morphing sequence.
Starting in 1992, Nocturne Video Productions began playing the "Panther Segment" of the video as an interlude during Michael's Dangerous and HIStory World tours. The clip is 20 seconds shorter than the original with all the violence and the sexual-like crotch grabbing removed. However, the part where he re-zipped his fly (which was probably the key cause of the controversy of the music video) was kept in.
[edit] Clivillés & Cole Remixes
"Black or White (The Clivillés & Cole Remixes)" (commonly titled "Black Or White (Remix)") was the 1992 European hit sequel of Michael Jackon's smash single "Black or White".
The single was released in November 1991 in several European countries, charting only in the UK, where it reached #14, and in Ireland, peaking at #11. The original version of the song was included in the multi-platinum mega-successful album Dangerous. Despite the favourable European response to this remix, it was never included on a Michael Jackson album or compilation.
[edit] Parodies
A version of the music video has aired on Al TV (hosted by Weird Al Yankovic), with footage from the music video of Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" spliced into the opening segment to make it look as though Mark Metcalf's character from the latter video is yelling at Macaulay Culkin's character. Michael Jackson's voice has been altered to sound like a high pitched version of Weird Al's voice, while Culkin's voice in his rap number has deepened. Finally, the people in the morphing sequence at the end are given individual voices.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Original release
- "Black Or White" – 3:22
- "Black Or White" (Instrumental) – 3:22
- "Smooth Criminal" – 4:10
[edit] Black Or White The Remixes
- The Clivilles & Cole House/Club Mix
- The Clivilles & Cole House/Dub Mix
- The Underground Club Mix
- House With Guitar Radio Mix
- Tribal Beats
[edit] Visionary single
- CD Side
- "Black or White" (Single Version) – 3:22
- "Black or White" (Clivilles & Cole House Guitar Radio Mix) – 3:50
- DVD Side
- "Black or White" (Music Video)
[edit] Mixes
- Album Version – 4:17
- Single Version – 3:22
- Instrumental – 3:22
- Clivillés & Cole House/Club Mix
- Clivillés & Cole Radio Mix – 3:33
- Clivillés & Cole House w/Guitar Radio Mix – 3:50
- Underground Club Mix
[edit] Credits
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson
- Rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell
- Produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell
- Recorded and mixed by Bill Bottrell
- Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
- Drums: Bryan Loren
- Percussion: Brad Buxer and Bill Bottrell
- Bass: Bryan Loren (moog) and Terry Jackson (bass guitar)
- Keyboards: Brad Buxer, John Barnes and Jason Martz
- Guitar: Bill Bottrell
- Heavy metal guitar: Tim Pierce
- Speed sequencer: Michael Boddicker and Kevin Gilbert
- Rap performed by L.T.B.
- "Intro":
- Special guitar performance by Slash
- Directed by Michael Jackson
- Composed by Bill Bottrell
- Engineering and sound design: Matt Forger
- Son played by Andres McKenzie
- Father played by L.T.B.
[edit] See also
- AMC Matador - The anonymously styled sedan pummeled in the video.
| Preceded by "Dizzy" by Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff |
UK number-one single November 17, 1991 for 2 weeks |
Succeeded by "Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by George Michael & Elton John |
| Preceded by "Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" by P.M. Dawn |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single December 7, 1991- January 18, 1992 |
Succeeded by "All 4 Love" by Color Me Badd |
