Dangerous | ||||
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Studio album by Michael Jackson | ||||
Released | November 26, 1991 | |||
Recorded | June 25, 1990–October 29, 1991 | |||
Genre | R&B, pop, rock, new jack swing[1] | |||
Length | 76:58 | |||
Label | Epic EK-45400 |
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Producer | Michael Jackson Bill Bottrell Teddy Riley |
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Michael Jackson chronology | ||||
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Singles from Dangerous | ||||
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Dangerous is the eighth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson, released November 26, 1991 on Epic Records. It became his second to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, where it spent the next four consecutive weeks. The album has sold over 32 million copies worldwide[2] making it one of the best selling albums of all time. The album won one Grammy for Best Engineered Album – Non Classical won by Bruce Swedien and Teddy Riley,[3] and is the most successful new jack swing album of all time.[4]
Contents |
According to the sleeve notes on the later remastered edition of the album, recording sessions began in Los Angeles, California at Ocean Way/Record One Studio 2 on June 25, 1990. The sessions ended at Larrabee North and Ocean Way Studio on October 29, 1991, being the most extensive recording project of Jackson's career at the time (over 16 months compared to the usual 6 spent for his previous three studio albums).
In 1990, a promo CD acetate was given to 10 Sony executives on a plane flight to Neverland Ranch, as a teaser for Dangerous.
In March 1991, Jackson signed a 15-year, 6-album deal with Sony Music. The press reported that Sony actually handed over $1 billion to Jackson, but that was not the case. At the time, Sony estimated that if the albums Jackson released under the new contract sold at the same level they currently sold, it would generate over $1 billion in profits for them. Additionally, Jackson was awarded the highest royalty rate in the business. By the time the contract expired in March 2006, Michael would have been paid $45 million from Sony ($1 million a year, plus $5 million per album delivered). This does not include money he would have also earned from sales of albums, singles, videos etc. Under this contract, Jackson is estimated to have earned $175 million from album sales alone.
At this point, Dangerous was already in the making, under the producing talents of (Quincy Jones recommended) 23-year-old Teddy Riley and Grammy-winner Bill Bottrell. The previous album, Bad, was Jackson's last designed for the LP industry, conforming to the usual 10-song within 50-minute format, whereas Dangerous was a 77-minute, 14-track compilation, which almost dared the capacity of early Nineties compact discs. Consequently, the record was released as a double album in vinyl and an extended version cassette.
The album cover is well known for its elaborate artwork.
A special limited-edition of the album was initially released in a large box with a picture of Jackson's eyes, which folded open to reveal the usual cover (painted by pop surrealist Mark Ryden), in pop-up card, with the CD and booklet in the bottom.
Dangerous was released on November 26, 1991 with record-breaking sales. Dangerous was Jackson's fastest-selling album ever in the United States with seven million shipped in under two months. This broke the sales record for Bad, which had also shipped seven million copies in 1987, but in four months.
Dangerous debuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, with 326,500 copies sold in its first week. It held the position for four weeks. Jackson promoted the album with a high-profile performance at the Super Bowl and an interview with Oprah Winfrey, but it did not return to the number 1 slot. However, it returned to the Top Ten after Jackson received the Grammy Legend Award at the 1993 ceremony. Dangerous spent 117 weeks in the Billboard 200, thirty more than Bad. The RIAA certified Dangerous seven times platinum (seven million copies).[5]
In the United Kingdom, the album débuted at number 1, holding off U2's Achtung Baby, but in the second week it was replaced by Queen's Greatest Hits II. Dangerous spent 23 weeks in the top 10, and a total of 96 weeks on the top 75 chart.
"Black or White" was produced and co-written by Bill Bottrell. The single was Jackson's biggest hit since 1983's "Billie Jean". In all, nine singles were released, spanning two years (1991–1993). A planned single release of the title track "Dangerous" was canceled in late 1993 due to child molestation allegations. Seven singles reached the UK top 10, the most for any Jackson album.
48% of Bad's worldwide sales were in the UK and US; for Dangerous, the total was 33%, reflecting Jackson's growing global reach. For the most part, the singles from Dangerous were bigger hits in Europe and Australia than in the United States. Dangerous sold very well in both Asia and South America, two emerging and growing record markets, and was supported by the Dangerous World Tour. Prior to the release of Jackson's next studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, Dangerous had already sold over thirty-two million copies worldwide.[6] In the space of 17 years, sources estimate the record has sold between 30 and 32 million copies worldwide making it a faster selling album than his previous record Bad.[2][7][8]
It was ranked # 1 on the german emal top 200 decade end charts of the 90s
Professional ratings | |
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Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [9] |
Robert Christgau | (A-)[10] |
Entertainment Weekly | (B-)[11] |
Q | [12] |
Rolling Stone | [13] |
Virgin Encyclopedia | [14] |
Dangerous was well received by most critics. Robert Christgau gave Dangerous a grade of A-, saying it was Jackson's "most consistent album since Off the Wall".
Organization | Country | Accolade | Year | Source |
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National Association of Recording Merchandisers | United States | Definitive 200 albums of all time developed by the NARM(Ranked 115) | 2007 | [15] |
Side one (cassette)/Disc one (vinyl) | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
1. | "Jam" (featuring Heavy D) | Michael Jackson, René Moore, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley | 5:39 | ||||||
2. | "Why You Wanna Trip on Me" | Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle | 5:25 | ||||||
3. | "In the Closet" (featuring Princess Stéphanie of Monaco) | Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley | 6:32 | ||||||
4. | "She Drives Me Wild" (featuring Wrecks-N-Effect) | Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley; rap lyrics by Aqil Davidson | 3:41 | ||||||
5. | "Remember the Time" | Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson, Bernard Belle | 4:00 | ||||||
6. | "Can't Let Her Get Away" | Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley | 5:00 | ||||||
7. | "Heal the World" | Michael Jackson | 6:25 |
Side two (cassette)/Disc two (vinyl) | |||||||||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
8. | "Black or White" (featuring L.T.B.) | Michael Jackson; rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell | 4:16 | ||||||
9. | "Who Is It" | Michael Jackson | 6:34 | ||||||
10. | "Give In to Me" (featuring Slash) | Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell | 5:29 | ||||||
11. | "Will You Be There" (Theme from Free Willy) | Michael Jackson | 7:39 | ||||||
12. | "Keep the Faith" | Glen Ballard, Siedah Garrett, Michael Jackson | 5:57 | ||||||
13. | "Gone Too Soon" | Larry Grossman, Buz Kohan | 3:24 | ||||||
14. | "Dangerous" | Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley | 7:00 |
The 2001 Special Edition has the same track listing. It was re-packaged with the Dangerous – The Short Films DVD in a two disc set in 2008.
Alternative editions of the albums became very rare, products almost exclusive for record collectors. The most notable editions were a 1992 edition that folded out to become a diorama, a 1993 Japan remix compilation[16][17] and a 1993 Australia two-disc edition that contained bonus remixes.[18]
An international re-release of the album (entitled Dangerous: Special Edition) took place on October 16, 2001, just two weeks before the release of Jackson's studio album Invincible. Simultaneously, Special Editions of Off the Wall, Thriller and Bad were also released. For the occasion, Dangerous was digitally remastered and included a slipcase and a brand new 24-page colorful booklet with revised artwork and previously-unseen photos. The new edition managed to reach No. 108 in the UK charts (the only one of those four re-releases that didn't enter the Top 75 there). Because of the constraints of Dangerous' running time, previously unreleased songs were not included. Originally, Dangerous: Special Edition was to be released as a double disc release, the 1st disc featuring the original 14 track album, the 2nd filled with unreleased tracks. This project was scrapped at the last moment, however many of the tracks were eventually leaked onto the internet along with various demos of other tracks that appeared on the album. In 2004, some of these leaked tracks were officially released on The Ultimate Collection (namely the "Dangerous" [Early Version] and "Monkey Business").
Dangerous – The Remix Collection | ||||
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Cover front and back, with package labels |
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Remix album by Michael Jackson | ||||
Released | September 1993 | |||
Genre | Rock / Urban contemporary | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Michael Jackson chronology | ||||
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No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Black or White" (C&C House/Club Mix) | Michael Jackson; rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell | 7:33 |
2. | "Remember the Time" (New Jack Main Mix) | Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson, Bernard Belle | 5:06 |
3. | "Remember the Time" (a cappella) | Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson, Bernard Belle | 3:34 |
4. | "In the Closet" (Reprise) | Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley | 2:45 |
5. | "In the Closet" (The Underground Mix) | Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley | 5:47 |
6. | "Who Is It" (Lakeside Dub) | Michael Jackson | 6:38 |
7. | "Who Is It" (Moby's Raw Mercy Dub) | Michael Jackson | 8:59 |
8. | "Jam" (Silky 7") | Michael Jackson, René Moore, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley | 4:12 |
9. | "Jam" (Roger's Jeep Mix) | Michael Jackson, René Moore, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley | 6:03 |
10. | "Give In to Me" (vocal version) | Michael Jackson | 4:42 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Who Is It" (IHS Mix) | Michael Jackson | 7:58 |
2. | "Black or White" (The Clivillés & Cole House/Club Mix) | Michael Jackson; rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell | 7:33 |
3. | "Jam" (Teddy's Jam) | Michael Jackson, René Moore, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley | 5:48 |
4. | "In the Closet" (The Mission) | Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley | 9:20 |
5. | "Give In to Me" (vocal version) | Michael Jackson | 4:43 |
6. | "Remember the Time" (Silky Soul 12" Mix) | Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson, Bernard Belle | 7:05 |
7. | "Rock with You" (Masters at Work Remix) | Rod Temperton | 5:29 |
8. | "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" (Roger's Underground Remix) | Michael Jackson | 6:22 |
Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
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1993 | Dangerous | Best Engineered – Non Classical | Won |
"Black or White" | Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male | Nominated | |
"Jam" | Best R&B Vocal Performance – Male | Nominated | |
"Jam" | Best R&B Song | Nominated |
As was becoming the standard for Jackson, the album's music videos were among the most costly and innovative of their time. Several of the music videos taken from the Dangerous album had complex storylines and dance sequences, and featured cameo appearances by celebrities. The video for "Jam", directed by David Kellogg, showed Jackson and Michael Jordan playing basketball and dancing together, while "Remember the Time", directed by John Singleton, was set in an Ancient Egyptian palace, and starred Eddie Murphy, Magic Johnson and Iman. "In the Closet" featured Jackson and supermodel Naomi Campbell as lovers. The director of the video was photographer Herb Ritts, who also photographed Jackson in a series of promotional shots for the release of the Dangerous album. The video clip for "Who Is It" is notable as it was directed by David Fincher who later went on direct a number of films including Se7en, Fight Club and Zodiac. For the video "Give Into Me", Michael appears in a concert setting, featuring Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash.
"Black or White" was originally over ten minutes long, premiering simultaneously on November 14, 1991 on MTV, VH1, BET, and Fox. The video featured one of the earliest examples of computer-generated morphing. The last four minutes of the video also induced much controversy, as it depicted Jackson smashing store windows and destroying a car with a crowbar. Jackson said this destructive behaviour was intended to imply a message of anti-racism and racist graffiti was added in later versions to make the violence more understandable. The music video was also controversial because of Jackson's sexually suggestive dance, which included the crotch grab as well as zipping up his pants. MTV and the other music video networks decided to excise the last four minutes of the "Black or White" video for all subsequent airings, and Jackson issued a statement apologizing to anyone who had been offended, and explaining that he tried to interpret the animal instinct of panthers into a dance. The video featured Macaulay Culkin and an appearance during the morphing scene by young Tyra Banks and was directed by John Landis, also the director of the "Thriller" short film.
Region | Certification | Sales/shipments |
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Australia (ARIA)[20] | 10× Platinum | 700,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria)[21] | 4× Platinum | 200,000x |
Brazil (ABPD)[22] | Gold | 100,000* |
Canada (Music Canada)[23] | 6× Platinum | 600,000^ |
Finland (IFPI Finland)[24] | Platinum | 61,896[24] |
France (SNEP)[25] | Diamond | 1,000,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[26] | 4× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
Mexico (AMPROFON)[27] | 2× Platinum+Gold | 600,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI)[28] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
New Zealand (RIANZ)[29] | 6× Platinum | 90,000^ |
Sweden (GLF)[30] | 3× Platinum | 300,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[31] | 5× Platinum | 250,000x |
United Kingdom (BPI)[32] | 6× Platinum | 1,800,000^ |
United States (RIAA)[33] | 7× Platinum | 7,000,000^ |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
Year | Chart | Position |
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1991 | Billboard 200 | 1 |
Norwegian Albums Chart | ||
Australian ARIA Albums Chart | ||
Brazilian Top 100 Albums Chart | ||
UK Albums Chart | ||
1992 | Billboard 200 | |
Norwegian Albums Chart | ||
Australian ARIA Albums Chart | ||
Brazilian Top 100 Albums Chart | ||
German Albums Chart[34] | ||
1993 | New Zealand Albums Chart | |
2009 | Czech Albums Chart[35] | 2 |
Polish Albums Chart[36] | 6 | |
Mexican AMPROFON Top 100 Albums[37] | 6 | |
Brazil Top 10 CD ABPD[38] | 4 | |
2010 | Czech Albums Chart[35] | 39 |
Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
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U.S. Billboard 200[39] | 44 |
Preceded by Achtung Baby by U2 |
Billboard 200 number-one album December 14, 1991 – January 10, 1992 |
Succeeded by Nevermind by Nirvana |
Preceded by We Can't Dance by Genesis |
UK number one album November 30, 1991 – December 6, 1991 |
Succeeded by Greatest Hits II by Queen |
Preceded by Achtung Baby by U2 |
Australian ARIA Albums Chart number-one album December 8, 1991 – January 17, 1992 |
Succeeded by Soul Deep by Jimmy Barnes |
Preceded by Waking Up the Neighbours by Bryan Adams |
Swiss Albums Chart number-one album December 1, 1991 – December 21, 1991 |
Succeeded by Greatest Hits II by Queen |
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