Hollywood Tonight

"Hollywood Tonight"
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Michael
B-side "Behind the Mask" (Vinyl)
Released February 11, 2011
Format CD, 7", digital download
Recorded 1999–2007
Genre Contemporary R&B, funk rock, hip hop
Length 4:31
Label Epic
Writer(s) Michael Jackson
Brad Buxer
Teddy Riley (spoken bridge)
Producer Michael Jackson
Teddy Riley
Theron "Neff-U" Feemster (co-producer)
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Hold My Hand"
(2010)		 "Hollywood Tonight"
(2011)		 "Behind the Mask"
(2011)
Michael track listing
"Hold My Hand"
(1)		 "Hollywood Tonight"
(2)		 "Keep Your Head Up"
(3)
file info · help

"Hollywood Tonight" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson, included on his posthumous album, Michael. The song was released by Epic Records on February 11, 2011, as the second single from Michael. The spoken parts were performed by Jackson's nephew, Taryll Jackson and written by Teddy Riley. An accompanying music video was released on March 10, 2011. It features Algeria-born French dancer Sofia Boutella dressed in a Michael Jackson inspired outfit performing a routine with 60 dancers.

Contents

Background and release

The song was written by Michael Jackson during the time of the Invincible album. Michael pulled the track out of the archives in 2007 to work on the song with producer Theron "Neff-U" Feemster.[1] Jackson first put down a sketch of the lyrics in 1999, then he began working out the music with longtime friend and collaborator, Brad Buxer, who co-wrote the song. Over the next ten years, Jackson returned to the track numerous times. Jackson and Brad Buxer continued tinkering with it in Las Vegas in 2007. In October 2008, when Jackson lived in Los Angeles, he asked recording engineer Michael Prince to put the latest mix of the song on CD so he could listen to it and see what might be improved, but he never got around to working on it again.[2] Teddy Riley co-produced the song along with Theron "Neff-U" Feemster following Jackson's death. Riley also wrote a new bridge, performed by Taryll Jackson, that included different lyrics than those left by Jackson.[2]

On December 3, 2010, before the album Michael's release, talk show host and comedian Ellen DeGeneres premiered the song "Hollywood Tonight" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.[3] The song was released to radio stations as a single first in Italy on February 11, 2011.[4] And it was listed on BBC Radio 2's playlist A from February 12, 2011.[5] In Poland, the song was released on February 14, 2011.[6] In a later announcement from Jackson' official website, "Behind the Mask" will be released as the radio single in countries including the United States, Canada, Japan and France. "Hollywood Tonight" will be the single released to radio in the rest of the world.[7] But actually, the song was released in U.S. urban and urban AC radio stations on April 5, 2011,[8]

Reception

The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Teddy Riley, the producer said, "I was looking at just doing the next level of "Billie Jean" meets "Dangerous" or "Leave Me Alone." It's like one of those driving bass lines that you will remember." [9] Joe Vogel of The Huffington Post stated that the song was "definitely an album highlight. The song begins with a haunting Gothic church choir, before transforming into an energetic dance stomper", and "The track features Michael in a notably deeper voice, and concludes with military-style whistling".[10] Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly said the song "feels leaner and more urgent, crackling with Jackson’s trademark percussive shuffle and pop."[11] Dan Martin of NME called the album Michael "not as terrible as you may think", and "the worst thing you can say about "Hollywood Tonight" is that its catchy signature gets annoying after a while."[12] Jason Lipshutz, Gail Mitchell and Gary Graff from Billboard thought the song "sounds like Britney Spears' 'Lucky' crossed with Justin Timberlake's 'LoveStoned.'"[9] Neil McCormick of Daily Telegraph said, "it has the extraordinary confidence of a pop classic and presages an album that may well be Jackson's best work since his Eighties glory days." [1] Jim Farber of the Daily News praised "Hollywood Tonight" for exhibiting Jackson's "old verve."[13] Gerard McGarry of Shout! Music Magazine stated that "while this single doesn't quite touch on the greatness of classic Jackson tracks, it does recall that infectious disco groove that used to be his trademark. There's a strong 80's vibe to Hollywood Tonight - even the female dancer in the video looks like a young Brooke Shields, who Michael was linked to in the 80's."[14]

Negative review comes from Carl Cortez of Assignment X for the "throwback mix" on 7 inch single and music video, he said the mix is "a little sharper than the original, but again, the song really isn't all that good. Another previously unreleased B-side or even the original demo might have been more interesting."[15]

Chart performance

"Hollywood Tonight" was released as the second single from the album, Michael, in most territories. Due to the massive airplay on BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 38 on The UK Radio Airplay Chart on Week 7, 2011 (from February 13 to February 19, 2011), and peaked at number 35 on Week 8, 2011 (from February 20 to February 26, 2011).[16]

In the United States, the song debuted at number 89 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for the week ending April 16, 2011, marking Jackson's 52nd solo hit on this chart,[17] and peaked at number 60.[18] It debuted at number 36 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Songs chart for the week ending April 30, 2011,[19][20] and on June 11, 2011, it became Jackson's first number-one hit on the chart since his 1995 hit "Scream"[21][22] and his eighth overall as a solo artist.[23]

Music video

Jackson's official website announced a music video for "Hollywood Tonight". While expected originally to be released at the end of February, it was later pushed back to March 10, 2011. A 19-second sneak preview of the video was made available on Jackson's official Facebook page.[24] On March 10, as expected the full video[25] was released with a new mix called "Throwback Mix" featuring alternate demo vocals without autotune and sampling the beat of "Billie Jean".[26]

The director of "Hollywood Tonight" is Wayne Isham.[27] Isham directed Jackson's 1995 number-one hit "You Are Not Alone".[28] Shot at the sidewalk and street at the front of the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood, California.[29]

Led by Algerian-born French dancer Sofia Boutella,[27] her outfit was based on Jackson himself. More than 60 dancers performed a Jackson-inspired routine as seen in a video posted by TMZ. The video revolves around a young woman arriving in Hollywood, vying to become a known dancer.[28] The video included Jackson images and video clips throughout, including "Jam", "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough", "In the Closet", "Black or White" and "Billie Jean".[14]

Track listing

Korean CD Maxi Single (S10988C)[30] / EU Digital EP [31]
No. Title Length
1. "Hollywood Tonight" (Throwback Mix) 3:46
2. "Hollywood Tonight" (DJ Chuckie Radio Edit) 3:54
3. "Hollywood Tonight" (DJ Chuckie Remix) 6:02
4. "Hollywood Tonight" (Radio Edit) 3:46
Total length:
 16:48
EU 7" Single (34-788083 / 88697880837)[32]
No. Title Length
1. "Hollywood Tonight" (Throwback Mix) 3:46
2. "Behind the Mask" (Radio Edit) 3:36
Total length:
 7:22
EU CD Single Epic 88697902982 (Sony)/ EAN 0886979029828 [33][34]
No. Title Length
2. "Hollywood Tonight" (Throwback Mix) 3:48
3. "Hollywood Tonight" (DJ Chuckie Remix) 5:58
Total length:
 6:06

Official Versions

Charts

Chart (2011) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip 50 Wallonia)[35] 5
Belgium (Ultratip 50 Flanders)[35] 16
German Singles Chart[36] 55
Polish Dance Chart (ZPAV)[37] 19
UK Singles Chart[38] 152
UK Radio Airplay Chart 35
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs[18] 60
US Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs[18] 1
Preceded by
"Original Sin" by INXS Featuring Rob Thomas & Introducing DJ Yaleidys		 Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one single
June 11, 2011		 Succeeded by
"Fade" by Kristine W

Release history

Country Date Format
Italy April 8, 2011[39] Digital Single
February 11, 2011[4] Radio airplay, digital download
United Kingdom CD single (promo), Radio airplay
April 10, 2011[31] Digital Single
April 16, 2011[32] 7" Single
April 26, 2011[40] CD single
Poland[6] February 14, 2011 Radio airplay, digital download
Spain[41] March 8, 2011
China[42][43] March 22, 2011
Sweden[44] March 10, 2011
Korea[45]
Korea[30] March 31, 2011 CD single
United States[8] April 5, 2011 Urban airplay
Germany April 8, 2011[46][47] Digital Single
April 15, 2011[48] CD single

Personnel

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Michael Jackson's new single confirmed as 'Hollywood Tonight'". Music-news.com. Jan 26, 2011. http://www.music-news.com/shownews.asp?nItemID=38911. Retrieved 2011-02-20. 
  2. ^ a b Vogel, Joe (2011-03-14). "Exclusive: Inside Michael Jackson's "Hollywood"". The Huffington Post. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/inside-michael-jacksons-h_b_834857.html. Retrieved 2011-03-20. 
  3. ^ "Ellen Debuts New Michael Jackson Song "Hollywood Tonight". SoulCulture. December 4, 2010. http://www.soulculture.co.uk/blogs/music-blog/newmusic/ellen-debuts-new-michael-jackson-song-hollywood-tonight-video/. Retrieved 2011-02-20. 
  4. ^ a b ""Hollywood Tonight": il nuovo singolo di Michael Jackson in radio dall'11 febbraio". michaeljackson.com. Feb 3,2011. http://www.michaeljackson.com/it/news/hollywood-tonight-il-nuovo-singolo-di-michael-jackson-radio-dall11-febbraio. Retrieved Feb 20,2011. 
  5. ^ "BBC Radio 2 Playlist". http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/music/playlist/. Retrieved 2011-02-12. 
  6. ^ a b "‘Hollywood Tonight’ drugim singlem z płyty ‘MICHAEL’". michaeljackson.com. http://www.michaeljackson.com/pl/news/%E2%80%98hollywood-tonight%E2%80%99-drugim-singlem-z-p%C5%82yty-%E2%80%98michael%E2%80%99. 
  7. ^ "New Michael Jackson Singles Coming From The Global #1 Album "Michael"". Michaeljackson.com. 2011-02-27. http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/new-michael-jackson-singles-coming-global-1-album-michael. Retrieved 2011-02-28. 
  8. ^ a b "Urban/UAC Future Releases - R&B, Hip Hop, Release Schedule and Street Dates". All Access. 2011-03-18. Archived from the original on 2011-03-27. http://www.webcitation.org/5xUbZelpo. Retrieved 2011-03-18. 
  9. ^ a b Lipshutz, Jason; Mitchell, Gail; Graff, Gary (December 8, 2010). "Michael Jackson's 'Michael' Track-By-Track". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/features/michael-jackson-s-michael-track-by-track-1004133939.story. Retrieved 2011-02-11. 
  10. ^ "Joe Vogel: Is Michael Really Michael? A Review of the King of Pop's New Album". Huffingtonpost.com. 2010-12-04. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/joe-vogel/is-michael-really-michael_b_791987.html. Retrieved 2011-02-20. 
  11. ^ Leah Greenblatt (2011-12-08). "Music Review: Michael". Entertainment Weekly. http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20447912,00.html. Retrieved 2011-02-11. 
  12. ^ Martin, Dan (December 4, 2010). "Album review: Michael Jackson – 'Michael' (Epic)". NME. http://www.nme.com/reviews/michael-jackson/11762. Retrieved 2011-02-20. 
  13. ^ Farber, Jim (2010-12-13). "Michael". Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music/2010/12/13/2010-12-13_michael_jacksons_michael_review_first_full_album_since_king_of_pops_death_isnt_c.html. Retrieved 2011-02-20. 
  14. ^ a b McGarry, Gerard (2011-04-11). "Michael Jackson - Hollywood Tonight - Single review". unrealityshout.com. http://unrealityshout.com/blogs/michael-jackson-hollywood-tonight-single-review. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  15. ^ Cortez, Carl (2011-04-20). "Single Review: MICHAEL JACKSON – "Behind the Mask" 7 inch (Record Day 2011 Exclusive)". Assignment X. http://www.assignmentx.com/2011/single-review-michael-jackson-behind-the-mask-7-inch-record-day-2011-exclusive/. Retrieved 2011-05-28. 
  16. ^ "The UK Radio Airplay Chart". 2011-02-19. http://www.ukairplaychart.com/c/?export=&action=&chart_type=&country=&group=&channel_id=&show_feeds=&range=weekly&length=100. Retrieved 2011-03-05. 
  17. ^ "Ask Billboard: StarGate, Michael Jackson, Pia Toscano - Chart Beat". Billboard. 2011-04-08. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-stargate-michael-jackson-pia-1005123702.story#/column/chartbeat/ask-billboard-stargate-michael-jackson-pia-1005123702.story?page=2. Retrieved 2011-04-11. 
  18. ^ a b c "Michael Jackson Music News & Info". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/artist/michael-jackson/4902#/artist/michael-jackson/4902. Retrieved 2011-04-14. 
  19. ^ "Chart Highlights: Pop, Country Songs & More - Chart Beat". Billboard.com. 2011-04-18. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-pop-country-songs-more-1005141302.story#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-pop-country-songs-more-1005141302.story. Retrieved 2011-04-18. 
  20. ^ "Michael Jackson: ‘Hollywood Tonight’ #36* Billboard Hot Shot Debut". promotion-us.com. 2011-04-20. http://blog.promotion-us.com/michael-jackson-hollywood-tonight-36-billboard-hot-shot-debut. Retrieved 2011-05-17. 
  21. ^ "Chart Highlights: Pop Songs, Adult Contemporary & More - Chart Beat". Billboard.com. 2011-05-30. http://www.billboard.com/#/column/chartbeat/chart-highlights-pop-songs-adult-contemporary-1005207432.story. Retrieved 2011-05-31. 
  22. ^ "Michael Jackson: Hollywood Tonight #1 Billboard Dance Chart!". promotion-us.com. 2011-05-31. http://blog.promotion-us.com/michael-jackson-hollywood-tonight-1-billboard-dance-chart. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
  23. ^ Trust, Gary (2011-05-31). "Hooray For 'Hollywood': Michael Jackson Tops Dance/Club Play Songs". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/column/chartbeat/hooray-for-hollywood-michael-jackson-tops-1005208332.story. Retrieved 2011-06-01. 
  24. ^ "Hollywood Tonight Music Video Teaser on Facebook". Sony Music. facebook.com. 2011-03-05. http://www.facebook.com/michaeljackson?v=app_11007063052. Retrieved 2011-03-05. 
  25. ^ "Michael Jackson - Hollywood Tonight Official Video". via Youtube. mymusicplug.com. http://mymusicplug.com/m/michael-jackson-hollywood-tonight-official-video/. Retrieved 10 March 2011. 
  26. ^ "Michael Jackson: Hollywood Tonight (Throwback Mix)". promotion-us.com. 2011-05-12. http://blog.promotion-us.com/michael-jackson-hollywood-tonight-throwback-mix. Retrieved 2011-05-12. 
  27. ^ a b "Watch The Making of Hollywood Tonight - The Official Michael Jackson Site". michaeljackson.com. 2011-03-24. http://www.michaeljackson.com/us/news/watch-making-hollywood-tonight. Retrieved 2011-03-25. 
  28. ^ a b "Hollywood Tonight Video - The Official Michael Jackson Site". Sony Music Entertainment. michaeljackson.com. 2011-03-11. http://www.michaeljackson.com/uk/news/hollywood-tonight-video. Retrieved 2011-03-11. 
  29. ^ "MJ Music Video Shoot Takes Over Hollywood". TMZ.com. 2011-02-22. http://www.tmz.com/2011/02/22/michael-jackson-music-video-shoot-hollywood-tonight-sony-song-film/. Retrieved 2011-02-25. 
  30. ^ a b "Michael Jackson : Hollywood Tonight (Maxi Single) - 소니뮤직". 2011-03-31. http://www.sonymusic.co.kr/music/album.asp?albumid=105156. Retrieved 2011-04-01. 
  31. ^ a b "Hollywood Tonight: Michael Jackson: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004UXFHXS/. Retrieved 2011-04-05. 
  32. ^ a b "Michael Jackson - Hollywood Tonight - Vintage Vinyl Records". VVinyl. http://www.vvinyl.com/v/michael-jackson-hollywood-tonight/1374. Retrieved 2011-03-20. 
  33. ^ "dutchcharts.nl - Michael Jackson - Hollywood Tonight". dutchcharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Michael+Jackson&titel=Hollywood+Tonight&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-04-16. 
  34. ^ "Jackson,Michael - Hollywood Tonight - 5 Zoll Single CD (2-Track) SGL-CD - musicline.de". http://www.musicline.de/de/product/886979029828/Jackson%2CMichael/Hollywood+Tonight/2664964/5+Zoll+Single+CD+%282-Track%29+SGL-CD.html. Retrieved 2011-04-01. 
  35. ^ a b "ultratop.be - Michael Jackson - Hollywood Tonight". ultratop.be. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Michael+Jackson&titel=Hollywood+Tonight&cat=s. Retrieved 2011-04-01. 
  36. ^ "Michael Jackson - Hollywood Tonight - Music Charts". acharts.us. http://acharts.us/song/62818. Retrieved 2011-04-29. 
  37. ^ "Dance Chart :: Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. 2011-06-16. http://zpav.pl/rankingi/listy/dyskoteki/index.php?idlisty=398. Retrieved 2011-09-22. 
  38. ^ "CHART: CLUK Update 23.04.2011 (wk14)". zobbel.de. 2011-04-23. http://www.zobbel.de/cluk/110423cluk.txt. Retrieved 2011-08-16. 
  39. ^ "Hollywood Tonight - EP di Michael Jackson - Scarica Hollywood Tonight - EP su iTunes". iTunes. 2011-04-08. http://itunes.apple.com/it/album/hollywood-tonight-ep/id429901636. Retrieved 2011-04-09. 
  40. ^ "Hollywood Tonight: Michael Jackson: Amazon.co.uk: Music". amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B004TINSSK. Retrieved 2011-04-11. 
  41. ^ "HOY SE LANZA "HOLLYWOOD TONIGHT", EL NUEVO SINGLE DE MICHAEL JACKSON". The Official Michael Jackson Site. MichaelJackson.com. 2011-03-08. http://www.michaeljackson.com/es/news/hoy-se-lanza-hollywood-tonight-el-nuevo-single-de-michael-jackson. Retrieved 2011-03-10. 
  42. ^ "2011年3月22日Hit FM独家首播Hollywood Tonight-Michael Jackson". Hit FM. Kaixin001.com. 2011-03-22. http://www.kaixin001.com/home/?uid=46404901. Retrieved 2011-03-22. 
  43. ^ "HIT FM - PLAYING THE HOTTEST HITS". Hit FM. Myspace. http://hitfm.myspace.cn/music.php?p=newbuzz. Retrieved 2011-03-22. 
  44. ^ "Äntligen kan vi presentera videon till "Hollywood Tonight"!". The Official Michael Jackson Site. MichaelJackson.com. 2011-03-10. http://www.michaeljackson.com/se/news/%C3%A4ntligen-kan-vi-presentera-videon-till-hollywood-tonight. Retrieved 2011-03-13. 
  45. ^ "Michael Jackson : Hollywood Tonight (Single) - 소니뮤직". Sony Music Korea. sonymusic.co.kr. 2011-03-10. http://www.sonymusic.co.kr/music/album.asp?albumid=105008. Retrieved 2011-03-13. 
  46. ^ "Hollywood Tonight: Michael Jackson: Amazon.de: MP3-Downloads". Amazon.de. http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004UVBS0G. Retrieved 2011-08-16. 
  47. ^ "Hollywood Tonight: Michael Jackson: Amazon.de: MP3-Downloads". Amazon.de. http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004UVBRM0. Retrieved 2011-08-16. 
  48. ^ "Hollywood Tonight: Michael Jackson: Amazon.de: Musik". amazon.de. http://www.amazon.de/dp/B004TINSSK. Retrieved 2011-04-01. 
Michael Jackson singles
Got to Be There
Ben
"Ben"
Music & Me
Forever, Michael
The Wiz
Off the Wall
Thriller
We Are the World
Bad
Dangerous
HIStory
Blood on the Dance Floor
Invincible
"You Rock My World" · "Cry" · "Butterflies" · "Speechless" (promo only)
Single for the 9/11
"What More Can I Give" (digital download)
Number Ones
The Ultimate Collection
Thriller 25
This Is It
"This Is It" (radio only)
Michael
"Breaking News" (promo only) · "Hold My Hand" · "Hollywood Tonight" · "Behind the Mask" · "(I Like) The Way You Love Me"
Immortal
Book · Category · Portal · WikiProject