| "Black or White" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single byMichael Jackson | ||||
| from the albumDangerous | ||||
| Released | November 4, 1991 (1991-11-04)[1] | |||
| Recorded | 1989–1990[2] | |||
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| Genre | ||||
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| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
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| Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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| Music videos | ||||
| "Black or White" (Short version) onYouTube | ||||
| "Black or White" (Long version) onYouTube | ||||
| Audio sample | ||||
"Black or White" is a song by American singer and songwriterMichael Jackson, released byEpic Records on November 4, 1991, as the first single from Jackson's eighth album,Dangerous (1991). Jackson wrote, composed, and produced the track with record producerBill Bottrell, who provides an uncredited rap performance. Epic Records described it as "a rock 'n' roll dance song about racial harmony".
"Black or White" reached number one on the USBillboard Hot 100 on December 7, 1991, the fastest to reach the position sincethe Beatles' 1969 single "Get Back". It stayed at the position for seven weeks, making Jackson the first artist to have multiple number-one songs on theBillboard Hot 100 in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. In addition to having receivedtriple Platinum certification by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA), "Black or White" reached number one on the charts of at least 20 countries and territories, including the UK, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Zimbabwe and theEurochart Hot 100. It was the best-selling single worldwide of 1992.[3]
The music video was directed byJohn Landis, who had previously directed Jackson's 1983 music video forThriller, and featuredMacaulay Culkin,Another Bad Creation,Tess Harper, andGeorge Wendt. It was co-choreographed by Jackson andVincent Paterson. It premiered simultaneously in 69 countries on November 14, 1991, with an audience of 500 million viewers, the most ever for a music video. It premiered onMTV,BET,VH1, andFox, which gave them their highestNielsen ratings ever at the time, as well as theBBC'sTop of the Pops in the UK.[4]
"Black or White" won the inauguralBillboard No. 1 World Single award.[3] In 2003,Q named "Black or White" the 84th best song of all time.[5]
"Black or White" was written and recorded over 18 months starting in early 1989.Michael Jackson hired producerBill Bottrell to help him craft a new sound, one that would shift his style away from his earlier work withQuincy Jones. Bottrell had already worked with Jackson onVictory (1984) andBad (1987), the latter collaboration performed atHayvenhurst, Jackson's estate inEncino, California. Jackson invited Bottrell to join him in producing and composing songs atOcean Way Studios in Los Angeles in late 1988, but none of the material from several weeks of sessions there made it to the album. In early 1989, the project was moved toWestlake Audio in West Hollywood, and one of the first things Jackson did was to hum the main riff of "Black or White" to Bottrell, who interpreted the tune on guitar, using aKramer American Series electric guitar plugged into aMesa Boogie amplifier, miked with aBeyerdynamic M 160. Jackson also suggested the song's rhythm with his voice, and Bottrell programmed this rhythm into anE-mu Systems drum machine. Bottrell augmented the pattern with samples from anEmulator III. HisAtari computer ran aMIDI editing program by Hybrid Arts; Bottrell andBrad Buxer used the program to tweak the percussion timings to give more of aswing feel. Jackson recorded his main and backing vocals into aNeumann U47 microphone. Bottrell said that throughout the next 18 months of changes to the song, Jackson's initialscratch vocal was left in place, and it appears on the final version.[6]
After two days of work, the song had vocals, drum sounds, and electric guitar. Bottrell added an acoustic guitar part using aGibson LG-2 built in the 1940s, a robust model with a bigcountry sound reminiscent ofGene Vincent's classicrockabilly style. Jackson became busy working on other projects, and "Black or White" languished for a few months. The song was picked up again when Bottrell's part of the album project moved toRecord One in Sherman Oaks. Bottrell and Jackson felt that the song had two big gaps in the middle, and they determined to fill them. Jackson wanted aheavy metal guitar to fill one of the gaps, so he sang the part he wanted, including chord arpeggiations, to session playerTim Pierce who performed it on aLes Paul plugged into aMarshall stack.Michael Boddicker added the sound of a high-speed guitar by using aRoland sequencer, assisted byKevin Gilbert. Bottrell blended two different bass sounds, primarilyBryan Loren playing aMoogkeyboard bass, augmented by Terry Jackson playing an electricbass guitar. (Terry Jackson was unrelated to Michael Jackson. Terry was discovered byThomas Dolby, and played bass in 1988 onAliens Ate My Buick, co-produced by Bottrell.) Bottrell replaced some of the E-mu default rhythm samples with live drum samples taken from anAkai machine.[6]
For most of the recording process, Jackson left Bottrell alone to work on various ideas. Bottrell wanted a section ofrapping to fill the remaining gap, and he suggestedLL Cool J orHeavy D, but these proposals did not work out. Bottrell said he had been trying to get someone to write a rap verse for eight months when he was suddenly inspired to write it himself. He recorded Loren performing the rap, but Loren was not at ease in the role. Bottrell recorded it himself several times, editing one of these takes to use as a demonstration for Jackson. Upon hearing the take, Jackson wanted it for the final version. Bottrell pleaded again that they should get a "real rapper", but Jackson insisted on Bottrell's take.[6]
The final polishing of the song involved Bottrell filling a keyboard with various sampled electric guitar notes, and bringing his friendJasun Martz to play it, taking advantage of Martz's fresh ears and rock sensibility. For the final mix, Bottrell was frustrated by theSolid State Logic (SSL) mixer atLarrabee Sound Studios, which sounded good on the heavy metal guitar, but made the classic guitars seem "too cold and clinical". He ended up using theNeve mixer at Record One to mix the majority of the song, and the SSL for the rap and heavy metal sections. Original tracks were recorded on twoStuder 24-track 2-inch analog tape machines, and a compilation of these was laid down on aMitsubishiProDigi 32-trackdigital audio tape deck.[6]
Thepop rock[7][8][9] song has elements ofdance,rap andhard rock music such as Bill Bottrell's guitars and Jackson's vocal style. Sheet music for "Black or White" shows the key ofE major with Jackson's vocal spanning from E3 to E♭6. Its tempo is measured at 115BPM.[10][11][12][13][14][15]
The song's main guitar riff, originally played by Bottrell, is often incorrectly attributed toGuns N' Roses guitaristSlash. Slash's guitar playing is actually heard in the skit that precedes the album version of the song,[16][17] and he did play the main riff during severallive performances of the song (plus several other songs), including at Jackson's appearance during the 1991 MTV 10th Anniversary show. The two teamed up for an energized performance of “Black or White”, after which Slash destroyed his guitar by throwing it into the dashboard of a prop car on stage, complete with explosives and fireworks.[18]
"Black or White" was picked as the first single from the albumDangerous. An alternate version was first heard by Sony executives on a plane trip to Neverland, as the third track of thepromotional CDacetate. It began to be promoted on radio stations the first week of November 1991 in New York and Los Angeles.[19][20] "Black or White" was officially released one week later, on November 5, 1991.[20]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [21] |
Reviews of the song were generally favorable. In a retrospective review, Chris Lacy from Albumism stated that it "merges classic rock with soulful crooning in a call for racial unity."[22]Stephen Thomas Erlewine ofAllMusic highlighted the song.[23] Upon the release,Larry Flick fromBillboard magazine described it as a "surprisingly sparse, but instantly gratifyingpop/rocker that reveals his grittiest and most affecting performance in years." He noted further that the guitar appearance bySlash andrap cameo byBill Bottrell is "purely incidental".[9] Clark and DeVaney fromCashbox stated, "The unmistakeable voice and style are street-hip and slick, with a catchy melody and some untraditional acoustic guitar work. There is just a hint of bothGeorge Michael andPrince in the production."[24]David Browne fromEntertainment Weekly praised the song, adding, "He still knows how to fashion a hook that will take up permanent residence in your brain (away from its video,Black or White is spare and effortless)."[25] Alan Jones fromMusic Week named it Pick of the Week, commenting, "A bit of patchwork quilt, and something of a disappointment on first hearing, but ultimately it reveals itself as a killer, adding up to far more than sum of its parts. This will go all the way."[26] A reviewer fromPeople magazine stated that "the simple, spry rock riffs" that power the song is "surprisingly effective".[27] In hisDangerous review,Rolling Stone'sAlan Light compared Slash's guitar on the album unfavourably to the guitar in "Beat It": "Neither this slow-burn solo [in 'Give In to Me'] nor theStones-derived riff on 'Black or White' offers the catharsis ofEddie Van Halen's blazing break on 'Beat It'".[28] Ted Shaw fromThe Windsor Star felt the song "is quite remarkable, a nearly perfect pop confection", adding, "It is the best thing Jackson has produced sinceThriller.[29] ThePazz & Jop critics' poll ranked "Black or White" at number 19.[30] In 1992, Larry Flick commented on the remixes of the song, "Thanks to deft postproduction byDavid Cole andRobert Clivillés, the cut kicks a potent groove that nicely complements the original tune's kinetic pop/rock nature."[31]
To prepare the audience for the special occasion of the televised premiere of the "Black or White" video, Epic Records released the song (without the accompanying images) to radio stations just two days in advance. In a 24-hour period, "Black or White", described by the record company as "a rock 'n' roll dance song about racial harmony", had been added to the playlists of 96 percent of 237 of the United States'Top 40 radio stations.[32]
"Black or White" entered the USBillboard Hot 100 at number 35.[33] A week later it shot up to number three, and in its third week, December 7, 1991, it ascended to number one, making it the fastest chart topper sincethe Beatles' "Get Back", which also won the Hot 100 in just three weeks in 1969.[33][34] It closed the year at number one and remained at the top of the singles chart into 1992 for a total of seven weeks, making Michael Jackson the first artist to have number one popular hits in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.[34] The single also topped the USCash Box Top 100. In the UK, it became the first single by an American to go into the singles chart at number one since 1960, when "It's Now or Never" byElvis Presley did in the same manner.[33] Around the world, "Black or White" hit number one in 20 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and theEurochart Hot 100, number two in Germany and Austria and number three in the Netherlands.[33][34][35] Previously, "Billie Jean" and "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" had each been number one in nine countries. The single wascertified platinum in the US, selling over one million copies and becoming the second-best-selling single of the year.[32][34] As of August 2018, the song has further been certified as two-time platinum for digital sales.[36]
TheClivillés & Cole remixes for "Black or White", released as a promotional single in 1992, also charted on many European countries. In the UK, it reached number 14, and in Ireland, number 11. The promotional single also peaked at number 18 in Australia.[37] Despite the favorable European response to this remix, it was never included on a Michael Jackson album or compilation, except on the third disc of the French & UK versions of Jackson's greatest hits albumKing of Pop.
The accompanying music video for "Black or White" was directed by American directorJohn Landis, who previously directed the"Thriller" music video (1983). It was filmed from late September to early October 1991.[38] It was choreographed by Jackson and Vincent Paterson. It contains aDolby Surround sound mix.
Along with Jackson, the video featuresMacaulay Culkin,Tess Harper, andGeorge Wendt[39] pictured as a family unit in the opening scene, which theLos Angeles Times criticized as "almost exactly a replay" of the 1984Twisted Sister video for "We're Not Gonna Take It".[40] The dance scene with the Native Americans shown in the video was filmed atVasquez Rocks Natural Area Park inAgua Dulce, California.[38] The Native American dancers were organized by Jackson's schoolfriendJoanelle Romero, founder of theRed Nation International Film Festival, featuring her daughter Sage as child dancer.[41] The Native American dancers used their own traditional wardrobe and became the first Native Americans in a non-Native American music video.[42] The production enabled Romero to become an established producer.[42] The scene where Michael Jackson and a dancer appear on the freeway was filmed at 11779 Sheldon Street inSun Valley, Los Angeles.[38][43] The visual effects used to morph faces into one another had previously been used only in films such asWillow andTerminator 2: Judgment Day. Themorphing visual effects were created byPacific Data Images.[33]
The video premiered simultaneously in 27 countries, and it was circulated to news media that it had been seen by over 500 million people.[45][46] It premiered onMTV,BET,VH1, andFox (giving them their highestNielsen ratings ever at the time)[47] as well as theBBC'sTop of the Pops in the UK[48] on November 14, 1991.[45]
The video begins with a boy (Macaulay Culkin) dancing to rock music in his bedroom. His father (George Wendt) yells at him to turn it off and go to bed. The boy retaliates by playing an electric guitar loudly enough to fire his father into space, after which he lands in Africa.[47]
Jackson performs "Black or White"[45] with dancers from different cultures, including AfricanZulu hunters,traditional Thai dancers,Plains Native Americans,Sri Lankan TamilOdissi dancerYamuna Sangarasivam,[49] andHopak dancers. Jackson walks defiantly through visual collages of fire (declaring "I ain't scared of no sheets; I ain't scared of nobody"), referring toKKK torch ceremonies. Culkin and other children (including Michael's niece Brandi;Wade Robson; and Mark Pugh and David Shelton ofAnother Bad Creation) perform the rap sequence.[45] The group states, "I'm not gonna spend my life being a color." Jackson performs atop theStatue of Liberty, surrounded by other world landmarks.[50] At the end of the video, people of different ethnicities and nationalities dance and morph into one another.[50] A youngTyra Banks can be seen in this sequence.[51]
In the extended version of the music video, after the song, a black panther walks out of the studio into an urban street and transforms into Jackson, who dances furiously, similar to the 1990LA Gear commercial. He destroys a glass beer bottle, a building window, and a parked car.[52] He tears off his shirt and screams with grand drama as the neon sign of a hotel shoots sparks and then falls. After his damage and rampage, he re-emerges as a panther. Finally,Bart Simpson fromThe Simpsons jams to the song while watching it on the TV.Homer yells at him to "Turn off that noise!" Bart replies, "Chill out, Homeboy." Then, Homer angrily turns the TV off. The static then cuts to a close-up of Jackson with the tagline "Prejudice is ignorance".[52][53]
Controversy was generated concerning the last four minutes of the original music video. Ablack panther walks out of the studio and then morphs into Jackson.[45] Then he walks outside to perform some of his most physically slick dance moves, in a similar way to "Billie Jean". This part contained sexually suggestive scenes when Jackson starts to grab his crotch,[47] and then zips his pants up. In the original version, Jackson is seen smashing windows,[47] destroying a car with his arm and a crowbar, destroying windows with a steering wheel and a trash can, and causing an inn (called the "Royal Arms Hotel") to explode.[45]
Jackson was sharply criticized for the final scene, especially byEntertainment Weekly which ran a featured article titled "Michael Jackson's Video Nightmare".[44] Concerns over its content had preceded its release: in the United Kingdom, around thirty seconds of the sequence were edited out of the video for its BBC premiere.[46] Jackson asked his fans for forgiveness, saying that the violent and suggestive behavior had been a dance-style interpretation of the animalistic instincts of a panther.[45] Jackson ordered the removal of the video's final scenes from subsequent broadcasts. In 1993, Jackson released a digitally altered version of the final scenes, with the glass windows smashed now marred with racist and anti-Semitic graffiti: the car windows display offensive messages with racial epithets such as "Nigger Go Home" (styled as NI66eR 6O HOMe), "No MoreWetbacks", "Hitler Lives", and a storefront door is spray-painted with "KKK Rules". These alterations gave new reasoning for Jackson's destruction of property.[44]
Side one
Side two
Side one
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| Side two
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In 1991,"Weird Al" Yankovic recorded a parody of "Black or White" titled "Snack All Night", which was never released. Although Jackson was a long-time supporter of Yankovic's work and had approved past parodies, he told Yankovic that he was reluctant to approve a parody of "Black or White" because of the message of the song.[60] Yankovic believes that Jackson's rejection of the parody was ultimately for the best, because he was unsatisfied with the quality of the song and its scrapping left room on his next album for "Smells Like Nirvana", one of his biggest hits.[60] As with other rejected parodies, Yankovic has performed "Snack All Night" during his concerts.[61]
The music video, particularly the panther segment, has been referenced or parodied by television shows and artists, notably bySaturday Night Live (where Jackson was portrayed byChris Rock) andIn Living Color (whereas Jackson was portrayed byTommy Davidson). ComedianChris Rock joked that he was angry because Jackson had smashed his car.[44] In 1991, English rock bandGenesis parodied the "Black or White" video during the ending of their video for "I Can't Dance", in which memberPhil Collins imitates Michael Jackson's "panther" fit in front of a stark white background.[62] In 2012, the television showGlee covered the song in the episode "Michael", it features primary voices fromKevin McHale,Lea Michele,Chris Colfer,Amber Riley andNaya Rivera, and backing vocals from the rest of the cast.Jenna Ushkowitz andDarren Criss are not featured in the song or the performance. This cover debuted and peaked at number 64 on theBillboard Hot 100, number 42 at BillboardDigital Songs, and number 69 at BillboardCanadian Hot 100 chart at the week of February 18, 2012.[63]
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
Decade-end charts[edit]
|
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[134] | 2× Platinum | 140,000^ |
| Canada (Music Canada)[135] | 3× Platinum | 240,000‡ |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[136] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
| France (SNEP)[137] | Silver | 125,000* |
| Germany (BVMI)[138] | Gold | 250,000^ |
| Italy (FIMI)[139] | Gold | 35,000‡ |
| Japan (RIAJ)[140] Full-length ringtone | Gold | 100,000* |
| New Zealand (RMNZ)[141] | 2× Platinum | 60,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[142] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[144] Physical | Silver | 530,000[143] |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[145] Digital | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
| United States (RIAA)[146] | 3× Platinum | 3,000,000‡ |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. | ||
| Region | Version | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Australia | Original | November 4, 1991 |
| Epic | [1] |
| United Kingdom | November 11, 1991 |
| [147] | ||
| United States | November 12, 1991 | Radio | [148] | ||
| Japan | November 21, 1991 | Mini-CD | [149] | ||
| United Kingdom | Clivillés & Cole remixes | January 6, 1992 |
| [150] | |
| Australia | January 20, 1992 |
| [151] | ||
| Japan | March 25, 1992 | CD | [152] |
"The $4 million video — which the folks at Sony and in Jackson's camp prefer to call a short film — was to be beamed out to 230 million households in 69 countries during the course of the day."
En "Black or white"... el resultado es una mezcla de hard rock, dance y rap
Surplus City Jeep Parts" "The Wild Life" "Commando" "Black or White
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Regardless, Fox and Jackson's deal commences Thursday (14)—two days after ['Black or White'] goes to radio...
