"Remember the Time" is a song by the American singer and songwriterMichael Jackson. It was released byEpic Records on January 14, 1992, as the second single from Jackson's eighth album,Dangerous (1991). The song was written and composed byTeddy Riley, Jackson andBernard Belle, and produced by Riley and Jackson. The song's lyrics are written about remembering having fallen in love with someone.
"Remember the Time" was generally well-received by contemporary critics. The song was commercially successful, peaking at numbers two and three on the USCash Box Top 100 andBillboard Hot 100, and number one on theBillboardHot R&B Singles andTop 40/Mainstream charts. It is certified3× Platinum by theRecording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Internationally, the song was a Top-10 hit in nine countries, peaking at number one in New Zealand, number two in Spain and number three in the United Kingdom.
"Remember the Time" was written byTeddy Riley, Michael Jackson and Bernard Belle, and was produced by Riley and Jackson. It was recorded atRecord One studios. It was released as the second single fromMichael Jackson's eighth studio album,Dangerous, on January 14, 1992.[citation needed] The song's music was compared to Jackson's 1979 single, "Rock with You" from hisOff the Wall album.[7]
Co-writer Teddy Riley supposedly stated in a 1996Los Angeles Times interview that he was inspired to write the song after hearing Jackson describe "falling in love with the woman he just married". The article assumes he is referring toDebbie Rowe but Riley himself makes no mention of her.[8] In a 2011 reply to a fan onTwitter, Riley denied that the song was about Rowe.[9] Others have noted that when the single was originally released in 1992, Jackson dedicated the song toDiana Ross.[citation needed]
"Remember the Time" was rehearsed for theDangerous World Tour but was ultimately cut due to Jackson finding the extensive setlist too tiring, and worrying that performances of "Remember The Time" would not be up to par with the other songs in the concerts.[13] At the1993 Soul Train Music Awards, the song won the award for Best R&B/Soul Single – Male. Jackson appeared with an injured foot and on crutches, but was able to perform the song seated on the throne, surrounded by dancers.[14]
"Remember the Time" was generally well received by contemporary music critics. Chris Lacy from Albumism noted that "the warmth and nostalgia" of the song "harkens back to Jackson'sMotown roots".[15]Stephen Thomas Erlewine, a writer forAllMusic, commented thatDangerous had "plenty" of "professional craftsmanship at its peak" because of "such fine singles" like "In the Closet" and "Remember the Time".[16] Erlewine also listed it as being a highlight from the album.[16]Larry Flick fromBillboard magazine said the song "shows the King of Pop downplaying his signature whoops and shrieks in favor a decidedly soulful and affecting vocal performance. Insinuating new-jack grooves work well, encasing an immediately memorable hook."[17] A reviewer fromCashbox named it Pick of the Week, noting, "This smooth dance ballad sounds like it could have come from theOff the Wall album and has more of the mouth noise, whoops and hollers that we guess will take Mr. Jackson several more albums to out-grow."[18]
Pan-European magazineMusic & Media wrote that it is a "danceable multi-format smash, dedicated to his mentorDiana Ross."[19]Jon Pareles ofThe New York Times commented that "titles like 'Remember the Time', 'She Drives Me Wild' and 'Give In to Me'" tell the lyrics' "whole story—though they don't suggest the wretched tone he has when he sings them."[20] A writer fromPeople Magazine said that "the strength of this record stems from bouncy, up-tempo pop" like "Remember the Time".[21]Alan Light, a writer forRolling Stone, stated that he felt it was the "most lighthearted musical track on the album" and described the song's lyrics as telling of a "blissful romance only to ask, 'So why did it end?'"[22] Richard Harrington, a writer forThe Washington Post, described "Remember the Time" as being "wistful", commenting that he felt that the song featured Jackson's "least affected vocal performance" but that it "builds an engaging, radio-friendly momentum".[23]
"Remember the Time" peaked at number three on the USBillboard Hot 100 on March 7, 1992, seven weeks after the single release.[24] The song saw similar success on otherBillboard charts; topping theHot R&B Singles chart on March 7, and peaking at number two inDance Club Play chart on April 4, 1992, and number 15 inAdult Contemporary chart on March 21 in the same year.[24] The song also peaked at number two on theCash Box Top 100 andBillboardHot Dance Music/Maxi Singles Sales chart.[25] It was certified Gold by theRecording Industry Association of America for the shipment of over 500,000 units in the United States in March 1992, and later Triple Platinum in 2022.[26] The song saw similar commercial success internationally, charting within the top twenty positions in all major territories at the time of its release. In the United Kingdom, "Remember the Time" first entered the chart on February 15, 1992, placing at number six.[27] The following week, on February 22, the song charted at number three, where it peaked; the song remained on the chart for a total of eight weeks.[27]
"Remember the Time" topped the New Zealand chart for two consecutive weeks, having first entered the chart at number three on February 23.[28] It peaked at number four in the Netherlands and Switzerland.[29] The song also charted within the Top 10 on the French, Australian, Swedish, Italian, and Norwegian charts; peaking at numbers five, six, eight and ten.[29] It peaked at number 16 in Austria.[29] Having been re-issued for Jackson'sVisionary campaign in 2006, "Remember the Time" peaked at number two in Spain on the issue dated May 14, 2006.[30] After Jackson's death in June 2009, his music saw a surge in popularity.[31] In the United Kingdom, on the chart of July 11, the song re-entered at number 81.[27]
The accompanying music video for "Remember the Time" was filmed in January 1992 at theUniversal Studios Hollywoodbacklot.[32][33] Prior to the release of the video, Jackson's record label promoted it by releasing clips, as well as releasing behind the scenes clips of making the video.[7] The nine-minute video was promoted as a "short film".[7] It premiered on ABC, NBC,Fox,BET, andMTV on February 2, 1992, the Fox broadcast of Remember the Time recorded a Nielsen rating of 13.1.[4][34] After the video premiered on MTV, the channel aired a "rockumentary" called "More Dangerous Than Ever" which included glimpses of the making of the video.[7] Jackson's record label would not release the video's budget figures.[7] Directed byJohn Singleton and choreographed byFatima Robinson, the video was an elaborate production and became one of Jackson's longest videos at over nine minutes. It was set inancient Egypt and featured groundbreakingvisual effects and appearances byEddie Murphy,Iman,Magic Johnson,Tom "Tiny" Lister Jr. and Wylie Draper,[7] who portrayed Jackson as an older teenager and a young adult in the made-for-TV movieThe Jacksons: An American Dream.
Jackson appears in the video as a hooded wizard who enters an Egyptian palace and attempts to entertain the pharaohRamses the Great's bored wife,Nefertari (Iman). Two other entertainers had previously failed, and she has sent them to be executed. The queen sees that this wizard is different: instead of juggling or eating fire, he walks up the steps to her throne and sings to her, asking her if she "remembers the time" they were together. The pharaoh (Murphy) hardly appreciates this move and summons his guards. The wizard hides from the searching guards, secretly meets Nefertari and they kiss passionately. Then Jackson begins an elaborate, Egyptian-style choreography with the pharaoh's servants. When the guards find him, Jackson turns into golden sand. In the video, Jackson was dressed in a costume made of gold satin. He wore golden chain mail, a white skirt with a phallic dangling sash, black pants and black boots.[7] This video features a physically complicated dance routine that became the centerpiece of other videos from theDangerous album.
^Lecocq, Richard; Allard, François (2018)."Bad".Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England:Cassell.ISBN9781788400572.Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. RetrievedNovember 26, 2019.
^abNielsen Prime-Time Ratings For The Week. The Albany Herald.Here are the Primetime ratings compiled by Nielsen for Jan 27 to Feb 2. A rating point equals the percentage of the Nation's 92.1 Million TV Homes - Remember the Time - 13.1 Rating
^"Boyz II Men nab 3 awards at Soul Train".Variety. March 10, 1993.Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. RetrievedAugust 26, 2019.Jackson, suffering an ankle injury that confined him to a wheelchair and crutches, collected two awards during Tuesday night's ceremony at the Shrine Auditorium.
