Earth Song
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| “Earth Song” | |||||
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| Single by Michael Jackson from the album HIStory |
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| Released |  November 27, 1995 |
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| Format | CD single | ||||
| Recorded | 1990 | ||||
| Genre | R&B, Pop, Ballad | ||||
| Length | 6:46 (Album Version) 4:58 (Radio Edit) |
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| Label | Epic Records | ||||
| Writer(s) | Michael Jackson | ||||
| Producer | Michael Jackson David Foster Bill Bottrell |
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| Michael Jackson singles chronology | |||||
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| Michael Jackson's Visionary chronology | |||||
| "You Are Not Alone" (2006) |
"Earth Song" (2006) |
"They Don't Care About Us" (2006) |
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| HIStory track listing | |||||
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"Earth Song" is a song by Michael Jackson featured on Jackson's 1995 HIStory album. The song's music video depicts the Earth being destroyed by humans, and alludes to environmental and poverty issues in the world. The visuals present the destruction of rainforests by loggers, majestic animals killed by poachers, and a North American forest burnt to stumps. The video also shows the devastation of 1990s aggressions between Bosnia and Bosniaks returning to their shattered homes. The video's scene was recorded in Croatia, due to instability in Bosnia at the time. The video includes stock footage of the Serbian army shelling of Bosnian villages. In the end, Michael and all the suffering native peoples depicted cry, kneel, and dig into the dirt, which magically triggers the world to swirl backwards in time, returning everything to its original, peaceful state.
When it was released in December of 1995, it debuted at number #1 in the United Kingdom, where it remained for the next 6 consecutive weeks, becoming the Christmas number-one single of 1995, and the first #1 of 1996 [1]. It would become Jackson's most successful single release in the United Kingdom to date, achieving sales in excess of 1 million there, and remained on the UK Singles Chart for 19 weeks in total. The single sold 3.15 million copies worldwide, making it Jackson's fourth most successful single in terms of sales. It wasn't released as a single in the US, but as a b-side to the promotional single This Time Around. [1]
However, some critics considered both the song and the video to be pompous and overbearing, a charge repeated by Jarvis Cocker as a partial explanation for his invasion of Jackson's stage during a performance of "Earth Song" at the 1996 BRIT Awards. Fans said that the critics failed to fully read the lyrics of the song, or look at the video more closely. They point out there were no indications of a "messiah complex" that some critics claimed, and in the video, Jackson represented himself as a mendicant who prays for a better tomorrow, along with the nations of the world. The posture adopted by Jackson while performing this song at the BRIT Awards in fact originated in the video to his earlier single, "Will You Be There". The "Earth Song" video is available on the DVDs HIStory on Film, Volume II and Number Ones. It was nominated for a 1996 Grammy Award for Best Short Form Video.
Contents |
[edit] Track listing
[edit] Original release
[edit] UK single #1
- "Earth Song" (Radio edit) – 4:58
- "Earth Song" (Hani's Club Experience) – 7:55
- "Michael Jackson DMC Megamix" – 11:18
[edit] UK single #2
- "Earth Song" (Radio edit) – 4:58
- "Earth Song" (Hani's Radio Experience) – 3:33
- "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Brothers in Rhythm House Mix) – 7:40
- "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Tommy D's Main Mix) – 7:35
[edit] Visionary single
- CD side
- "Earth Song" (Radio edit)
- "Earth Song" (Hani's Extended Radio Experience)
- DVD side
- "Earth Song" (Music video)
[edit] Mixes
- Album version – 6:46
- Radio edit – 5:00
- Hani's Club Experience – 7:55
- Hani's Radio Experience – 3:33
- Hani's Extended Radio Experience – 4:34
- Hani's Around the World Experience – 14:49
[edit] Credits
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson
- Produced by Michael Jackson and David Foster
- Co-produced by Bill Bottrell
- Piano by David Paich
- Bass by Guy Pratt
- Remixed and Recycled by Hani
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Preceded by East 17 |
UK Christmas number-one single
"Earth Song" |
Succeeded by Spice Girls |
| Preceded by "I Believe" / "Up on the Roof" by Robson & Jerome |
UK Singles Chart number-one single December 3, 1995 - January 7, 1996 |
Succeeded by "Jesus to a Child" by George Michael |
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