Who Is It (Michael Jackson song)
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| “Who Is It” | ||||||||||||||
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| Single by Michael Jackson from the album Dangerous |
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| Released | August 1992 (Europe) February 1993 (U.S.) |
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| Format | CD single | |||||||||||||
| Recorded | 1991 | |||||||||||||
| Genre | R&B, Pop, Adult Contemporary | |||||||||||||
| Length | 6:34 | |||||||||||||
| Label | Epic Records | |||||||||||||
| Writer(s) | Michael Jackson | |||||||||||||
| Producer | Michael Jackson Bill Bottrell |
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| Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||||||||||||||
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"Who Is It" is a song by Michael Jackson from his 1991 album Dangerous. The song is, like several of Jackson's most famous songs, about rumors. The song peaked at #6 on the U.S. R&B charts, and #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 when released. Michael Jackson sang it a cappella during his 1993 interview with Oprah Winfrey.
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[edit] Music video
The music video for "Who Is It" was directed by David Fincher (Alien³, Panic Room, Fight Club and Se7en). The video is set in a neo-chrome blade-runner-like landscape, where surfaces reflect light and denote luxury in all its splendor. We see Michael Jackson as a suffering recluse who has come to the conclusion that his girlfriend is cheating. He finds a platinum business card with the name 'Alex' seemingly confirming that she is cheating with the person whose name is on the card. As the video progresses, we learn that the girlfriend is working for a secret exclusive billionaire-boys-club escort agency. Her identity and visual appearance is changed regularly, usually between clients, and is confirmed by the platinum business cards she presents to each client as the night goes on. This reveals that the name 'Alex' on the card found by Jackson is one of her aliases and is not a secret lover. When she senses that something is wrong and defies her watchers to run back to Jackson's home to find him. She finds Jackson's assistant at the door, who refuses to let her in and reveals that Jackson has left and probably for good. The assistant then hands her a collection of her alias business cards revealing that her secret is out and that she has been exposed. Devastated, she is forced to return submissively back to her ruthless employees and continue on as a high class prostitute. The video ends with the ex-girlfriend being prepared for another client while Jackson attempts to sleep on a jet. Throughout the video, a strange ghostly face appears in Jackson's surroundings; the appearances seem to coincide with Jackson's despair.
[edit] Track listing
[edit] UK single
- "Who Is It" (The Most Patient Mix) – 7:44
- "Who Is It" (IHS Mix) – 7:58
- "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (Roger's Underground solution mix) – 6:22
[edit] U.S. single
- "Who Is It" (Oprah Winfrey Special Intro) – 4:00
- "Who Is It" (Patience Edit) – 4:01
- "Who Is It" (House 7") – 3:55
- "Who Is It" (Brothers in Rhythm House Mix) – 7:13
- "Beat It" (Moby's Sub Mix) – 6:11
[edit] Mixes
- Album version
- 7" Edit
- 7" Edit with Intro
- IHS Mix
- P-Man Dub
- Tribal Version
- Lakeside Dub
- Moby's Raw Mercy Dub
- Patience Mix
- Patience Edit
- Patience Beats
- The Most Patient Mix
- Brothers Cool Dub
- Brothers In Rhythm House Mix
- House 7"
- Brotherly Dub
- The Oprah Winfrey Special Intro
- Phenom's Mix
[edit] Trivia
- The melody in this song is very similar to the music from Ice Cap Zone in the game Sonic The Hedgehog 3, and part of one of the BGMs of the earlier stages of the first Sonic game as well. The music was, then, replaced in later releases of the game (see Sonic and Knuckles Collection). However, the original version of the song re-appeared on Sonic Mega Collection for the Gamecube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox.
- The IHS Mix of this song was included on Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection.
- Because Jackson was busy doing the Dangerous World Tour, Jackson was replaced with a double (Michael Jackson Tribute Artist E'Casanova) in parts of the video.
[edit] Charts
| Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Billboard Hot 100 | 14 |
| Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 1 |
| Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 6 |
| UK Single Charts | 10 |
| Australian Single Charts | 34 |
| Austrian Single Charts | 2 |
| French Single Charts | 8 |
| Norwegian Single Charts | 10 |
| Swedish Single Charts | 24 |
| Swiss Single Charts | 14 |
[edit] Credits
- Written, arranged and composed by Michael Jackson
- Produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell
- Lead and background vocals by Michael Jackson
- Drums by Bill Bottrell and Byran Loren
- Synthesizer by Bill Bottrell
- Bass by Louis Johnson
- Keyboard arrangements by Brad Buxer and David Paich
- Keyboard performance and programming by Brad Buxer, Michael Boddicker, David Paich, Steve Porcaro and Jai Winding
- String arrangement by George del Barrio
- Concertmaster: Endre Grant
- Solo Cello by Larry Corbett
- Soprano voice by Michael Jackson and Linda Harmon
