HIStory
History – Past, Present and Future, Book I | |||||
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Compilation album (half studio, half compilation) by Michael Jackson | |||||
Released | June 20, 1995 | ||||
Recorded | 1978–1995 | ||||
Genre | R&B/Pop | ||||
Length | Disc one: 71:38 Disc two: 77:12 |
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Label | Epic Records EK-59000 |
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Producer | Michael Jackson James Harris Janet Jackson Terry Lewis Dallas Austin David Foster Bill Bottrell R. Kelly Teddy Riley |
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Professional reviews | |||||
Michael Jackson chronology | |||||
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HIStory – Past, Present and Future, Book I is a double album by American musician Michael Jackson released in June 1995. The first disc, (HIStory Begins) contains fifteen hit singles, fourteen of which were U.S. Top 10 singles (nine of which were number-one hits) plus the worldwide top 5 hit "Heal the World". The second disc, (HIStory Continues) contains a new studio album's worth of material. HIStory debuted at #1 in several countries, including the UK and the U.S, and was nominated for several 1996 Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. "Scream's" expensive science fiction-inspired music video won a Grammy Award for Best Short-Form Music Video.
On November 13, 2001, Greatest Hits - HIStory Volume I. It featured the first disc of HIStory (History Begins) on its own, with an identical tracklist despite successful singles from Blood on the Dance Floor album. Being released only two weeks after Jackson's Invincible album, there was no songs from Jackson's then-newest album to be included. It charted at #85 in the U.S. and #15 in the UK and was certified Gold in the U.S[citation needed]. It was not long after (2003), that Jackson's better known Number Ones compilation was released, making Greatest Hits largely redundant.
Contents |
Track listing
Disc one: HIStory Begins
- "Billie Jean" (Jackson) – 4:54
- "The Way You Make Me Feel" (Jackson) – 4:57
- "Black or White" (Jackson/Bottrell) – 4:15
- "Rock with You" (Temperton) – 3:40
- "She's out of My Life" (Bahler) – 3:38
- "Bad" (Jackson) – 4:07
- "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" featuring Siedah Garrett (Jackson) – 4:12
- "Man in the Mirror" (Ballard/Garrett) – 5:19
- "Thriller" (Temperton) – 5:57
- "Beat It" (Jackson) – 4:18
- "The Girl Is Mine" featuring Paul McCartney (Jackson) – 3:41
- "Remember the Time" (Riley/Jackson/Belle) – 3:59
- "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" (Jackson) – 6:05
- "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Jackson) – 6:04
- "Heal the World" (Jackson) – 6:24
Disc two: HIStory Continues
- "Scream" featuring Janet Jackson (Harris/Lewis/Jackson/Jackson) – 4:38
- "They Don't Care About Us" (Jackson) – 4:44
- "Stranger in Moscow" (Jackson) – 5:44
- "This Time Around" featuring The Notorious B.I.G. (Moore/Austin/Swedien/Jackson/Wallace) – 4:20
- "Earth Song" (Jackson) – 6:46
- "D.S." (Jackson) – 4:49
- "Money" (Jackson) – 4:41
- "Come Together" (Lennon/McCartney) – 4:02
- "You Are Not Alone" (Kelly) – 6:01
- "Childhood (Theme from Free Willy 2)" (Jackson) – 4:28
- "Tabloid Junkie" (Harris/Lewis/Jackson) – 4:32
- "2 Bad" featuring Shaquille O'Neal (Harris/Lewis/Jackson/O'Neal) – 4:49
- "HIStory" featuring Boyz II Men on background vocals (Harris/Lewis/Jackson) – 6:37
- "Little Susie" (Jackson) – 6:13
- "Smile" (Chaplin) – 4:56
Overview
At the end of 1994, Michael Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley made their first television appearance together at the MTV Movie Awards, where Michael collected an award for “Will You Be There”. Michael was soon back in the studio during 1994 to create his new album. On the 23 February, 1995 he gave a special preview of some of the new songs to the National Association of Recording Merchandisers where he received the Harold Chapin Humanitarian Award at the preview.
The new album, HIStory, was to have massive promotion. It was publicly announced on MTV and around the world on the 22 May, 1995, with an impressive teaser film. The 4 minute teaser was made in Budapest in early August 1994, and directed by Rupert Wainwright. Fans were invited to participate in the film, which featured a huge army and helped build interest in the album.
Finally, on 29 May, "Scream" was released as a single. A duet with Janet Jackson, the music video for "Scream" was directed by Mark Romanek and had a world record budget of $7 million. Futuristic in appearance, it featured visual morphing and other effects. “Scream” had an AA-side release; “Childhood”, which also had a music video, directed by Nicholas Brandt. The song was used as the theme to the movie Free Willy 2. The single debuted at number 5 on the US charts, making it the highest debuting single in the history of the Billboard Chart. The single went to number 1 in 19 countries.
The following day, Sony continued its $30 million dollar promotional campaign for HIStory, by floating a huge statue of Michael Jackson down the River Thames in the UK. There were a total of nine statues throughout Europe. Each statue was 10 meters tall, 2,100 kilograms in weight and made from steel and fibreglass. The promotion for HIStory was the largest campaign for a single album at that time.
HIStory- Past, Present and Future, Book 1 was released worldwide on June 18th, 1995. The two disc album was a combination of greatest hits and new material. The first disc; “HIStory Begins” featured 15 greatest hits from 1979-1991 and the second disc; “HIStory Continues” featured 15 brand new tracks. The album took a year in the studio to create and Michael showed more independence on HIStory, by producing the album himself, playing several instruments and writing and co-writing 12 of the new tracks: "Scream", "They Don't Care About Us", "Stranger in Moscow", "This Time Around", "Earth Song", "D.S.", "Money", "Childhood” "Tabloid Junkie" “2 Bad”, "HIStory" and "Little Susie". He recorded two covers for the album: “Come Together” (originally recorded in 1988 for “Moonwalker”) and “Smile” by Charlie Chaplin. R. Kelly contributed the ballad “You Are Not Alone”. He also collaborated with rappers Shaquille O’Neill and Notorious B.I.G, singers Boyz II Men and guitarist Slash. The album came with a 52-page colour booklet with photos, lyrics, artwork by Gottfried Helnwein and details of every award Michael had won up until 1995.
HIStory broke sales records in its first week on the charts. In the UK it sold 100,000 copies in just two days and in Australia the advance order of 130,000 copies was the largest initial shipment in Sony Australia’s history. Similar sales figures were witnessed all over Europe and in the US, the album went to number 1. By the end of June, HIStory had sold a staggering 7.5 million copies world wide.
The release of HIStory was also met with controversy, as Michael was accused of anti-Semitism because of the lyrics in the song “They Don’t Care About Us”. Michael immediately issued an apology and took the album off the shelves. He re-recorded the song and re-released HIStory, funding the cost himself.
On the 25th of June, Michael attended a press conference in New York, where it was announced that Michael & Janet Jackson had been nominated for a record 11 MTV Video Music Awards for “Scream”. Michael also announced that he would be performing at a concert for HBO called “One Night Only” at the end of the year. He was then interviewed by Bill Bellamy for a special called “Michael Jackson Changes HIStory” which was televised shortly after.
“You Are Not Alone”, the second single from the album was released on August 15th, 1995. The short film to accompany the song was directed by Wayne Isham and featured Lisa Marie Presley. The single debuted at number 1 on the US charts, smashing the previous record set by “Scream”. “You Are Not Alone” was the first and still only song to ever debut at number one on the US Billboard Chart. The single was a worldwide smash, reaching number 1 in six countries and record sales for HIStory soared.
On the 17th of August, Michael Jackson participated in his first ever internet Simulcast. It was the largest ever cyber chat at the time and drew in over 16,000 fans, who asked Michael questions about his music and life.
Michael attended the MTV Video Music Awards on September 7th, where he opened the show with an amazing performance. Slash joined Michael onstage for the performance which included “Black or White”, “Billie Jean”, “Dangerous” and “You Are Not Alone”. Michael and Janet won three awards for “Scream”, including “Best Dance Video”, “Best Art Direction” and “Best Choreography”.
Michael graced many other awards shows with appearances in 1995, including BET’s 10th Anniversary show, where he was inducted into their Walk of Fame. He also performed “Dangerous” and “You Are Not Alone” at Soul Train’s 25th Anniversary show where he was inducted into the Soul Train Hall of Fame. In October, Michael appeared on the popular German TV show, “Wetten Das”, to perform “Earth Song” and “Dangerous”. The show was viewed by 21 million people, breaking German viewing records.
On November 27, HIStory’s third single, “Earth Song”, was released world wide, but not in the US. The short film for the song was directed by Nicholas Brandt and was filmed in four countries. The single went to number 1 in the UK and stayed at the top spot for six weeks. The song also reached the top 10 in 16 different countries and sold 3.5 million copies world wide. The short film was also nominated for a Grammy Award.
While rehearsing for the special “One Night Only”, on December 6th 1995, Michael collapsed and was rushed to hospital suffering dehydration, low blood pressure and a viral infection. He spent several days in hospital. The special was eventually called off due to HBO management changes and insurance reasons.
On January 18th, 1996, it was announced that Lisa Marie Presley had filed for divorce from Michael Jackson. The divorce would become final on August 20th, 1995. Michael’s next stop was the Grammy Awards in January where he had been nominated for 4 awards for HIStory. He took home the “Best Music Video” Award for “Scream”. At the end of February 1996, Michael performed “Earth Song” at the Brit Awards. It was Michael’s first TV performance in England in over 20 years. The performance was interrupted when Jarvis Cocker stormed the stage in protest. He was carried off by security and later questioned by police. Michael also accepted the “Artist of a Generation” Award. The controversy created by the performance led to another rise in HIStory’s sales, putting the album back in the top 10 in Europe.
On March 19th, Michael announced at a press conference in Paris that he was forming a new company with Saudi Prince, Al-Walid Bin Talal, called Kingdom Entertainment. The company’s first major project would be the sponsoring of Michael Jackson’s HIStory World Tour, to begin at the end of the year. They would also be involved in film projects and family entertainment. Also in March, MTV announced that HIStory was the best selling double album ever in the US.
In April, Michael released the fourth single from HIStory, “They Don’t Care About Us”. The single was supported by two music videos, both directed by Spike Lee. One was shot in Brazil with cultural group Olodum, and the other was shot in a New York prison. The “prison version” created controversy due to the use of news footage depicting violence. This version was taken off MTV’s play list and Michael released the “Olodum version” in its place. The single became a top 10 hit in nine countries, including the US.
In May, Michael attended the 1996 World Music Awards and received a record five awards: “Best Selling Artist Ever”, “Best Selling Record of All Time” (for Thriller), “Best Selling Male Artist of 1996”, “Best Selling American Artist” and “Best Selling R&B Artist”. No other artist has won five WMA’s in a single year.
On July 16, 1996, Michael held a special concert for the Sultan of Brunei’s birthday. The private concert was held at Jerudong Park Garden in Brunei and was attended by 60,000 fans. Michael was careful not go give away the set list of his forthcoming HIStory Tour, and performed 18 songs, mostly from his previous Dangerous Tour set list.
Michael then embarked on his HIStory World Tour on September 7th, 1996, starting in Prague, Czech Republic. The amazing show featured 20 songs, special effects in several performances, a bigger light show than ever before, a specially built stage, breathtaking costumes and stunning choreography. His crew consisted of over 200 personnel and each concert was 2.5 hours long. As Michael travelled Europe, he set new attendance records in many countries. One of the concerts at Seoul, Korea, was filmed and released in Asia on home video.
While on tour, it was revealed that Michael was expecting a baby with his long time friend, Debbie Rowe. They married on the 14th of November 1996, at Sheraton on The Park in Sydney, Australia in a private ceremony.
Tickets for Michael’s concerts in Australia and New Zealand broke records when they sold out in just a few hours. While in Australia, Michael attended the premiere of his new film, Ghosts. The 38-minute film was written by Michael Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston. The film tells the story of a man being forced out of his small town home by the Mayor. Michael starred as multiple characters, (including the Maestro, the Mayor and as an incredible dancing skeleton!) with mind-blowing dance sequences, special effects and makeup. Three of Michael’s songs were used in the film: “2Bad”, “Is It Scary” and “Ghosts”. The film Ghosts currently holds the record for the world’s longest music video. It was released on home video in the form of a special box set in 1997. The film won the Bob Fosse Award for “Best Choreography in a Music Video”.
“Stranger in Moscow” was released in November 1996 world wide, but would not be released in the US until August 1997. The short film was again directed by Nicholas Brandt and was black and white; using a number of special effects methods, depicting Michael walking down a busy street on a rainy day. The single became a top 10 hit in 8 countries and also reached number 1 on the UK Club Chart.
Michael wrapped the first leg of his HIStory World Tour after two sold out nights at Hawaii’s Aloha Bowl on January 3rd and 4th. Michael became the first pop artist in history to sell out the 35,000 capacity venue.
Michael Jackson’s first son, Prince Michael Joseph Jackson was born on the 13th of February 1997 in Los Angeles. February soon became a busy month for Michael. He performed an original song he had composed at Elizabeth Taylor’s 65th Birthday Gala, called “Elizabeth I Love You”. Later in the month he also announced that he had split from his manager of six years, Sandy Gallin, and that Kingdom Entertainment would now be managing his career.
In Early April, 1997, Michael was interviewed and photographed with his family by OK! Magazine. OK! paid for the pictures and interview and Michael donated all the funds to his Heal The World foundation. At the end of April, Michael released the first single, “Blood on The Dance Floor” from the forthcoming album of the same name. The song was accompanied by a dance loaded short film, directed by Michael Jackson and Vince Patterson. The single was popular in Europe and became a number 1 hit in seven countries, and a top 20 hit on the US R&B chart.
Michael was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as one of the Jackson Five on May 6, 1997. He soon received another honour when Soul Train renamed their Video award to the "Michael Jackson Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap music Video".
On May 20th, 1997, Michael released Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. It was a compilation of eight remixed tracks from the HIStory album plus five brand new songs. The five new tracks were all written by Michael Jackson; “Blood On the Dance Floor”, “Morphine”, “Superfly Sister”, “Ghosts” and “Is It Scary”. They were recorded in different studios all over the world while Michael was on the first leg of his HIStory World Tour. The album was very well received despite little promotion. It peaked at number 1 in eight countries around the world, including the UK.
“HIStory/Ghosts” was the second single released in Europe from Blood on the Dance Floor in July 1997. It was an AA-side single, and went onto to become a top 10 hit in eight countries.
The second leg of Michael’s HIStory World Tour began in Bremen, Germany on 31st of May and concluded on October 15th in South Africa. Michael sold his millionth concert ticket at the Wembley Stadium and sold out four concerts in a row there. He also played on his 38th birthday in Copenhagen where 50,000 fans wished him Happy Birthday. Michael did not tour North America, but the tour was so successful that he had played 82 concerts to 4.5 million fans in 35 countries on 5 continents. The estimated grosses totalled more than $160 million and again, it was the biggest concert tour of its time. While on tour, Michael was interviewed by Barbara Walters shortly after Princess Diana’s death, to discuss the paparazzi, fatherhood and the impact of the Princess’s death.
Album sales
Released on Jun 20, 1995, HIStory shipped 3.5 million copies in the U.S through to Oct 12, 1999, earning it a 7x platinum certification from the RIAA (as it iss a double-disc album and exceeds 100 minutes in length, each album is counted separately and therefore is counted twice towards its certification). Nielsen Soundscan scanned 2.54 million over the counter sales of the album. In the U.K, the BPI certified it at 5x platinum, denoting 1.5 million shipments there.
To date, HIStory is estimated to have sold 18 million copies world-wide and is the best-selling multiple-disc album ever released by a solo artist and is the second best-selling overall, behind Pink Floyd's The Wall.
Singles
- "Scream/Childhood" - Released as a double A-side
- "You Are Not Alone"
- "Earth Song"
- "They Don't Care About Us"
- "Stranger in Moscow"
- "HIStory/Ghosts" - remix of "HIStory" Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix as part of a double A-side
"Smile", a cover of a Charlie Chaplin song, was due to be released as HIStory's seventh single in October 1997[1] . However it was subsequently cancelled by Sony (there are a few promotional CD singles and 12" Vinyls floating around, which have been sold on eBay, ranging in price from £550-£850)[citation needed].
Credits
Production credits
"Scream" produced by Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson
"They Don't Care About Us", "Stranger in Moscow", "D.S.", "Money" and "Little Susie" produced by Michael Jackson
"This Time Around" produced Dallas Austin and Michael Jackson, co-produced by Bruce Swedien and Rene
"Earth Song" produced by Michael Jackson and David Foster, co-produced by Bill Bottrell
"Come Together" produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell
"You Are Not Alone" produced by R. Kelly and Michael Jackson
"Childhood" and "Smile" produced by Michael Jackson and David Foster
"Tabloid Junkie" and "History" produced by Michael Jackson and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
"2 Bad" produced by Michael Jackson, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Bruce Swedien and Rene
Album Credits
- Backing vocalists: R. Kelly; Boyz II Men: Nathan Morris, Wayne Morris, Shawn Stockman, Michael McCrary; Bryan Loren; Andrae and Sandra Crouch and the Andrae Crouch Singers; Carol Dennis; Jackie Gouche; Gloria Augustus; and Linda McCrary
- Child soloists:
- "HIStory": Leah Frazier
- "Little Susie": Markita Prescott
- Rap performances by The Notorious B.I.G. and Shaquille O'Neal
- Arrangements by Michael Jackson, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Dallas Austin, Bruce Swedien, R. Kelly, Rene, Jeremy Lubbock, Brad Buxer and Johnny Mandel
- Vocal arrangements by Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis
- Orchestral arrangements by David Foster, Elmer Bernstein and Bill Ross
- String arrangements by Michael Jackson
- Keyboard arrangements by Michael Jackson
- Orchestras conducted by Elmer Bernstein, Jeremy Lubbock, Bill Ross and Susie Katayama
- Horn arrangement by Michael Jackson and Jerry Hey
- Piano performances by David Foster, Brad Buxer, BIG "Jim" Wright, and Jonathan Mackey
- Keyboards and synthesizers: Michael Jackson, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, David Foster, Steve "Yada" Porcaro, David Paich, Bill Bottrell, Dallas Austin, R. Kelly, Rene, Brad Buxer, Simon Franglen, Greg Phillinganes, Lafayette Carthon, Michael Boddicker, Chuck Wild, Rob Arbitter, Gary Adante, John Barnes and Randy Waldman
- Synthesizer programming: Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Simon Franglen, Steve Porcaro, Brad Buxer, Peter Mokran, Michael Boddicker, Chuck Wild, Andrew Scheps, Rick Sheppard, Rob Hoffman, Bobby Brooks, Jeff Bova, Chris Palmero, Jason Miles, Arnie Schulze and Gregg Mangiafico
- Drum programming: Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Peter Mokran and Andrew Scheps
- Synclavier programming: Andrew Scheps and Simon Franglen
- Guitars: Slash, Nile Rodgers, Trevor Rabin, Paul Jackson Jr., Steve Lukather, Bill Bottrell, Jeff Mirinow, Michael Jackson, Rob Hoffman, Michael Thompson and Jen Leigh
- Drums and percussion: Michael Jackson, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Bill Bottrell, Buddy Williams, Bruce Swedien, Simon Franglen, Rene, Chuck Wild, Bobby Brooks, Bryan Loren, Omar Hakim and Steve Ferrone
- Bass: David Paich, Colin Wolfe, Louis Johnson, Wayne Pedzwater, Keith Rouster, Doug Grigsby and Guy Pratt
- Synth bass: Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and Greg Phillinganes
- Horns: Larry Williams, Jerry Hey, Gary Grant, Bill Reichenbach and Kim Hutchcroft
- Organ: BIG "Jim" Wright
- Violin solo: Paul Peabody
Technical credits
- Executive producer: Michael Jackson
- Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien
- Additional Recording and mixing by Eddie De Lena, Steve Hodge and W.J.R.
- Technical directors: Matt Forger and Brad Sundberg
- Production coordination: Rachel Smith
- Mastered by Bernie Grundman
- Computer programming and technical direction assistance by Craig Johnson
- Additional synthersizer programming and sound design by Michael Boddicker, Chuck Wild, Scott Pittinsky, Bobby Brooks, Roberta Swedien and Darry Ross
Certifications
Country | Certification | Shipments |
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United States | 7x Platinum | 3,500,000 |
United Kingdom | 5x Platinum | 1,500,000 |
Germany | 7x Platinum | 1,500,000 |
France | 4x Platinum | 1,200,000 |
Canada | 5x Platinum [2] | 500,000 [2] |
Japan | 3x Platinum | 750,000 |
Australia | 7x Platinum | 490,000 |
Netherlands | 3x Platinum | 240,000 |
Switzerland | 3x Platinum | 150,000 |
Brazil | Platinum | 350,000 |
Austria | 2x Platinum | 80,000 |
Norway | Platinum | 40,000 |
Israel | Platinum | 40,000 |
Finland | 2x Platinum | 60,000 |
U.S Sales
Period | RIAA award | U.S Shipments | Total |
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Jun 20, 1995 - Aug 16, 1995 | Gold, Platinum & 5x platinum on Aug 16, 1995 | 2,500,000 | 2,500,000 |
Aug 17, 1995 - Jan 11, 1996 | 6x platinum on Jan 11, 1996 | 500,000 | 3,000,000 |
Jan 12, 1996 - Oct 12, 1999 | 7x platinum on Oct 12, 1999 | 500,000 | 3,500,000 |
According to Nielsen Soundscan, the HIStory album sold 2,540,000 copies in the United States from Jun 20, 1995 - Apr 15, 2007.
US chart run
"HIStory" Billboard 200 Album Chart | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Week | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | |
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Chart Positions
Album - Billboard (North America)
Year | Chart | Position |
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1995 | The Billboard 200 | 1 |
Preceded by Cracked Rear View by Hootie & the Blowfish |
Billboard 200 Number-one album July 8 - July 15, 1995 |
Succeeded by Pocahontas (soundtrack) by Various artists |
Notes
- ^ Taraborrelli, J. Randy (1991). The Magic and the Madness. Headline. ISBN 1-55972-064-6.
- ^ a b Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Certification Results