Dangerous (album)
Encyclopedia
Dangerous is the eighth studio album
by American recording artist Michael Jackson
, released November 26, 1991 on Epic Records
. It became his second to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200
albums chart, where it spent the next four consecutive weeks. The album has sold over 32 million copies worldwide. The album won one Grammy
for Best Engineered Album – Non Classical won by Bruce Swedien
and Teddy Riley, and is the most successful new jack swing
album of all time.
, California
at Ocean Way/Record One
Studio 2 on June 25, 1990. The sessions ended at Larrabee North and Ocean Way Studio on October 29, 1991, being the most extensive recording project of Jackson's career at the time (over 16 months compared to the usual 6 spent for his previous three studio albums).
In 1990, a promo CD acetate was given to 10 Sony executives on a plane flight to Neverland Ranch, as a teaser for Dangerous.
In March 1991, Jackson signed a 15-year, 6-album deal with Sony Music. The press reported that Sony actually handed over $1 billion to Jackson, but that was not the case. At the time, Sony estimated that if the albums Jackson released under the new contract sold at the same level they currently sold, it would generate over $1 billion in profits for them. Additionally, Jackson was awarded the highest royalty rate in the business. By the time the contract expired in March 2006, Michael would have been paid $45 million from Sony ($1 million a year, plus $5 million per album delivered). This does not include money he would have also earned from sales of albums, singles, videos etc. Under this contract, Jackson is estimated to have earned $175 million from album sales alone.
At this point, Dangerous was already in the making, under the producing talents of (Quincy Jones
recommended) 23-year-old Teddy Riley and Grammy-winner Bill Bottrell
. The previous album, Bad, was Jackson's last designed for the LP
industry, conforming to the usual 10-song within 50-minute format, whereas Dangerous was a 77-minute, 14-track compilation, which almost dared the capacity of early Nineties
compact discs. Consequently, the record was released as a double album in vinyl and an extended version cassette.
A special limited-edition of the album was initially released in a large box with a picture of Jackson's eyes, which folded open to reveal the usual cover (painted by pop surrealist Mark Ryden
), in pop-up card, with the CD and booklet in the bottom.
, which had also shipped seven million copies in 1987, but in four months.
Dangerous débuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200
albums chart, with 326,500 copies sold in its first week. It held the position for four weeks. Jackson promoted the album with a high-profile performance at the Super Bowl
and an interview with Oprah Winfrey
, but it did not return to the number 1 slot. However, it returned to the Top Ten after Jackson received the Grammy Legend Award
at the 1993 ceremony
. Dangerous spent 117 weeks in the Billboard 200, thirty more than Bad. The RIAA
certified Dangerous seven times platinum (seven million copies).
In the United Kingdom, the album débuted at number 1, holding off U2
's Achtung Baby
, but in the second week it was replaced by Queen
's Greatest Hits II. Dangerous spent 23 weeks in the top 10, and a total of 96 weeks on the top 75 chart.
"Black or White" was produced and co-written by Bill Bottrell
. The single was Jackson's biggest hit since 1983's "Billie Jean
". In all, nine singles were released, spanning two years (1991–1993). A planned single release of the title track "Dangerous" was canceled in late 1993 due to child molestation allegations. Seven singles reached the UK top 10, the most for any Jackson album.
48% of Bads worldwide sales were in the UK and US; for Dangerous, the total was 33%, reflecting Jackson's growing global reach. For the most part, the singles from Dangerous were bigger hits in Europe
and Australia
than in the United States. Dangerous sold very well in both Asia
and South America
, two emerging and growing record markets, and was supported by the Dangerous World Tour
. Prior to the release of Jackson's next studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, Dangerous had already sold over thirty-two million copies worldwide. In the space of 17 years, sources estimate the record has sold between 30 and 32 million copies worldwide making it a faster selling album than his previous record Bad
.
, a 1993 Japan remix compilation and a 1993 Australia two-disc edition that contained bonus remixes.
An international re-release of the album (entitled Dangerous: Special Edition) took place on October 16, 2001, just two weeks before the release of Jackson's studio album Invincible. Simultaneously, Special Editions of Off the Wall
, Thriller
and Bad
were also released. For the occasion, Dangerous was digitally remastered and included a slipcase and a brand new 24-page colorful booklet with revised artwork and previously-unseen photos. The new edition managed to reach No. 108 in the UK charts (the only one of those four re-releases that didn't enter the Top 75 there). Because of the constraints of Dangerous running time, previously unreleased songs were not included. Originally, Dangerous: Special Edition was to be released as a double disc release, the 1st disc featuring the original 14 track album, the 2nd filled with unreleased tracks. This project was scrapped at the last moment, however many of the tracks were eventually leaked onto the internet
along with various demos of other tracks that appeared on the album. In 2004, some of these leaked tracks were officially released on The Ultimate Collection (namely the "Dangerous" [Early Version] and "Monkey Business").
Disc 2
|rowspan="4"| ||rowspan="1"| Dangerous || Best Engineered – Non Classical ||
|-
| "Black or White" || Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male ||
|-
| "Jam" || Best R&B Vocal Performance – Male ||
|-
| "Jam" || Best R&B Song ||
|-
, showed Jackson and Michael Jordan
playing basketball
and dancing together, while "Remember the Time
", directed by John Singleton, was set in an Ancient Egypt
ian palace, and starred Eddie Murphy
, Magic Johnson
and Iman
. "In the Closet
" featured Jackson and supermodel Naomi Campbell
as lovers. The director of the video was photographer Herb Ritts
, who also photographed Jackson in a series of promotional shots for the release of the Dangerous album. The video clip for "Who Is It" is notable as it was directed by David Fincher
who later went on direct a number of films including Se7en
, Fight Club
and Zodiac
. For the video "Give Into Me", Michael appears in a concert setting, featuring Guns N' Roses
guitarist Slash
.
"Black or White" was originally over ten minutes long, premiering simultaneously on November 14, 1991 on MTV
, VH1
, BET
, and Fox
. The video featured one of the earliest examples of computer-generated morphing
. The last four minutes of the video also induced much controversy, as it depicted Jackson smashing store windows and destroying a car with a crowbar. Jackson said this destructive behaviour was intended to imply a message of anti-racism and racist graffiti was added in later versions to make the violence more understandable. The music video was also controversial because of Jackson's sexually suggestive dance, which included the crotch grab as well as zipping up his pants. MTV and the other music video networks decided to excise the last four minutes of the "Black or White" video for all subsequent airings, and Jackson issued a statement apologizing to anyone who had been offended, and explaining that he tried to interpret the animal instinct of panthers into a dance. The video featured Macaulay Culkin
and an appearance during the morphing scene by young Tyra Banks
and was directed by John Landis
, also the director of the "Thriller
" short film.
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American recording artist Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
, released November 26, 1991 on Epic Records
Epic Records
Epic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
. It became his second to debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart, where it spent the next four consecutive weeks. The album has sold over 32 million copies worldwide. The album won one Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
for Best Engineered Album – Non Classical won by Bruce Swedien
Bruce Swedien
Bruce Swedien is a Grammy Award-winning audio engineer and music producer. He is known for his work with Quincy Jones.Swedien is a five-time Grammy winner and has been nominated 13 times. He recorded, mixed, and assisted in producing the best-sold album in the world, Thriller by Michael Jackson...
and Teddy Riley, and is the most successful new jack swing
New jack swing
New jack swing or swingbeat is a fusion genre spearheaded by Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle which became extremely popular from the late-1980s into the mid-1990s. Its influence, along with hip-hop, seeped into pop culture and was the definitive sound of the inventive Black New York club scene...
album of all time.
Project
According to the sleeve notes on the later remastered edition of the album, recording sessions began in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
at Ocean Way/Record One
Ocean Way Recording
Ocean Way Recording is the name of a series of recording studios in Hollywood, California and Nashville, Tennessee. Ocean Way Studios is well known in the recording industry due to the award-winning albums that were produced there....
Studio 2 on June 25, 1990. The sessions ended at Larrabee North and Ocean Way Studio on October 29, 1991, being the most extensive recording project of Jackson's career at the time (over 16 months compared to the usual 6 spent for his previous three studio albums).
In 1990, a promo CD acetate was given to 10 Sony executives on a plane flight to Neverland Ranch, as a teaser for Dangerous.
In March 1991, Jackson signed a 15-year, 6-album deal with Sony Music. The press reported that Sony actually handed over $1 billion to Jackson, but that was not the case. At the time, Sony estimated that if the albums Jackson released under the new contract sold at the same level they currently sold, it would generate over $1 billion in profits for them. Additionally, Jackson was awarded the highest royalty rate in the business. By the time the contract expired in March 2006, Michael would have been paid $45 million from Sony ($1 million a year, plus $5 million per album delivered). This does not include money he would have also earned from sales of albums, singles, videos etc. Under this contract, Jackson is estimated to have earned $175 million from album sales alone.
At this point, Dangerous was already in the making, under the producing talents of (Quincy Jones
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
recommended) 23-year-old Teddy Riley and Grammy-winner Bill Bottrell
Bill Bottrell
Bill Bottrell is an American record producer, songwriter and musician, probably best known for his Grammy Award-winning collaborations with Michael Jackson, E.L.O. and Sheryl Crow.- Biography :...
. The previous album, Bad, was Jackson's last designed for the LP
LP album
The LP, or long-playing microgroove record, is a format for phonograph records, an analog sound storage medium. Introduced by Columbia Records in 1948, it was soon adopted as a new standard by the entire record industry...
industry, conforming to the usual 10-song within 50-minute format, whereas Dangerous was a 77-minute, 14-track compilation, which almost dared the capacity of early Nineties
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
compact discs. Consequently, the record was released as a double album in vinyl and an extended version cassette.
Album cover
The album is well known for its elaborate artwork.A special limited-edition of the album was initially released in a large box with a picture of Jackson's eyes, which folded open to reveal the usual cover (painted by pop surrealist Mark Ryden
Mark Ryden
-Early life:Ryden is the son of Barbara and Keith Ryden, born in Medford, Oregon but raised in Southern California. He has two sisters and two brothers, one a fellow artist named Keyth Ryden....
), in pop-up card, with the CD and booklet in the bottom.
Commercial
Dangerous was released on November 26, 1991 with record-breaking sales. Dangerous was Jackson's fastest-selling album ever in the United States with seven million shipped in under two months. This broke the sales record for BadBad (album)
Bad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album...
, which had also shipped seven million copies in 1987, but in four months.
Dangerous débuted at number 1 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
albums chart, with 326,500 copies sold in its first week. It held the position for four weeks. Jackson promoted the album with a high-profile performance at the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
and an interview with Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
, but it did not return to the number 1 slot. However, it returned to the Top Ten after Jackson received the Grammy Legend Award
Grammy Legend Award
The Grammy Legend Award, or the Grammy Living Legend Award, is a special award of merit given to recording artists by the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
at the 1993 ceremony
Grammy Awards of 1993
The 35th Grammy Awards were held in 1993. They recognized accomplishments by musicians from the previous year. Eric Clapton was the night's big winner, winning 6 awards including Album of the Year.-Award winners:*Record of the Year...
. Dangerous spent 117 weeks in the Billboard 200, thirty more than Bad. The RIAA
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
certified Dangerous seven times platinum (seven million copies).
In the United Kingdom, the album débuted at number 1, holding off U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
's Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby
Achtung Baby is the seventh studio album by Irish rock band U2. It was produced by Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and was released on 19 November 1991 on Island Records. Stung by the criticism of their 1988 release Rattle and Hum, U2 shifted their musical direction to incorporate alternative...
, but in the second week it was replaced by Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
's Greatest Hits II. Dangerous spent 23 weeks in the top 10, and a total of 96 weeks on the top 75 chart.
"Black or White" was produced and co-written by Bill Bottrell
Bill Bottrell
Bill Bottrell is an American record producer, songwriter and musician, probably best known for his Grammy Award-winning collaborations with Michael Jackson, E.L.O. and Sheryl Crow.- Biography :...
. The single was Jackson's biggest hit since 1983's "Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
". In all, nine singles were released, spanning two years (1991–1993). A planned single release of the title track "Dangerous" was canceled in late 1993 due to child molestation allegations. Seven singles reached the UK top 10, the most for any Jackson album.
48% of Bads worldwide sales were in the UK and US; for Dangerous, the total was 33%, reflecting Jackson's growing global reach. For the most part, the singles from Dangerous were bigger hits in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
than in the United States. Dangerous sold very well in both Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, two emerging and growing record markets, and was supported by the Dangerous World Tour
Dangerous World Tour
The Dangerous World Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson. The tour, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola, included 69 performances to an audience of 3.5 million. All profits were donated to various charities including Jackson's own "Heal the World Foundation". The...
. Prior to the release of Jackson's next studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, Dangerous had already sold over thirty-two million copies worldwide. In the space of 17 years, sources estimate the record has sold between 30 and 32 million copies worldwide making it a faster selling album than his previous record Bad
Bad (album)
Bad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album...
.
Critical
Dangerous was well received by most critics. Robert Christgau gave Dangerous a grade of A-, saying it was Jackson's "most consistent album since Off the Wall".Accolades
| Organization | Country | Accolade | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Association of Recording Merchandisers | United States | Definitive 200 albums of all time developed by the NARM(Ranked 115) | 2007 |
Track listing
The 2001 Special Edition has the same track listing. It was re-packaged with the Dangerous – The Short Films DVD in a two disc set in 2008.Special editions
Alternative editions of the albums became very rare, products almost exclusive for record collectors. The most notable editions were a 1992 edition that folded out to become a dioramaDiorama
The word diorama can either refer to a nineteenth century mobile theatre device, or, in modern usage, a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum...
, a 1993 Japan remix compilation and a 1993 Australia two-disc edition that contained bonus remixes.
An international re-release of the album (entitled Dangerous: Special Edition) took place on October 16, 2001, just two weeks before the release of Jackson's studio album Invincible. Simultaneously, Special Editions of Off the Wall
Off the Wall (album)
Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American recording artist Michael Jackson, released August 10, 1979 on Epic Records, after Jackson's critically well received film performance in The Wiz. While working on that project, Jackson and Quincy Jones had become friends, and Jones agreed to...
, Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
and Bad
Bad (album)
Bad is the seventh studio album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous studio album, Thriller, which went on to become the world's best-selling album...
were also released. For the occasion, Dangerous was digitally remastered and included a slipcase and a brand new 24-page colorful booklet with revised artwork and previously-unseen photos. The new edition managed to reach No. 108 in the UK charts (the only one of those four re-releases that didn't enter the Top 75 there). Because of the constraints of Dangerous running time, previously unreleased songs were not included. Originally, Dangerous: Special Edition was to be released as a double disc release, the 1st disc featuring the original 14 track album, the 2nd filled with unreleased tracks. This project was scrapped at the last moment, however many of the tracks were eventually leaked onto the internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
along with various demos of other tracks that appeared on the album. In 2004, some of these leaked tracks were officially released on The Ultimate Collection (namely the "Dangerous" [Early Version] and "Monkey Business").
Dangerous – The Remix Collection (Japan)
Dangerous – Collector's Edition (Australia)
Disc 1 - DangerousDisc 2
Grammy Awards
|-|rowspan="4"| ||rowspan="1"| Dangerous || Best Engineered – Non Classical ||
|-
| "Black or White" || Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male ||
|-
| "Jam" || Best R&B Vocal Performance – Male ||
|-
| "Jam" || Best R&B Song ||
|-
- Source:
Music videos
As was becoming the standard for Jackson, the album's music videos were among the most costly and innovative of their time. Several of the music videos taken from the Dangerous album had complex storylines and dance sequences, and featured cameo appearances by celebrities. The video for "Jam", directed by David KelloggDavid Kellogg
David Kellogg is an American film, commercial, and music video director.Kellogg has gained prominence for dozens of television spots that he has created for clients such as Pepsi, Fuji, AT&T, Sprite, Coke, Nike, Apple, IBM, MCI, United Airlines, and Mercedes-Benz...
, showed Jackson and Michael Jordan
Michael Jordan
Michael Jeffrey Jordan is a former American professional basketball player, active entrepreneur, and majority owner of the Charlotte Bobcats...
playing basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
and dancing together, while "Remember the Time
Remember the Time
"Remember the Time" is a single by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson recorded in the Hit Factory Miami. The song was released by Epic Records on January 14, 1992, as the second single from Jackson's eighth studio album, Dangerous. Written and composed by Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson and...
", directed by John Singleton, was set in an Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
ian palace, and starred Eddie Murphy
Eddie Murphy
Edward Regan "Eddie" Murphy is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, singer, director, and musician....
, Magic Johnson
Magic Johnson
Earvin "Magic" Johnson Jr. is a retired American professional basketball player who played point guard for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association . After winning championships in high school and college, Johnson was selected first overall in the 1979 NBA Draft by the Lakers...
and Iman
Iman (model)
Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid , professionally known as Iman , is a Somali-American fashion model, actress and entrepreneur. A pioneer in the field of ethnic cosmetics, she is also noted for her charitable work. She is married to David Bowie.-Early life:Born in Mogadishu, Somalia, Iman is the daughter...
. "In the Closet
In the Closet
"In the Closet" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson from his 1991 Dangerous album. The song became that album's second number one R&B single and its third top ten pop single, hitting number six on the Billboard Hot 100....
" featured Jackson and supermodel Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell is a British model. Scouted at the age of 15, she established herself among the top three most recognisable and in-demand models of the late 1980s and early 1990s, and she was one of six models of her generation declared "supermodels" by the fashion world...
as lovers. The director of the video was photographer Herb Ritts
Herb Ritts
Herbert "Herb" Ritts was an American fashion photographer who concentrated on black-and-white photography and portraits, often in the style of classical Greek sculpture.-Early life and career:...
, who also photographed Jackson in a series of promotional shots for the release of the Dangerous album. The video clip for "Who Is It" is notable as it was directed by David Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
who later went on direct a number of films including Se7en
Se7en
Seven is a 1995 American thriller film, which also contains horror and neo-noir elements, directed by David Fincher and written by Andrew Kevin Walker. It was distributed by New Line Cinema and stars Brad Pitt, Morgan Freeman, Gwyneth Paltrow, R...
, Fight Club
Fight Club (film)
Fight Club is a 1999 American film based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Chuck Palahniuk. The film was directed by David Fincher and stars Edward Norton, Brad Pitt and Helena Bonham Carter. Norton plays the unnamed protagonist, an "everyman" who is discontented with his white-collar job...
and Zodiac
Zodiac (film)
Zodiac is a 2007 American mystery-thriller film directed by David Fincher and based on Robert Graysmith's non-fiction book of the same name. The Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros...
. For the video "Give Into Me", Michael appears in a concert setting, featuring Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses
Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, formed in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, in 1985. The band has released six studio albums, three EPs, and one live album...
guitarist Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
.
"Black or White" was originally over ten minutes long, premiering simultaneously on November 14, 1991 on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
, BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
, and Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
. The video featured one of the earliest examples of computer-generated morphing
Morphing
Morphing is a special effect in motion pictures and animations that changes one image into another through a seamless transition. Most often it is used to depict one person turning into another through technological means or as part of a fantasy or surreal sequence. Traditionally such a depiction...
. The last four minutes of the video also induced much controversy, as it depicted Jackson smashing store windows and destroying a car with a crowbar. Jackson said this destructive behaviour was intended to imply a message of anti-racism and racist graffiti was added in later versions to make the violence more understandable. The music video was also controversial because of Jackson's sexually suggestive dance, which included the crotch grab as well as zipping up his pants. MTV and the other music video networks decided to excise the last four minutes of the "Black or White" video for all subsequent airings, and Jackson issued a statement apologizing to anyone who had been offended, and explaining that he tried to interpret the animal instinct of panthers into a dance. The video featured Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Carson Culkin is an American actor. He became widely known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He is also known for his roles in Richie Rich, Uncle Buck, My Girl, The Pagemaster, and Party Monster...
and an appearance during the morphing scene by young Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks
Tyra Lynne Banks is an American model, media personality, actress, occasional singer, author and businesswoman. She first became famous as a model, but television appearances were her commercial breakthrough...
and was directed by John Landis
John Landis
John David Landis is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and producer. He is known for his comedies, his horror films, and his music videos with singer Michael Jackson.-Early life and career:...
, also the director of the "Thriller
Thriller (song)
"Thriller" is a song recorded by American recording artist Michael Jackson, composed by Rod Temperton, and produced by Quincy Jones. It is the seventh and final single from his sixth studio album Thriller. It was released on January 23, 1984 by Epic Records...
" short film.
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | 9× Platinum | 630,000 |
| Austria | 4× Platinum | 200,000 |
| Brazil | 2× Platinum | 600,000 |
| Canada | 6× Platinum | 600,000 |
| Finland | Platinum | 61,896 |
| France | Diamond | 1,985,500 |
| Germany | 4× Platinum | 2,000,000 |
| Hungary | Platinum | 6,000 |
| Turkey | 4× Platinum | 425,000 |
| Mexico | 2× Platinum + Gold | 600,000 |
| Netherlands | 3× Platinum | 300,000 |
| New Zealand | 6× Platinum | 90,000 |
| Sweden | 3× Platinum | 240,000+ |
| Switzerland | 5× Platinum | 250,000 |
| UK | 6× Platinum | 1,800,000 |
| U.S. | 7× Platinum | 7,000,000 |
Chart positions
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Billboard 200 | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | ||
| Australian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Albums Chart |
||
| Brazilian Top 100 Albums Chart | ||
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
||
| 1992 | Billboard 200 | |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | ||
| Australian ARIA Albums Chart | ||
| Brazilian Top 100 Albums Chart | ||
| German Albums Chart | ||
| 1993 | New Zealand Albums Chart | |
| 2009 | Czech Albums Chart | 2 |
| Polish Albums Chart | 6 | |
| Mexican AMPROFON Top 100 Albums | 6 | |
| Brazil Top 10 CD ABPD Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos The Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market.- About :... |
4 | |
| 2010 | Czech Albums Chart | 39 |
End-of-decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 44 |
See also
- List of best-selling albums worldwide
- List of best-selling albums in Germany
- Dangerous – The Short Films
- Dangerous World TourDangerous World TourThe Dangerous World Tour was the second worldwide concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson. The tour, sponsored by Pepsi-Cola, included 69 performances to an audience of 3.5 million. All profits were donated to various charities including Jackson's own "Heal the World Foundation". The...
- List of number-one albums of 1991 (U.S.)
- List of number-one albums of 1992 (U.S.)
- List of number-one R&B albums of 1992 (U.S.)