"In the Closet" is a song 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...

 from his 1991 Dangerous album. The song became that album's second number one R&B single and its third top ten

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

 pop single, hitting number six on the Billboard Hot 100

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

.

Song information

The song, written and composed by Michael Jackson and Teddy Riley, is about keeping a relationship secret between lovers. "In the closet

Closeted

Closeted and in the closet are metaphors used to describe lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning and intersex people who have not disclosed their sexual orientation or gender identity and aspects thereof, including sexual identity and sexual behavior.-Background:In late 20th...

" is an English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 idiom used when one is not open about an aspect of their life, particularly in regard to sexual orientation

Sexual orientation

Sexual orientation describes a pattern of emotional, romantic, or sexual attractions to the opposite sex, the same sex, both, or neither, and the genders that accompany them. By the convention of organized researchers, these attractions are subsumed under heterosexuality, homosexuality,...

. Despite the song's suggestive name its lyrics do not allude to hidden sexual orientation but rather a concealed relationship; "Don't hide our love/ Woman to man." The New York Times

The New York Times

The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...

stated, "Only Jackson would use that title for a heterosexual love song..." Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone

Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...

described the number as "titillatingly titled" but "determinedly heterosexual." The single's music video, directed by 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:...

, features Jackson performing sensual and physically complicated dance techniques with 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...

. The song's female vocal was originally labeled "Mystery Girl" but was later revealed to be Princess Stéphanie of Monaco

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Countess of Polignac is a member of the princely family of Monaco. She is the youngest child of Grace, Princess of Monaco and Rainier III of Monaco, and the sister of Albert II of Monaco and Princess Caroline...

. Campbell mimed the lyrics for the music video.

The song, with its heavy industrial-sounding percussion and uptempo arrangement, is typical of producer Teddy Riley's 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...

 style. The unique, Eastern-influenced backing vocals, reaching crescendo at middle eight imbue the song with an erotic edge usually missing from Jackson's music. His vocals are whispered and subdued for most of the song, embellished with gasps, moans, and shudders. It is generally considered one of his most provocative singles with lyrics that include "...And if it's aching, you have to rub it."

The song was not performed during Jackson's 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...

 (however, during his concert in Toulouse, the band played a short instrumental before Man In The Mirror

Man in the Mirror

"Man in the Mirror" is a song recorded by Michael Jackson and written and composed by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett. It peaked at number one in the United States when released as a single in January 1988 off his seventh solo album, Bad. It is one of Jackson's most critically acclaimed songs and...

), but a short version, with the intro of "She Drives Me Wild," was the third song of a medley

Medley (music)

In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...

 including "Scream

Scream/Childhood

"Scream"/"Childhood" is the lead single from Michael Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I where "Scream" is the first song and "Childhood" is the tenth song on the second disc of the album HIStory Continues. The A-side, "Scream", is a duet with his younger sister...

" and "They Don't Care About Us

They Don't Care About Us

"They Don't Care About Us" is the fourth single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, released on April 1, 1996. The song remains one of the most controversial pieces Jackson ever composed...

" during the HIStory World Tour

HIStory World Tour

The HIStory World Tour was the third and final worldwide solo concert tour by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson, covering Europe, Africa, Asia, Oceania and North America. The tour included a total of 82 concerts and was attended by approximately 4.5 million fans, beating his previous Bad Tour...

. Princess Stéphanie

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco

Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Countess of Polignac is a member of the princely family of Monaco. She is the youngest child of Grace, Princess of Monaco and Rainier III of Monaco, and the sister of Albert II of Monaco and Princess Caroline...

's spoken lines were replaced with Jackson's live speech for the sequence.

Collaboration with Madonna

"In the Closet" was originally conceived as a duet between Jackson and Madonna

Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

. According to a 1992 interview with British journalist Jonathan Ross

Jonathan Ross

Jonathan Ross may refer to:* Jonathan Ross , English television and radio personality* Jonathan Ross , United States Senator, Justice of the Vermont Supreme Court* Jonathon Ross , former Australian rules footballer...

, Madonna

Madonna (entertainer)

Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...

 said she worked on some lyrical ideas for the song but when she presented them to Michael, he decided they were too provocative and they decided not to continue with the project.

Music video

In the sepia colored music video, directed by 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:...

, Jackson is seen dancing with top model 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...

. The video was filmed in late March 1992 in Salton Sea

Salton Sea

The Salton Sea is a shallow, saline, endorheic rift lake located directly on the San Andreas Fault, predominantly in California's Imperial Valley. The lake occupies the lowest elevations of the Salton Sink in the Colorado Desert of Imperial and Riverside counties in Southern California. Like Death...

, 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...

 and premiered on April 23, 1992. This video was Jackson's most sexually provocative piece ever. This video was banned in South Africa due to its imagery. The video is featured on Dangerous - The Short Films

Dangerous - The Short Films

Dangerous: The Short Films is a collection of music videos from the Dangerous album by Michael Jackson released initially on VHS, double Video CD in 1993 and reissued on DVD in 2001...

and Michael Jackson's Vision

Michael Jackson's Vision

Michael Jackson's Vision is a deluxe DVD box set released on November 22, 2010. It includes three DVDs, featuring 4.5 hours of content of 42 music videos by Michael Jackson, with newly restored color and remastered audio. Michael referred to each of these productions as a "short film" and not a...

.

Remixes

In keeping with the trend in the early 1990s, several remix

Remix

A remix is an alternative version of a recorded song, made from an original version. This term is also used for any alterations of media other than song ....

es were commissioned by Jackson and released on a maxi CD

Maxi single

A maxi single or maxi-single is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an a-side song and a b-side song.-The first maxi singles:...

 by DJ/ Producers Frankie Knuckles

Frankie Knuckles

Frankie Knuckles is an American DJ, record producer and remix artist. He played an important role in developing house music as a Chicago DJ in the 1980s and he helped to popularize house music in the 1990s, with his work as a producer and remixer...

 and Tommy Musto, two prolific remixers of the time that transformed the single version into versions that made their way into the clubs and on dance radio. Two versions were included on the remix album Dangerous - The Remix Collection, called 'The Reprise' and 'The Underground Mix'.

Michael Jackson The Experience

This song is featured on the video game Michael Jackson The Experience.

UK single

1. "In the Closet" (7" Edit) – 4:49
2. "In the Closet" (Club Mix) – 8:00
3. "In the Closet" (The Underground Mix) – 5:32
4. "In the Closet" (Touch Me Dub) – 7:53
5. "In the Closet" (KI's 12") – 6:55
6. "In the Closet" (The Promise) – 7:18

U.S. single

1. "In the Closet" (Club Edit) – 4:07
2. "In the Closet" (The Underground Mix) – 5:34
3. "In the Closet" (The Promise) – 7:20
4. "In the Closet" (The Vow) – 4:49
5. "Remember the Time" (New Jack Jazz Mix) – 5:06

Visionary single

CD side

1. "In the Closet" (7" Edit) - 4:47
2. "In the Closet" (Club Mix) - 8:02

DVD side

1. "In the Closet" (Music video) - 6:02
2. "In the Closet" (Club Mix Music video) - 8:02
3. "Making of 'In the Closet'"

VHS Single Promo

1. "In the Closet" (Club Mix Music Video) - 8:02
2. "In the Closet" (Music video) - 6:02
3. "Making of 'In the Closet'"

Tommy Musto mixes

• Club Mix – 7:53
• Club Edit - 4:11
• The Underground Mix - 5:39
• The Underground Dub - 6:27

Frankie Knuckles mixes

• The Mission - 9:27
• The Mission Radio Edit - 4:28
• The Mix of Life - 7:41
• The Vow - 4:53
• The Promise - 7:26
• The Reprise - 2:44

Other mixes

• Touch Me Dub - 6:43
• KI's 12" - 7:16
• Radio Edit (The Newark Radio Edit) – 4:29
• Freestyle Mix - 6:34
• The Newark Mix - 7:07

Peak positions

Chart (1992)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	6
US Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play	1
US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks	1
Australian Singles Chart 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...	5
Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...	23
Belgium Singles Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts...	14
Spanish Singles Chart	2
Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...	9
French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry...	9
German Singles Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...	15
Italian Singles Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy....	9
Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...	10
Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....	29
Swiss Singles Chart	25
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	8

End of year charts

End of year chart (1992)	Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	66

Personnel

• Written and composed by Michael Jackson and Teddy Riley
• Produced by Teddy Riley and Michael Jackson
• Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley, Jean-Marie Horvat and Dave Way
• Vocal duet with Michael Jackson and Mystery Girl (later revealed to be Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
  Princess Stéphanie of Monaco
  Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, Countess of Polignac is a member of the princely family of Monaco. She is the youngest child of Grace, Princess of Monaco and Rainier III of Monaco, and the sister of Albert II of Monaco and Princess Caroline...
  
  )
• Michael Jackson: Solo and background vocals
• Rhythm and synthesizer arrangements by Teddy Riley
• Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
• Teddy Riley: Keyboards and synthesizers
• Wayne Cobham: Sequencing and programming

See also

• List of number-one R&B singles of 1992 (U.S.)
• Number-one dance hits of 1992 (USA)
  Number-one dance hits of 1992 (USA)
  These are the Billboard magazine Hot Dance Club Play number one hits of 1992.-See also:*1992 in music*List of number-one dance hits *List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart...
  
  
• Michael Jackson's music videos