You Rock My World
Encyclopedia
"You Rock My World" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson
from his tenth, and final, studio album Invincible (2001). The song was released as the lead single from the album in August 2001 by Epic Records
. The lyrics pertain to being in love and trying to gain a woman's affection. Produced by Jackson and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and written by Jackson, Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III
, LaShawn Daniels
and Nora Payne, the song is musically a disco
pop
song with influences from Jackson's songs from his previous studio albums with Quincy Jones
.
The song received mixed reviews from music critics, with reviewers commenting that Jackson could have made a better effort for the song and that the song was not his best material, while other reviewers generally praised the song's composition and Jackson's vocal performance. "You Rock My World" was commercially successful worldwide. The song peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100
, becoming Jackson's first top ten single in the United States in over six years, and his last in the country for the remainder of his career. "You Rock My World" topped the French music chart for three consecutive weeks. It also reached the top ten in Australia, Austrian, Canada, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Swedish, Swiss and the United Kingdom music charts.
As part of promotion for the song, a music video
was released. The video, which is fourteen minutes long, was directed by Paul Hunter
and features Chris Tucker
. In the video, Jackson and Tucker portray men who are trying to gain a woman's affection. The video has been compared to Jackson's previous videos, "Smooth Criminal
" and "The Way You Make Me Feel
", and has received mixed reviews. The song was performed only twice by Jackson; at Madison Square Garden
in New York City
at two concerts in September 2001 to celebrate Jackson's career as a solo artist. Footage of the performance was shown in the two-hour CBS
television special, Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special
. The track was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
at the 44th Grammy Awards.
for his tenth, and final, studio album, Invincible (2001). The song was written and composed by Michael Jackson, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III
, LaShawn Daniels
and Nora Payne, and produced by Jackson and Jerkins. "You Rock My World" was officially released as the lead single from the album in late August 2001, by Epic Records
. Prior to the singles official release it had been leaked to two New York
radio stations on Friday, August 17. Immediately after the songs radio airplay the radio stations had received "a herd of [radio] callers asking for more." "You Rock My World" was first played on the WJTM-FM station at 6 p.m., with WKTU-FM airing the song 45 minutes later. Both stations had played the single every two hours until around 6 p.m. Saturday, when Jackson's record label, Epic Records, called the program director for both stations, Frankie Blue, and asked him to stop. "[They] informed me of the dangers of playing a song too early," Blue said on Wednesday, August 22. "[They] said, 'Please do me a favor and take it off the air.'" Blue, a friend of Jackson's, stated that he would not say how he got the single.
pop
song that has vibrating vocal harmonies. The song is played in the time signature
of common time in the key E minor
, with Jackson's vocal range spanning from the tonal nodes of E4 to Bb5. "You Rock My World" has a moderate tempo
of 120 beats per minute. The chord progression in the song is B7–C9–A7–D–B7. The song's composition has been compared to Jackson's previous material with Quincy Jones
from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the disco-theme from Jackson's 1979 single, "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough
". Chris Tucker
voices the vocal introduction of the song. Lyrically, the song's lyrics are about being in love, as well as the effect that it can have, as evident in the opening line, "My life will never be the same, 'cause, girl, you came and changed the way I walk, the way I talk, I cannot explain"
of Allmusic listed "You Rock My World" as being a highlight for the Invincible album. Reviewer Andrew Hamilton of Allmusic stated that, "If anybody other than Michael Jackson had released 'You Rock My World' with the tons of publicity
and promotion
it was accorded, it would have slam dunked the charts and been a multiple award winner. It sold well and got play everywhere, but too many critics panned the song and the album it came from as not being good enough for an artist on Jackson's level." Hamilton commented that people should "give Michael credit" because he was able to maintain a respectable career as a recording artist over the years of his later career.
James Hunter of Rolling Stone
praised the song's vocal rhythms as being "finely sculpted" and "exquisite". He noted that the song shows similarities to Jackson's previous material with Quincy Jones. Mark Beaumont, a writer for NME
, described the song as being a "disco classic" and commented that he felt that the song's brief intro was "funnier than Chris Evans on fire". Catherine Halaby of Yale Daily News
stated that the song "showcases the best of 'classic Michael'", and described the song as being "funky, catchy, upbeat, not too creepy". "You Rock My World" was nominated for a Grammy Award
for Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male
at the 44th Grammy Awards, but it lost the award to James Taylor
's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight". It was Jackson's first Grammy nomination since 1997, for his single "Earth Song
", and his first nomination in that category since 1995.
on September 15, 2001. The following week, the song charted at its peak position, number ten. It became Jackson's highest charting single since his 1995 number-one single, "You Are Not Alone
". "You Rock My World" also charted at number seven and thirteen on Billboards Pop Charts
and R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
. The song also charted within the top ten positions, peaking at number two, on the Canadian RPM Hot 100 chart. "You Rock My World" debuted on the United Kingdoms Singles Chart at number two, which was its peak position in the country, on October 20. The song remained within the top twenty positions on the chart for four consecutive weeks, and remained within the top 100 positions for fifteen consecutive weeks from October 20, 2001, to January 26, 2002. "You Rock My World" debuted on the French Singles Chart on October 13, 2001, at the number one position. The song song remained at the number one position on the chart for three consecutive weeks, and remained within the top twenty positions for ten consecutive weeks. The song debuted on the Dutch Singles Charts at number four on October 20, and the following week, charted at its peak position, number two. "You Rock My World" debuted on the Finnish Singles Chart on the forty first week of 2001, at its peak position, number two. After three weeks, the song fell off the charts.
The song debuted at its peak position, number two, in Norway in the 42nd second week of 2001. The song remained on the chart for six consecutive weeks, charting within the top twenty positions.
"You Rock My World" entered New Zealand charts on September 16, at number thirty one. "You Rock My World" debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at its peak position, number four. After the song charted within the top fifty positions for five consecutive weeks, it fell off the chart, and re-entered two weeks later at number thirty seven, and fell off the chart for the second time on January 6, 2002. "You Rock My World" debuted on the Italian Singles Chart on November 11, at its peak position number three, and remained within the top ten positions for four weeks in 2001. The song peaked at number two and four on the Belgium Flanders and Walonia charts in 2001. On the Austrian Singles Chart, the song debuted at its peak position, number nine, on October 21, and it remained on the chart for a total of eight weeks. After seven weeks, the song charted at its peak position, number thirteen, and remained on the chart for twelve weeks in 2001. After Jackson's death
in June 2009, "You Rock My World" re-entered music charts worldwide. The song re-entered Billboard charts for the first time in almost eight years. The song peaked at number sixty two on Billboards Digital Songs
chart on July 11, 2009. The song re-entered the United Kingdom Singles Chart on July 4, charting at number ninety-seven. The following week the song charted at its peak position, number sixty, and charted out of the top 100 positions after spending three weeks on the chart. "You Rock My World" re-entered the Australian Singles Chart for the third time on July 19, at number fifty. The song remained on the chart for only one week.
on Thursday morning, on August 30, 2001. Jackson only performed "You Rock My World" twice. The only performances of "You Rock My World" was during two concerts in early September 2001, which was to celebrate Jackson's 30th year as solo artist, at Madison Square Garden
. Tucker, who is part of the songs dialogue and video, was part of the live performance. Footage of the second concert on September 10 was shown in a two hour television special, entitled Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special
, which was aired on CBS
in November of the same year.
, and was released in 2001. The video, which is over thirteen minutes long, was described as being a short film. The video consist of Jackson's and Tucker's characters trying to gain a woman's affection by subsequently following her around the neighborhood. The video for "You Rock My World" was thought to be the last music video to feature any participation from Jackson before the video for "One More Chance
" was unearthed (his following videos would consist of archive footage of himself and others). The video has been compared to Jackson's previous 1980s music videos for his singles, "Smooth Criminal
" (1987), "Bad" (1987), and "The Way You Make Me Feel
" (1987), both from his 1987 studio album, Bad
. In the video, Jackson can be seen wearing a Blazer
and his traditional hat. The video features appearances from Marlon Brando
, Michael Madsen
and Billy Drago
. Catherine Halaby, a writer for Yale Daily News, who had given the song a positive review, described the video as being a "direct descendant" of "Smooth Criminal," with the "nuances" of "The Way You Make me Feel". Halaby commented that appearances by Marlon Brando
and Michael Madsen
were "indeed random" and that "few things Jackson does shock us anymore." The video won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video at the award shows 2002 ceremony.
In several instances in the video, Tucker's character makes several references to previous songs by Michael Jackson, such as "Beat It
", "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
", "The Girl Is Mine
", "Bad" and "Dangerous
".
The music video also appear on Number Ones and Michael Jackson's Vision
.
performed in late 2001. The song was set to be performed in his This Is It
concerts, but was ultimately cancelled due to Michael's sudden death.
European, Cassette and Australian single:
CD Promo:
12" 1
12" 2
Japan CD Promo
VHS Promo
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 tenth, and final, studio album Invincible (2001). The song was released as the lead single from the album in August 2001 by 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...
. The lyrics pertain to being in love and trying to gain a woman's affection. Produced by Jackson and Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins and written by Jackson, Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III
Fred Jerkins III
Fred Jerkins III is an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with his brother Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Jerkins has co-written several hit songs with Rodney Jerkins and LaShawn Daniels, among them "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy and Monica, "Say My Name" and "Lose My...
, LaShawn Daniels
LaShawn Daniels
LaShawn Ameen Daniels is an American songwriter, best known for his work with longtime colleague Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Daniels has written several of the Darkchild Team's hit songs, among them "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica, "Say My Name" and "Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child, "You...
and Nora Payne, the song is musically a disco
Disco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song with influences from Jackson's songs from his previous studio albums with 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...
.
The song received mixed reviews from music critics, with reviewers commenting that Jackson could have made a better effort for the song and that the song was not his best material, while other reviewers generally praised the song's composition and Jackson's vocal performance. "You Rock My World" was commercially successful worldwide. The song peaked at number ten 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...
, becoming Jackson's first top ten single in the United States in over six years, and his last in the country for the remainder of his career. "You Rock My World" topped the French music chart for three consecutive weeks. It also reached the top ten in Australia, Austrian, Canada, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Swedish, Swiss and the United Kingdom music charts.
As part of promotion for the song, a music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
was released. The video, which is fourteen minutes long, was directed by Paul Hunter
Paul Hunter (director)
Paul Hunter is a music video director known for his high-budget, visually distinctive videos for popular music singles. He has directed over 100 music videos, many television advertisements and was nominated for an Emmy for Nike's Freestyle commercial...
and features Chris Tucker
Chris Tucker
Christopher "Chris" Tucker is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing the role of Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series.-Early life:...
. In the video, Jackson and Tucker portray men who are trying to gain a woman's affection. The video has been compared to Jackson's previous videos, "Smooth Criminal
Smooth Criminal
"Smooth Criminal" is the seventh single from Michael Jackson's 1987 Bad album. The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth" assailant. It was released as a single on October 24, 1988 and peaked...
" and "The Way You Make Me Feel
The Way You Make Me Feel
"The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Released by Epic Records in November 1987, it was the third single from Jackson's seventh studio album Bad. Written and composed by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones , the song is credited as being a pop and R&B...
", and has received mixed reviews. The song was performed only twice by Jackson; at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
at two concerts in September 2001 to celebrate Jackson's career as a solo artist. Footage of the performance was shown in the two-hour CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television special, Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special
Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special
The Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special was a 2001 New York City revue show by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson. It took place on September 7, 2001 and September 10, 2001...
. The track was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
at the 44th Grammy Awards.
Background
"You Rock My World" was recorded by Michael JacksonMichael 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...
for his tenth, and final, studio album, Invincible (2001). The song was written and composed by Michael Jackson, Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III
Fred Jerkins III
Fred Jerkins III is an American songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with his brother Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Jerkins has co-written several hit songs with Rodney Jerkins and LaShawn Daniels, among them "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy and Monica, "Say My Name" and "Lose My...
, LaShawn Daniels
LaShawn Daniels
LaShawn Ameen Daniels is an American songwriter, best known for his work with longtime colleague Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins. Daniels has written several of the Darkchild Team's hit songs, among them "The Boy Is Mine" by Brandy & Monica, "Say My Name" and "Lose My Breath" by Destiny's Child, "You...
and Nora Payne, and produced by Jackson and Jerkins. "You Rock My World" was officially released as the lead single from the album in late August 2001, by 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...
. Prior to the singles official release it had been leaked to two New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
radio stations on Friday, August 17. Immediately after the songs radio airplay the radio stations had received "a herd of [radio] callers asking for more." "You Rock My World" was first played on the WJTM-FM station at 6 p.m., with WKTU-FM airing the song 45 minutes later. Both stations had played the single every two hours until around 6 p.m. Saturday, when Jackson's record label, Epic Records, called the program director for both stations, Frankie Blue, and asked him to stop. "[They] informed me of the dangers of playing a song too early," Blue said on Wednesday, August 22. "[They] said, 'Please do me a favor and take it off the air.'" Blue, a friend of Jackson's, stated that he would not say how he got the single.
Composition
"You Rock My World" is credited as being an uptempo discoDisco
Disco is a genre of dance music. Disco acts charted high during the mid-1970s, and the genre's popularity peaked during the late 1970s. It had its roots in clubs that catered to African American, gay, psychedelic, and other communities in New York City and Philadelphia during the late 1960s and...
pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
song that has vibrating vocal harmonies. The song is played in the time signature
Time signature
The time signature is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats are in each measure and which note value constitutes one beat....
of common time in the key E minor
E minor
E minor is a minor scale based on the note E. The E natural minor scale consists of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. The E harmonic minor scale contains the natural 7, D, rather than the flatted 7, D – to align with the major dominant chord, B7 .Its key signature has one sharp, F .Its...
, with Jackson's vocal range spanning from the tonal nodes of E4 to Bb5. "You Rock My World" has a moderate tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
of 120 beats per minute. The chord progression in the song is B7–C9–A7–D–B7. The song's composition has been compared to Jackson's previous material with 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...
from the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the disco-theme from Jackson's 1979 single, "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough
Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough
"Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" is a single by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Released under Epic Records on July 28, 1979, the song is the first single from Jackson's fifth studio album, entitled Off the Wall. Written by Jackson, it is in the key of B major and in common time...
". Chris Tucker
Chris Tucker
Christopher "Chris" Tucker is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing the role of Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series.-Early life:...
voices the vocal introduction of the song. Lyrically, the song's lyrics are about being in love, as well as the effect that it can have, as evident in the opening line, "My life will never be the same, 'cause, girl, you came and changed the way I walk, the way I talk, I cannot explain"
Critical reception
"You Rock My World" received generally mixed reviews from music critics. Praise was mainly directed at the song's composition, while dissatisfaction towards the song was expressed by critics because they felt that the track was not Jackson's best material. Stephen Thomas ErlewineStephen Thomas Erlewine
Stephen Thomas Erlewine is a senior editor for Allmusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for Allmusic, as well as a freelance writer, occasionally contributing liner notes. He is also frontman and guitarist for the Ann Arbor-based band Who Dat?Erlewine is the nephew...
of Allmusic listed "You Rock My World" as being a highlight for the Invincible album. Reviewer Andrew Hamilton of Allmusic stated that, "If anybody other than Michael Jackson had released 'You Rock My World' with the tons of publicity
Publicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
and promotion
Promotion
Promotion may mean:*Promotion *Promotion **Film promotion**Promotional campaign**Promoter **Promotional recording**Radio promotion*Promotion *Promotion - when a pawn reaches the eighth rank...
it was accorded, it would have slam dunked the charts and been a multiple award winner. It sold well and got play everywhere, but too many critics panned the song and the album it came from as not being good enough for an artist on Jackson's level." Hamilton commented that people should "give Michael credit" because he was able to maintain a respectable career as a recording artist over the years of his later career.
James Hunter of 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...
praised the song's vocal rhythms as being "finely sculpted" and "exquisite". He noted that the song shows similarities to Jackson's previous material with Quincy Jones. Mark Beaumont, a writer for NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, described the song as being a "disco classic" and commented that he felt that the song's brief intro was "funnier than Chris Evans on fire". Catherine Halaby of Yale Daily News
Yale Daily News
The Yale Daily News is an independent student newspaper published by Yale University students in New Haven, Connecticut since January 28, 1878...
stated that the song "showcases the best of 'classic Michael'", and described the song as being "funky, catchy, upbeat, not too creepy". "You Rock My World" was nominated for a Grammy Award
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 Pop Vocal Performance - Male
Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance was awarded between 1966 and 2011...
at the 44th Grammy Awards, but it lost the award to James Taylor
James Taylor
James Vernon Taylor is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A five-time Grammy Award winner, Taylor was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2000....
's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight". It was Jackson's first Grammy nomination since 1997, for his single "Earth Song
Earth Song
"Earth Song" is the third single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It is the fifth song on the second disc of the album. It is a ballad that incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Jackson had a long-standing history of releasing socially conscious...
", and his first nomination in that category since 1995.
Chart performance
"You Rock My World" was commercially successful, generally charting within the top ten positions on music charts worldwide. The song was Jackson's last hit single in the United States in the final years of his career. "You Rock My World" charted within the top twenty positions on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard 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...
on September 15, 2001. The following week, the song charted at its peak position, number ten. It became Jackson's highest charting single since his 1995 number-one single, "You Are Not Alone
You Are Not Alone
"You Are Not Alone", released on the 10th of August 1995, is the second single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory. The R&B ballad's composition has been attributed R. Kelly in response to difficult times in his personal life. He then forwarded a bare demo tape to Jackson, who liked the song and...
". "You Rock My World" also charted at number seven and thirteen on Billboards Pop Charts
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
and R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
. The song also charted within the top ten positions, peaking at number two, on the Canadian RPM Hot 100 chart. "You Rock My World" debuted on the United Kingdoms Singles Chart at number two, which was its peak position in the country, on October 20. The song remained within the top twenty positions on the chart for four consecutive weeks, and remained within the top 100 positions for fifteen consecutive weeks from October 20, 2001, to January 26, 2002. "You Rock My World" debuted on the French Singles Chart on October 13, 2001, at the number one position. The song song remained at the number one position on the chart for three consecutive weeks, and remained within the top twenty positions for ten consecutive weeks. The song debuted on the Dutch Singles Charts at number four on October 20, and the following week, charted at its peak position, number two. "You Rock My World" debuted on the Finnish Singles Chart on the forty first week of 2001, at its peak position, number two. After three weeks, the song fell off the charts.
The song debuted at its peak position, number two, in Norway in the 42nd second week of 2001. The song remained on the chart for six consecutive weeks, charting within the top twenty positions.
"You Rock My World" entered New Zealand charts on September 16, at number thirty one. "You Rock My World" debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at its peak position, number four. After the song charted within the top fifty positions for five consecutive weeks, it fell off the chart, and re-entered two weeks later at number thirty seven, and fell off the chart for the second time on January 6, 2002. "You Rock My World" debuted on the Italian Singles Chart on November 11, at its peak position number three, and remained within the top ten positions for four weeks in 2001. The song peaked at number two and four on the Belgium Flanders and Walonia charts in 2001. On the Austrian Singles Chart, the song debuted at its peak position, number nine, on October 21, and it remained on the chart for a total of eight weeks. After seven weeks, the song charted at its peak position, number thirteen, and remained on the chart for twelve weeks in 2001. After Jackson's death
Death of Michael Jackson
On June 25, 2009, American singer Michael Jackson died of acute propofol intoxication after he suffered a respiratory arrest at his home in the Holmby Hills neighborhood in Los Angeles. His personal physician, Conrad Murray, said he found Jackson in his room, not breathing, but with a faint pulse,...
in June 2009, "You Rock My World" re-entered music charts worldwide. The song re-entered Billboard charts for the first time in almost eight years. The song peaked at number sixty two on Billboards Digital Songs
Billboard charts
The Billboard charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs or albums in the United States. The results are published in Billboard magazine...
chart on July 11, 2009. The song re-entered the United Kingdom Singles Chart on July 4, charting at number ninety-seven. The following week the song charted at its peak position, number sixty, and charted out of the top 100 positions after spending three weeks on the chart. "You Rock My World" re-entered the Australian Singles Chart for the third time on July 19, at number fifty. The song remained on the chart for only one week.
Promotion
In late August 2001, Jackson and Sony Music began a promotional campaign for "You Rock My World". As part of promotion for the single, as well as the album, Jackson made a public appearance by celebrating his 43rd birthday—one day late—by presiding over the NASDAQ market opening ceremony in Times SquareTimes Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection in the borough of Manhattan in New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
on Thursday morning, on August 30, 2001. Jackson only performed "You Rock My World" twice. The only performances of "You Rock My World" was during two concerts in early September 2001, which was to celebrate Jackson's 30th year as solo artist, at Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden
Madison Square Garden, often abbreviated as MSG and known colloquially as The Garden, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in the New York City borough of Manhattan and located at 8th Avenue, between 31st and 33rd Streets, situated on top of Pennsylvania Station.Opened on February 11, 1968, it is the...
. Tucker, who is part of the songs dialogue and video, was part of the live performance. Footage of the second concert on September 10 was shown in a two hour television special, entitled Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special
Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special
The Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special was a 2001 New York City revue show by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson. It took place on September 7, 2001 and September 10, 2001...
, which was aired on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
in November of the same year.
Music video
The music video for "You Rock My World" was directed by Paul HunterPaul Hunter (director)
Paul Hunter is a music video director known for his high-budget, visually distinctive videos for popular music singles. He has directed over 100 music videos, many television advertisements and was nominated for an Emmy for Nike's Freestyle commercial...
, and was released in 2001. The video, which is over thirteen minutes long, was described as being a short film. The video consist of Jackson's and Tucker's characters trying to gain a woman's affection by subsequently following her around the neighborhood. The video for "You Rock My World" was thought to be the last music video to feature any participation from Jackson before the video for "One More Chance
One More Chance (Michael Jackson song)
"One More Chance" is a song written by R. Kelly for Michael Jackson and used on his Number Ones compilation album. It was released as a single on November 20, 2003, reaching #83 in the U.S., #5 in the UK and reaching #1 in Venezuela, Moldova and Turkey....
" was unearthed (his following videos would consist of archive footage of himself and others). The video has been compared to Jackson's previous 1980s music videos for his singles, "Smooth Criminal
Smooth Criminal
"Smooth Criminal" is the seventh single from Michael Jackson's 1987 Bad album. The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth" assailant. It was released as a single on October 24, 1988 and peaked...
" (1987), "Bad" (1987), and "The Way You Make Me Feel
The Way You Make Me Feel
"The Way You Make Me Feel" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Released by Epic Records in November 1987, it was the third single from Jackson's seventh studio album Bad. Written and composed by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones , the song is credited as being a pop and R&B...
" (1987), both from his 1987 studio album, 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...
. In the video, Jackson can be seen wearing a Blazer
Blazer
A blazer is a type of jacket. The term blazer occasionally is synonymous with boating jacket and sports jacket, two different garments. A blazer resembles a suit coat cut more casually — sometimes with flap-less patch pockets and metal buttons. A blazer's cloth is usually durable , because it is an...
and his traditional hat. The video features appearances from Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
, Michael Madsen
Michael Madsen
Michael Søren Madsen is an American actor, poet, and photographer. He has appeared in more than 150 films, most of them small independent films, though he has starred in central roles in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco, and Kill Bill, in addition to a supporting role in Sin...
and Billy Drago
Billy Drago
Billy Drago is an American actor known for his roles as villains in television and motion pictures.-Personal life:Drago was born William Eugene Burrows in Hugoton, Kansas to William and Gladys Burrows. He took his grandmother's maiden name as his stage name to keep from being confused with another...
. Catherine Halaby, a writer for Yale Daily News, who had given the song a positive review, described the video as being a "direct descendant" of "Smooth Criminal," with the "nuances" of "The Way You Make me Feel". Halaby commented that appearances by Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando
Marlon Brando, Jr. was an American movie star and political activist. "Unchallenged as the most important actor in modern American Cinema" according to the St...
and Michael Madsen
Michael Madsen
Michael Søren Madsen is an American actor, poet, and photographer. He has appeared in more than 150 films, most of them small independent films, though he has starred in central roles in such films as Reservoir Dogs, Free Willy, Donnie Brasco, and Kill Bill, in addition to a supporting role in Sin...
were "indeed random" and that "few things Jackson does shock us anymore." The video won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Music Video at the award shows 2002 ceremony.
In several instances in the video, Tucker's character makes several references to previous songs by Michael Jackson, such as "Beat It
Beat It
"Beat It" is a song written and performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones . It is the third single from the singer's sixth solo album, Thriller . Eddie Van Halen was hired to add the song's distinctive overdriven guitar solo, but was prevented by his...
", "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)
"P.Y.T. " is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The original demo version of the song was written by Jackson and Greg Phillinganes. It is the sixth single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller . Quincy Jones passed on the song itself but liked the title and, with James Ingram,...
", "The Girl Is Mine
The Girl Is Mine
"The Girl Is Mine" is a song by Michael Jackson featuring Paul McCartney. It is the first single from Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller. It is one of the three songs that Jackson and McCartney recorded together. McCartney is the only featured guest on the album. The track was written and...
", "Bad" and "Dangerous
Dangerous (Michael Jackson song)
"Dangerous" is an R&B-pop song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The song appeared on Jackson's solo studio album of the same name, released in November 1991. Written and composed by Jackson, Bill Bottrell and Teddy Riley, the song was planned as the tenth single from the album...
".
The music video also appear on Number Ones 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...
.
Live performances
"You Rock My World" was performed twice live during the 30th anniversary concertsMichael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special
The Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special was a 2001 New York City revue show by American megasuperstar Michael Jackson. It took place on September 7, 2001 and September 10, 2001...
performed in late 2001. The song was set to be performed in his This Is It
This Is It (Michael Jackson concerts)
This Is It was a planned series of fifty concerts by Michael Jackson to be held at The O2 Arena in London. They were scheduled to begin in July 2009 and continue through to March 2010. However, with all concerts sold out, Jackson died less than three weeks before the first concert date...
concerts, but was ultimately cancelled due to Michael's sudden death.
Track listing
CD single- You Rock My World - 5:39
- You Rock My World (Radio Edit) - 4:25
- You Rock My World (Instrumental) - 5:07
- You Rock My World (A capella) - 4:47
European, Cassette and Australian single:
- Intro – 0:32
- "You Rock My World" (Album edit) – 5:07
- "You Rock My World" (Radio edit) – 4:25
- "You Rock My World" (Instrumental) – 5:07
- "You Rock My World" (Acappella) – 5:01
CD Promo:
- Intro - 0:32
- "You Rock My World" (Album edit) - 5:07
- "You Rock My World" (Radio Edit) - 4:25
12" 1
- Intro – 0:32
- "You Rock My World" (Album edit) – 5:07
- "You Rock My World" (Instrumental) – 5:07
- "You Rock My World" (Acappella) – 5:01
12" 2
- "You Rock My World" (Track Masters Remix - Feat Jay-ZJay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
) - 3:45
Japan CD Promo
- Intro - 0:32
- You Rock My World - 5:07
VHS Promo
- You Rock My World [Music video Short] - 10:26
- You Rock My World [Music video Extended] - 13:44
Personnel
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson, Rodney Jerkins, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels and Nora Payne
- Produced and all musical instruments performed by Michael Jackson and Rodney Jerkins
- Lead and background vocals by Michael Jackson
- Intro by Chris TuckerChris TuckerChristopher "Chris" Tucker is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing the role of Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series.-Early life:...
and Michael Jackson - Recorded by Brad Gilderman, Rodney Jerkins, Jean-Marie Horvat, Dexter Simmons and Stuart BrawleyStuart BrawleyStuart Brawley is a Canadian musician and Juno Award nominated record producer and mixer based in Los Angeles. Brawley was nominated for a 2009 Juno award for Producer of the Year Award for his work on Emmy Rossum's album, Inside Out...
- Digital Editing by Harvey Mason, Jr. and Stuart Brawley
- Mixed by Bruce SwedienBruce SwedienBruce 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 Rodney Jerkins
Charts and procession
| Chart (2001/2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
4 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 9 |
| Belgium (Flanders) Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
4 |
| Belgium (Walonia) Singles Chart Ultratop 40 Ultratop 40 singles, often just Ultratop 40, is the weekly chart of best-selling singles in Wallonia and Brussels Capital Region, the french-speaking parts of Belgium. Its equivalent covering the Flanders region is Ultratop 50. Both charts are produced and published by the Ultratop organization... |
2 |
| Canadian Singles Chart Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
2 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 2 |
| Finnish Singles Chart | 2 |
| French Singles Chart | 1 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 3 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 13 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 2 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 5 |
| 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 ... |
2 |
| 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... |
10 |
| US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,... |
13 |
External links
- The music video for "You Rock My World" at Youtube.comYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....