Black or White (song)
Encyclopedia
"Black or White" is a single
by American singer-songwriter
Michael Jackson
. The song was released by Epic Records
on November 11, 1991 as the first single from Jackson's eighth studio album
, Dangerous. It was written, composed and produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell
.
, rap and hard rock
music such as Bill Bottrell's guitars and Jackson's vocal style.
The song's main riff is often falsely attributed to Guns N' Roses
guitarist Slash
. His guitar work is featured in the opening skit for the song's track on the album.
at number thirty five. A week later it shot up to number three and on its third week, December 7, 1991, it ascended to number one, making it the fastest chart topper since the Beatles' "Get Back
" also won the Hot 100 in just three weeks in 1969. It closed the year at number one, and remained at the top of the singles chart into 1992, for a total of seven weeks, making Michael Jackson the first artist to get number one popular hits in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. In the UK, the single became the first single by an American to go into the singles chart at number one since 1960, when "It's Now Or Never
" by Elvis Presley
did in the same manner. Around the world, "Black or White" hit number one in the US, UK, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Euro Chart Hot 100, number two in Germany and number three in Holland. The single was certified
platinum in the US, selling over one million copies.
Reviews of the song varied. Rolling Stone
's Allan Light in his Dangerous review, compares the song unfavourably to "Beat It": "Neither this slow-burn solo nor the Stones-derived riff on 'Black or White' offers the catharsis of Eddie Van Halen's blazing break on 'Beat It'".
, it reached #14, and in Ireland
, #11. The promotional single also surprisingly peaked at #18 in Australia
. Despite the favourable European response to this remix, it was never included on a Michael Jackson album or compilation, except on the third disc of the French & UK versions of Jackson's greatest hits album King Of Pop.
for "Black or White" was first broadcast on MTV
, BET
, VH1
, and Fox
(giving them their highest Nielsen ratings
ever) on November 14, 1991. Along with Jackson, it featured Macaulay Culkin
, Tess Harper
, and George Wendt
. The video was directed by John Landis
, who previously directed Thriller. It premiered simultaneously in 27 countries, with an audience of 500 million viewers, the most to ever watch a music video.
The first few minutes of the video featured an extended version of the song's intro, during which a 10 year old kid (Macaulay Culkin
) is dancing to rock music in his bedroom at night. This attracts the attention of his father (George Wendt
), who furiously orders him to stop playing the music and go to bed. Culkin complies by setting up large speaker cabinets behind his father's reclining chair, donning leather gloves and sunglasses, and playing a power chord
, setting on an electric guitar. The sound then shatters and destroys the house windows and sends his father (seated in the chair) halfway around the world, where the actual song begins. The kid's mother (Tess Harper
), comments that his father will be very unhappy when he gets back. The album version of the song does not feature Culkin's nor Wendt's voice; they are replaced by voice actors performing a similar intro. Wendt crashes in Africa, and Jackson sings "Black or White", surrounded by various cultures scene-by-scene.
The video shows scenes in which African hunters begin dancing using moves from West African dance, Jackson follows their moves and then they mirror his; as do, in sequence, traditional Thai dancers, Plains Native Americans
, a woman from India
and a group of Russians
. Jackson walks through visual collages of fire (defiantly declaring "I ain't scared of no sheets; I ain't scared of nobody"), referring to KKK
torch ceremonies before a mock rap scene shared with Culkin and other children. The group collectively states, "I'm not gonna spend my life being a color." The final verse is performed by Jackson on a large sculpted torch, which the camera pans out to reveal as the Statue of Liberty
. Jackson is seen singing on Lady Liberty's torch surrounded by other famous world edifices including The Giza Sphinx
, Hagia Sophia
, The Parthenon, Taj Mahal
, St. Basil's Cathedral, Pyramids of Giza, Golden Gate Bridge
, Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower
.
The final section of the video helped usher in morphing
as a new technology in music videos: it consists of a montage
of "talking head" shots of Jackson after several of his previous plastic surgeries
, each one morphing into the next. At the end of the sequence, Jackson's face morphs into that of future supermodel
Tyra Banks
. This technique, previously executed without digital assistance in the Godley & Creme
video for "Cry
", known as morphing, had been previously used only in films such as Willow
and Terminator 2
. The morphing visual effects were created by Pacific Data Images
.
The music video of the song appears on the video albums: Dangerous - The Short Films
(long version), Video Greatest Hits - HIStory
(long version), Number Ones (short version), and Michael Jackson's Vision
(long version).
and then morphs into himself. Then he walks outside to perform some of his most physically complicated dance techniques, in a similar way to "Billie Jean
". This part contained sexually suggestive scenes when Jackson starts to grab his crotch, and then zips his pants up. In the original version, Jackson is seen smashing windows, destroying a car and causing an inn (called the "Royal Arms") to explode. Jackson later apologized saying that the violent and suggestive behavior was an interpretation of the animal instinct of a black panther, and MTV and other music video networks removed the last four minutes from subsequent broadcasts. To make the vandalism and violence more understandable to viewers, racial messages were digitally added using CGI
graffiti to the windows that Jackson smashes. They are, "Hitler
Lives" on the passenger window with a swastika
on the driver's window, "Nigger
Go Home" (the 3 G's form the 666
) on the car's back window, "No More Wetbacks
" on the windshield, and "KKK
Rules" on the store door. The version included in the boxset "Michael Jackson's Vision
" is the original uncut, uncensored version without the digital graffiti, and does not include the "prejudice is ignorance" title card.
To date, the uncut version has generally been seen in the United States
on MTV2
only between the hours of 01:00 and 04:00, as part of their special uncensored airing of the "Most Controversial Music Videos" of all time. The extended version is also available on Jackson's DVDs. The original version (without graffiti) is available on the VHS and Laserdisc releases of Video Greatest Hits – HIStory with the DVD release containing the "racist graffiti version", and online at MTVMusic.com. On Sunday, November 29, 2009, the FUSE
cable channel aired the original version of "Black or White" (without graffiti) on its two-hour Remember His Time tribute wherein most of Jackson's music videos were played.
It was still shown in its entirety for some years in Europe
. Indeed, UK
channel MTV Classic aired the full video at 14:00 in the afternoon on April 11, 2010, including the brief cameo by Bart
and Homer Simpson
before the "prejudice is ignorance" image. The version available in the iTunes Music Store contains neither the panther scene nor the Simpsons
cameo, and is cut after the morphing sequence.
Starting in 1992, Nocturne Video Productions began playing the "Panther Segment" of the video as an interlude during Michael's Dangerous World tour. The clip is 20 seconds shorter than the original with all the violence and the sexually suggestive scenes removed. However, the part where he re-zipped his pants was kept in. On March 28, 2009, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
's music video program Rage
aired the uncensored, non-graffiti original version in its entirety in a 720p
digital broadcast. In January 2011, FUSE on Demand has the full video (without graffiti) for Comcast On Demand until February 28, 2011. Even though the short, censored version continues to air periodically to this day, some television channels still air the complete version but with the racist graffiti in it.
The music video, particularly the "Panther Segment", have been referenced or parodied by television shows and artists.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by American singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
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...
. The song was released 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...
on November 11, 1991 as the first single from Jackson's eighth studio album
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...
, Dangerous. It was written, composed and produced by Michael Jackson and 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 :...
.
Background and composition
"Black or White" was written, composed and produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell, and was picked as the first single from the album Dangerous. An alternate version was first heard by Sony executives on a trip to Neverland, as the third track of the Promo (Flight Only) CD Acetate. It began to be promoted on radio stations the first week of November 1991 in New York and Los Angeles. "Black or White" was officially released one week later, on November 5, 1991. The song has elements of danceElectronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
, rap and hard rock
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
music such as Bill Bottrell's guitars and Jackson's vocal style.
The song's main riff is often falsely attributed to 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'...
. His guitar work is featured in the opening skit for the song's track on the album.
Reception
"Black or White" entered Billboard's 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...
at number thirty five. A week later it shot up to number three and on its third week, December 7, 1991, it ascended to number one, making it the fastest chart topper since the Beatles' "Get Back
Get Back
"Get Back" is a song by The Beatles, composed by Paul McCartney and frequently attributed to Lennon–McCartney. The song was originally released as a single on 11 April 1969, and credited to "The Beatles with Billy Preston." A different mix of the song later became the closing track of Let It Be ,...
" also won the Hot 100 in just three weeks in 1969. It closed the year at number one, and remained at the top of the singles chart into 1992, for a total of seven weeks, making Michael Jackson the first artist to get number one popular hits in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. In the UK, the single became the first single by an American to go into the singles chart at number one since 1960, when "It's Now Or Never
It's Now or Never (song)
"It's Now or Never" is a popular song recorded by Elvis Presley and published by Gladys Music, Elvis Presley's publishing company, in 1960. The melody of the song is adapted from the Italian standard, "'O Sole Mio", but the inspiration for it came from the song, "There's No Tomorrow", recorded by...
" by Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
did in the same manner. Around the world, "Black or White" hit number one in the US, UK, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Euro Chart Hot 100, number two in Germany and number three in Holland. The single was certified
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
platinum in the US, selling over one million copies.
Reviews of the song varied. 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...
's Allan Light in his Dangerous review, compares the song unfavourably to "Beat It": "Neither this slow-burn solo nor the Stones-derived riff on 'Black or White' offers the catharsis of Eddie Van Halen's blazing break on 'Beat It'".
Remixes
The Clivillés & Cole remixes for "Black or White", released as a promotional single in 1992, also charted on many European countries. In the UKUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, it reached #14, and in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, #11. The promotional single also surprisingly peaked at #18 in 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...
. Despite the favourable European response to this remix, it was never included on a Michael Jackson album or compilation, except on the third disc of the French & UK versions of Jackson's greatest hits album King Of Pop.
Synopsis
The music videoMusic 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...
for "Black or White" was first broadcast 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....
, 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...
, 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...
, 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...
(giving them their highest Nielsen ratings
Nielsen Ratings
Nielsen ratings are the audience measurement systems developed by Nielsen Media Research, in an effort to determine the audience size and composition of television programming in the United States...
ever) on November 14, 1991. Along with Jackson, it 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...
, Tess Harper
Tess Harper
Tess Harper is an American actress.-Early life:Born Tessie Jean Washam on August 15, 1950 in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. Her parents' names are Ed and Rosemary Washam. She grew up around lots of quilts and quilt makers. On her own time, she liked to sit on the porch-swing and read...
, and George Wendt
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:...
. The video 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:...
, who previously directed Thriller. It premiered simultaneously in 27 countries, with an audience of 500 million viewers, the most to ever watch a music video.
The first few minutes of the video featured an extended version of the song's intro, during which a 10 year old kid (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...
) is dancing to rock music in his bedroom at night. This attracts the attention of his father (George Wendt
George Wendt
George Robert Wendt III is an American actor, best known for the roles of Norm Peterson and Tug Clarke on the television shows Cheers and Modern Men.-Early life:...
), who furiously orders him to stop playing the music and go to bed. Culkin complies by setting up large speaker cabinets behind his father's reclining chair, donning leather gloves and sunglasses, and playing a power chord
Power chord
In music, a power chord is a chord consisting of only the root note of the chord and the fifth interval, usually played on electric guitar, and typically through an amplification process that imparts distortion...
, setting on an electric guitar. The sound then shatters and destroys the house windows and sends his father (seated in the chair) halfway around the world, where the actual song begins. The kid's mother (Tess Harper
Tess Harper
Tess Harper is an American actress.-Early life:Born Tessie Jean Washam on August 15, 1950 in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. Her parents' names are Ed and Rosemary Washam. She grew up around lots of quilts and quilt makers. On her own time, she liked to sit on the porch-swing and read...
), comments that his father will be very unhappy when he gets back. The album version of the song does not feature Culkin's nor Wendt's voice; they are replaced by voice actors performing a similar intro. Wendt crashes in Africa, and Jackson sings "Black or White", surrounded by various cultures scene-by-scene.
The video shows scenes in which African hunters begin dancing using moves from West African dance, Jackson follows their moves and then they mirror his; as do, in sequence, traditional Thai dancers, Plains Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, a woman from India
Culture of India
India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food and customs differ from place to place within the country, but nevertheless possess a commonality....
and a group of Russians
Russian culture
Russian culture is associated with the country of Russia and, sometimes, specifically with ethnic Russians. It has a rich history and can boast a long tradition of excellence in every aspect of the arts, especially when it comes to literature and philosophy, classical music and ballet, architecture...
. Jackson walks through visual collages of fire (defiantly declaring "I ain't scared of no sheets; I ain't scared of nobody"), referring to KKK
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
torch ceremonies before a mock rap scene shared with Culkin and other children. The group collectively states, "I'm not gonna spend my life being a color." The final verse is performed by Jackson on a large sculpted torch, which the camera pans out to reveal as the Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
. Jackson is seen singing on Lady Liberty's torch surrounded by other famous world edifices including The Giza Sphinx
Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx of Giza , commonly referred to as the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining or couchant sphinx that stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt....
, Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia
Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum in Istanbul, Turkey...
, The Parthenon, Taj Mahal
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal is a white Marble mausoleum located in Agra, India. It was built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his third wife, Mumtaz Mahal...
, St. Basil's Cathedral, Pyramids of Giza, Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
, Big Ben and the Eiffel Tower
Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is a puddle iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889, it has become both a global icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world...
.
The final section of the video helped usher in 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...
as a new technology in music videos: it consists of a montage
Montage
-Filmmaking:*Montage , a technique which uses rapid editing, special effects and music to present compressed narrative information*Soviet montage theory in the 1920s-Other:* Montage , Documentary television series from 1960s and 1970s...
of "talking head" shots of Jackson after several of his previous plastic surgeries
Plastic surgery
Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand...
, each one morphing into the next. At the end of the sequence, Jackson's face morphs into that of future supermodel
Supermodel
The term supermodel refers to a highly-paid fashion model who usually has a worldwide reputation and often a background in haute couture and commercial modeling. The term became prominent in the popular culture of the 1980s. Supermodels usually work for top fashion designers and labels...
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...
. This technique, previously executed without digital assistance in the Godley & Creme
Godley & Creme
Godley & Creme were an English pop music duo composed of Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing albums as a duo after splitting from the pop band 10cc. In 1979 they directed their first music video for their own single "An Englishman in New York"...
video for "Cry
Cry (Godley & Creme song)
"Cry" is a song released by the British music duo Godley & Creme in 1985. It was included on the duo's album The History Mix Volume 1.The song peaked at #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Godley & Creme's lone Top 40 hit in the US apart from their former band, 10cc...
", known as morphing, had been previously used only in films such as Willow
Willow (film)
Willow is a 1988 American fantasy film directed by Ron Howard and produced/co-written by George Lucas. Warwick Davis stars in the film, as well as Val Kilmer, Joanne Whalley, Jean Marsh, and Patricia Hayes...
and Terminator 2
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
. The morphing visual effects were created by Pacific Data Images
Pacific Data Images
Pacific Data Images is a computer animation production company that was bought by DreamWorks SKG. The company is now known as PDI/DreamWorks and is half of DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc., the public company formed by merging PDI and the feature animation division of DreamWorks.-History:PDI was...
.
The music video of the song appears on the video albums: 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...
(long version), Video Greatest Hits - HIStory
Video Greatest Hits - HIStory
Video Greatest Hits – HIStory is a collection of Michael Jackson's music videos, excluding "Man in the Mirror" and "She's Out of My Life", relative at the first disc of the double album HIStory released initially on VHS, Video CD and Laserdisc in 1995 by Sony Music Video Enterprises, and then on...
(long version), Number Ones (short version), 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...
(long version).
Controversy and censorship
Controversy was generated concerning the last four minutes of the original music video. Jackson walks out of the studio as a black pantherBlack panther
A black panther is typically a melanistic color variant of any of several species of larger cat. Wild black panthers in Latin America are black jaguars , in Asia and Africa they are black leopards , and in North America they may be black jaguars or possibly black cougars A black panther is...
and then morphs into himself. Then he walks outside to perform some of his most physically complicated dance techniques, in a similar way to "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...
". This part contained sexually suggestive scenes when Jackson starts to grab his crotch, and then zips his pants up. In the original version, Jackson is seen smashing windows, destroying a car and causing an inn (called the "Royal Arms") to explode. Jackson later apologized saying that the violent and suggestive behavior was an interpretation of the animal instinct of a black panther, and MTV and other music video networks removed the last four minutes from subsequent broadcasts. To make the vandalism and violence more understandable to viewers, racial messages were digitally added using CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
graffiti to the windows that Jackson smashes. They are, "Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
Lives" on the passenger window with a swastika
Swastika
The swastika is an equilateral cross with its arms bent at right angles, in either right-facing form in counter clock motion or its mirrored left-facing form in clock motion. Earliest archaeological evidence of swastika-shaped ornaments dates back to the Indus Valley Civilization of Ancient...
on the driver's window, "Nigger
Nigger
Nigger is a noun in the English language, most notable for its usage in a pejorative context to refer to black people , and also as an informal slang term, among other contexts. It is a common ethnic slur...
Go Home" (the 3 G's form the 666
Number of the Beast
The Number of the Beast is a term in the Book of Revelation, of the New Testament, that is associated with the first Beast of Revelation chapter 13, the Beast of the sea. In most manuscripts of the New Testament and in English translations of the Bible, the number of the Beast is...
) on the car's back window, "No More Wetbacks
Wetback (slur)
"Wetback" is a person of any foreign nationality, the usual being a Mexican who are illegal immigrants in the United States. Generally used as an ethnic slur, the term was originally coined and applied only to Mexicans who entered Texas by crossing the Rio Grande river, which is the Mexican...
" on the windshield, and "KKK
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
Rules" on the store door. The version included in the boxset "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...
" is the original uncut, uncensored version without the digital graffiti, and does not include the "prejudice is ignorance" title card.
To date, the uncut version has generally been seen in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on MTV2
MTV2
MTV2 is a cable network that is widely available in the United States on digital cable and satellite television, and is progressively being added to analogue cable lineups across the nation...
only between the hours of 01:00 and 04:00, as part of their special uncensored airing of the "Most Controversial Music Videos" of all time. The extended version is also available on Jackson's DVDs. The original version (without graffiti) is available on the VHS and Laserdisc releases of Video Greatest Hits – HIStory with the DVD release containing the "racist graffiti version", and online at MTVMusic.com. On Sunday, November 29, 2009, the FUSE
Fuse TV
Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....
cable channel aired the original version of "Black or White" (without graffiti) on its two-hour Remember His Time tribute wherein most of Jackson's music videos were played.
It was still shown in its entirety for some years 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...
. Indeed, UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
channel MTV Classic aired the full video at 14:00 in the afternoon on April 11, 2010, including the brief cameo by Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
and Homer Simpson
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
before the "prejudice is ignorance" image. The version available in the iTunes Music Store contains neither the panther scene nor the Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
cameo, and is cut after the morphing sequence.
Starting in 1992, Nocturne Video Productions began playing the "Panther Segment" of the video as an interlude during Michael's Dangerous World tour. The clip is 20 seconds shorter than the original with all the violence and the sexually suggestive scenes removed. However, the part where he re-zipped his pants was kept in. On March 28, 2009, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
's music video program Rage
Rage (TV program)
Rage is a popular all-night Australian music video program broadcast on ABC1 on Friday nights, Saturday mornings and Saturday nights. It was first screened on the weekend of Friday, 17 April 1987. With Soul Train no longer being produced, it is the oldest music television program currently still...
aired the uncensored, non-graffiti original version in its entirety in a 720p
720p
720p is the shorthand name for 1280x720, a category of High-definition television video modes having a resolution of 1080 or 720p and a progressive scan...
digital broadcast. In January 2011, FUSE on Demand has the full video (without graffiti) for Comcast On Demand until February 28, 2011. Even though the short, censored version continues to air periodically to this day, some television channels still air the complete version but with the racist graffiti in it.
Track listings
- Maxi CD
- "Black or White" (Single Version) – 3:22
- "Black or White" (Instrumental) – 3:22
- "Smooth CriminalSmooth 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...
" – 4:16
- 7" single and 3" CD
- "Black or White" (Single Version) – 3:22
- "Black or White" (Instrumental) – 3:22
- 12" single
- "Black or White" (The Clivilles & Cole House/Club Mix) - 7:36
- "Black or White" (The Clivilles & Cole House/Dub Mix) - 6:34
- "Black or White" (House with Guitar Radio Mix) - 3:53
- "Black or White" (Single Version) - 3:22
- "Black or White" (Instrumental) - 3:22
- "Black or White" (Tribal Beats) - 3:38
- The Clivillés & Cole Remixes
- Black Or White (The Clivillés & Cole House / Club Mix) - 7:36
- Black Or White (The Clivillés & Cole House / Dub Mix) - 6:34
- Black Or White (The Underground Club Mix) - 7:29
- Black Or White (House With Guitar Radio Mix) - 3:53
- Black Or White (Tribal Beats) - 3:38
- Visionary CD side
- "Black or White" (Single version) – 3:22
- "Black or White" (Clivillés & Cole House Guitar Radio Mix) – 3:53
- Visionary DVD side
- "Black or White" (Music video) - 11:00
- Enhanced With The Dangerous Pepsi Commercial
Covers and culture impact
"Black or White" has been covered by some artists since its release.- In 1992, "Weird Al" Yankovic"Weird Al" YankovicAlfred Matthew "Weird Al" Yankovic is an American singer-songwriter, music producer, accordionist, actor, comedian, writer, satirist, and parodist. Yankovic is known for his humorous songs that make light of popular culture and that often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts...
recorded a parody of "Black or White" titled "Snack All Night", which however never released commercially. Yankovic performed his version during a concert. - In 2009, singer Adam LambertAdam LambertAdam Mitchel Lambert is an American singer, songwriter, and actor from San Diego, California. In May 2009, he finished as the runner-up on the eighth season of American Idol...
performed the song on the 8th season of American IdolAmerican Idol (season 8)The eighth season of American Idol premiered on January 13, 2009, and concluded on May 20, 2009. Judges Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson continued to judge the show's contestants, along with Ryan Seacrest as host. The season introduced Kara DioGuardi as the fourth judge on the Idol...
during the Michael Jackson episode, which was re-aired on June 29, in a tribute to the death of Jackson on June 25.
The music video, particularly the "Panther Segment", have been referenced or parodied by television shows and artists.
- The video, including the "Panther Segment" was parodied by the sketch comedy TV show In Living ColorIn Living ColorIn Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
, in which Tommy DavidsonTommy DavidsonTommy Davidson is an American comedian, film and television actor.Born in Washington, D.C., Davidson was adopted when he was 2-years-old. He was a child of an interracial adoption, with his parents being Caucasian and he being African-American. He attended high school at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High...
appeared as Jackson, but instead of a panther, Davidson morphs from a tiny black kittenKittenA kitten is a juvenile domesticated cat.The young of big cats are called cubs rather than kittens. Either term may be used for the young of smaller wild felids such as ocelots, caracals, and lynx, but "kitten" is usually more common for these species....
. At the end of the sketch, Jackson asks a police officer if he is black or white, when the officer arrests him for his destructive antics Jackson bleakly concludes that he's black. - In 1991, English rock bandRock BandRock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
GenesisGenesis (band)Genesis are an English rock band that formed in 1967. The band currently comprises the longest-tenured members Tony Banks , Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins . Past members Peter Gabriel , Steve Hackett and Anthony Phillips , also played major roles in the band in its early years...
parodied the "Black or White" video in the ending of their video for "I Can't DanceI Can't Dance"I Can't Dance" is the fourth track from the Genesis album We Can't Dance and was the second single from the album . The song peaked at number seven on both the U.S...
", in which member Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
imitates Michael Jackson's "panther" fit in front of a stark white background. - In 2011, BrooklynBrooklynBrooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
hip hop group Das RacistDas RacistDas Racist is an alternative hip hop group based in Brooklyn, New York City, composed of MCs Himanshu Suri , and Victor Vazquez and hype man Ashok Kondabolu...
released a music video for their song, entitled "Michael Jackson". The music video references many elements from the "Black or White" video and features also an Jackson impersonator. The song is features on the album RelaxRelax (Das Racist album)Relax is the first commercially released album by New York hip-hop group Das Racist, following the success of their first two mixtapes Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man. The album was released on September 13, 2011. The first single, "Michael Jackson", was released via iTunes on August 2, with a...
.
Peak positions
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| 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 ... |
1 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 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... |
1 |
| Belgium Singles Chart | 1 |
| 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.... |
1 |
| French Singles Chart | 1 |
| Irish Singles Chart Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on behalf of the IRMA by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured... |
1 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 1 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 1 |
| German Singles Chart | 1 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 17 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 22 |
| European Hot 100 Singles | 25 |
| French Digital Singles Chart | 9 |
| New Zealand Singles Chart | 16 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 18 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 11 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 7 |
| 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 ... |
25 |
| US Billboard Hot Digital Songs Hot Digital Songs The Hot Digital Songs chart ranks the best-selling digital singles in the United States, according to Billboard.Beginning in February 2005, digital sales have been incorporated into many of Billboards music single charts. It was decided to do so mainly because of the dramatic rise in popularity of... |
13 |
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
| Hungarian Singles Chart | 6 |
End of year charts
| End of year chart (1992) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 14 |
End of decade charts
| Chart (1990–1999) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 39 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Platinum | 1,000,000 |
| Australia | 2xPlatinum | 140,000 |
| New Zealand | Platinum | 15,000 |
| Germany | Gold | 250,000 |
Personnel
- Written and composed by Michael Jackson
- Rap lyrics by Bill BottrellBill BottrellBill 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 :...
- Produced by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell
- Recorded and mixed by Bill Bottrell
- Bryan Loren: Drums
- Brad Buxer and Bill Bottrell: Percussion
- Bryan Loren (moog) and Terry Jackson (bass guitar): Bass
- Brad Buxer, John Barnes and Jasun MartzJasun MartzJasun Martz is an American record producer, composer, musician, fine artist, creative director and sculptor who has worked on several international hit records. He has recorded with Michael Jackson, toured with Frank Zappa and helped arrange the hit "We Built This City" by Starship.Martz has lived...
: Keyboards - Bill Bottrell: Guitar
- Tim Pierce: Heavy metal guitar
- Michael Boddicker, Kevin Gilbert: Speed sequencer
- Morphing Sound Effect: Scott Frankfurt
- Rap performance by L.T.B.
- "Intro":
- Composed by Bill Bottrell
- Directed by Michael Jackson
- Engineering and sound design: Matt Forger
- Son played by Andres McKenzie
- Father played by L.T.B.