Number Ones (DVD)
Encyclopedia
Number Ones is a video album by American songwriter and recording artist Michael Jackson
. It was released on DVD on November 13, 2003 under the Epic Records
record label, in conjunction with the promotion for Jackson's greatest hits album, of the same name (although the album and DVD have different songs). The DVD, which is Jackson's fourth DVD album, contained fifteen music videos, which was directed and produced by various people. It consists of music videos filmed and released by Jackson since 1979s Off the Wall
to 2001s Invincible.
Notable music videos included on the DVD were "Beat It
", "Billie Jean
" and Thriller—which received heavy rotation on MTV
in the 1980s, and are credited as having transformed the music video from a promotional tool and into an art form, and "Black or White" and "Scream
" which were also prominent on channels like MTV in the 1990s. Number Ones received praise from contemporary music critics and was commercially successful internationally. The DVD peaked at number one on the Australian Top 40 Music DVD
in Australia. Number Ones has been certified twenty one times platinum in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association
and is the best selling music DVD ever by a male solo artist in Australia. It is also thirteen times platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America
.
, Michael Jackson
released his first of what would be ten studio albums, Got to Be There. Four singles were taken from the album, although they were not promoted by music video
s, and this pattern continued for his next three studio albums, Ben
(1972), Music & Me
(1973) and Forever, Michael
(1975). Unlike in the past, Jackson released his debut music video for the lead single, "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough
", from his 1979 album, Off the Wall
. Jackson subsequently began releasing music videos for his singles to promote both the song itself and the album. His music videos from the 1980s — particularly the music video for "Billie Jean" and Thriller — received heavy rotation on channels like Music Television (MTV
). The popularity of his music videos that aired on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller — credited for transforming the music video from a promotional tool and into an art form — helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Music videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream
" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. Due to length, some of Jackson's music videos are considered to be short films. Some of them drew criticism for their violent and sexual content, others were lauded by critics and awarded Guinness World Records
for their length, success and expense. From 1979 to 2003, Jackson released thirty-six music videos.
. The DVD contained ninety one minutes of music video Jackson had already released from as early as 1979, to as late as 2001. This compilation was also released in Asia on double Video CD format.
Music videos from both Jackson's studio and compilation albums, which were Off the Wall
(1979), Thriller
(1982), Bad
(1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997) and Invincible (2001), were featured on the DVD. The DVD consisted of fifteen music videos, both long and short form versions. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You
" (1987), "Scream" (1995), "Break of Dawn" (2001) the then newly recorded "One More Chance
" (2003) and a live version of "Ben
" (1972) did not make it onto the DVD, while "Blood on the Dance Floor
" (1997) which was on the DVD, was not on the U.S. version of the album of the same name.
chart in Australia. It was ranked at number two, charting behind only Funhouse Tour: Live In Australia by Pink
, on the Australian Highest Selling Music DVD chart for 2009. It also peaked at number three on the Swedish DVD Albums Chart
. In Czech Republic, Number Ones peaked at number fourteen on the DVD chart. Number Ones peaked at number three on the Hungarian Top 20 DVD
chart. In Italy, Number Ones peaked at number nine on the country's DVD album chart, as of the first week of May 2010, it has stayed on the chart for forty five weeks. The DVD album was certified thirteen times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
for the sales of over 1.3 million units in the United States. Number Ones was also certified twenty one times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
for the sales of over 315,000 units in Australia. Recording Industry Association of Japan
certified the DVD gold for the sales of over 100,000 units in Japan. For the sales of over 25,000 units in Spain, Productores de Música de España gave the album two times platinum certification. Number Ones was also certified six times platinum for the sales of 30,000 units in New Zealand, as well as gold by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry for the sales of at least 5,000 units in Poland.
). Ruhlmann commented that seeing Jackson's changing appearance, as well as the videos itself helped him understand Jackson's career more, commenting, "Number Ones was released at what appeared to be the end of Michael Jackson's long, troubled reign as a pop star
, and it contained many clues to both his success and his downfall." Ruhlmann further noted that "a messianic theme ran through many of the videos" like the relatively modest "Beat It," which is about stopping violence, to "Earth Song," in which Jackson restored ravaged rain forests and even brought the dead back to life. Dan LeLuca of the Philadelphia Inquirer described Number Ones as being a "reminder" of the "MTV era". Jeff Mires of News Pop Music Critic felt that the release of both the Number Ones CD and DVD was a good opportunity to "revisit Jackson's music".
Also available on double Video CD (in Asia market only).
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...
. It was released on DVD on November 13, 2003 under the 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...
record label, in conjunction with the promotion for Jackson's greatest hits album, of the same name (although the album and DVD have different songs). The DVD, which is Jackson's fourth DVD album, contained fifteen music videos, which was directed and produced by various people. It consists of music videos filmed and released by Jackson since 1979s Off the Wall
Off the Wall (album)
Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American recording artist Michael Jackson, released August 10, 1979 on Epic Records, after Jackson's critically well received film performance in The Wiz. While working on that project, Jackson and Quincy Jones had become friends, and Jones agreed to...
to 2001s Invincible.
Notable music videos included on the DVD were "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...
", "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...
" and Thriller—which received heavy rotation 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....
in the 1980s, and are credited as having transformed the music video from a promotional tool and into an art form, and "Black or White" and "Scream
Scream/Childhood
"Scream"/"Childhood" is the lead single from Michael Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I where "Scream" is the first song and "Childhood" is the tenth song on the second disc of the album HIStory Continues. The A-side, "Scream", is a duet with his younger sister...
" which were also prominent on channels like MTV in the 1990s. Number Ones received praise from contemporary music critics and was commercially successful internationally. The DVD peaked at number one on the Australian Top 40 Music DVD
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...
in Australia. Number Ones has been certified twenty one times platinum in Australia by the Australian Recording Industry Association
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...
and is the best selling music DVD ever by a male solo artist in Australia. It is also thirteen times platinum in the United States by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
.
Background
In 1972, while still a member of the band The Jackson 5The Jackson 5
The Jackson 5 , later known as The Jacksons, were an American popular music family group from Gary, Indiana...
, Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
released his first of what would be ten studio albums, Got to Be There. Four singles were taken from the album, although they were not promoted by 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...
s, and this pattern continued for his next three studio albums, Ben
Ben (album)
Ben is the second studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The album was released on August 4, 1972, while Jackson was still a member of The Jackson 5. The album received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Ben was more successful on music charts than Jackson's previous...
(1972), Music & Me
Music & Me
-Compilation album:Music & Me is sometimes confused with a Michael Jackson compilation album of the same name that Motown Records released in 1993...
(1973) and Forever, Michael
Forever, Michael
-Personnel:*Michael Jackson – lead and background vocals*David Blumberg - arranger*Jim Britt – photography*Hal Davis – producer*L.T. Horn – engineer, mixing*Eddy Manson – arranger, producer*Freddie Perren – arranger, producer...
(1975). Unlike in the past, Jackson released his debut music video for the lead 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...
", from his 1979 album, Off the Wall
Off the Wall (album)
Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American recording artist Michael Jackson, released August 10, 1979 on Epic Records, after Jackson's critically well received film performance in The Wiz. While working on that project, Jackson and Quincy Jones had become friends, and Jones agreed to...
. Jackson subsequently began releasing music videos for his singles to promote both the song itself and the album. His music videos from the 1980s — particularly the music video for "Billie Jean" and Thriller — received heavy rotation on channels like Music Television (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....
). The popularity of his music videos that aired on MTV, such as "Beat It", "Billie Jean" and Thriller — credited for transforming the music video from a promotional tool and into an art form — helped bring the relatively new channel to fame. Music videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream
Scream/Childhood
"Scream"/"Childhood" is the lead single from Michael Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I where "Scream" is the first song and "Childhood" is the tenth song on the second disc of the album HIStory Continues. The A-side, "Scream", is a duet with his younger sister...
" made Jackson an enduring staple on MTV in the 1990s. Due to length, some of Jackson's music videos are considered to be short films. Some of them drew criticism for their violent and sexual content, others were lauded by critics and awarded Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
for their length, success and expense. From 1979 to 2003, Jackson released thirty-six music videos.
Content and release
Number Ones was released in conjunction with Jackson's greatest number one hits of the same name on November 18, 2003. The DVD was released worldwide on November 13, 2003. Number Ones is the fourth DVD album to be released by Jackson, the previous three were Dangerous – The Short Films, Video Greatest Hits – HIStory and HIStory on Film, Volume IIHIStory on Film, Volume II
HIStory on Film, Volume II is a collection of music videos released by Michael Jackson in 1997 released by Sony Music Video Enterprises.-Side one:# Programme Start# HIStory Teaser Trailer - 3:58# "Billie Jean" - 5:05# "Beat It" - 4:56...
. The DVD contained ninety one minutes of music video Jackson had already released from as early as 1979, to as late as 2001. This compilation was also released in Asia on double Video CD format.
Music videos from both Jackson's studio and compilation albums, which were Off the Wall
Off the Wall (album)
Off the Wall is the fifth studio album by the American recording artist Michael Jackson, released August 10, 1979 on Epic Records, after Jackson's critically well received film performance in The Wiz. While working on that project, Jackson and Quincy Jones had become friends, and Jones agreed to...
(1979), Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
(1982), 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...
(1987), Dangerous (1991), HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix (1997) and Invincible (2001), were featured on the DVD. The DVD consisted of fifteen music videos, both long and short form versions. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You
I Just Can't Stop Loving You
"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a popular ballad by singer Michael Jackson featuring a duet with Siedah Garrett. He created "Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu", a spanish version of the song. Written and composed by Jackson, it was originally intended to be a duet between Jackson and his woman of choice:...
" (1987), "Scream" (1995), "Break of Dawn" (2001) the then newly recorded "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....
" (2003) and a live version of "Ben
Ben (song)
"Ben" is a song written by Don Black and composed by Walter Scharf for the 1972 film of the same name . It was performed in the film by Lee Montgomery and by Michael Jackson over the closing credits. Jackson's single, recorded for the Motown label in 1972, spent one week at the top of the U.S. pop...
" (1972) did not make it onto the DVD, while "Blood on the Dance Floor
Blood on the Dance Floor (song)
"Blood on the Dance Floor" is a song by Michael Jackson. The song was released as the first single from the remix album, Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. Jackson and Teddy Riley created the track in time for the 1991 release of Dangerous. However, it did not appear on that record and...
" (1997) which was on the DVD, was not on the U.S. version of the album of the same name.
Commercial reception
Number Ones peaked at number one the ARIA Top 40 Music DVDARIA 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...
chart in Australia. It was ranked at number two, charting behind only Funhouse Tour: Live In Australia by Pink
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
, on the Australian Highest Selling Music DVD chart for 2009. It also peaked at number three on the Swedish DVD Albums Chart
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
. In Czech Republic, Number Ones peaked at number fourteen on the DVD chart. Number Ones peaked at number three on the Hungarian Top 20 DVD
Mahasz
Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary....
chart. In Italy, Number Ones peaked at number nine on the country's DVD album chart, as of the first week of May 2010, it has stayed on the chart for forty five weeks. The DVD album was certified thirteen times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
for the sales of over 1.3 million units in the United States. Number Ones was also certified twenty one times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association
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...
for the sales of over 315,000 units in Australia. Recording Industry Association of Japan
Recording Industry Association of Japan
The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...
certified the DVD gold for the sales of over 100,000 units in Japan. For the sales of over 25,000 units in Spain, Productores de Música de España gave the album two times platinum certification. Number Ones was also certified six times platinum for the sales of 30,000 units in New Zealand, as well as gold by the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry for the sales of at least 5,000 units in Poland.
Critical reception
Number Ones was generally well received by contemporary music critics. William Ruhlmann, a writer for Allmusic, stated that watching the videos in order made him 'experience' Jackson's changing appearance over the year; noting things such as Jackson's skin becoming lighter (a result of his VitiligoVitiligo
Vitiligo is a condition that causes depigmentation of sections of skin. It occurs when melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation, die or are unable to function. The cause of vitiligo is unknown, but research suggests that it may arise from autoimmune, genetic, oxidative stress,...
). Ruhlmann commented that seeing Jackson's changing appearance, as well as the videos itself helped him understand Jackson's career more, commenting, "Number Ones was released at what appeared to be the end of Michael Jackson's long, troubled reign as a pop star
Pop Star
"Pop Star" is a 2005 single from Japanese singer Ken Hirai. The single went on to top the 2005 Oricon Charts and is known for its remarkable music video, featuring Ken in seven different personas, including a raccoon and his own manager. The Video also helped Ken break into the US and Canadian...
, and it contained many clues to both his success and his downfall." Ruhlmann further noted that "a messianic theme ran through many of the videos" like the relatively modest "Beat It," which is about stopping violence, to "Earth Song," in which Jackson restored ravaged rain forests and even brought the dead back to life. Dan LeLuca of the Philadelphia Inquirer described Number Ones as being a "reminder" of the "MTV era". Jeff Mires of News Pop Music Critic felt that the release of both the Number Ones CD and DVD was a good opportunity to "revisit Jackson's music".
Track listing and formats
Notes: The short version of the music video was featured on Number Ones. The 'speed-up' version of the music video was featured on Number Ones. Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough, Smooth Criminal, and Blood on the Dance Floor were excluded in China Version.Formats
The DVD album has been released in one version, as a one disc release.- Keep caseKeep caseA keep case or poly-box is a type of DVD packaging. From the well-known brand Amaray, this type of case is often called Amaray case, creating a genericized trademark and ambiguities about the real manufacturer of the case....
— DVD size packaging
Also available on double Video CD (in Asia market only).
Certifications
| Country | Certification(s) (sales thresholds) |
Sales/shipments |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 13x Platinum | 1,300,000+ |
| Australia | 22x Platinum | 315,000+ |
| Finland | Gold | 5,016 |
| Japan | Gold | 100,000+ |
| New Zealand | 6x Platinum | 30,000+ |
| Spain | Platinum | 25,000+ |
| Poland | Gold | 5,000+ |
Charts
| Chart (2003/2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Top 40 Music DVD 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 |
| Czech Albums Chart | 14 |
| Hungarian Top 20 DVD Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
3 |
| Italian DVD Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
9 |
| Swedish DVD Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
3 |
Credits:
- Michael JacksonMichael JacksonMichael 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...
– vocals, producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, executive producer, video directorMusic video directorA music video director is driven by a given music track. These are called music videos and are then used as promotional tools for popular music singles... - Julian Alexander - art directionArt directorThe art director is a person who supervise the creative process of a design.The term 'art director' is a blanket title for a variety of similar job functions in advertising, publishing, film and television, the Internet, and video games....
- Steve Barron - video director
- Bill Bottrell - producer
- Nicholas Brandt - video director
- Rance Brown - art direction, design
- Colin Chilvers - video director
- David Daoud Coleman - art direction
- Nancy Donald - art direction
- Sam Emerson - photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
- Karen Faye - make-up, hair stylist
- David Foster - producer
- Bob Giraldi - video director
- Bruce Gowers - video director
- Stephen Harvey - photography
- Wayne Isham - video director
- Rodney Jerkins - producer
- Quincy JonesQuincy JonesQuincy 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...
- producer - R. KellyR. KellyRobert Sylvester Kelly , better known by his stage name R. Kelly, is an American singer-songwriter and record producer. A native of Chicago, Kelly began performing during the late 1980s and debuted in 1992 with the group Public Announcement. In 1993, Kelly went solo with the album 12 Play...
- producer (You Are Not AloneYou 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...
) - John Landis - video director
- Sheri G. Lee art direction
- John McClain - executive producer
- Adam Owett - art direction
- Vince Peterson - video director
- Joe Pytka video director
- Seth Riggs - vocal consultant
- Nick Saxton - video director
- Martin Scorsese - video director
- Don Wilson - video director
- Dick Zimmerman - photography