“I feel that if a painting is explained away, something’s lost for the viewer,” he answered. Ryden later revealed that inspiration came from Michael’s 1989 short film Leave Me Alone, but refused to explain its hidden meanings. Jackson’s piercing gaze oversees a circus-inspired foreground with an off-kilter collection of animals, celebrities, and other real-world objects. Do not write another song.’” Acting for the first time as an executive producer with a revamped team of collaborators, Jackson was ready to engage the world-around and inside of him-the best way he knew how: through music, dance, and film.Īs with pretty much everything Jackson did, the album artwork (illustrated by pop surrealist Mark Ryden) blew minds wide open. “And his manager came and said ‘Teddy, you and Michael, you’re not up to your sneaky stuff. “When the deadline came, he wanted to do more and more songs,” Riley told Rolling Stone in 1992. With his innovative blend of Motown soul, James Brown funk, and Stevie Wonder studio wizardry, Riley immediately gelled with Jackson, cranking out a bevy of unique R&B/pop numbers: “Serious Effect,” featuring hip-hop icon LL Cool J, “Someone Put Your Hand Out,” which appeared on his 2004 compilation The Ultimate Collection, and “Blood on the Dance Floor,” among others. In hopes of reconnecting with his dwindling African-American fan base, Jackson drafted in new jack swing pioneer Teddy Riley to whip up some urban bangers. Ever since the release of Thriller, a significant number of his fans were teenage Caucasian-American women from the mainstream pop realm. Although their output was top-notch, Jackson wasn’t completely satisfied with the uptempo grooves. Riding the continued wave of inspiration, Jackson brought notable R&B heavyweights Babyface, L.A. The social and political undertones of “Rhythm Nation” inspired an influx of new music from Michael’s camp so pronounced that Sony decided to shelve Decade and offer their star a clean slate for Dangerous. With Decade at a standstill, Janet led pop into new territory with Rhythm Nation 1814, a masterful fusion of R&B, funk, and rock music. However, Jackson didn’t want to coast on the success of his back catalog, which frustrated record execs as he continually tweaked the new material and missed four deadlines. Sony wanted to bundle the new songs (“Monkey Business,” “Who Is It,” “Earth Song,” “Black or White,” “Dangerous”) with many of Jackson’s previous classics, in time for Christmas. Just as they were picking up momentum creatively, a distraction arose in Sony’s plan to release a greatest hits package entitled Decade. Michael was always very independent, and he also wanted to show that his success was not because of one man, namely Quincy.” After signing a lucrative $65 million deal with Sony Music, Jackson assembled his team of collaborators: Bill Bottrell (a songwriter/producer who had worked with him since 1985), Bruce Swedien and Matt Forger (engineers from Thriller and Bad), and Brad Buxer (a musician/arranger who previously teamed up with Stevie Wonder). “He has always had an admiration for him and an immense respect. “Michael was not angry with Quincy,” longtime collaborator Brad Buxer recalled in a 2009 interview with the French magazine Black & White. Contrary to popular belief, Jackson and Jones mutually ended their decade-long partnership. Operating for the first time without Quincy Jones (the acclaimed co-producer of Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad), many wondered if the pair had a falling out. With a keen desire to top himself and stay current, Jackson’s follow-up record had to exceed his towering achievements of the 1980s and capture the zeitgeist of America circa 1991. They had a more natural appeal to younger people and brought new levels of complexity and politics to their respective genres. The newly emerging sounds of hip-hop, grunge rock, and new jack swing captivated the nation’s attention with Public Enemy, A Tribe Called Quest, Nirvana, and his sister Janet Jackson as the torchbearers. “But they told me / A man should be faithful / And walk when not able / And fight ‘til the end, but I’m only human…” – Michael Jackson (“Will You Be There”)įollowing Michael Jackson’s rigorous Bad World Tour (123 shows spanning from September 1987 to January 1989), he returned to a musical landscape that had evolved. Happy 25th Anniversary to Michael Jackson’s eighth studio album Dangerous, originally released November 26, 1991.
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