"They Don't Care About Us"is a song by American singerMichael Jackson,released on April 16, 1996, as the fifth single from his ninth album,HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I(1995). It is aprotest songand remains one of the most controversial pieces Jackson ever composed. In the United States, media scrutiny surrounding allegations ofantisemiticlyrics were the catalyst for Jackson issuing multiple clarifications, an apology, defense from directorSpike Leeand re-releasing an edited version of the song. Jackson countered allegations of antisemitism, arguing that reviews had misinterpreted the context of the song, either unintentionally or deliberately.
"They Don't Care About Us" | ||||
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SinglebyMichael Jackson | ||||
from the albumHIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I | ||||
Released | April 16, 1996 | (United States)|||
Recorded |
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Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | Michael Jackson | |||
Producer(s) | Michael Jackson | |||
Michael Jacksonsingles chronology | ||||
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Music videos | ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"They Don't Care About Us" |
"They Don't Care About Us" was accompanied by two music videos directed by Lee. The first was shot in two locations in Brazil: inPelourinho,the historic city center ofSalvador;and inSanta Marta,afavelaofRio de Janeiro.[5][6]State authorities tried to ban production over fears the video would damage their image, the area and prospects of Rio de Janeiro staging the2004 Olympics.Still, the residents of the area were happy to see Jackson, hoping their problems would be made visible to a wider audience.[6]The second video was shot in a prison and contained video footage of multiple references tohuman rights abuses.
Commercially, "They Don't Care About Us" became a top ten hit in European countries and number one in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Italy. In the US, the song peaked at number 30 on theBillboardHot 100.
"They Don't Care About Us" was performed as part of a medley with "Scream"and"In the Closet"during Jackson's third and final concert series, theHIStory World Tour,which ran from 1996 to 1997. The song was set to be performed on Jackson'sThis Is Itcomeback concert series atThe O2 ArenainLondonfrom July 2009 to March 2010, but the shows were cancelled due to hissudden death in June 2009.In 2011, theImmortalalbum included a remixed version of "They Don't Care About Us" which features elements of the songs "Privacy" (fromInvincible) and "Tabloid Junkie"(fromHIStory).
The song gained renewed attention and relevance due to its use duringBlack Lives Matterprotests in 2014 and 2015, and again in 2020 with Spike Lee's "Director's Cut" of the music videos being combined, along with new footage of attacks against protestors..[7][8]
Music and composition
editThe song begins with a group of children singing the chorus, "All I wanna say is that they don't really care about us". In between the chorus lines, one child chants, "Don't worry what people say, we know the truth", after which another child says, "Enough is enough of this garbage!"[9][10][11]It is played in thekeyof D minor and the track'stime signatureis common time.[12]The song, which is cited as being a pop song, has a moderately slowtempoof 90 beats per minute. Instruments used include synthesizers, percussion and guitar.[12]
Critical reception
editLarry FlickfromBillboardnoted that the song's much-documented offending words were obscured by sound effects. He wrote, "With or without those words, this song comes across as less an intended indictment of the world's oppressive forces and more as lightly shrouded ramblings of personal paranoia. There is nothing wrong with an artist pouring personal experience into a song, of course, but the range of emotion displayed in Jackson's snarling vocal would be far more affecting within a more direct lyrical context."[13]A reviewer fromMusic Weekrated "They Don't Care About Us" four out of five, adding, "With echoes ofBad,Jackson's next single fromHIStorysees him in tougher mode, with some real raucous guitar backing his soaring vocals. "[14]The magazine's Alan Jones described it as "a slim, sylph-like tirade, economical and angry." He concluded, "The quality of the song is there however, and Jacko's on a roll. Number one?"[15]Jim Farber ofNew York Daily Newssaid that Jackson "snarled" while singing, that the song "clicked" and has an "original clattering rhythm".[16]
Jon Pareles fromThe New York Timesstated that Jackson was calling himself "a victim of police brutality" and a "victim of hate". He continued, "A listener might wonder just who 'Us' is supposed to be... To make the songs lodge in the ear, Jackson uses elementary singsong melodies – a 'nyah, nyah' two-note motif in 'They Don't Care About Us'... and he comes up with all kinds of surprises in the arrangements".[17]James Hunter ofRolling Stonemagazine noted that, musically, Jackson was no longer trying to hide any eccentricities he had and added that, with "They Don't Care About Us", the pop musician sounded more embattled than ever.[18]The review ofHIStoryinThe Washington Timesnoted of "They Don't Care About Us": "[it] follows fast, inviting more pathos – and more controversy. With haunting clapping and a police scanner in the background".[19]The Sacramento Beedescribed it as a "looped reggae-lite dance beat".[20]
Chart performance
editIn the United Kingdom, "They Don't Care About Us" peaked at number four on theUK Singles Chartand stayed on the chart for three months.[21]
The song found particular success in the rest of Europe, peaking within the top ten in all countries, except in Spain, where it peaked at number 11 and remained in the chart for just one week. European highlights came in Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium and Sweden, where the song became a top five hit and stayed in each country's respective charts for a minimum of 21 weeks.[22]The song reached the top of the charts for three weeks in Germany and stayed a full 30 weeks in the survey,[23]marking the longest consecutive chart run of a Michael Jackson song in the German charts.
The lyrical controversy surrounding "They Don't Care About Us" brought partial commercial disappointment in the US. It peaked at number 30 on the USBillboardHot 100 chart, falling short of the record breaking success of the two previous singles, "Scream/Childhood"and"You Are Not Alone",yet the song peaked at number 10 on the USBillboardHot R&B Singles chart.[24]
Music videos
editProducing the firstmusic videoin February 1996 for "They Don't Care About Us" proved to be a difficult task for Jackson.[25]State authorities unsuccessfully tried to ban Jackson filming inSalvador(Pelourinho) and inRio de Janeiro.Officials in the state of Rio feared images of poverty might affect tourism and accused Jackson of exploiting the poor. Ronaldo Cezar Coelho, the state secretary for Industry, Commerce and Tourism, demanded editing rights over the finished product, stating, "I don't see why we should have to facilitate films that will contribute nothing to all our efforts to rehabilitate Rio's image". Some were concerned that scenes of poverty and human rights abuses would affect their chances of hosting the Olympics in 2004. Others supported Jackson's wish to highlight the problems of the region, arguing that the government were embarrassed by their own failings.
A judge banned all filming but this ruling was overturned by an injunction. Although officials were angry, the residents were not and Jackson was surrounded by crowds of enthusiastic onlookers during filming. One woman managed to push through security to hug Jackson who continued dancing while hugging her. Another woman appeared and hugged him from behind, which caused him to fall to the ground; police pulled the two women off him and escorted them back to the crowd. After the director helped Jackson get up off the street, he continued to sing and dance. This incident made it into the music video.[26]1,500 policemen and 50 residents acting as security guards effectively sealed off theSanta Martafavela. Some residents and officials found it offensive that Jackson's production team had negotiated with drug dealers in order to gain permission to film in one of the city's shantytowns.[6][3]
The music video was directed bySpike Lee.Asked why he chose Lee to direct the video, Jackson responded, "'They Don't Care About Us' has an edge, and Spike Lee had approached me. It's a public awareness song and that's what he is all about. It's a protest kind of song... and I think he was perfect for it".[27]
Jackson also collaborated with 200 members of the cultural groupOlodum,who "swayed to the heavy beat of Salvador's 'samba-reggae' music ".[3][28]The media interest surrounding the music video exposed Olodum to 140 countries around the world, bringing them worldwide fame and increased credibility in Brazil.[29]At the beginning of the video, a Brazilian woman says, "Michael, eles não ligam pra gente" (Portuguese for "Michael, they don't care about us" ), recorded by Angélica Vieira, producer ofManhattan Connection.[30]
Speaking of the music video, inThe New Brazilian Cinema,Lúcia Nagib observed:
When Michael Jackson decided to shoot his new music video in afavelaof Rio de Janeiro... he used the favela people as extras in a visual super-spectacle... All the while there is a vaguely political appeal in there... The interesting aspect of Michael Jackson's strategy is the efficiency with which it gives visibility to poverty and social problems in countries like Brazil without resorting to traditional political discourse. The problematic aspect is that it does not entail a real intervention in that poverty.[31]
In 2009,Billboarddescribed the area as "now a model for social development" and claimed that Jackson's influence was partially responsible for this improvement.[5]
As of April 2023, the music video has received over 1 billion views. It became Jackson's second music video (after "Billie Jean") to achieve this feat, making Jackson the first male solo artist from the 20th century to have two music videos achieve one billion views.[32]As of October 2024, he has five videos that have surpassed the billion view mark, now thatBeat It,ThrillerandSmooth Criminalhave reached that status as well.[33]
For the first time in his career, Jackson made a second music video for a single. This second version was filmed in a prison with cell mates; in the video Jackson is seen handcuffed. It also contains real footage of police attacking African Americans (including thebeating of Rodney King), the military crackdown of theprotests in the Tiananmen Square,theKu Klux Klan,the assassination attempt ofGeorge Wallace,war crimes,genocide, execution,martial law,and other human rights abuses.[34]This version is rarely to never played on television and has less than a tenth of the views of the Rio video on YouTube.[35]
The first music video of the song appears on the box setVisionary: The Video Singles,as well as on the video albumsHIStory on Film, Volume IIandVision;the latter additionally includes the prison version.
In 2020, Spike Lee put together a third music video that incorporates pieces of both the Brazil and prison versions along well with footage fromBlack Lives Matter proteststaking place in various cities around the world at the time and an aerial view ofWashington D.C.'sBlack Lives Matter Plaza.[36]
Live performances
edit"They Don't Care About Us" was only performed as part of the opening medley for theHIStory World Tour,along with "Scream" and "In the Closet". The segment for "They Don't Care About Us" began with a short, military-style dance sequence and contained an excerpt of "HIStory".A short unedited video clip released after Jackson'sdeathof the June 23, 2009, rehearsal for theThis Is Itconcert series shows Jackson performing the song as the main song in a medley with parts of "HIStory," as well as "Why You Wanna Trip On Me" and "She Drives Me Wild" fromDangerous.[37]The song was later remixed and featured as part ofCirque du Soleil'sMichael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour.
Controversy over antisemitism in lyrics
editOn June 15, 1995, a day before the release ofHIStory,The New York Timesreported that "They Don't Care About Us" contained racist andantisemiticcontent. The publication highlighted the lyrics, "Jew me, sue me, everybody do me/ Kick me,kikeme, don't you black or white me. "[38][39]Jackson responded directly to the publication, stating:[38]
"The idea that these lyrics could be deemed objectionable is extremely hurtful to me, and misleading. The song in fact is about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the black man, I am the white man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them. I am angry and outraged that I could be so misinterpreted."
— Michael Jackson
When questioned further about the lyrics on theABC NewsprogramPrime Time Live,Jackson stated, "It's not anti-Semitic because I'm not a racist person... I could never be a racist. I love all races."[38]He also said that some of his closest employees and friends were Jewish. That same day, Jackson received support from his manager and record label, who described the lyrics as "brilliant", that they were about opposition to prejudice and taken out of context.[38]The following day, two leading members of the Jewish community stated that Jackson's attempt to make a song critical ofdiscriminationhad backfired. They expressed the opinion that the lyrics used were unsuitable for a teenage audience that might not understand the song's context, adding that the song was too ambiguous for some listeners to understand. They accepted that Jackson meant well and suggested that the entertainer write an explanation in the album booklet.[9]
On June 17, Jackson issued another public apology for his choice of words. He promised that future copies of the album would include an apology. By this point, however, two million copies of the record had already been shipped.[40]The next day, in his review ofHIStory,Jon ParelesofThe New York Timesalleged, "In... 'They Don't Care About Us', he gives the lie to his entire catalogue of brotherhood anthems with a burst of anti-Semitism."[17]
On June 21, Patrick Macdonald ofThe Seattle Timescriticized Jackson, stating, "He may have lived a sheltered life, but there really is no excuse for using terms like 'Jew me' and 'kike' in a pop song, unless you make it clear you are denouncing such terms, and do so in an artful way."[41]Two days later, Jackson announced that he would return to the studio and alter the offending wording on future copies of the album. He reiterated his acceptance that the song was offensive to some.[42][43]It was reported that "Jew me" and "Kike me" would be substituted with "do me" and "strike me", however, the offending words were instead covered up with loud, abstract noises drowning them out.[42][44]Remixes of the song that were later released instead use repeated words ( "Jew me, sue me" being replaced with "Sue me, sue me" ).[45]An apology was included in later issues of the album:[44]
"There has been a lot of controversy about my song," They Don't Care About Us. "My intention was for this song to say" No "to racism, anti-Semitism and stereotyping. Unfortunately, my choice of words may have unintentionally hurt the very people I wanted to stand in solidarity with. I just want you all to know how strongly I am committed to tolerance, peace and love, and I apologize to anyone who might have been hurt."
— Michael Jackson
Spike Leedefended Jackson's use of the word, by mentioning thedouble standardfrom the media. "WhileThe New York Timesasserted the use of racial slurs in 'They Don't Care About Us', they were silent on other racial slurs in the album.The Notorious B.I.G.says 'nigga' on "This Time Around,"another song on theHIStoryalbum, but it did not attract media attention, as well as, many years before,use in lyrics of word'nigger' byJohn Lennon."[46]
Legacy
editFinnishpower metalbandsNorthern KingsandBeast in Blackeach covered the song as a bonus track for the albumsRethronedandDark Connection,respectively. The former uses the edited verse while the latter uses the original controversial verse.
The song was also garnered a brief resurgence of popularity in Brazil during the wake of the2024 Rio Grande do Sul floodsespecially on the video sharing appTikTok,to protest against the state government's handling of the rescue operations and alleged incompetence.
Track listings
edit- Europe CD single[47]
- "They Don't Care About Us" – 4:43
- "They Don't Care About Us" (Track Masters Remix) – 4:07
- "They Don't Care About Us" (Charles' Full Joint Remix) – 4:56
- "Beat It"(Moby's Sub Mix) – 6:11
- US CD single[48]
- "They Don't Care About Us" – 4:43
- "They Don't Care About Us" (Charles' Full Joint Mix) – 4:56
- "They Don't Care About Us" (Dallas Main Mix) – 5:20
- "They Don't Care About Us" (Love to Infinity's Walk in the Park Radio Mix) – 4:46
- "They Don't Care About Us" (Love to Infinity's Classic Paradise Radio Mix) – 4:14
- "They Don't Care About Us" (Track Masters Radio Edit) – 3:41
- "Rock with You"(Frankie's Favorite Club Mix) – 7:45
- "Earth Song"(Hani's Club Experience) – 7:55
Personnel
edit- Michael Jackson – lead vocals, backing vocals, percussion, keyboards, synthesizers, producer, synthesizer programming, vocal arrangements, rhythm arrangements, string arrangements
- Los Angeles Children's Choir – backing vocals
- Trevor Rabin– guitar
- Slash– additional guitar
- Brad Buxer– percussion, keyboards, synthesizers, synthesizer programming
- Chuck Wild – keyboards, synthesizers, synthesizer programming
- Jeff Bova, Jason Miles – keyboards, synthesizers
- Bruce Swedien– recording engineer, mi xing
- Eddie De Lena – assistant recording engineer, mi xing
- Matt Forger, Rob Hoffman – assistant recording engineers
- Annette Sander – choral arrangements[49]
- Olodum- percussion (only in the Brazilian version)
Charts
editWeekly charts
edit
|
Year-end charts
editChart (1996) | Position |
---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[80] | 71 |
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[81] | 3 |
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[82] | 40 |
Belgium (Ultratop Wallonia)[83] | 21 |
Germany (Official German Charts)[84] | 7 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[85] | 26 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[86] | 44 |
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[87] | 14 |
Sweden (Swedish Dance Chart)[88] | 22 |
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[89] | 8 |
UK Singles (OCC)[90] | 52 |
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[91] | 83 |
Certifications
editRegion | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[92] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Austria (IFPIAustria)[93] | Gold | 25,000* |
Belgium (BEA)[94] | Gold | 25,000* |
Canada (Music Canada)[95] | Platinum | 80,000‡ |
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[96] | Platinum | 90,000‡ |
France (SNEP)[97] | Silver | 125,000* |
Germany (BVMI)[98] | 3× Gold | 750,000^ |
Norway (IFPINorway)[99] | Gold | |
Switzerland (IFPISwitzerland)[100] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[101] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA)[102] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
*Sales figures based on certification alone. |
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