Black or White

For other uses, see Black or White (disambiguation).

"Black or White"
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Dangerous
Released	November 11, 1991
Recorded	1989–1990
Studio	Westlake Audio, Record One, Larrabee Sound Studios
Genre	Pop rock hip hop
Length	3:22
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Michael Jackson Bill Bottrell
Producer(s)	Michael Jackson Bill Bottrell
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Do the Bartman" (1990) "Black or White" (1991) "Remember the Time" (1992)
Music video
"Black or White" on YouTube
Audio sample
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"Black or White" is a single by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released by Epic Records on November 11, 1991, as the first single from Jackson's eighth studio album, Dangerous (1991). Jackson wrote, composed, and produced it with Bill Bottrell. The song is a fusion of pop rock, dance and hip hop. Epic Records described it as "a rock 'n' roll dance song about racial harmony".

"Black or White" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 7, 1991, making it the fastest US chart topper since the Beatles' "Get Back". It stayed there for a total of seven weeks. Jackson became the first artist to have number one hits on the Billboard Hot 100, in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s with the song. It is certified 2x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Around the world, "Black or White" hit number one in 20 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Eurochart Hot 100. It was the best-selling single worldwide of 1992.

The music video for "Black or White" premiered on MTV, BET, VH1, and Fox, which gave them their highest Nielsen ratings ever at the time, as well as the BBC's Top of the Pops in the UK on November 14, 1991. The video was directed by John Landis, who previously directed Thriller. It was co-choreographed by Jackson and Vincent Paterson. It premiered simultaneously in 27 countries, with an audience of 500 million viewers, the most ever for a music video.

"Black or White" was honored with the first Billboard No. 1 World Single. The music video of the song appears on the video albums: Dangerous: The Short Films (long version), Video Greatest Hits – HIStory (long version, without graffiti on VHS version but with graffiti on DVD version), Number Ones (short version), and Michael Jackson's Vision (long version without graffiti). In 2003, Q magazine ranked "Black or White" at number 84 in their list of the "1001 Best Songs Ever".

Songwriting and recording

"Black or White" took 18 months to compose and record during 1989–1990. Michael Jackson hired Bill Bottrell to help him craft a new sound, one that would shift his style away from the recent string of Quincy Jones–produced hits. Bottrell had already worked with Jackson on Victory and Bad, the latter collaboration performed at Hayvenhurst, Jackson's estate in Encino, California. Jackson invited Bottrell to join him producing and composing songs at Ocean Way Studios in Los Angeles in late 1988, but none of the material from several weeks of sessions there made it to the album. In early 1989, the project was moved to Westlake Audio in West Hollywood, and one of the first things Jackson did was to hum the main riff of "Black or White" to Bottrell, who interpreted the tune on guitar, using a Kramer American Series electric guitar plugged into a Mesa Boogie amplifier, miked with a Beyerdynamic M 160. Jackson also suggested the song's rhythm with his voice, and Bottrell programmed this rhythm into an E-mu Systems drum machine. Bottrell augmented the pattern with samples from an Emulator III. His Atari computer ran a MIDI editing program by Hybrid Arts; Bottrell and Brad Buxer used the program to tweak the percussion timings to give more of a swing feel. Jackson recorded his main and backing vocals into a Neumann U47 microphone. Bottrell said that throughout the next 18 months of changes to the song, Jackson's initial scratch vocal was left in place, and it appears on the final version.

After two days of work, the song had vocals, rhythm and electric guitar. Bottrell added an acoustic guitar part using a Gibson LG-2 built in the 1940s; a robust model with a big country sound reminiscent of Gene Vincent's classic rockabilly style. Bottrell and Jackson felt that the song had two big gaps in the middle, and they determined to fill them. Jackson became busy working on other projects, and "Black or White" languished for a few months. The song was picked up again when Bottrell's part of the album project moved to Record One in Sherman Oaks. Jackson wanted a heavy metal guitar to fill one of the gaps, so he sang the part he wanted, including chord arpeggiations, to session player Tim Pierce who performed it on a Les Paul instrument plugged into a Marshall stack. Michael Boddicker added the sound of a high-speed guitar by using a Roland sequencer, assisted by Kevin Gilbert. Bottrell blended two difference bass sounds, primarily Bryan Loren playing a Moog keyboard bass, augmented by Terry Jackson playing an electric bass guitar. Bottrell replaced some of the E-mu default rhythm samples with live drum samples taken from an Akai machine.

For most of the recording process, Jackson left Bottrell alone to work on various ideas. Bottrell wanted a section of rapping to fill the remaining gap, and he suggested LL Cool J or the Notorious B.I.G., but these proposals did not work out. Bottrell said he had been trying to get someone to write a rap verse for eight months when he was suddenly inspired to write it himself. He recorded Loren performing the rap, but Loren was not at ease in the role. Bottrell recorded it himself several times, tweaking one of these takes to use as a demonstration for Jackson. Upon hearing the take, Jackson wanted it for the final version. Bottrell pleaded one last time that they should get a "real rapper", but Jackson insisted on Bottrell's take.

The final polishing of the song involved Bottrell filling a keyboard with various sampled electric guitar notes, and bringing his friend Jasun Martz to play it, taking advantage of Martz's fresh ears and rock sensibility. For the final mix, Bottrell was frustrated by the Solid State Logic (SSL) mixer at Larrabee Sound Studios, which sounded good on the heavy metal guitar, but made the classic guitars sound "too cold and clinical". He ended up using the Neve mixer at Record One to mix the majority of the song, and the SSL for the rap and heavy metal sections. Original tracks were recorded on two Studer 24-track 2-inch analog tape machines, and a compilation of these was laid down on a Mitsubishi ProDigi 32-track digital audio tape deck.

Composition

The song has elements of dance, hip hop and hard rock music such as Bill Bottrell's guitars and Jackson's vocal style. This song is played in the key of E major, at the end, was modulates to F♯ major and again to A♭ major, with Jackson's vocal spanning from E₃ to E♭₆, and its tempo is measured at 115 BPM.

The song's main riff, played by Bill Bottrell, is often incorrectly attributed to Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash. Slash's guitar playing is actually heard in the skit that precedes the album version of the song and he did play the main riff during live performances of the song.

Release

Promotion

"Black or White" was picked as the first single from the album Dangerous. An alternate version was first heard by Sony executives on a plane trip to Neverland, as the third track of the promotional 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.

Commercial reception

To prepare the audience for the special occasion of the televised premiere of the "Black or White" video, Epic records released the song (without the accompanying images) to radio stations just two days in advance. In a period of 24 hours, "Black or White", described by the record company as "a rock 'n' roll dance song about racial harmony", had been added to the playlists of 96 percent of 237 of the United States' Top 40 radio stations.

"Black or White" entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 35. A week later it shot up to number three and in its third week, December 7, 1991, it ascended to number one, making it the fastest chart topper since the Beatles' "Get Back", which also won the Hot 100 in just three weeks in 1969 and also his twelfth number-one entry. 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 have 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 20 countries, including the US, the UK, Canada, Mexico, Cuba, Turkey, Zimbabwe, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Eurochart Hot 100, number two in Germany and Austria and number three in the Netherlands. Previously, Billie Jean and I Just Can't Stop Loving You had each been number one in 9 countries. The single was certified platinum in the US, selling over one million copies and became the second-best-selling single of the year. As of August 2018 the song further certified two-time platinum for the digital sales.

Critical reception

Reviews of the song were generally favorable. Chris Lacy from Albumism stated that it "merges classic rock with soulful crooning in a call for racial unity." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic highlighted the song. Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "surprisingly sparse, but instantly gratifying pop/rocker that reveals his grittiest and most affecting performance in years." He noted further that the guitar appearance by Slash and rap cameo by Bill Bottrell is "purely incidental". Randy Clark and Bryan DeVaney from Cashbox stated, "The unmistakeable voice and style are street-hip and slick, with a catchy melody and some untraditional acoustic guitar work. There is just a hint of both George Michael and Prince in the production." David Browne from Entertainment Weekly praised the song, adding, "He still knows how to fashion a hook that will take up permanent residence in your brain (away from its video, Black or White is spare and effortless)" Alan Jones from Music Week commented, "A bit of patchwork quilt, and something of a disappointment on first hearing, but ultimately it reveals itself as a killer, adding up to far more than sum of its parts. This will go all the way." A reviewer from People magazine stated that "the simple, spry rock riffs" that power the song is "surprisingly effective". Rolling Stone's Alan Light in his Dangerous review, compared 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'". The Pazz & Jop critics' poll ranked "Black or White" at number 19. In 1992, Larry Flick commented on the remixes of the song, "Thanks to deft postproduction by David Cole and Robert Clivillés, the cut kicks a potent groove that nicely complements the original tune's kinetic pop/rock nature."

Remixes

The Clivillés & Cole remixes for "Black or White", released as a promotional single in 1992, also charted on many European countries. In the UK, it reached number 14, and in Ireland, number 11. The promotional single also surprisingly peaked at number 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.

Music video

The music video for "Black or White" was directed by John Landis, who previously directed the "Thriller" music video (1983). It was filmed from late September to early October 1991. It was choreographed by Jackson and Vincent Paterson.

Along with Jackson, the video features Macaulay Culkin, Tess Harper, and George Wendt. The dance scene with the Native Americans shown in the video was filmed at Vasquez Rocks Natural Area Park in Agua Dulce, California. The Native American dancers were organized by Jackson's schoolfriend Joanelle Romero, founder of the Red Nation International Film Festival, featuring her daughter Sage as child dancer. The Native American dancers used their own traditional wardrobe and became the first Native Americans in a non-Native American music video. The production enabled Romero to become an established producer. The scene where Michael Jackson and a dancer appear on the freeway was filmed at 11779 Sheldon Street in Sun Valley, Los Angeles. This morphing effect had previously been used only in films such as Willow and Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The morphing visual effects were created by Pacific Data Images.

The video premiered simultaneously in 27 countries, with an audience of 500 million viewers, the most ever for a music video. It premiered on MTV, BET, VH1, and Fox (giving them their highest Nielsen ratings ever at the time) as well as the BBC's Top of the Pops in the UK on November 14, 1991.

Synopsis

The video begins with a boy (Macaulay Culkin) dancing to rock music in his bedroom. His father (George Wendt) yells at him to stop. The boy retaliates by playing an electric guitar loudly enough to fire his father into space.

Jackson performs "Black or White" with dancers from different cultures, including African Zulu hunters, traditional Thai dancers, Plains Native Americans, a Sri Lankan Tamil Odissi dancer and Hopak dancers. Jackson walks defiantly through visual collages of fire (declaring "I ain't scared of no sheets; I ain't scared of nobody"), referring to KKK torch ceremonies. Culkin and other children, Michael's niece Brandi and Wade Robson, perform the rap sequence. The group states, "I'm not gonna spend my life being a color." Jackson performs atop the Statue of Liberty, surrounded by other world landmarks. At the end of the video, people of different ethnicities and nationalities dance and morph into one another. A young Tyra Banks can be seen in this sequence.

In the extended version of the music video, after the song, a black panther walks out of the studio and emerges into Jackson, as he dances furiously in the street and destroys a glass beer bottle, a building window, and a parked car labeled with spray-painted racist words in a city street. He tears off his shirt and screams with grand drama as the hotel neon sign falls. After his damage and rampage, he re-emerges into a panther. Finally, Bart Simpson from The Simpsons jams to the song while watching it on the TV. Homer yells at him to "Turn off that noise!" Bart replies, "Chill out, Homeboy." Then, Homer angrily turns the TV off. The static then cuts to a close-up of Jackson with the tagline "prejudice is ignorance".

Controversy and censorship

A comparison between the two versions of Michael Jackson's "Black or White" music video: the original version and the computer-altered racist graffiti version (with the messages reading "Hitler Lives" with swastika, "Nigger Go Home", "No More Wetbacks" and "KKK Rules")

Controversy was generated concerning the last four minutes of the original music video. A black panther walks out of the studio and then morphs into Jackson. Then he walks outside to perform some of his most physically slick dance moves, in a similar way to "Billie Jean". The scene is also very similar to that of a commercial Jackson appeared in for L.A. Gear in 1989. 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 with his arm and a crowbar, destroying windows with a steering wheel and a trash can, and causing an inn (called the "Royal Arms Hotel") to explode. Jackson later apologized saying that the violent and suggestive behavior was an interpretation of the animalistic instincts of a panther into a dance, 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, an altered version was produced, with racial messages added via CGI graffiti to the windows Jackson breaks. The version included in the boxed set Michael Jackson's Vision is the aired, televised version without the 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 1:00 and 4:00, as part of their special uncut airing of the "Most Controversial Music Videos" of all time. The extended version is also available on Michael's DVDs. The original version (without graffiti) is available on the DVD releases of Video Greatest Hits – HIStory with the VHS and LaserDisc release containing the aired version, and online at MTVMusic.com. It was still shown in its entirety for some years in Europe. Indeed, UK channel MTV Classic aired the full video at 14:00 on April 11, 2010, including the cameo appearance by Bart Simpson and Homer Simpson before the "prejudice is ignorance" image. MTV Classic have continued to air the full video post-watershed and recently aired in September 2012.

The uncut version was also shown in Australia at 11:45 pm AEST on Saturday June 2, 2012 as the first song on the weekly late-night, guest-programmed music video show Rage, on ABC1 and in Europe (except Italy, San Marino and the United Kingdom), on VH1 Classic at 21:30 CET on Saturday, September 29, 2018.

The first version made available in the iTunes Store contains neither the panther scene nor The Simpsons' cameo, and is cut after the morphing sequence. Since then, a new version has been released with the graffiti and The Simpsons cameo called "Black or White (Michael Jackson's Vision)."

Starting with the Dangerous Tour and continuing with the HIStory Tour, the "Panther Dance" from the video was played as an interlude. The clip is several seconds shorter than the original, omitting all the violence (Jackson destroying the car and windows) and the sexually suggestive scenes when Jackson starts to grab his crotch. The scene of the trousers re-zipping was retained. In predominantly Muslim countries during the HIStory Tour, the scene was replaced with the Carmina Burana "Brace Yourself" montage originally used as the intro during the Dangerous Tour.

Track listings

• 7" (UK)

Side one

1. "Black or White" (Single Version) – 3:22

Side two

1. "Black or White" (Instrumental) – 3:22

• 7" (US)

Side one

1. "Black or White" (Single Version) – 3:22

Side two

1. "Black or White" (Instrumental) – 3:22

• 12" (UK)

Side one

1. "Black or White" - 3:22
2. "Bad" - 4:04

Side two

1. "Black or White (Instrumental)" - 3:22
2. "Thriller" - 5:57

• 12" (The Clivillés & Cole Remixes) (UK)

Side one

1. "Black or White" (The Clivillés & Cole House / Club Mix) – 7:36
2. "Black or White" (The Clivillés & Cole House / Dub Mix) – 6:34

Side two

1. "Black or White" (The Underground Club Mix) – 7:29
2. "Black or White" (House With Guitar Radio Mix) – 3:53
3. "Black or White" (Tribal Beats) – 3:38

• Limited Edition 12" (US)

Side one

1. "Black or White" (The Clivilles & Cole House/Club Mix) – 7:33
2. "Black or White" (The Clivilles & Cole House/Dub Mix) – 6:27

Side two

1. "Black or White" (House with Guitar Radio Mix) – 3:53
2. "Black or White" (Single Version) – 3:22
3. "Black or White" (Instrumental) – 3:22
4. "Black or White" (Tribal Beats) – 3:34

• CD (UK)

1. "Black or White" (single version) – 3:22
2. "Black or White" (instrumental) – 3:22
3. "Smooth Criminal" – 4:16

• CD (The Clivillés & Cole Remixes) (UK)

1. "Black or White" (The Clivillés & Cole House / Club Mix) – 7:36
2. "Black or White" (The Clivillés & Cole House / Dub Mix) – 6:34
3. "Black or White" (The Underground Club Mix) – 7:29
4. "Black or White" (House With Guitar Radio Mix) – 3:53
5. "Black or White" (Tribal Beats) – 3:38

• CD (US)

1. "Black or White" (Single Version) – 3:22
2. "Black or White" (Instrumental) – 3:22

• Promo VHS (UK) (PAL)

1. "Black or White" (Domestic Version) (Music Video) - 11:00

Visionary

• CD side

1. "Black or White" (Single Version) – 3:22
2. "Black or White" (Clivillés & Cole House Guitar Radio Mix) – 3:53

• DVD side

1. "Black or White" (Music Video) – 11:00
2. "Black or White" (Single Version) – 3:22
3. "Black or White" (Clivillés & Cole House Guitar Radio Mix) – 3:53

Cultural impact

In 1991, "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded a parody of "Black or White" titled "Snack All Night", which was never released. Although Jackson was a long-time supporter of Yankovic's work and had approved past parodies, he told Yankovic that he was reluctant to approve a parody of "Black or White" because of the message of the song. Yankovic believes that Jackson's rejection of the parody was ultimately for the best, because he was unsatisfied with the quality of the song and its scrapping left room on his next album for "Smells Like Nirvana", one of his biggest hits. As with other rejected parodies, Yankovic has performed "Snack All Night" during his concerts.

The music video, particularly the "Panther Segment", have been referenced or parodied by television shows and artists. In 1991, English rock band Genesis parodied the "Black or White" video in the ending of their video for "I Can't Dance", in which member Phil Collins imitates Michael Jackson's "panther" fit in front of a stark white background. In 2012, the television show Glee covered the song in the episode "Michael", it features primary voices from Kevin McHale, Lea Michele, Chris Colfer, Amber Riley and Naya Rivera, and backing vocals from the rest of the cast. Jenna Ushkowitz and Darren Criss are not featured in the song or the performance. This cover debuted and peaked at number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100, number 42 at Billboard Digital Songs, and number 69 at Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart at the week of February 18, 2012.

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1991–92)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)	1
Canada Top Singles (RPM)	1
Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)	3
Canada Dance/Urban (RPM)	1
Cuba (Cuban Singles Chart)	1
Denmark (Tracklisten)	1
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)	1
Europe Dance (Music & Media)	1
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	1
France (SNEP)	1
Germany (Official German Charts)	2
Greece (IFPI)	1
Ireland (IRMA)	1
Israel (Israel Top-30)	1
Italy (Musica e dischi)	1
Mexico (Mexican Airplay)	1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	3
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	2
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	1
Norway (VG-lista)	1
Peru (El Siglo de Torreón)	5
Portugal (AFP)	3
Spain (AFYVE)	1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	1
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	1
Turkey (Turkish Singles Chart)	1
UK Singles (OCC)	1
UK Dance (Music Week)	5
Uruguay (El Siglo de Torreón)	4
US Billboard Hot 100	1
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)	23
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)	2
US Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales (Billboard)	1
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)	3

Chart (2006)	Peak position
France (SNEP)	64
Ireland (IRMA)	22
Italy (FIMI)	7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	24
Spain (PROMUSICAE)	2
UK Singles (OCC)	18

Chart (2009)	Peak position
Australia (ARIA)	6
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	17
Canada Digital Song Sales (Billboard)	8
Denmark (Tracklisten)	22
Europe (European Hot 100)	25
France (SNEP)	9
Italy (FIMI)	7
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	21
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	16
Norway (VG-lista)	18
Spain (PROMUSICAE)	22
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)	11
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	7
UK Singles (OCC)	25
US Digital Song Sales (Billboard)	13

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Hungary (MAHASZ)	6

Chart (2016)	Peak position
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)	64

Year-end charts

Chart (1991)	Position
Australia (ARIA)	34
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)	89
Netherlands (Single Top 100)	68
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)	19
UK Singles (OCC)	13

Chart (1992)	Position
Australia (ARIA)	83
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)	23
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)	58
Europe (European Hot 100 Singles)	8
Germany (Official German Charts)	12
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)	14
US Billboard Hot 100	14
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)	62

Decade-end charts

Decade-end chart performance for "Black or White"

Chart (1990–1999)	Position
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)	77
Canada (Nielsen Soundscan)	22
US Billboard Hot 100	39

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)	2× Platinum	140,000^
Canada (Music Canada)	Gold	50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)	Gold	45,000‡
France (SNEP)	Silver	125,000*
Germany (BVMI)	Gold	250,000^
Italy (FIMI)	Gold	35,000‡
Japan (RIAJ) Full-length ringtone	Gold	100,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)	Platinum	10,000*
United Kingdom (BPI) physical	Silver	200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) digital	Gold	400,000‡
United States (RIAA)	Platinum	1,000,000^
United States (RIAA)	2× Platinum	2,000,000‡
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Personnel

• Michael Jackson – vocals, composition, lyrics, production
• Bill Bottrell – rap vocals and lyrics, engineering, mixing, production, electric and acoustic guitars, drum programming, keyboard programming
• Brad Buxer – drum programming
• Bryan Loren – Moog bass
• Terry Jackson – electric bass guitar
• Brad Buxer – keyboards
• Jasun Martz – keyboards
• Tim Pierce – heavy metal guitar
• Michael Boddicker, Kevin Gilbert: speed sequencer