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Encyclopedia > Black or White (song)
"Black or White"
"Black or White" cover
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Dangerous
Released November 11, 1991 (Europe)
Format 7" single
12" single
CD single
Recorded 1991
Genre Pop/Rock
Length 3:22 (Radio edit)
4:16 (Album version)
Label Epic Records
Writer(s) Michael Jackson
Producer(s) Michael Jackson
Chart positions
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Liberian Girl"
(1989)
"Black or White"
(1991)
"Black or White (Remix)"
(1991)
Michael Jackson's Visionary chronology
"Leave Me Alone"
(2006)
"Black or White"
(2006)
"Remember the Time"
(2006)

"Black or White" was the first single taken from Michael Jackson's album Dangerous, released in November 1991. Image File history File links Black_or_White. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... For other people named Michael Jackson, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation). ... Dangerous was a hit album for singer/songwriter Michael Jackson released in 1991 and went on to become the second biggest selling album of 1992. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Epic Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony BMG. // Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... For other people named Michael Jackson, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation). ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes . ... For other people named Michael Jackson, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation). ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... United States may refer to: Places: United States of America SS United States, the fastest ocean liner ever built. ... For other people named Michael Jackson, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation). ... Liberian Girl was the ninth and final single to be released from Michael Jacksons Bad album (1987). ... Black or White was the first single taken from Michael Jacksons album Dangerous, released in November 1991. ... Leave Me Alone was the eighth single to be released from Michael Jacksons Bad album (1987). ... Black or White was a 1991 worldwide smash hit single for singer Michael Jackson. ... Remember the Time was a popular recording for American pop and R & B singer Michael Jackson in the winter of 1992. ... Dangerous was a hit album for singer/songwriter Michael Jackson released in 1991 and went on to become the second biggest selling album of 1992. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...


Written, composed, and arranged by Jackson with the rap lyrics by Bill Bottrell, it is a song promoting interracial romance, i.e. the lyrics "if you're thinking about my baby, it don't matter if you're black or white." The song features an introduction on guitar by guitarist Slash. Bill Bottrell is an American music producer, songwriter and musician, probably best known for his Grammy Award-winning collaboration with Sheryl Crow. ... This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ...


The song peaked at number one on charts in more than twenty countries.

Contents

Music video

The music video for "Black or White" generated controversy. The video was first broadcast on MTV, BET, VH1, and the Fox Network on November 14, 1991. Along with Jackson, it featured Macaulay Culkin, Peggy Lipton, and George Wendt. It helped usher in morphing as an important technology in music videos. Like Jackson's equally successful music video, "Thriller", "Black or White" was directed by John Landis. A music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music, most commonly a song. ... MTV (Music Television) is an American cable television network headquartered in New York City. ... Black Entertainment Television is an American cable network targeted toward African-American audiences in the United States. ... VH1 (spelled VH-1 (Video Hits One) until 1994) is an American cable television channel that was created in January 1985 by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment (at the time a division of Warner Communications and owners of MTV, which originally came up with the idea of the channel). ... The Fox Broadcasting Company, usually referred to as just Fox (the company itself prefers the capitalized version FOX), is a television network in the United States. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining until the end of the year. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Macaulay Carson Culkin (born August 26, 1980 in New York City) is an American actor. ... U.S. actress who was born on August 30, 1947, in New York City to a Jewish-American father and an Irish-born mother who was also Jewish. ... George Robert Wendt (born October 17, 1948) is an American actor best known for the role of Norm Peterson on the long-running television show Cheers (1982-1993). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... This article is about the Thriller song. ... John Landis (born August 3, 1950) is a movie actor, director, writer, and producer. ...


The first few minutes of the video featured an extended version of the song's intro, in which Macaulay Culkin is yelled at by his enraged father (George Wendt) over playing rock music too loud and too late at night. Culkin decides to forego his father's request to go to sleep by setting up large speaker cabinets behind his father's reclining chair, donning leather gloves and sunglasses, and playing an extremely loud power chord on an electric guitar. The sound shatters the house's windows and sends his father (seated in his chair) halfway around the world, where the actual song starts. Culkin's mother declares that his father will be "very upset" upon his return. The song from the CD does not use Culkin's nor Wendt's voice, but uses unknown voice actors (with similar voices) and a different intro. In music, a power chord is, in the broadest sense, a chord that remains euphonious when distorted by amplification. ...


The video proper, still shown regularly today, featured a montage of sequences in which Jackson is choreographed engaging in dances among people of different cultures of the world (African, South-East Asian, Native American, East Indian, Russian). 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." At the end of the song, different people (including Tyra Banks and Cree Summer) dance as they morph into one another (shown as "talking heads") , which is reminiscent of the earlier music video for the Godley & Creme song Cry. This technique had only been previously used in films such as Willow and Terminator 2. The Culture of Africa encompasses and includes all cultures which were ever in the continent of Africa. ... The culture of Asia is the artificial aggregate of the cultural heritage of many nationalities, societies, religions, and ethnic groups in the region, traditionally called a continent from a Western-centric perspective, of Asia. ... An Aani (Atsina) named Assiniboin Boy. ... Taj Mahal, a popular icon of India The culture of India was moulded throughout various eras of history, all the while absorbing customs, traditions and ideas from both invaders and immigrants. ... Members of the second Ku Klux Klan at a rally during the 1920s. ... Tyra Lynne Banks (born December 4, 1973) is a American supermodel, television personality, author, actress, executive producer, and talk show host. ... CD Promo. ... In popular music, Godley & Creme was a duo of English musicians and music video directors, namely Kevin Godley and Lol Crème. ... Cry is a single by Godley & Creme released in 1985. ... Willow is a 1988 fantasy film directed by Ron Howard, based on a story by George Lucas. ... Terminator 2: Judgment Day (commonly abbreviated T2) is a 1991 movie directed by James Cameron and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Robert Patrick. ...


The controversy was related to the last four minutes (the silent "panther" scene) of the original eleven-minute music video, or "short film", as Jackson preferred to call it; since this part began with Michael being a panther, before exiting a studio a morphing into himself. Here, Jackson smashed car windows containing racist graffiti such as Nazi symbols and slander such as "wetbacks" written on the glass of the car windows and store windows, as well as a store window with "KKK RULES" emblazoned on it; Jackson then jumped on the car, grabbed his crotch and unzipped his fly slowly- which was what probably caused the key controversy- before rezipping, smashed a storefront window by throwing a garbage can at it, and began screaming in an enranged manner causing a building sign to collapse. This section caused such a negative reaction that Jackson was forced to announce a formal apology for its content. At the end of this short, Jackson stares on while "prejudice is ignorance" appears at the bottom of the screen in white text. The racist graffiti is not on the car or store windows in some versions of the video; it is blacked out because it is thought it may cause offense. After which, Michael turns back into a panther, and it is revealed that Bart Simpson is watching the video, and Homer (eating a banana) yells "Bart, turn off that noise." National Socialism redirects here. ...


A year later, MTV re-aired the original, uncut version of the video. To date, this version has generally only been seen in the United States on MTV2 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 video was parodied by the sketch comedy TV show In Living Color, and by the band Genesis in their video for "I Can't Dance". It was still shown in its entirety for some years in Europe. Indeed, it was seen on VH1 in the UK as recently as 2004, though most recent airings have omitted the last portion of the video, which also included a 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. In Living Color was an American sketch comedy television series which ran on the FOX Network from 1990 to 1994. ... Genesis is a Grammy Award winning English progressive rock band formed in 1967. ... I Cant Dance, is the fouth track from the Genesis album We Cant Dance and was the second single from the album (No Son of Mine being the first). ... World map showing Europe A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is one of the six inhabited continents of the Earth. ... Bartholomew Bart Jo-jo Simpson (age 10 throughout the series) is a fictional character featured in the animated television series The Simpsons. ... Homer J. Simpson (born c. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into ITunes. ... Simpsons redirects here. ...

Michael Jackson on a 1972 Matador four-door sedan
Michael Jackson on a 1972 Matador four-door sedan

Image File history File links SledgehammerMatador. ... Image File history File links SledgehammerMatador. ...

Mixes

  1. Album Version 4:17
  2. Single Version 3:22
  3. Instrumental 3:22
  4. Clivillés & Cole House/Club Mix
  5. Clivillés & Cole Radio Mix 3:33
  6. Clivillés & Cole House w/Guitar Radio Mix 3:50
  7. Underground Club Mix

Visionary Single

CD Side

  1. "Black or White" (Single Version) - 3:22
  2. "Black or White" (Clivilles & Cole House Guitar Radio Mix) - 3:50

DVD Side

  1. "Black or White" (Music Video)
Preceded by:
"Dizzy" by Vic Reeves & The Wonder Stuff
UK number-one single
November 17, 1991 for 2 weeks
Succeeded by:
"Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" by George Michael & Elton John
Preceded by:
"Set Adrift on Memory Bliss" by P.M. Dawn
Billboard Hot 100 number one single
December 7, 1991
Succeeded by:
"All 4 Love" by Color Me Badd

Dizzy is a song originally recorded by Tommy Roe which was a worldwide smash in 1969. ... James Jim Roderick Moir, more commonly known by the pseudonym Vic Reeves, (born January 24, 1959) is an English comedian, best known through his double act with Bob Mortimer (see Vic and Bob). ... The Wonder Stuff are a band originally based in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in the Black Country, England. ... This is a list of the number one hits in the UK Singles Chart, from its inception in 1952 to the present. ... 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... So Beautiful, 2005 Darren Stanley Hayes (born 8 May 1972, in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia) is a singer-songwriter. ... George Michael (born Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou on 25 June 1963) is an English singer-songwriter who performs soul influenced pop, and who (as a solo artist and half of the duo WHAM!) has enjoyed phenomenal global success since 1982. ... Sir Elton Hercules[1] John, CBE[2] (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on 25 March 1947) is an English pop/rock singer, composer and pianist. ... Set Adrift on Memory Bliss is a popular song by PM Dawn. ... P.M. Dawn are a hip hop / R&B musical group. ... The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. ... This is a list of number-one hits in the United States by year from the Billboard Hot 100. ... December 7 is the 341st day (342nd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Color Me Badd were a male R&B vocal group which was formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. ...

Remix

"Black or White (Remix)"
"Black or White (Remix)" cover
Single by Michael Jackson
Released January 6, 1992 (Europe)
Format CD single
Recorded 1991
Genre Pop/R&B
Label Epic Records
Producer(s) Michael Jackson
Chart positions
  • #11 (Ireland)
  • #14 (UK)
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Black Or White"
(1991)
"Black or White (Remix)"
(1991)
"Remember the Time"
(1992)

"Black or White (The Clivillés & Cole Remixes)" (commonly titled "Black Or White (Remix)") was the 1992 European hit sequel of Michael Jackon's smash single "Black Or White." Image File history File links Blackorwhite-remixcd. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... A music genre is a category (or genre) of pieces of music that share a certain style or basic musical language (van der Merwe 1989, p. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Rhythm and blues (aka R&B or RnB) is a popular music genre combining jazz, gospel, and blues influences — first performed by African American artists. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Epic Records is an American record label, and subsidiary of Sony BMG. // Epic was launched originally as a jazz and classical music label in 1953 by CBS. Its bright-yellow, black and blue logo became a familiar trademark for many jazz and classical releases. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the performers, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes . ... For other people named Michael Jackson, see Michael Jackson (disambiguation). ... A record chart, also known as a music chart, is a method of ranking music according to popularity during a given period of time. ... Black or White was a 1991 worldwide smash hit single for singer Michael Jackson. ... Remember the Time was a popular recording for American pop and R & B singer Michael Jackson in the winter of 1992. ... Black or White was a 1991 worldwide smash hit single for singer Michael Jackson. ...


The single was released in November 1991 in several European countries, charting only in the UK, where it reached #14, and in Ireland, peaking at #11. The original version of the song was included in the multi-platinum mega-successful album Dangerous. Despite the favourable European response to this remix, it was never included on a Michael Jackson album or compilation. 1991 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Dangerous was a hit album for singer/songwriter Michael Jackson released in 1991 and went on to become the second biggest selling album of 1992. ...


Trivia

A version of the music video has aired on Al TV (hosted by Weird Al Yankovic), with footage from the music video of Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It" spliced into the opening segment to make it look as though Mark Metcalf's character from the latter video is yelling at Macaulay Culkin's character. Michael Jackson's voice has been altered to sound like a high pitched version of Weird Al's voice, while Culkin's voice in his rap number has deepened. Finally, the people in the morphing sequence at the end are given individual voices. AL-TV is a show created by parody artist Weird Al Yankovic. ... Alfred Matthew Weird Al Yankovic (born October 23, 1959) is an American musician, parodist and accordion player. ... Twisted Sister is an American hard rock/glam metal band from New York City. ... Were Not Gonna Take It is a 1984 hit song by the band Twisted Sister. ... Mark Metcalf (born March 11, 1946 in Findlay, Ohio, USA) is an American actor in both television and film. ...


See also

  • AMC Matador - The anonymously styled sedan pummeled in the video.

An advertisement for the 1973 AMC Matador, promoting its roominess The AMC Matador was an intermediate size car built and sold by the American Motors Corporation (AMC) from 1971 to 1978. ...

External links


  Results from FactBites:
 
black tie: Definition and Much More from Answers.com (1853 words)
Black tie is today worn at a wide variety of functions, and the corresponding female attire can range from a short cocktail dress to a long gown, depending on fashion, local custom and the hour at which the function takes place.
The fl silk bow tie and the short mess jacket are of military origin - fl silk bow ties were and still are worn by British naval and military officers in ball dress and mess dress when their civilian counterparts are in white tie.
Both are worn with a fl bow tie, however mess dress is worn with a white waistcoat instead of the usual colour, and may be worn with a stiff shirt and wing collar.
DVD Talk Review: Black. White. (1664 words)
Taking a fl family and a white family, putting them in a house, switching their races, and watching what happens when people stop being polite and start being real, this series brought a very interesting concept to TV.
In one of the most disturbing scenes, Rose's white friends put on "gangsta" affectations in front of the "white" Nick, urging him to "be fl," in a way that'swholly reminiscent of the minstrel shows.
It would have been interesting to see where the white kids' learned their behavior, but considering a rap star is behind the show, it's unlikely that the exploration would have gone too deep.
  More results at FactBites »


 
 

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