"Smooth Criminal"
Single by Michael Jackson from the album Bad
Released	November 1988
Format	5" CD single 3" CD single 12" vinyl 7" single Casette single
Recorded	1987
Genre	Funk/Dance-pop
Length	4:17
Label	Epic Records
Writer	Michael Jackson
Producer	Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Another Part of Me" (1988) "Smooth Criminal" (1988) "Leave Me Alone" (1989)
Michael Jackson's Visionary chronology
"Dirty Diana" (2006)	"Smooth Criminal" (2006)	"Leave Me Alone" (2006)
Bad track listing
"Dirty Diana" (9) "Smooth Criminal" (10) "Leave Me Alone" (11)
Audio sample
Info (help· info)

"Smooth Criminal" is the seventh single from Michael Jackson's Bad album (1987). The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a suave hitman. It was released as a single in 1988 and peaked at seven on the Billboard Hot 100. [1] It was re-released on April 10, 2006 as a part of the Visionary: The Video Singles box-set. The re-released Visionary single charted at #19 in the UK. In 2003, the song was re-released on the Number Ones greatest hits album. Image File history File links Smooth_Criminal. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ... Alternate cover Special Edition release cover. ... 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The 3 CD was released in France, Germany and Hong Kong in 1988 ... A 12-inch record (left), a 7-inch record (right), and a CD (above) Two 7 singles (left), two colored 7 singles (middle), and two 7 singles with large spindle holes (right). ... In music, a single is a short (usually ten minutes or less) record, usually featuring one or two tracks as A-sides, often accompanied by several B-sides—usually remixes or other songs. ... See also: Musical groups established in 1987 Record labels established in 1987 // January 3 - Aretha Franklin becomes the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, including related musical genres, see Funk (disambiguation). ... Dance-pop is a subgenre of pop music that evolved from disco, circa the early 1980s, that combines dance beats with a pop song structure. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Epic Records is an American record label, owned and operated by 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. ... Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ... This article is about the producer and songwriter. ... Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ... Another Part of Me was a popular hit for singer Michael Jackson. ... Leave Me Alone was the eighth single to be released from Michael Jacksons Bad album (1987). ... Dirty Diana is a hit song by singer Michael Jackson. ... Leave Me Alone was the eighth single to be released from Michael Jacksons Bad album (1987). ... Alternate cover Special Edition release cover. ... Dirty Diana is a hit song by singer Michael Jackson. ... Michael Jacksons Visionary chronology Smooth Criminal (2006) Leave Me Alone (2006) Black or White (2006) Leave Me Alone was the eighth single to be released from Michael Jacksons 1987 album Bad. ... Image File history File links Smooth_Criminal_by_Michael_Jackson. ... Image File history File links Smooth_Criminal_by_Michael_Jackson. ... Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ... Alternate cover Special Edition release cover. ... A hitman (alternately, hit man), also referred to as a contract killer, is a hired assassin, usually in the employ of organized crime. ... “Hot 100” redirects here. ... is the 100th day of the year (101st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Number 1s. ...

Song information

The song was the centerpiece in Jackson's film Moonwalker, in which an entire hour-long short film (featuring Joe Pesci) was produced around the song. In the film, Jackson plays with his young friends outdoors when they come upon a cave, which leads to a kind of dream world in which "Mr. Big" Frankie Lideo has been selling drugs to youths in order to get everyone hooked. In the dream world, Jackson must save a kidnapped girl named Katie from Mr. Big's soldier-like henchmen, which he does through the power of a "wishing star". In the process, he transforms into a super-fast car, a robotic man and even a spaceship before saving her life. "Smooth Criminal" was presented in a ten-minute long clip in which Jackson dances through a 1930s-style nightclub. The version of the song used in the clip is different from the album version — the background beats are different, there are several new lyrics, and the song is much longer overall. The version of the video that is usually aired on network television is 4 minutes long and is merely a sped up version of the clip from the film. For other uses, see moonwalk. ... Joseph Francesco DeLores Eliot Pesci (born February 9, 1943), best known as Joe Pesci, is an American Academy Award-winning actor, comedian and singer who is often typecast as a violent mobster, mafia thug, or a grouchy funnyman. ... The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known as the World Depression. ...

Both the style of the clip and the clothes and mannerisms Jackson portrayed were reused in the arcade and Sega Genesis adaptations of Moonwalker. arcade, see Arcade. ... The Mega Drive/Genesis was a 16-bit video game console released by Sega in Japan (1988), Europe (1990) and most of the rest of the world as the Mega Drive. ... This page is about several arcade and video games. ...

The song was performed live during the second leg of Jackson's 1987–88 Bad World Tour. The performance featured an exciting dance routine modelled after the scene from Moonwalker. By the time the 1992 Dangerous World Tour came around, this performance became a regular on Jackson tours. This time Jackson had devised a way to perform the anti-gravity lean, which was featured in the Moonwalker video, on stage. Much like the robot move from "Dancing Machine" to the Moonwalk from "Billie Jean", this showcased Jackson's talent for creating unique moves to enhance stage performances. This performance can be seen on the Bucharest Dangerous Tour performance which is included as a DVD in The Ultimate Collection boxed set. The Bad World Tour was a music tour by Michael Jackson that started on 12th September, 1987 in Tokyo, Japan, and ended on 27th January, 1989 in Los Angeles, USA. The Bad Tour consisted of 123 concerts to approximately 4. ... The Dangerous World Tour was a music tour by Michael Jackson that started June 27, 1992 and ended November 11, 1993. ... Dancing Machine is a 1973 song recorded by The Jackson 5, released as a single in 1974. ... This article is about the Michael Jackson song. ... The Dangerous World Tour was a music tour by Michael Jackson that started June 27, 1992 and ended November 11, 1993. ...

Music video

Smooth Criminal music video. Shows the anti-gravity lean as patented by Jackson.

An image of U.S. Patent No. 5,255,452 filed by Jackson describing the anti-gravity lean.

Currently there are 4 different versions of the video for Smooth Criminal: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 429 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (447 × 624 pixel, file size: 65 KB, MIME type: image/png) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 429 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (447 × 624 pixel, file size: 65 KB, MIME type: image/png) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

• The Original Moonwalker Version - This is the version included in the Moonwalker film - while technically the whole short film is 39 minutes the actual "Smooth Criminal" song segment is aprox. 10 minutes. It includes an added lyric in the second chorus, a middle section of interpretive dance with the dancers among other changes.
• The "Moonwalker Version" - This version is included on History on Film, Volume II and is the song section of the "Smooth Criminal" segment from the film Moonwalker. It is essentially the same, however it has some minor changes including: different opening music and no dialogue, the middle section with the dancers chanting has been truncated (a shot of the cat is removed, the chanting has been shortened) and ends at the point in the original where Michael exits the club with an added shot of one of the flappers fanning herself. It also contains the added lyric.
• The Sped Up/Moonwalker Credits Version - This is commonly shown on music video stations, appears during the end credits for Moonwalker and was included on the "Visionary" single. It is essentially the "Smooth Criminal" video sped up, with an added blur effect, and some alternate angles.
• The Album Version - Also shown on some music video stations - it is the regular version of the video edited to be in sync with the original album version of the song. It excludes the added lyric, the middle section along with various other moments. However, commonly the Sped Up/Moonwalker Credits version is used rather than this version.

For other uses, see moonwalk. ... HIStory on Film, Volume II is a collection of videos released by Michael Jackson in 1997. ... For other uses, see moonwalk. ... For other uses, see moonwalk. ...

Anti-gravity lean

While the video version used special harnesses and ropes to achieve the lean it would be impossible to rig this for a live performance. Accordingly, Jackson and his team had to come up with an alternative way to achieve the effect on stage. The anti-gravity lean technique was filed under United States patent law by Jackson in 1993 ^[2], and consisted of the dancers wearing special shoes which could be locked down onto clips attached to the stage. This allowed the performer to lean beyond their own center of gravity. The trick is over a century old, originating in Vaudeville shows, where it was known as simply "the lean". The Jackson patented version, U.S. Patent No. 5,255,452, uses a unique type of latch and a specially hidden support. Michael has actually fallen doing this in a performance, in which he got back up and continued dancing. Fans were amazed by this performance. ^[3]

Track listing

Original release

UK 7" single

1. "Smooth Criminal" – 4:16
2. "Smooth Criminal" (instrumental) – 4:16

UK 12" single

1. "Smooth Criminal" (extended dance mix) – 7:46
2. "Smooth Criminal" (dance mix - dub version) – 4:45
3. "Smooth Criminal" (a cappella) – 4:11

Visionary single

CD side

1. "Smooth Criminal" (7" version) - 4:10
2. "Smooth Criminal" (Extended Dance Mix) - 7:46

DVD side

1. "Smooth Criminal" (Music video) -9:35

Mixes

1. Album version – 4:17
2. Album version #2 4:17 - Some backgrounds are panned differently
3. Album version #3 4:17 - Same as #2, except the breathing at the beginning is removed.
4. 7" version – 4:10
5. Instrumental version – 4:10
6. Extended Dance Mix – 7:46
7. Extended Dance Mix Radio Edit – 5:23
8. "Annie" Mix – 5:36
9. Dance Mix - Dub version – 4:47
10. A Cappella – 4:13
11. Ben Liebrand Remix – 6:51 - Recently re-released on DMC Commercial Collection 291

Credits

• Written and composed by Michael Jackson
• Solo and background vocals and clap: Michael Jackson
• Drums: Bill Bottrell, John Robinson and Bruce Swedien
• Guitar: David Williams
• Saxophones: Kim Hutchcroft and Larry Williams
• Trumpets: Gary Grant and Jerry Hey
• Muted Steinway: Kevin Maloney
• Synclavier: Christopher Currell
• Certain Synclavier effects by Denny Jaeger and Michael Rubini
• Synthesizers: John Barnes and Michael Boddicker
• Chief of Police announcement by Bruce Swedien
• Michael Jackson's heartbeat recording by Dr. Eric Chevlan digitally processed in the synclavier
• Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson and John Barnes
• Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey
• Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson

References

1. ^ "Smooth Criminal" at australian-charts.com
2. ^ US Patent number 5255452
3. ^ Michael Jackson falls during Live Performance of Smooth Criminal

Alien Ant Farm version

"Smooth Criminal"
Single by Alien Ant Farm from the album ANThology
Released	2001
Format	CD
Recorded	2001
Genre	Alternative metal
Length	3:29
Label	SKG Music
Writer	Michael Jackson
Producer	Jay Baumgardner
Alien Ant Farm singles chronology
N/A "Smooth Criminal" (2001) "Movies" (2001)

In 2001, Alien Ant Farm released a remake of "Smooth Criminal" as their debut single from their album ANThology. It became a number one hit on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song was also featured in the 2001 film American Pie 2, during a memorable scene where Jason Biggs' character Jim, superglues himself to himself. Image File history File links Sc_aaf. ... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Alien Ant Farm are an alternative rock group that formed in the southern California city of Riverside in 1996. ... An anthology, literally a garland or collection of flowers, is a collection of literary works, originally of poems. ... CD redirects here. ... See also: 2001 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2001 Record labels established in 2001 // January 1 Comeback of Guns N Roses in House of Blues Hum disbands. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Alternative metal is an form of music that gained popularity in the early 1990s alongside grunge. ... In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958), commonly known as MJ as well as the King of Pop, is an American musician, entertainer, and pop icon whose successful career and controversial personal life have been a part of pop culture for the last three decades. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... Alien Ant Farm are an alternative rock group that formed in the southern California city of Riverside in 1996. ... ANThology is the first major label album by Alien Ant Farm. ... See also: 2001 in music (UK) Musical groups established in 2001 Record labels established in 2001 // January 1 Comeback of Guns N Roses in House of Blues Hum disbands. ... Alien Ant Farm are an alternative rock group that formed in the southern California city of Riverside in 1996. ... An anthology, literally a garland or collection of flowers, is a collection of literary works, originally of poems. ... Modern Rock Tracks is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in Billboard magazine since September 10, 1988. ... American Pie 2 is the 2001 sequel to the comedy film American Pie. ... Jason Biggs, born on May 12, 1978 an American actor who obtained wide fame in 1999 for his role as Jim Levenstein in the American Pie series of teen films. ...

The music video featured numerous references to Michael Jackson:

• The video for the original "Smooth Criminal" is referenced when the band members do that video's choreographed lean.
• Various objects and sidewalk panels lighting up is a reference to the video for "Billie Jean." Additionally, an editing technique utilizing several split screens and freeze frames mirrors a similar sequence in "Billie Jean."
• The scene where lead singer Dryden Mitchell stands on a car and screams while its windows explode is taken from the controversial ending of the video for "Black or White".
• Several references are made to "Thriller," including the dance by the old men, the werewolf mask worn by the girl jumping into the pool, and the end of the video where a man turns to the camera with cat's eyes.
• The chimpanzee is a reference to Michael Jackson's pet chimp Bubbles. In addition to that, the chair Mitchell is sitting on during the scenes with the chimp is shaped like a gloved hand.
• The Japanese school girls in uniforms holding the sign reading "We love AAF" is a reference to Michael Jackson's idol status in Japan.
• Lead singer Mitchell rips a ventilation shaft grill from the ground, releasing steam. This is a combined reference to the video for the song "Bad," in which Jackson pulled a grill from a subway wall as well as another scene from the controversial ending of the video for "Black or White" where Michael Jackson dances in steam rising from the ground.
• Michael Jackson-like vocalizations can be heard, including a high-pitched "Whoo!" several times in a row.
• The lead singer Mitchell pulls up his pants to expose his socks, much like Michael Jackson.
• Drummer Mike Cosgrove wears one white studded glove.
• Bobby Edner performs a dance similar to the dance moves of Michael Jackson. In addition to that, he is wearing a surgeon's mask.
• One man has a tattoo of Elizabeth Taylor on his back.

This article is about the Michael Jackson song. ... Dryden Mitchell is the lead singer of Alien Ant Farm. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Black or White was the first single taken from Michael Jacksons album Dangerous, released in November 1991. ... Michael Jacksons Thriller is a 14-minute music video for the song of the same name released on December 2, 1983 and directed by John Landis. ... Type species Simia troglodytes Blumenbach, 1775 distribution of Species Pan troglodytes Pan paniscus Chimpanzee, often shortened to chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of apes in the genus Pan. ... Bubbles is a chimpanzee who lived with pop star Michael Jackson for many years. ... Bad was a 1987 hit recording by pop singer Michael Jackson. ... Black or White was the first single taken from Michael Jacksons album Dangerous, released in November 1991. ... Robert Charles Edner (born October 5, 1988 in Downey, California) is an American actor. ...

ApologetiX's version

The band ApologetiX has a parody to Smooth Criminal called Smooth Grandmama ApologetiX from left to right: Karl Messner, Keith Haynie, Bill Rieger, and J. Jackson. ... Smooth Grandmama is a song from ApologetiX. It has since become one of the most popular songs by the band, if not the most popular. ...

External links

• [2] Link to U.S. Patent applied for by Jackson describing the "anti-gravity lean".

• Michael Jackson version (Sped-Up version)
• Alien Ant Farm - "Smooth Criminal": MTV Mask version
• Michael Jackson 'Smooth Criminal' Collection
• "Smooth Criminal" lyrics