HIStory (Michael Jackson song)


"HIStory" is a 1995 song by Michael Jackson. It was composed by Jackson, James Harris III and Terry Lewis, and was included on his album '. Although the original version of "HIStory" was not released as a single, it was later remixed in 1997 as part of Jackson's remix album project '. These remixes would be released as part of "HIStory/Ghosts", a double A-side single with the newly recorded song Ghosts as the second single from that album.

Production

"HIStory" was originally written and composed by Michael Jackson, James Harris III and Terry Lewis in 1995. It was the thirteenth track on the studio album ', but was not released as a single. The song sampled multiple musical compositions and historical audio quotes, all of which were dispersed throughout the track. Early in the track, one even included quotes from an interview with a young Michael Jackson from 1970. Musical compositions sampled include "Beethoven Lives Upstairs" and "The Great Gate of Kiev" from Pictures at an Exhibition. In reissues of the album, the Pictures at an Exhibition piece was replaced by a similar improvised orchestra piece, but the original sample was used in Jackson's live performances in the HIStory Tour. Audio quotes sampled were the "Charles Lindbergh Report" by Lowell Thomas, a report on Hank Aaron, "Robert Kennedy Eulogy" by Ted Kennedy, "Farewell to Baseball" by Lou Gehrig, "Greetings to the Children of England" by Princess Elizabeth and Princess Margaret, quotes from Muhammad Ali, Thomas Edison, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream".
In 1997, Jackson issued the remix album '. Remixes were done by Tony Moran, Mark Picchiotti, and The Ummah, although only one of Tony Moran's remixes, titled "HIStory " was included on the album. This and the rest of the remixes were included on various commercial and promotional releases of the double A-side release "HIStory/Ghosts", the second single from the album.

Music video

The music video that accompanied the remix opens with the scene of a woman, relaxing on a futuristic sofa, watching the music video through metallic virtual reality goggles. The video is set in a nightclub. Inside the club, televisions, monitors and walls display the history of Jackson's filmography such as "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Rock with You", "Beat It", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", "Dirty Diana", "Smooth Criminal", "Black or White", "Remember the Time", "In the Closet", "Jam", "Will You Be There", "Scream", "Earth Song", "They Don't Care About Us", "Stranger in Moscow", "Blood on the Dance Floor", scenes from his short film Ghosts, and live performances from the Bad and Dangerous tours. Wearing the goggles, the woman is led to believe she is in the nightclub too. The video ends with the woman removing the goggles.

Chart performance

"HIStory/Ghosts" did generally well in music charts worldwide, having charted within the top-ten and top-twenty in multiple countries. In the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden "HIStory/Ghosts" spent seventeen to eighteen weeks on the charts. In Australia "HIStory/Ghosts" peaked at forty-three before falling off the chart. The single did not appear on any United States Billboard charts.

Track listing

;CD Single
  1. "HIStory " – 4:08
  2. "HIStory " – 4:16
  3. "HIStory " – 9:11
  4. "HIStory " – 5:00
  5. "HIStory " – 3:04
  6. "HIStory " – 4:06
  7. "Ghosts " – 3:50
;12" Single
  1. "Ghosts " – 6:03
  2. "Ghosts " – 4:25
  3. "HIStory " – 7:56
  4. "HIStory " – 4:09

    Remixes

;The Ummah Mixes
;Tony Moran Mixes
;Mark Picchiotti Mixes
;Mousse T Mixes
Note: The Mark Picchiotti remixes were alternatively titled "HIStory " and "HIStory " on certain releases, notably a few widely distributed promo records in the United Kingdom.

Charts

All entries charts as "HIStory / Ghosts" except where noted.

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Personnel

Tony Moran's HIStory Lesson remix