HIStory: Encyclopedia - HIStory

HIStory

HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book 1 was a double-disc album by Michael Jackson released in 1995. The first disc (HIStory Begins) was a fifteen-track greatest hits album, while the second disc (HIStory Continues) contained fifteen original songs. The album received multiple Grammy Award nominations including the coveted Album of the Year award, which it did not win.

HIStory was the first album where Jackson showcased his instrumental abilities, playing keyboard and synthesizer, guitar, drums and percussion on the album, as well as lead and backing vocals. He was also more involved in the production of this album, collaborating with producers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, Dallas Austin, Bill Bottrell and R. Kelly.

The first single from the album was "Scream"/"Childhood", a double a-side single. "Scream" was a duet between Michael and his younger sister Janet, and "Childhood" was the theme song for Free Willy 2. Both songs were partened by a music video. "Scream" was a science-fiction-inspired music video which won a Grammy Award for Best Short-Form Music Video and an MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography in 1995, while "Childhood" was a Peter Pan inspired music video that showed Jackson singing in a forest with pirate ships floating above him. The double a-side single peaked at #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

The second single, "You Are Not Alone" was written and produced by R. Kelly. It became the first ever single to debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video was controversial in that it featured an almost nude Jackson and his ex-wife Lisa Marie Presley.

"Earth Song" was the fourth single released from the album, and went on the become the U.K. Christmas #1 for 1995. The song caused controversy when Jarvis Cocker protested against Jackson's performance of the song at the 1996 Brit awards, claiming Jackson was taking on a "christ-like" image. The single went on to sell 3 million copies worldwide making it Jackson's highest selling single.

The following singles, "They Don't Care About Us"(which caused controversy over alleged anti-Semitism, prompting Michael to change the words)and "Stranger In Moscow", proved to be more popular in Europe than the United States.

Since its release in 1995, HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book 1 has sold over 18 million copies (36 million disks), making it the biggest selling multiple-disc album of all-time [1].

HIStory - Track listing

HIStory - Disc one

1. "Billie Jean" (Jackson) - 4:54
2. "The Way You Make Me Feel" (Jackson) - 4:57
3. "Black or White" (Jackson/Bottrell) - 4:15
4. "Rock with You" (Temperton) - 3:40
5. "She's out of My Life" (Bahler) - 3:38
6. "Bad" (Jackson) - 4:07
7. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" featuring Siedah Garrett (Jackson) - 4:12
8. "Man in the Mirror" (Ballard/Garrett) - 5:19
9. "Thriller" (Temperton) - 5:57
10. "Beat It" (Jackson) - 4:18
11. "The Girl Is Mine" featuring Paul McCartney (Jackson) - 3:41
12. "Remember the Time" (Riley/Jackson/Belle) - 3:59
13. "Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough" (Jackson) - 6:05
14. "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" (Jackson) - 6:04
15. "Heal the World" (Jackson) - 6:24

HIStory - Disc two

1. "Scream" featuring Janet Jackson (Harris/Lewis/Jackson/Jackson) - 4:38
2. "They Don't Care About Us" (Jackson) - 4:44
3. "Stranger in Moscow" (Jackson) - 5:44
4. "This Time Around" featuring The Notorious B.I.G. (Moore/Austin/Swedien/Jackson/Wallace) - 4:20
5. "Earth Song" (Jackson) - 6:46
6. "D.S." (Jackson) - 4:49
7. "Money" (Jackson) - 4:41
8. "Come Together" (Lennon/McCartney) - 4:02
9. "You Are Not Alone" (Kelly) - 5:45
10. "Childhood (Theme from Free Willy 2)" (Jackson) - 4:28
11. "Tabloid Junkie" (Harris/Lewis/Jackson) - 4:32
12. "2 Bad" featuring Shaquille O'Neal (Harris/Lewis/Jackson/O'Neal) - 4:49
13. "History" featuring Boyz II Men on background vocals (Harris/Lewis/Jackson) - 6:37
14. "Little Susie" (Jackson) - 6:13
15. "Smile" (Chaplin) - 4:56

HIStory - Out takes

• "Bassouille"
• "Face"
• "Fear"

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "HIStory", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki