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Ghosts (Michael Jackson song)

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Wikipedia article




"'Ghosts'" is a 1997 song by American singer Michael Jackson, written, composed and produced by Jackson and Teddy Riley. It was released as part of "HIStory/Ghosts", a double A-side single with remixes of the song "HIStory" from Jackson's 1995 album as the second single from 'Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix'. The 'Ghosts' music video was a five-minute clip taken from a longer film, 'Michael Jackson's Ghosts'. The song was a top five hit in the UK and France.

Production, music and commentary



"Ghosts" was one of the five new tracks on the album. It was written, composed and produced by Michael Jackson and Teddy Riley.Jackson, Michael. 'Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix' booklet. Sony BMG. p 6 Instruments played on the track include a guitar and piano. Michael's vocals are dramatic, operatic and scary tenor. Jackson's vocal range on the song is E3-A5, the song is in the key of E dorian and at 103BPM . 'The Washington Post' noted, "'Ghosts' is another new jack swing collaboration with Teddy Riley for a similarly short film. It is a bit unsettling, particularly when Jackson spits out this line: 'Who gave you the right to shake my family tree?'". Tom Sinclair of 'Entertainment Weekly', also highlighted those particular lyrics, speculating that "armchair psychologists will have a field day with the words".

The 'Dallas Morning News' described "Ghosts" as an angry tale of a back-stabbing woman.Thor Christensen. (May 20, 1997). "Jackson's new `Blood' generally thin Singer's work best when fresh on remix release". 'Dallas Morning News'. Michael Saunders of 'The Boston Globe' said that album cuts like "Is It Scary" and "Ghosts" "trample well-trodden ground".Michael Saunders. (June 5, 1997). "Blood on the Dance Floor Epic". 'The Boston Globe'. Sonia Murray of 'The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution' said of the track, "'Ghosts' pounds with funk until Jackson's weak vocals come in.Sonia Murray. (May 29, 1997). "Jackson's New Album Warrant's No Hype". 'The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution'. Anthony Violanti of 'The Buffalo News' said "Ghosts"...[is] programmed plastic soul that makes you wonder how someone as talented as Jackson can churn out such tracks.Anthony Violanti. (May 23, 1997). "Lost Soul...". 'The Buffalo News'. Jim Farber of 'New York Daily News' said of the single "'Ghosts'...boast a few innovative sounds but no real melodies". Roger Catlin of 'The Hartford Courant' stated, "The most intriguing pairing is 'Ghosts' and 'Is It Scary' in which he asks those who've only read about him in tabloids if he seems monstrous".Roger Catlin. (May 22, 1997). "Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix Michael Jackson". 'The Hartford Courant'.

Jennifer Clay of Yahoo! Music noted that "Ghosts" sounded like material from the 'Thriller' era. A longtime commentator on Jackson's public life, J. Randy Taraborrelli, gave a retrospective analysis of the album in the biography, 'The Magic & the Madness'. Taraborrelli explained, "Several of the other songs on 'Blood' are also memorable. 'Ghosts' stands out, perhaps because it's so evocative of Michael's spell-binding 'Ghosts' long-styled video...it's classic, must-see Michael Jackson".

Short film



The music video for "Ghosts" was a five-minute cut-down of the short film of the same title, which Jackson unveiled at the Cannes Film Festival as part of the album promotion. It was released theatrically in the US in October 1996 and made its UK debut the following May at the Odeon Leicester Square. It was released on cassette in most parts of the world.Lewis, p. 58 The music video won the Bob Fosse Award for Best Choreography in a Music Video.Taraborrelli 610611George, p. 4850Lewis, p. 125126'Guinness World Records 2004'

Written by Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston, the short film was inspired by the isolation the singer felt after he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. It centers on the Maestro (Jackson), who's nearly chased out of his town by the residents and the mayor (also played by Michael Jackson, who intentionally resembles Tom Sneddon, a prosecutor in the 1993 and 2005 accusations) because they believe him to be a "freak." The film includes several songs and music videos from the albums 'HIStory' and 'Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix'. At over 38 minutes long, it held the Guinness world record for the longest music video until 2013, when it was eclipsed by Pharrell Williams' "Happy". The short version is included in 'Michael Jackson's Vision'.

Chart performance



"HIStory/Ghosts" generally did well in music charts worldwide, having charted within the top-ten and top-twenty in multiple countries. The song's highest peak position was in Italy, charting at number three. 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

# "HIStory (7" HIStory Lesson Edit)" 4:08

# "HIStory (Mark!'s Radio Edit)" 4:16

# "HIStory (Mark!'s Vocal Club Mix)" 9:11

# "HIStory (The Ummah Radio Mix)" 5:00

# "HIStory (The Ummah DJ Mix)" 3:04

# "HIStory (The Ummah Main A Cappella)" 4:06

# "Ghosts (Radio Edit)" 3:50

;12" Single

# "Ghosts (Mousse T's Club Mix)" 6:03

# "Ghosts (Mousse T's Radio Rock)" 4:25

# "HIStory (Tony Moran's HIStorical Dub)" 7:56

# "HIStory (7" HIStory Lesson Edit)" 4:09

Remixes



;The Ummah Mixes

* "HIStory (The Ummah Radio Mix)" 5:00

* "HIStory (The Ummah Urban Mix)" 4:19

* "HIStory (The Ummah DJ Mix)" 3:04

* "HIStory (The Ummah Main A Cappella)" 4:06

;Tony Moran Mixes

* "HIStory (Tony Moran's HIStory Lesson)" 8:01

* "HIStory (Tony Moran's HIStorical Dub)" 7:56

* "HIStory (Tony Moran's 7" HIStory Lesson Edit)" 4:08

;Mark Picchiotti Mixes

* "HIStory (Mark!'s Vocal Club Mix)" 9:11

* "HIStory (Mark!'s Keep Movin' Dub)" 9:16

* "HIStory (Mark!'s Radio Edit)" 4:16

;Mousse T Mixes

* "Ghosts (Mousse T's Club Mix)" 6:03

* "Ghosts (Mousse T's Club Mix TV)" 6:03

* "Ghosts (Mousse T's Radio Rock)" 4:25

'Note:' The Mark Picchiotti remixes were alternatively titled "HIStory (Mark!'s Phly Vocal)" and "HIStory (Mark!'s Future Dub)" on certain releases, notably a few widely distributed promo records in the United Kingdom.

Charts



Weekly charts



Year-end charts



Personnel



* Written, composed and produced by Michael Jackson and Teddy Riley.

* Engineered by Teddy Riley and Eddie DeLena

* Mixed by Dave Way

* Solo and background vocals, vocal arrangement and piano by Michael Jackson

* Teddy Riley, Brad Buxer and Doug Grigsby: Keyboards and synthesizers

* Matt Carpenter, Doug Grigsby, Andrew Scheps, Rob Hoffman and Alex Breuer: Drum programming

* Additional engineering by Bobby Brooks, Matt Forger, Andrew Scheps, Armand Volker and Albert Boekholt

* Assistant engineers: Tony Black, Mike Scotell, Greg Collins, Gerd Krenz, Patrick Ulenberg, Paul Dicato, Andy Strange, Rob Hoffman and Tom Bender

See also



* Michael Jackson's Ghosts

Notes





References



* George, Nelson (2004). 'Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection' booklet. Sony BMG.

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Category:1997 songs

Category:1997 singles

Category:Songs about ghosts

Category:Michael Jackson songs

Category:Songs written by Michael Jackson

Category:Song recordings produced by Teddy Riley

Category:Song recordings produced by Michael Jackson

Category:Songs written by Teddy Riley

Category:Songs written for films

Category:Music videos directed by Stan Winston

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