November 23, 2021
Happy 30th Anniversary to Michael Jackson’s eighth studio album Dangerous, originally released November 26, 1991.
October 1st, 1992. Bucharest National Stadium. A jubilant crowd of 90,000 people was in trepidation waiting for what would promise to be one of the most spectacular, exhilarating, and electrifying lifetime experiences: Michael Jackson’s Dangerous World Tour live concert. 90,000 people screaming and chanting the artist’s name, smiling, laughing, some of them already crying. With a big rumble and fireworks launched from the sides of the stage, Jackson was ejected onto the stage from underneath and stood frozen for more than 90 seconds, while his audience’s joyous screams intensified, as they chanted the artist’s name even louder. Then after dramatically removing his characteristic Ray-Ban shades with a slow-motion movement, followed by one of his signature spins and air-kicks, the artist launched into a fiercely impeccable performance of “Jam.”
Dating back to the beginning of his artistic career at the age of nine, Michael Jackson had solidified his well-earned reputation as one of the greatest artists and creators of all time, as he set new records, while challenging and revolutionizing racial boundaries within the record industry. However, like numerous Black artists that came before and after him, he still gets dismissed and neglected, not getting the respect he rightfully deserves.
A few so-called or perhaps self-proclaimed music critics, basing their research on numerous biases, inexcusably dismiss Jackson as one of the first pop music phenomena, whose impact was erroneously considered more commercial than cultural. These same pundits claim that other iconic artists like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Springsteen re-shaped society and the music industry, whereas Jackson only sold records and entertainment. Such myopic and uneducated statements fail to capture the magnitude of Jackson’s art and creativity.
Numerous critics, in fact, often wholly disregard Jackson’s astounding talents. His impeccable songwriting, for instance. On his Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995) albums alone, he eloquently tackles racism, corruption, materialism, ecological destruction, abuse, and alienation. Particular attention should be paid to the array of subjects, the spectrum of textures, moods, and mesmerizing synthesis of styles Jackson consistently infused within his art.
Jackson’s greatness lies in his ability to communicate the vulnerability, joy, and vitality of humanity, enhancing his words vocally, physically, and sonically. The non-verbal vocalizations and ad-lib vernacular are delivered beyond the structures of language, in such a precise and heartfelt way. Note Jackson’s virtuosic sense of rhythm, the rich harmonies, the layers of details and sounds, the nuanced, syncopated signature bass lines, the effortless beatboxing and scatting, how he stretched or accentuated words swinging from smooth to passionate call-and-response chants soaring as a gospel choir does.
Jackson’s music never fit precisely into categories and is usually limited to white Euro-American musical standards. Au contraire, his art is deeply rooted in the African American tradition, which he stitched together with disparate styles, genres, and mediums, ultimately creating something refreshing and brand new.
Among his extraordinary talents as a songwriter, singer, musician, producer, and performer with thousands of fans attending his shows, Jackson also trailblazed and created some of the most iconic music videos in music history, which still claim relevance today. The artist embraced and understood the importance of the visual medium, taking it to a whole new level, turning music videos into groundbreaking short films. Both the “Thriller” and “Billie Jean” short films are still celebrated as two of the videos that changed the face of music history forever.
Furthermore, it’s no mystery that perfectionism was always intrinsic within the artist’s being, which is ultimately reflected in his audio-visual projects, always meticulously executed, and well-curated in every minute detail.
Jackson’s fifth solo album, the innovative Off the Wall (1979), was his commercial breakthrough, the first record by a solo artist to have four top hits chart within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, including “Off the Wall,” “She’s Out of My Life,” “Don’t Stop ‘til You Get Enough” and “Rock with You.” Possessed of more mature songwriting, production and arrangements, Off the Wall was the result of Jackson’s commitment to advancing his artistic development. However, when the album got scoffed at during the 1981 GRAMMY Awards, not receiving the praise and recognition it deserved, the slight only fueled Jackson to create something arguably even better, an album destined to catch and captivate everyone’s attention.
His next album, the acclaimed, 8x GRAMMY Award-winning 1982 magnum opus Thriller, became the best-selling album in music history. The record also broke down color barriers on radio and TV, redefining the possibilities of popular music on a global scale.
With Bad, released in 1987, the artist further settled into his persona and sound. Full of punchy bass lines, sharp synthesizers, funky rhythms, the album showcases Jackson’s evolution, especially as a songwriter. On Bad, he wrote most of his songs, dipping into more mature themes, ranging from social justice to the struggles of marginalized groups, and his desire for equity, particularly in songs like “Man in the Mirror” (co-written with artist Siedah Garrett), “Another Part of Me” (also featured in Jackson’s movie Captain EO), “Bad,” “Leave Me Alone” and “Dirty Diana.”
After the success of Bad, Jackson was seeking more artistic control and independence over his creative process, which led him to part ways from producer Quincy Jones. The singer wanted to prove himself as an artist and as a producer, showing that the success of his artistic efforts did not depend on Jones.
In June 1989, Jackson commenced working on new songs for the album Dangerous. The project was originally conceived as a greatest hits collection with the inclusion of a few new tracks, and the proposed title was Decade. However, due to numerous issues, the production of Decade was dropped, and Jackson decided that his new material, more than 200 unreleased songs, would constitute a full new album: Dangerous.
After signing one of the biggest record deals in music history, worth $60 million, Jackson teamed up with producers Teddy Riley and Bill Bottrell and engineer Bruce Swedien to create his eighth studio album.
Released on November 26th, 1991, Dangerous is arguably Jackson’s most creative project. The blend of New Jack Swing, classical music, hip-hop, funk, rock, gospel, R&B, and industrial music, coupled with Jackson’s examination of various social themes coupled with an unapologetic blackness, reshaped pop music, giving it new life and breadth. With the evolutions of R&B and hip-hop and the development of New Jack Swing, Jackson took elements from the latest innovations and sounds, melding them with his visionary creativity. The result of this experimentation is an ingeniously rhythmic album, full of dynamic and syncopated beats, visceral sounds, implemented beatboxing, scatting, and finger-snapping, which made every song edgier and more incisive.
Besides the massive sonic shift defined by its richer musical palette and soundscapes, Dangerous showcases Jackson’s stunning versatility as a songwriter. The album stretches over a wide array of themes, spanning police brutality, racism, fake news, poverty, corruption, disease, children's welfare, the human need for freedom, and the affairs of the heart.
The album opener is strong, beginning with the shattering glass of “Jam.” The explosive track sounds like a chant, propelled by fiercely blurted-out vocals and acute lyrics over syncopated rhythms and horn samples. The appearance of Heavy D, Kriss Kross, and Naughty by Nature was Jackson’s attempt at creating a crossover genre that blended pop and hip-hop music, which was playing a major and increasingly vital role in the early ‘90s. The iconic short movie features another great MJ, the NBA legend Michael Jordan. The inclusion of B-boys and B-girls is an obvious homage to the African American youth that invented the street-dance style.
The tinkling, agile guitar riffs, the fluid keyboard short section, and accentuated beats perfectly enhance Jackson’s vocals, swiveling from angry whispers to loud outcries in “Why You Wanna Trip on Me?” The song is a poignant depiction of tabloids’ dishonest capacity for reporting mundane, non-essential news, bypassing and neglecting the real issues happening around the world, ranging from world hunger to gang violence and diseases. “You got world hunger / not enough to eat,” Jackson sings. “So there's really no time / to be trippin' on me / You got school teachers / who don't wanna teach / You got grown people / who can't write or read / You got strange diseases / Ah but there's no cure / You got many doctors / that aren't so sure.”
The next track, the sensual “In the Closet” starts with a sinuous piano introduction, along with a few spoken lines, courtesy of Princess Stephanie of Monaco, followed by a winding beat that builds up the tension; the hushed vocals and tight falsetto harmonies then explode at the 4:30 mark. On the same note as “In the Closet,” “She Drives Me Wild,” a collaboration with the Teddy Riley affiliated hip-hop trio Wreckx-n-Effect, complete with full car horns, punchy beats, and layered vocals, deals with Jackson’s love interest.
The heavy synthesizer, funk beat, and ad-libs of “Remember the Time” perfectly put into sound the nostalgia over happy memories with a past lover. However, the most exciting aspect of “Remember the Time” is the iconic short movie. Jackson teamed up with Boyz n the Hood director John Singleton, bringing together an all-Black cast and dance crew, including the legendary comedian Eddie Murphy playing the part of pharaoh Ramses II, one of the world’s greatest supermodels, Iman, as queen Nefertiti, NBA superstar Magic Johnson, the then up-and-coming hip-hop group The Pharcyde, and actor Tommy “Tiny” Lister. The short movie exudes stunning unapologetic Blackness, offering a backdrop of ancient Egypt, which for decades historians have whitewashed, dismissing the Blackness of its earlier inhabitants. In the short movie, however, Jackson and Singleton reclaimed part of the history that for too many years had been erased.
“Can’t Let Her Get Away,” with its zestful percussions, is a nod to Jackson’s all-time idol, James Brown’s “Get Up I Feel Like Being a Sex Machine.” In the song, the singer again showcases his fondness for hip-hop music, using a sample lifted from Boogie Down Productions’ classic “South Bronx.”
With the broader socio-cultural context of ongoing racial tensions, most notably the outrageous LAPD-inflicted beating of Rodney King and the brutal murder of 15-year-old Latasha Harlins in March 1991—which happened eight months prior to the release of Dangerous—Jackson used his art to issue a clarion call for unity and peace in the form of “Heal the World.” The song, resonating perfectly in such context, is a plea to world citizens to be kind and take care of one another as a testament to their humanity.
Propelled by a staccato guitar riff and upbeat percussions, “Black or White” is arguably the most poignant, eye-opening song on Dangerous, as Jackson explores his experiences with racism and what it feels like to be a Black man in America. Its accompanying, iconic short film was directed by John Landis, and aired on MTV, BET, VH1, and Fox, premiering in 27 countries, with an audience of more than 500 million people.
The first part of the film aims at educating the white audience by positioning a more inclusive vision of the world, appearing to be a call for interracial harmony. However, it is with the second part of the video, the “Black Panther Coda"—a reference to the Black Panther Party and more broadly, Black resistance to white supremacy—that Jackson breaks free, dancing away his anger and frustrations about injustice, racism, prejudice, and bigotry. Three decades later, “Black or White” still feels extremely relevant, considering the ongoing perpetuation of institutionalized racism and the recent intensification of racially motivated unrest.
“Who Is It” examines the story of a deceitful relationship. The introspective narration is juxtaposed with a driving bassline, stacking harmonies, and an incredible chord progression building within the chorus, ending with a flute in the bridge, and Jackson’s final ad-libs playing like an instrument on their own. Continuing on the same dark vein, “Give into Me” finds the singer unleashing his suppressed angst and frustration atop Slash’s sizzling guitar solos. Both “Who Is It” and “Give into Me” ooze raw emotions, reflecting the artist’s deepest vulnerabilities.
“Will You Be There” is one of the deepest, most stunning, and most emotionally honest pieces in Jackson’s entire vault. Jackson was an eager aficionado of classical music—not only did he appreciate it, but he also was a keen connoisseur of the genre and all of its celebrated composers and musicians. Taken by a stroke of genius, he crafted the introduction to “Will You Be There” including the last part of Beethoven’s Symphony 9 in D Minor (op. 125), most known as Ode to Joy. Apparently, Jackson was aware of the meaning intrinsic in the Symphony—peace, freedom, brotherhood—and because he always strived to express the same messages through his art, he specifically picked Beethoven’s piece for the introduction to “Will You Be There,” its themes aligning perfectly with the composer’s Ode to Joy.
With the penultimate track “Gone Too Soon,” Jackson pays his respects to Ryan White, his friend who passed away from AIDS related complications in April 1990. Besides the tender vocal delivery, the song presents impeccable arrangements including a full string set, keyboard, and flute.
The album-closing title track “Dangerous” goes back to the New Jack Swing sound, with punchy beats and Jackson lamenting the agony a woman has caused him, then including an excerpt from Proverbs 5:3-4: “For the lips of a strange woman drop as a honeycomb / And her mouth was smoother than oil, but her inner spirit and words were as sharp as a two-edged sword.”
Thirty years on from its unveiling, Dangerous still stands strong in its relevance. The album’s coalescence of socially conscious themes, sonic experimentation, and its broader stylistic and aural spectrums all combined to mark a creative tipping point for Michael Jackson, encompassing every aspect of his artistry and ambition.
As Jackson once said, “Great music is immortal, we still listen to Mozart today, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, any of them, any of the greats. Great music is like a great piece of sculpture or a great painting. It’s forever.” Owing to his undeniable creative spirit, Michael Jackson’s place among all of the great artists he appreciated and looked up to is safe and secure.
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