Earth Song
"Earth Song" is a song by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson, David Foster and Bill Bottrell. It was released by Epic Records on November 7, 1995, as the third single from Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995).
For the Lil Dicky song, see Earth (song). For songs named "Earth", see Earth (disambiguation) § Songs."Earth Song"
November 7, 1995
- 1988 – June 1989 – August 1990[1]
- September 1994 – March 1995
- 6:46 (album version)
- 5:02 (radio edit)
Michael Jackson
- Michael Jackson
- David Foster
- Bill Bottrell (co.)
"Earth Song" is a ballad that incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Though Jackson had previously released socially conscious songs such as "We Are the World", "Man in the Mirror" and "Heal the World", "Earth Song" was his first to overtly discuss the environment and animal welfare. It was accompanied by a lavish music video which was shot in four geographical regions, centered on the destruction and rebirth of Earth.
"Earth Song" reached number one in the UK, where it was the 1995 Christmas number one. It also topped the charts in Germany, Iceland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland while peaking at number two in France, Ireland, and the Netherlands. Jackson received recognition from various animal and environmental organizations. It was nominated for a Grammy in 1997.[2] In 2011, the song was paired with the poem "Planet Earth" (previously released on Michael Jackson's This Is It, in 2009) and released as a song on the remix album Immortal.
Production[edit]
Jackson wrote "Earth Song" under the working title "What About Us" at the Vienna Marriott hotel during the Bad World Tour on June 1, 1988.[3][4] Jackson wanted to create a song that was lyrically deep with an emotional message, but was melodically simple, so the whole world, particularly non-English-speaking fans, could sing along.[5]
"Earth Song" was produced by Jackson, David Foster and Bill Bottrell.[6] Andraé Crouch's Choir and Jackson engage in a call-and-response chant in the climax.[7]
According to the bassist, Guy Pratt, Jackson was recovering from plastic surgery at the time of Pratt's recording and hid under a mixing desk in the studio. Jackson passed instructions for Pratt to an assistant, who pretended that Jackson was not in the room.[8]
Composition[edit]
"Earth Song" is a ballad that incorporates elements of blues, gospel[9] and opera. Jackson describes the dire situation that mankind has caused, ranging from war to devastation to animals and Earth itself. Jackson calls on people to remember the Earth is their inheritance from God via their ancestor Abraham. "What about death again" reminds all to think about eternal death, asking people to check their heart for repentance, or to see if they really cared at all. Having disassociated himself from being one of Jehovah's Witnesses, Jackson simplified his faith to focus on the Biblical Jesus Christ until his death.[10][11][12][13]
Reception[edit]
"Earth Song" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. A reviewer from Contra Costa Times called it "a bit sappy and overblown", but also acknowledged that it was "epic" and destined to be a "massive smash hit".[14] James Masterton for Dotmusic described it as a "towering gospel track".[15] Ledger-Enquirer observed that it "enjoys the same kind of subtlety, building to a dramatic call-and-response finish with the Andraé Crouch Choir".[7] Pan-European magazine Music & Media declared it as an "ecological anthem", stating that "even without the delightful arrangements (tentative piano, jazzy guitar licks, nature noises), the strong composition would have been a sure thing for the top of the EHR and ACE charts."[16] Music Week rated it five out of five, picking it as Single of the Week. They added, "This will be huge. Already a favourite from HIStory, it builds from a tweeting birds/strummed harp intro into a no-excess-barred epic, but is beautiful all the same."[17] The Philadelphia Inquirer deemed it "a healing, rhythmic ballad that evokes religious imagery".[13] Michael Mehle of Rocky Mountain News said the finale is "anthemic" and a "powerful gospel opus".[12] James Hunter of Rolling Stone stated, "The slow blues-operatic 'Earth Song' for all its noble sentiments, sounds primarily like a showpiece".[11] The Sacramento Bee described Jackson's vocal performance as "cool".[18] A reviewer from San Jose Mercury News called it "flat" and "whiny", believing Jackson had already experimented with these concepts earlier in his career.[19]
In 2017, ShortList's Dave Fawbert listed the song as containing "one of the greatest key changes in music history".[20] Jackson received the Genesis Award: 1995 Doris Day Music Award, given each year for animal sensitivity.[21]
Commercial performance[edit]
In the United Kingdom, "Earth Song" debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart, where it remained for six weeks throughout December 1995 — beating the U2/Brian Eno project Passengers to win the Christmas number one spot — and into early 1996.[21][22] During its stay at number one, "Earth Song" kept the first single released by the Beatles in 25 years, "Free as a Bird", off the number one position as well as other bookmaker favourites "Wonderwall" by Oasis and "It's Oh So Quiet" by Björk. In early December, bookmakers correctly predicted that Jackson would keep the Beatles off the top position and go on to attain the Christmas number-one single.[23][24] It went on to sell 1,270,000 copies in the nation as of August 2018.[25]
The song also took the number one position in Iceland, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, peaking within the top five in almost every European state.[26]
In Germany, it was Jackson's first single to reach No. 1 on the German Singles Chart and held the summit for 5 consecutive weeks.[27]
The song was only released to radio in the US, appearing on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (for the remix version of 1996).[28] In 2006, "Earth Song" reached number 55 on the European Hot 100 Singles chart, following the Visionary: The Video Singles campaign, whereby 20 of Jackson's hit singles from the 1980s to the 1990s were reissued in several European countries.[29]