“If you’re thinking about my baby, it don’t matter if you’re black or white.” – Michael Jackson
It’s between Black and White, Billie Jean and Smooth Criminal as to my favourite Michael Jackson song. Let’s just say I was never a big fan; at least no where in the vicinity of how his music continues to be revered here in Colombia, but you have to give credit where it’s due. Who can’t remember when they saw this clip below? ‘Your father is going to be very mad when he gets back‘.
When Michael Jackson released Black or White on November 11, 1991, he wasn’t just unveiling a new single; he was launching a cultural movement. This is when the ‘left’ meant something..aiming to promote racial harmony and challenge the divisive societal norms of the time, Jackson’s Black or White quickly became an anthem for equality and acceptance.
[Verse 1: Michael Jackson]
I took my baby on a Saturday bang
Boy, is that girl with you?
Yes, we’re one and the same
[Chorus: Michael Jackson]
Now, I believe in miracles
And a miracle has happened tonight, hee
But if you’re thinking about my baby
It don’t matter if you’re black or white, ooh
[Verse 2: Michael Jackson]
They print my message in the Saturday sun
I had to tell ’em, “I ain’t second to none”
[Chorus: Michael Jackson]
And I told about equality and it’s true
Either you’re wrong or you’re right, hee
But if you’re thinking about my baby
It don’t matter if you’re black or white, hoo (Read the remainder here)
The song was co-written by Jackson and Bill Bottrell, who also produced the track. Bottrell recalled Jackson’s unwavering vision for the song: “Michael was very clear on the message he wanted to send. It was about equality and love, a message that couldn’t be more relevant.” Recorded at Record One Studio in Los Angeles, the track features a blend of rock, pop, and hip-hop elements, a testament to Jackson’s genre-blending acumen. Guitarist Slash of Guns N’ Roses lent his formidable skills to the song’s iconic riff, adding a hard-hitting edge to its pop sensibility.
Upon its release, Black or White skyrocketed to the top of the charts, reaching number one in over 20 countries, including the United States, where it stayed atop the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks.
References:
1. Black or White – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
This is one of the few solo songs I liked by him…I loved the early Jackson 5 and I liked his Off The Wall album as well…this one was good.
Do you call it a guitar riff? This song hangs on it for the duration and I love it.
Yes that is it! I liked it the first time I heard it.
When the “Thriller” album came it, I absolutely loved it. While my sentiments have moderated since, I still believe it’s a well-crafted pop album. I would continue to regard it as my favorite Michael Jackson solo album, together with predecessor “Off the Wall”.
By the time Jackson came out with “Dangerous” in 1991, I had grown tired of him. That said, I fully support the message that the color of your skin shouldn’t matter. In fact, it remains relevant more than ever to this day. That it came from Jackson who constantly changed his facial appearance was perhaps somewhat ironical.
I was never swept up by ‘Thriller’ craze, although if I remember correctly I enjoyed watching the prisoners in a Philippine gaol doing a superb rendition. My kids love his music still, but I imagine their fascination will pass as it has for me.
If I understand you correctly I disagree with you that that the colour of skin today is more relevant than ever. We got past that point way long ago in my estimation. To quote Douglas Murray:
“The train of progressivism never stops at the station. It keeps going full steam ahead.”
In this analogy, Murray suggests that progressive movements tend not to halt or rest once they’ve achieved initial objectives but instead continue to push further, often in ways that can be seen as increasingly radical or uncompromising.
I agree about the irony of Jackson’s obsession altering the pigment of his skin.
Someone just chimed in and told me his pigment transformation was the result of a medical condition called ‘Vitilgo’. So it appears it wasn’t a change of his own volition
You’re right, vitiligo was part of it, along with plastic surgeries and I understand skin-bleaching creams Jackson used.
While undoubtedly some progress has been made on the issue of discrimination based on skin color, unfortunately, I feel we still have a good way to go to becoming a truly “colorless society”, at least here in the U.S. and I suspect many other countries.
America voted in a African American as President. What further evidence do you require we got past it.
I may be wrong, but it seems to me your fascination about identity and race stems from the ideological propaganda you are being fed. The ‘left’ used to be about colour blindness. We are talking Martin Luther King and Bob Dylan at the Washington March. And now the ‘left’ is obsessed more than ever with colour identity to encapsulate a ‘sick’ agenda to defend and herald Kimberle Crenshaw’s intersectionality and critical race theory which has led to this abhorrent ‘woke movement’.
Okay, I couldn’t disagree with you more and don’t feel it’s productive to continue this discussion.
No problem Christian. I wish you a great day.