Smooth Criminal

"Smooth Criminal"
Song

"Smooth Criminal" is the seventh single from Michael Jackson's Bad album (1987). The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a suave hitman. It was released as a single in 1988 and peaked at seven on the Billboard Hot 100. It has since become one of Jackson's most popular songs. It was re-released on April 10, 2006 as a part of the Visionary: The Video Singles box-set. The re-released Visionary single charted at #19 in the UK. In 2003, the song was re-released on the Number Ones greatest hits album.

Song information

The song was the centerpiece in Jackson's film Moonwalker, in which an entire hour-long short film (featuring Joe Pesci) was produced around the song. In the film, Jackson plays with his young friends outdoors when they come upon a cave, which leads to a kind of dream world in which "Mr. Big" Frankie Lideo has been selling drugs to youths in order to get everyone hooked. In the dream world, Jackson must save a kidnapped girl named Katie from Mr. Big's soldier-like henchmen, which he does through the power of a "wishing star". In the process, he transforms into a super-fast car, a robotic man and even a spaceship before saving her life. "Smooth Criminal" was presented in a ten-minute long clip in which Jackson dances through a 1930s-style nightclub. The version of the song used in the clip is different from the album version: the background beats are different, there are several new lyrics (see below), and the song is much longer overall. The version of the video that is usually aired on network television is 4 minutes long and is merely a sped up version of the clip from the film.

Smooth Criminal was a song that almost didn't make it into the Bad album. With the final decision to include the song, Jackson originally decided to make the music video a western-styled short film. However, he later decided to change the style into a 1930s nightclub style.

Both the style of the clip and the clothes and mannerisms Jackson portrayed were reused in the arcade, the Sega Master System, the Sega Mega Drive and the Sega Game Gear adaptations of Moonwalker.

The song was performed live during the second leg of Jackson's 1987–88 Bad World Tour. The performance featured an exciting dance routine modelled after the scene from Moonwalker. By the time the 1992 Dangerous World Tour came around, this performance became a regular on Jackson tours. This time Jackson had devised a way to perform the anti-gravity lean, which was featured in the Moonwalker video, on stage. Much like the robot move from "Dancing Machine" to the Moonwalk from "Billie Jean", this showcased Jackson's talent for creating unique moves to enhance stage performances. This performance can be seen on the Bucharest Dangerous Tour performance which is included as a DVD in The Ultimate Collection boxed set.

Part of the song is also briefly used in the middle of the live version of the song Dangerous.

Chart performance

Chart (1988)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	29
Belgian Singles Chart	1
Danish Singles Chart	1
Dutch Top 40	1
French Singles Chart	4
German Singles Chart	9
Italian Singles Chart	9
Israeli Singles Chart	1
Spanish Singles Chart	1
Swiss Singles Chart	5
UK Singles Chart	8
US Billboard Hot 100	7
US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks	1

Music video

Jeffrey Daniel of legendary soul music group, Shalamar choreographed the "Smooth Criminal" video. Currently there are four different versions of the video for "Smooth Criminal":

• The Original Moonwalker Version - This is the version included in the Moonwalker film - while technically the whole short film is 39 minutes the actual "Smooth Criminal" song segment is approx. 10 minutes. It includes a middle section of interpretive dance with the dancers among other changes.
• The "Moonwalker Version" - This version is included on History on Film, Volume II and is the song section of the "Smooth Criminal" segment from the film Moonwalker. It is essentially the same, however it has some minor changes including: different opening music and no dialogue, the middle section with the dancers chanting has been truncated (some of the chanting has been shortened) and ends at the point in the original where Michael exits the club with an added shot of one of the flappers fanning herself.
• The Sped Up/Moonwalker Credits Version - This is commonly shown on music video stations, appears during the end credits for Moonwalker and was included on the "Visionary" single. It is essentially the "Smooth Criminal" video sped up, with an added blur effect, and some alternate angles. This version is also the version being sold in the iTunes Music Store
• The Album Version - Also shown on some music video stations - it is the regular version of the video edited to be in sync with the original album version of the song. It excludes the added lyric, the middle section along with various other moments. However, commonly the Sped Up/Moonwalker Credits version is used rather than this version.

Added lines

In the Moonwalker version of the song, two additional lines are contributed to the second verse. It is unknown why they were omitted from the final album version.

The two lines in italics are what was omitted from the album version:

So they came into the outway/ It was Sunday, what a black day/ Everytime I try to find him/ he's leaving no clues left behind him/ And they have no way of knowing/ of the suspect, or what to expect/ Mouth to mouth resuscitation/ Sounding heartbeats, intimidations

Anti-gravity lean

"Smooth Criminal" music video. Shows the anti-gravity lean as patented by Jackson.

File:Smooth criminal patent.png

An image of U.S. Patent No. 5,255,452 filed by Jackson describing the anti-gravity lean.

Perhaps the most famous aspect of the video is when Jackson and the dancers lean forward a seemingly impossible distance. The effect was achieved in the video using special harnesses with wires, and magnets to achieve the effect. It was desired to replicate this effect for Jackson's stage show, but it would have been more obvious and cumbersome to use wire harnesses in a live performace. Jackson and his team devised an alternative way to achieve the effect on stage. The props needed for their technique was patented in the United States by Jackson in 1993, and consists of pegs that rise from the stage at the appropriate moment, and special shoes with ankle supports and cutouts in the heels which can slide over the pegs and be thereby attached to the stage temporarily. These allow the performers to lean beyond their own centers of gravity. At concerts, while Jackson and the dancers got their shoes in position, another performer distracted the audience with a short routine holding a bundle of lit "dynamite" while the dancers went to a dark part of the stage.

In at least two concerts from the HIStory World Tour, there are visible issues with the effect; at the professionally recorded Munich concert, one of the dancers can be seen to have difficultly unhooking his shoe from the peg, causing him to stumble. In an amateur video from Tokyo, which is well circulated on the internet, Jackson himself disconnects from the pegs during the lean, causing him to fall forward.

Track listing

Original release

UK single

7"

1. "Smooth Criminal (7" Version)" – 4:10
2. "Smooth Criminal" (Instrumental) – 4:10

12"

1. "Smooth Criminal" (Extended Dance Mix) – 7:46
2. "Smooth Criminal" (Dance Mix – Dub Version) – 4:45
3. "Smooth Criminal" (A Cappella) – 4:11

Visionary single

Side

CD

1. "Smooth Criminal" (7" Version) - 4:10
2. "Smooth Criminal" (Extended Dance Mix) - 7:46

DVD

1. "Smooth Criminal" (Music video) -9:35

Mixes

1. Album Version – 4:17
2. Album Version #2 4:17 - Some backgrounds are panned differently
3. Album Version #3 4:17 - Same as #2, except the breathing at the beginning is removed.
4. 7" Version – 4:10
5. Instrumental Version – 4:10
6. Extended Dance Mix – 7:46
7. Extended Dance Mix Radio Edit – 5:23
8. "Annie" Mix – 5:36
9. Dance Mix - Dub version – 4:47
10. A Cappella – 4:13
11. Ben Liebrand Remix – 6:51 - Recently re-released on DMC Commercial Collection 291

Credits

• Written and composed by Michael Jackson
• Solo and background vocals and clap: Michael Jackson
• Drums: Bill Bottrell, John Robinson and Bruce Swedien
• Guitar: David Williams
• Saxophones: Kim Hutchcroft and Larry Williams
• Trumpets: Gary Grant and Jerry Hey
• Muted Steinway: Kevin Maloney
• Synclavier: Christopher Currell
• Certain Synclavier effects by Denny Jaeger and Michael Rubini
• Synthesizers: John Barnes and Michael Boddicker
• Chief of Police announcement by Bruce Swedien
• Michael Jackson's heartbeat recording by Dr. Eric Chevlan digitally processed in the synclavier
• Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson and John Barnes
• Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey
• Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson

Covers and other versions

Alien Ant Farm cover

"Smooth Criminal"
Song

In 2001, Alien Ant Farm released a cover of "Smooth Criminal" as their debut single from their album ANThology. It became a number one hit on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and was also a number one in Australia. The song was also featured in the 2001 film American Pie 2, during a memorable scene where Jason Biggs' character Jim superglues his hand to his crotch.

This version was featured on the video game Karaoke Revolution.

Track Listings

1. "Smooth Criminal" - 3:29
2. "Orange Appeal" - 2:45
3. "Denigrate" - 4:15
4. "Smooth Criminal" (Video)

Music Video

The music video featured numerous references to Michael Jackson:

• The video for the original "Smooth Criminal" is referenced when the band members do the video's choreographed lean.
• Various objects and sidewalk panels lighting up is a reference to the video for "Billie Jean." Additionally, an editing technique utilizing several split screens and freeze frames mirrors a similar sequence in "Billie Jean."
• The scene where lead singer Dryden Mitchell stands on a car and screams while its windows explode is taken from the controversial ending of the video for "Black or White".
• Several references are made to "Thriller," including the dance by the old men, the werewolf mask worn by the girl jumping into the pool, and the end of the video where a man turns to the camera with cat's eyes.
• The chimpanzee is a reference to Michael Jackson's pet chimp Bubbles. In addition to that, the chair Mitchell is sitting on during the scenes with the chimp is shaped like a gloved hand.
• The Japanese school girls in uniforms holding the sign reading "We love AAF" is a reference to Michael Jackson's idol status in Japan.
• Lead singer Mitchell rips a ventilation shaft grill from the ground, releasing steam. This is a combined reference to the video for the song "Bad," in which Jackson pulled a grill from a subway wall as well as another scene from the controversial ending of the video for "Black or White" where Michael Jackson dances in steam rising from the ground.
• Michael Jackson-like vocalizations can be heard, including a high-pitched "Whoo!" several times in a row.
• The lead singer Mitchell pulls up his pants to expose his socks, much like Michael Jackson.
• Drummer Mike Cosgrove wears one white studded glove.
• Bobby Edner performs a dance similar to the dance moves of Michael Jackson. He wears an E.T. shirt, a reference to the E.T. storybook album narrated by Jackson. In an alternate version of the video, he is wearing a surgeon's mask, as Jackson often does in public.
• One man has a tattoo of Elizabeth Taylor on his back. In 1989, Taylor proclaimed Jackson as the King of Pop.

Other Versions

• The band ApologetiX has recorded a parody of "Smooth Criminal" called "Smooth Grandmama". The songs instrumentaion is a parody of the Alien Ant Farm version.

Blue sang Smooth Criminal, Thriller, and Beat It in their Guilty Tour.

• The melody from Ice Cap Zone in the game Sonic The Hedgehog 3 (1994) is very similar to this song, and part of one of the BGMs of the earlier stages of the first Sonic game as well. The music was, then, replaced in later releases of the game (see Sonic and Knuckles Collection). However, the original version of the song re-appeared on Sonic Jam for the Sega Saturn, Sonic Mega Collection for the Gamecube, PlayStation 2 and Xbox.

External links

• [1] Link to U.S. Patent applied for by Jackson describing the "anti-gravity lean".
• Michael Jackson version (Sped-Up version)
• Alien Ant Farm - "Smooth Criminal": MTV Mask version
• Michael Jackson 'Smooth Criminal' Collection
• "Smooth Criminal" lyrics