They Don't Care About Us
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They Do not Care About Us (dt .: Do not Care About Us ) is the fourth single from the album HIStory - Past, Present and Future Book I of the US singer Michael Jackson .
history
The song first appeared on the album HIStory , which was released on June 14, 1995. The single was released worldwide on March 15, 1996. The single was in the top 10 across Europe, but only reached number 30 in the USA .
Commercial win
In the UK , the song entered the UK charts on April 4, 1996, reaching fourth place. Overall, the single stayed in the charts for 14 weeks and was awarded the silver record on May 1, 1996 for more than 200,000 units sold. In Austria , Switzerland , France , Belgium and Sweden , the song made it into the top 10. In Germany , They Don't Care About Us rose to number 37 in the charts on April 1, 1996. On May 13th, the single pushed Robert Miles ' song Children out of 1st place and stayed there for three weeks. Overall, the title stayed in the German Top 100 for 40 weeks. After the previous single Earth Song, the song is the singer's second and last number 1 hit in Germany. The single was awarded triple gold in 1996 by BVMI for more than 750,000 units sold . On March 16, 1996, the song rose to number 34 on the Les Charts in France and reached its highest position on May 25 with fourth place. The French music industry Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique awarded the single in the year of the gold record . In the United States was They Do not Care About Us not as successful as in Europe, the song reached only 30 place in Australia , the song with the Golden Record Award for selling over 35,000 copies.
Controversy
The song deals with injustice . It's one of the most controversial pieces Jackson has ever released. The day before the album was released, the text was publicly criticized in the New York Times . In particular, the lines “ Jew me, sue me, everybody do me, kick me, kike me, don't you black or white me” were rated as anti-Semitic by the newspaper . ( Kike is a derogatory term for a Jew, comparable to the term Itzig in German.)
Michael Jackson said in an interview:
"The idea that these lyrics could be deemed objectionable is extremely hurtful to me, and misleading. The song in fact is about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the black man, I am the white man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them. I am angry and outraged that I could be so misinterpreted. "
“It pains me very much that these texts are considered offensive and it is a misjudgment. In reality, the song is about the pain caused by prejudice and hatred, and it is meant to highlight social and political issues. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am everyone's voice. I am the skinhead, the Jew, the black, the white. I didn't mean to attack anyone. It is about the injustices towards young people and how the system can unfairly disadvantage them. I am angry and outraged that I could be so misunderstood. "
When Jackson in the show Primetime Live radio station ABC News was further asked about the lyrics, he denied that They Do not Care About Us was an anti-Semitic song.
"It's not anti-Semitic because I'm not a racist person [...]. I could never be a racist. I love all races. "
“It's not anti-Semitic because I'm not a racist […]. I could never be a racist. I love all races. "
He pointed out that some of his closest associates and friends were Jews . That same day, Jackson's manager and his record company jumped in, describing the passages as "brilliant", as a response to prejudice and as out of context.
The following day, two leaders of the Jewish community declared that Jackson's attempt to write a anti-discrimination song had backfired. They also stated that the texts were particularly unsuitable for younger listeners who did not have the necessary background knowledge and that they could overwhelm some listeners. However, they admitted Jackson meant well and suggested that he add a statement to that effect in the booklet of the album. Jackson then made changes to the song. Two censored versions of They Don't Care About Us were made . The words jew and kike were either drowned out by loud noises or replaced by sue or kick .
Music video
The music video was shot in Rio de Janeiro and Salvador da Bahia . Making the video is said to have proven difficult as authorities tried to ban the shooting. Officials feared the video could affect tourism . Directed by Spike Lee .
Two clips were shot for the song: The plot of the first version shows the Santa Marta favela in Rio de Janeiro and some residents, and Jackson sings the song with the residents. The second clip shows a prison with cell inmates and Michael Jackson in handcuffs . Various real-life recordings can also be seen, including attacks by police officers on black Americans, including the abuse of Rodney King in Los Angeles in 1992 and the riots that broke out afterwards ; Recordings of Tank Man , Ku Klux Klan members and street battles as well as starving children, war scenes, murders, executions and human rights violations.
Awards
| country | Sales | Award |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | 750,000+ | 3x gold |
| France | 250,000+ | gold |
| United Kingdom | 200,000+ | silver |
| Australia | 35,000+ | gold |
| Norway | 25,000+ | gold |
| Denmark | 15,000+ | gold |
Cover versions
- 2008: Northern Kings
- 2008: Nathalie Makoma (I'm Glad I'm Alive)
- 2011: Ibrahim Maalouf
- Nyusha (on live concerts)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Charts DE Charts AT Charts CH Charts UK Charts US
- ↑ release date
- ↑ swisscharts.com Europe-wide placements accessed on December 24, 2014
- ↑ [1] bpi.co.uk, accessed December 24, 2014
- ↑ [2] accessed on December 24, 2014
- ↑ [3] Official website of the German music industry. Accessed April 8, 2011.
- ↑ . [4] French music industry SNEP, accessed December 21, 2014
- ↑ a b c Bernard Weinraub: In New Lyrics, Jackson Uses Slurs . In: The New York Times , June 15, 1995.
- ^ Jewish Response to Jackson .
- ↑ Moonwalk in Favela Dust , spiegel.de on June 25, 2014
- ^ [5] Official website of the German music industry. Accessed April 8, 2011.
- ↑ [6] SNEP accessed on December 24, 2014
- ↑ [7] Official website of the British music industry. Accessed April 8, 2011.
- ↑ http://www.ifpi.no/sok/lst_trofeer_sok.asp?type=artist ( Memento from November 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) IFPI Norway. Accessed January 1, 2015
- ↑ [8] IFPI Denmark. Accessed January 1, 2015