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HIStory: How good is it?

For some reason I don't think this album got the same appreciation and respect in America that it got in the rest of the world. I remember TDCAU got no radio air play there although the single sold well but it obviously would've done better in the charts if it got. Th epic Earth Song wasn't released as a single there I don't think. I'm not sure about Stranger in Moscow. I know the amazing video wasn't played there much if at all. It's shame that those three amazing works weren't presented properly to the American public.
 
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D.S said:
Does anyone know what Little Susie means? As in the symbolical meaning behind it? Also, has anyone realized that he's used the name Susie in numerous 2 of his songs?
Blood on the dancefloor, Superfly sister.
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I have started a thread on this. In my opinon I think Susie is a drug/pain killer.
 
Little Susie was written about a true story of a small refugee girl from Africa who was adopted by a family in the UK and locked in the basement and died from neglect. It's completely heartbreaking to think about when listening to the song. :(
 
I just listened to this album 2 days ago, I hadn't listened to this album in years and as I was listening to it I said to myself wow I forgot how good this album is!!!
I personally love that he started the album with Scream and ended it with Smile.
I respect that fact that he put it out there, all his feelings, all his heartache, pain and anguish but could still end it with a giggle that is so Michael.
Though its bittersweet to hear now

The whole album is about having to fight, either for justice, freedom, peace, love, the earth or about fighting against something and you feel that message in every song.

I do skip Childhood, and Little susie. YANA was never one of my favs but I still think the songs work in context with the album
The album is cohesive in a way Invincible isn't
 
I might be way off the mark here... but I've needed to rant this for ages.

It really makes me so angry to know that this album was given half assed attention in America. It seems to me like the media finally had Michael hitting back, and boy did he hit back, with "They Dont Care About Us" - they couldnt handle that the person they'd bullied for years actually had something to say, something important, something that would make the ignorant see, something that would get people going... so what did they do? They buried it. They called HIM racist. As if anyone couldnt tell that he was singing as the everyman!! If even I could understand they universal voice of the lyrics then surely the media could too. "They Don't Care About Us" sums up HIStory for me, thematically and in terms of how it was stiffled by media. It's such a shame, it's a great album.
 
HIStory is a masterpiece. Musically it's the most perfect album of MJ's , and as for songs, it's an absolute winner,after Dangerous of course :)
 
I have the record version of this album, and I don't think I've ever listened to the 1st 3 sides, which contains the hits. This album is cool, but I was never really fond of 'Money'. I only listened to it if I played the whole album through. Also I liked the mix of "Come Together" on the Japanese singles set that was released around the "Dangerous" period better than the one on the album.
 
HIStory is what I call Michael's best album. And that's not an easy decision to make since ALL of 'em are topline masterpieces.

For one it has a greatest hits compilation on disc 1 (an incomplete one of course but no one could put all of Mike's hits in one disc) that covers all of his albums pre-HIStory: Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous.

THEN it has some of the most prophetic naked from the soul music on Disc 2.
And one thing I have always liked is that each song placement flows into the next song emotionally. Michael was in such pain & anger from those allegations & it came out loud & proud all over this album.

To put it shortly, he starts out Scream-ing & he ends up Smile-ing. All the emotional roller coasters in between where he's sad, defiant, full of rage, hopeful. It's a journey & I think no other album of his has such excellent song juxtaposition as this one.

He works through his pain in 15 tracks & when he's done you have traveled on this turbulent journey with him with songs that underline the album title:

HIStory: Past, Present, and Future Book I

It's HIS story. And it's History. Not just a history of his work but an historical achievement where an album's songs speak to times gone by, times in the now, and times to come.

Remember they played D.S. at the beginning of the trial hearings when Mike got on the SUV. When 1993 hit not many people knew who Tom Sneddon was. We all saw Gil Garcetti from L.A. Once I knew who D.S. really was, it all made sense. And when the 2005 trial hit that song told us all we needed to know about this persecutor & why he did what he did.

Look at Childhood, They Don't Care About Us, Money, Tabloid Junkie, HIStory, 2Bad, Stranger in Moscow. How currently resonant are those songs?

Even the companion album Blood On The Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix had songs on there that spoke to the future. "Tell me are you the ghost of jealousy?" says Michael in Ghosts.

Dangerous to me has a Golden Aura around it. Maybe it's the cover art but that album is just exquisite art. Off The Wall is that classic MJ style I came up with as a youngster. So fresh fun & alive. Thriller is the...Thriller. Blew your socks off. And Bad was just Michael showing how much exemplified that album title. Invincible is underrated but sometimes you wished he worked more alone instead of collaborately (can't beat Speechless or The Lost Children or You Rock My World or Butterflies & I love Threatened).

But HIStory all in all has to be my favorite Michael album.
Look for it. You won't be dissapointed.
John Lucas
 
Yes, I agree with a lot of what has been said.

My theory has always been that HIStory Past Present Future Book 1 means - CD1 - is a look into the past at the music. Disc 2 is autobigraphical - its like Michael is giving us the 2nd installment of Moonwalk but through music...

Scream and Childhood are about growing up in the Jackson family

TDCAU - A black guy in USA and of course there is a bigger msg there; but lyrically he pays tribute to MLK, Roosevelt who were key historical figures to his family's fortune and fate.

Stranger in Moscow is about when he was on tour on Dangerous when the allegations broke out

This time around is more relevant today than ever - about the vultures that flock around him; MJ surrounded by employees and not knowing whether they are friends. Also he is self scolding about his naivety with regards to being too trusting to people (aka Chandlers)

DS - Tom Sneddon; no more said; MJ says it all

Earth Song is his mission on earth

Money - same as This time around but more blatant!

Tabloid Junkie - the press

2Bad - his critics and enemies - relating to This Time Around, TDCAU and Money - one of my personal faves as it is a more mature, hardened Michael with his ol' groove and attitude mixed in for defiance.

Little Suzie is one of those 'stories' MJ has heard that have touched him and he needs to pay tribute to that particular person, victim etc (like Bad was about the NYC Kid that actually got murdered by neighbourhood gang)

Smile is probably about MJ telling us that after allll the shouting and grunting and grinding of teeth he has done throughout the HIStory album ..for us not to worry about him, he is fine cos' he has that inner strength that is the message in the song.

It is definately the album that is closest to my heart as it is the one I grew up with and to quote someone aove..it was the one 'i waited for'
 
Yes, HIStory was a good album. It was the first time you seen the other side of Michael Jackson. The production done on this album is excellent. Everytime I listen to the album it's always something new I discover in the music that I never hear before. For example, the emotions in his vocals or how he put his vocals or just the creative melodies. I think HIStory was unrated because people are used to Michael from the 80s and it's hard to see Michael more aggressive. HIStory was more of a honest album for him where he let it all out! You have to respect him for that!
 
dabuzz4o8 said:
the track that REALLY stood out to me from HIStory is Earth Song...SO FU*KING EPIC!!
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Agreed. Earth song has a brilliance all of its own. I mean seriously, the chorus has no actual lyrics, just aa-aaaaaaah. So simple, so heartwrenching. I don't think any words that could have been used to fill the chorus could capture the agony and raw passion that come from that wailing sound. I've never heard any other song like this.
 
Oh my, HIStory is sooo good there's plenty of great tracks there.. I, too, like the aggressive side of MJ that is much shown on the album (does this sentence make any sence, lol?). It's a shame it's so underrated in public.

And of course, there's Earth Song. That song that will always be special for me since it made me MJ fan when I first time listened to it. :)
 
HIStory is my favorite I think. TDCAU is a masterpiece. It's his most interesting album if you look to the lyrics and procuction I think. I just love it. It's ten times more interesting and better then Invincible.
 
Like said before, just the anger in songs like Tabloid Junkie and D.S. You can feel what Michael is really feeling and how hard it must be to be him. I also think this is one of his most personal ones. I really love it. Also the cover of HIStory, it shows Michael as the King, what he defenitely is.
 
I love the album, it's full of emotion and personal songs, it's really powerful. My second favourite album after Dangerous. And I love Stranger In Moscow so much, it's beautiful.
 
HIStory is Michael's most personal album, it is my favorite along with Dangerous, Blood On The Dance Floor and Invincible
 
I really feel that people should listen carefully to the History album and learn the message behind it especially new fans. I hope every generation to hear his side of the story, the full album is all about him and it was so necessary to be released because it will carry his message forever even after his death.
 
That's how I feel. It's the album I was listening to before Michael's death & it's the one I continued listening to after along with the Blood on the Dancefloor album.

Arabian Knight said:
I really feel that people should listen carefully to the History album and learn the message behind it especially new fans. I hope every generation to hear his side of the story, the full album is all about him and it was so necessary to be released because it will carry his message forever even after his death.
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too me it's his 3rd best album behind bad and off the wall. it's so full of emotion to the point where it pulls me in and i just have to listen. i can play it from start to finish. it has some of best songs he's ever done. you are not alone is his 2nd best love song after ijcsly. earth song is his 3rd most inspirational song. scream the the 1st and only duet with janet. stranger in moscow is one of the best songs i've ever heard. come together was a cover song just as good as the original. i love how he shows anger on the album and sicks it to his haters. tdcau, this time around, d.s., 2 bad and tabloid junkie. money is 100% truth. i don't know why other fans overlooked childhood, smile, history and little susie. maybe now that he's gone they'll see the beauty of those songs.

i rate it 10/10
 
HIStory is my favourite album, for purely personal reasons. As I used to listen to it while having problems as a teenager and Michael really spoke to me through the tracks on this album. And on a level I could relate to him. It's his most personal album, and listening to it really tells you what Michael the man is about. That's why it's my favourite. Plus of course it has Smile on it.

HIStory is my favourite followed by dangerous then Invincible.
 
beccalovesmj said:
HIStory was the first mj album i listened too.. cuz no one in my family was a fan but mum had HIStory so she gave it to me and I listened to i non stop and then i got the others! So i love it!!!
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Me too!!!!! My Mum had the History tapes and I listened to them over and over, I've even worn the second tape out, it no longer works.
I love History!! Its Michaels " getting back at all the people" album . He's bascially telling people to buzz off! I love when Michael is singing angrily, which he does alot on the History album, and of course Stranger in Moscow is a beautiful song, it gives us an insight to how Michael felt at that time.
 
Wow...it's incredibly short-sighted to view HIStory as simply an angry album or getting back at people. It's a really intelligent record.

The cover does not depict Michael Jackson as the King Of Pop - it is the death of Michael Jackson circa 1993. As in, we're a long way from Thriller, folks! The newer cover released on HIStory On Film represents the Renewal/Rebirth of Michael Jackson.
 
To be honest I didn't listen to HIStory much when it came out, It all full of anger. Also I was going through problems at the time that album came out. Now I listen to the album alot as it has grown to me over the years. I would say the album is my 2nd favorite to Dangerous. As someone said on a earlier post. Dangerous had the New Jack Swing style on some tracks which i really like.
 
Its the best album hes ever made in terms of creativity. Its full of everything, even classical.
 
I like HIStory because my favorite MJ song is on it: Stranger in Moscow.
 
It's cool, but I'm not really as fond of the post Dangerous albums as a whole. To me, if the weaker songs were left off and the albums were shorter, they would have been better. I like Off The Wall the best.
 
HIStory, is my favorite album of all time by any artist.
I really love Angry Mike much more than anything, and the whole package of the album is just too good to be true.. Coveart, inlays, case, discs ANYTHING.

Yeah.. Don't know what to say.. Just a masterpiece in any way
 
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