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Stranger in Moscow
"Stranger in Moscow" is a song by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson from his ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995). The song was released as the fifth and final single in Europe in September 1996 by Epic Records, with a UK-release on November 4, 1996. It was released in the United States on July 7, 1997.
The song's music video, directed by Nick Brandt, depicts the lives of six individuals, including Jackson, who are left isolated and disconnected from the world around them. "Stranger in Moscow" charted highly in the top 10 of numerous countries music charts worldwide, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. However, it only peaked at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Jackson's lowest-peaking song on the chart. The song was performed on the HIStory World Tour in 1996–1997. It has been covered by other artists.
"Stranger in Moscow", like several other HIStory tracks, was Jackson's response to recent events in his personal life. In 1993, the relationship between Jackson and the press soured entirely when he was accused of child sexual abuse. Though not charged with a crime, Jackson was intensely scrutinized by the media during the criminal investigation. Complaints about the coverage and media included using sensational headlines and headlines that implied guilt, accepting stories of Jackson's alleged criminal activity and leaked police material in exchange for money, deliberately using unflattering pictures of Jackson, and a lack of objectivity.
The coverage upset Jackson, and damaged his health; Jackson's health had deteriorated such that he canceled the remainder of his Dangerous World Tour and went into rehabilitation. The media showed him little sympathy. The Daily Mirror held a "Spot the Jacko" contest, offering readers a trip to Walt Disney World if they could correctly predict where the entertainer's next appearance would be. A Daily Express headline read, "Drug Treatment Star Faces Life on the Run", while a News of the World headline accused Jackson of being a fugitive. These tabloids also falsely alleged that Jackson had traveled to Europe to have cosmetic surgery that would make him unrecognizable upon return. Geraldo Rivera set up a mock trial, with a jury made up of audience members, even though Jackson had not been charged with a crime.
"Stranger in Moscow" is an R&B ballad with a tempo of 65 beats per minute, making it one of Jackson's slowest songs. Guitars were played by Steve Lukather while keyboards, synthesizers and bass are credited to David Paich and Steve Porcaro.
Jackson used Russian imagery and symbolism to underscore the track's sense of fear and alienation. Some editions were labelled as Чужестранец в Москве. It concludes with a narrative, spoken in Russian, by a KGB interrogator (Ed Wiesnieski). The narrative, translated into English is, "Why have you come from the west? Confess! To steal the great achievements of the people, the accomplishments of the workers..."
"Stranger in Moscow" was written in September 1993 in Moscow, during the Dangerous World Tour. It is based on the credits theme of the 1994 video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3, for which Jackson and his tour keyboardist Brad Buxer were hired to compose. According to Buxer, Jackson called him to his hotel room in Moscow. Thinking he wanted to hear his new game cues, Buxer played several songs on the piano in the room, including the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 credits theme. He and Jackson developed the rest of the song over an hour and a half. Conflicting accounts state that Jackson either left the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 project following the sexual abuse allegations around this time or went uncredited because of his dissatisfaction with the limitations of the Sega Genesis sound chip.
"Stranger in Moscow" was recorded for inclusion on the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, released in 1995. Sessions took place at the Hit Factory and Sony Music Studios in New York City in early 1994. Originally, HIStory was envisioned as a greatest hits album with only a handful of new tracks. However, Jackson and his collaborators were so pleased with the result of the sessions that they decided to give HIStory a full studio album treatment, resulting in a second disc featuring fourteen new tracks.
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Stranger in Moscow
"Stranger in Moscow" is a song by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson from his ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995). The song was released as the fifth and final single in Europe in September 1996 by Epic Records, with a UK-release on November 4, 1996. It was released in the United States on July 7, 1997.
The song's music video, directed by Nick Brandt, depicts the lives of six individuals, including Jackson, who are left isolated and disconnected from the world around them. "Stranger in Moscow" charted highly in the top 10 of numerous countries music charts worldwide, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. However, it only peaked at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Jackson's lowest-peaking song on the chart. The song was performed on the HIStory World Tour in 1996–1997. It has been covered by other artists.
"Stranger in Moscow", like several other HIStory tracks, was Jackson's response to recent events in his personal life. In 1993, the relationship between Jackson and the press soured entirely when he was accused of child sexual abuse. Though not charged with a crime, Jackson was intensely scrutinized by the media during the criminal investigation. Complaints about the coverage and media included using sensational headlines and headlines that implied guilt, accepting stories of Jackson's alleged criminal activity and leaked police material in exchange for money, deliberately using unflattering pictures of Jackson, and a lack of objectivity.
The coverage upset Jackson, and damaged his health; Jackson's health had deteriorated such that he canceled the remainder of his Dangerous World Tour and went into rehabilitation. The media showed him little sympathy. The Daily Mirror held a "Spot the Jacko" contest, offering readers a trip to Walt Disney World if they could correctly predict where the entertainer's next appearance would be. A Daily Express headline read, "Drug Treatment Star Faces Life on the Run", while a News of the World headline accused Jackson of being a fugitive. These tabloids also falsely alleged that Jackson had traveled to Europe to have cosmetic surgery that would make him unrecognizable upon return. Geraldo Rivera set up a mock trial, with a jury made up of audience members, even though Jackson had not been charged with a crime.
"Stranger in Moscow" is an R&B ballad with a tempo of 65 beats per minute, making it one of Jackson's slowest songs. Guitars were played by Steve Lukather while keyboards, synthesizers and bass are credited to David Paich and Steve Porcaro.
Jackson used Russian imagery and symbolism to underscore the track's sense of fear and alienation. Some editions were labelled as Чужестранец в Москве. It concludes with a narrative, spoken in Russian, by a KGB interrogator (Ed Wiesnieski). The narrative, translated into English is, "Why have you come from the west? Confess! To steal the great achievements of the people, the accomplishments of the workers..."
"Stranger in Moscow" was written in September 1993 in Moscow, during the Dangerous World Tour. It is based on the credits theme of the 1994 video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3, for which Jackson and his tour keyboardist Brad Buxer were hired to compose. According to Buxer, Jackson called him to his hotel room in Moscow. Thinking he wanted to hear his new game cues, Buxer played several songs on the piano in the room, including the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 credits theme. He and Jackson developed the rest of the song over an hour and a half. Conflicting accounts state that Jackson either left the Sonic the Hedgehog 3 project following the sexual abuse allegations around this time or went uncredited because of his dissatisfaction with the limitations of the Sega Genesis sound chip.
"Stranger in Moscow" was recorded for inclusion on the double album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, released in 1995. Sessions took place at the Hit Factory and Sony Music Studios in New York City in early 1994. Originally, HIStory was envisioned as a greatest hits album with only a handful of new tracks. However, Jackson and his collaborators were so pleased with the result of the sessions that they decided to give HIStory a full studio album treatment, resulting in a second disc featuring fourteen new tracks.