Michael Jackson They Don’t Care About Us

I just realized that in the craziness that was this Friday (it went out smoothly, thank you so much for your sweet words!) I completely forgot to bring you our beloved Friday Break!

Since it was about the kids, I wanted to share something they’re all simply dying to hear and dance! Michael Jackson They Don’t Care About Us! They have great taste, huh? Really, not that we listened to it 24/7 in our house (although you know we really loved MJ), but something in that piece’s rhythm has them all hooked up, dancing in the backyard, dancing in the store, whenever or wherever they hear the tune! And I hope it’ll prove just as catchy for you too!

OMG! (can. not. believe. I. said. that) I just realized this song was released in 1996! How is that possible? It’s so pointy and contemporary, it just can’t be 15yo! Every time I listen to it, I still can’t believe they thought it was a racist and anti-Semitic song. It’s Michael Jackson people, do you realize, now, after all these years, that he wasn’t planning on singing but about his own experience and his own pains?

Oh, anyway (this saddens me to see how badly he was misjudged and how deep his pain must have been), They Don’t Care About Us was released in 1996, part of Michael Jackson’s HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It was a real success in Europe. Not so much in the US where Michael had to return to the studios after releasing the single and being constantly reviewed as racist and such, to record a modified version of the song. (you can find out more about it here). The video above is one of the two available. The other, also directed by Spike Lee, is no longer filmed in Rio de Janeiro but in a prison (you can watch it here). Isn’t it amazing how children, in their sweet, sweet innocence, would love such a controversial piece?