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“Scream” is the lead single from Michael Jackson’s HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I album—It is a duet with his younger sister Janet Jackson.
“Scream” is cited primarily as an aggressive, retaliatory song directed at the tabloid media and their coverage of the child sexual abuse accusations made against Michael Jackson in 1993. “Scream” was co-written, composed and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis; Jackson played many of the instruments. It incorporates elements of pop, R&B, hip hop, funk and rock. The song was leaked to radio stations early, despite Epic Records’ attempt to keep it off air until the official release date. Generally well received amongst critics, it has been compared favorably to other accomplished pieces by Jackson. It went on to be nominated for a Grammy Award and an American Music Award. The corresponding music video remains one of Jackson’s most critically acclaimed pieces; it won numerous MTV Video Music Awards and a Grammy. At a cost of $ 7 million, it is listed in the Guinness World Records as the most expensive music video ever made.
Janet Jackson wanted to be involved with the project as a show of sibling support.[22] It was the first time they had worked together since 1982, when Janet provided backing vocals on “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)”.[23] Janet said that it was “very fun” working with her brother again and that seeing her brother’s work was “interesting”.[23] “Scream” was written, composed and produced by the Jackson siblings, with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.[24] It was the first time Michael Jackson had worked with Jam and Lewis, although Janet had worked with them successfully on numerous occasions.[22] The album was created with the intention of following half R&B and half pop/rock themes, the same themes that brought Jackson success on his prior album, Dangerous.[22] Jackson was credited for playing instruments such as keyboard, synthesizer, guitar, drums and percussion on the single and album.[25]
In the song, Jackson tells the media to stop pressuring him and to stop misrepresenting the truth.[18] Journalist and author, J. Randy Taraborrelli—who knows Jackson personally and has studied the singer’s life—expressed the opinion that “Scream” was not solely directed at the tabloid press. Taraborrelli noted several examples where the singer’s father, Joseph, physically abused his children and secretly fathered a child with another woman while still married to Katherine Jackson.[26][27] Joseph also had sex with other women, which the Jackson children could hear from the next room.[28] Jackson told Taraborrelli that he was revolted by the thought of his father with these women.[28] Taraborrelli asserts that the lyrics “Oh, father, please, have mercy, cause I just can’t take it/Stop fucking with me!” are directed at his father, not the press.[28]
Jon Pareles of The New York Times observed, “fear has turned to aggression. The music has polarized; it’s either clipped, choppy and electronic or glossy and sumptuous, only occasionally trying to combine the two. Most of the time, Jackson sounds as if he’s singing through clenched teeth, spitting out words in defiance of any and all persecutors”.[18] He believed that “Scream” had a similar sound to the music of Janet’s acclaimed Rhythm Nation.[18] It was Michael Jackson’s first song that contained profanity—with the word “fucking”—which was thought of as an unusual choice for Jackson, considering his appeal with the younger audience. Other songs on HIStory contained words such as kike, shit and nigger.[18][29][30] “Scream” incorporates elements of pop, R&B, hip-hop, funk and rock.[1][2]
The 4:46 minute music video for “Scream” was choreographed by Jackson, directed by Mark Romanek, with the production being designed byTom Foden. Jackson did not create the “concept” for the video, which he had often done in the past, but left it to Romanek. Jackson later described the making of “Scream” as a collaborative effort. The song and its accompanying video are a response to the backlash Jackson received from the media in 1993.[23][36][37]
Foden commented, “Mark had written the treatment and the general idea was that Michael and Janet were on this large spacecraft. And they, were alone…They were getting away from Earth, and the different sets were the different environments on the spacecraft where they could have a little bit of fun and where they could relax”.[38] Production of the music video’s 13-piece set were restricted to a one-month period and is produced by Foden art directors Richard Berg, Jeff Hall, and Martin Mervel.[38] Foden describes the assignment as a “military operation” explaining, “The idea was to give each of the art directors three sets: a complicated one, a not-so-complicated one, and one of the smaller, easier vignettes.”[38] Typography in the video was designed by P. Scott Makela.[39] Jackson was happy to work with his sister again, explaining that as they still had a passion for dancing it reminded him of “old times.”[23]
In the video, Janet Jackson takes on a darker persona, previously unseen in her own music videos. Jim Farber of the New York Daily News described her as “Sporting a thick thatch of wig hair, and eyes darkened by coal-black makeup…sullen and arty…Janet, however, never looked tougher, or more in control.”[40] The video has influences of Japanese sci-fi Anime, and the editing sometimes intensified the imagery in the dance routines.[40]
The video premiered in the summer of 1995, on MTV and BET and the next evening on ABC-TV’s “Primetime Live” during Diane Sawyer’s interview with Jackson and Lisa Marie Presley. The interview was broadcast to approximately 64 million viewers.[2] The video is one of Jackson’s most critically acclaimed pieces, Heather Phares of Allmusic described the video as a “stylish, interstellar clip”.[36] James Hunter of Rolling Stone called it a contemporary video, “in which Michael and his sister Janet jump around like ’90s fashion kids trapped in a spaceship stolen from a Barbarella film set”.[1] Jim Farber called it a “supercool black-and-white clip”…”The clip’s great allure is that neither of the siblings looks quite real. While the visuals hold barely any connection to the lyric, and seem to have no clear point, the weird look captivates”. He was of the opinion that while Michael Jackson outshines his sister in the vocals, it is Janet Jackson who gives the better performance in the music video.[40]
In 1995, Scream gained 11 MTV Video Music Award Nominations—more than any other music video—and won “Best Dance Video”, “Best Choreography”, and “Best Art Direction”.[2][38] Reacting to this, Jackson stated that he was “very honored”, explaining that he had worked “very hard” and he was “very happy” with the reception up to that point.[23] It was also given a Billboard Music Award for best Pop/Rock video.[2] A year later, it won a Grammy for Best Music Video, Short Form; shortly afterward Guinness World Records listed it as the most expensive music video ever made at a cost of $7 million.[2][41] In 2001, VH1 placed “Scream” at number nine on their list of the 100 greatest music videos.[42]
“Scream” was a creative influence on other music videos such as the 1999 release of the award winning “No Scrubs” by TLC.[43] This influence was also present on the 2008 release of “Shawty Get Loose” by Lil Mama and Chris Brown. Reacting to the comparisons made between the videos, Mama explained, “I feel honored, because that was one of the initial goals, and I feel that it was executed well”. She adding that the emulation was intentional and that Brown was the only logical choice to step into Michael Jackson’s role.[44]
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