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Released: June 20, 1995

Rating: 3.702 (average of 12 ratings)

Genre: pop/R&B/dance

Quotable: --

Album Tracks, Disc 1:

  1. Billie Jean
  2. The Way You Make Me Feel
  3. Black or White
  4. Rock with You
  5. She’s Out of My Life
  6. Bad
  7. I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (with Siedah Garrett)
  8. Man in the Mirror
  9. Thriller
  10. Beat It
  11. The Girl Is Mine (with Paul McCartney)
  12. Remember the Time
  13. Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
  14. Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’
  15. Heal the World

Album Tracks, Disc 2:

  1. Scream (with Janet Jackson)
  2. They Don’t Care about Us
  3. Stranger in Moscow
  4. This Time Around
  5. Earth Song
  6. D.S.
  7. Money
  8. Come Together
  9. You Are Not Alone
  10. Childhood
  11. Tabloid Junkie
  12. 2 Bad
  13. History
  14. Little Susie
  15. Smile

Sales (in millions):

sales in U.S. only 7.0 *
sales in U.K. only - estimated 1.2
sales in all of Europe as determined by IFPI – click here to go to their site. 6.0
sales worldwide - estimated 19.5

* This 2-CD set actually sold 3.5 million, but the RIAA certifies sales of double albums as twice the amount.

Peak:

peak on U.S. Billboard album chart 1 2
peak on U.K. album chart 1 1

Singles/Hit Songs: *

  • Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough (7/28/79) #1 US, #3 UK, #1 RB, sales: 1.0 m
  • Rock with You (11/3/79) #1 US, #7 UK, #1 RB, sales: 1.0 m
  • She’s Out of My Life (4/19/80) #10 US, #3 UK, #43 RB, # 4 AC, sales: 0.5 m
  • The Girl Is Mine (11/6/82) #2 US, #1 RB, #1 AC, #8 UK, sales: 0.5 m
  • Billie Jean (1/22/83) #1 US, #1 RB, #9 AC, #1 UK, sales: 1.0 m
  • Beat It (2/26/83) #1 US, #1 RB, #14 AR, #3 UK, sales: 1.0 m
  • Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’ (5/28/83) #5 US, #5 RB, #8 UK
  • Thriller (11/19/83) #4 US, #3 RB, #24 AC, #42 AR, #10 UK, sales: 1.0 m
  • I Just Can’t Stop Loving You (8/8/87) #1 US, #1 UK, #1 RB, #1 AC, sales: 0.5 m
  • Bad (9/19/87) #1 US, #3 UK, #1 RB, #33 AC
  • The Way You Make Me Feel (11/21/87) #1 US, #3 UK, #1 RB, #9 AC
  • Man in the Mirror (2/6/88) #1 US, #21 UK, #1 RB, #2 AC
  • Black or White (11/23/91) #1 US, #1 UK, #3 RB, #23 AC, sales: 1.0 m
  • Remember the Time (1/25/92) #1a US, #3 UK, #1a RB, #15 AC. Gold single.
  • Heal the World (12/5/92) #24a US, #2 UK, #62 RB, #9 AC

  • Scream (5/31/95) #5 US, #3 UK, #2 RB, #32 AC, sales: 1.0 m
  • This Time Around (7/1/95) #23a RB
  • You Are Not Alone (8/12/95) #1 US, #1 UK, #1 RB, #7 AC, sales: 1.0 m
  • Earth Song (12/9/95) #1 UK
  • They Don’t Care about Us (4/20/96) #30 US, #4 UK, #10 RB
  • Stranger in Moscow (11/16/96) #91 US, #4 UK, #50 RB

Awards:

Rated one of the top 1000 albums of all time by Dave’s Music Database. Click to learn more. One of the Top 100 All-Time World’s Best-Selling Albums

HIStory – Past, Present & Future: Book 1
Michael Jackson
Review:
“Michael Jackson's double-disc HIStory… is a monumental achievement of ego. Titled ‘HIStory Begins,’ the first disc is a collection of his post-Motown hits, featuring some of the greatest music in pop history, including Billie Jean, Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, Beat It, and Rock with You. It leaves some hits out – including the number ones ‘Say Say Say’ and ‘Dirty Diana’ – yet it’s filled with enough prime material to be thoroughly intoxicating.” STE

“That can't be said for the second disc, called ‘HIStory Continues’ and consisting entirely of new material – which also happens to be the first material he released since being accused of child molestation. ‘HIStory Continues’ is easily the most personal album Jackson has recorded. References to the scandal permeate almost every song, creating a thick atmosphere of paranoia.” STE

“If Jackson’s music had been the equal of Thriller or Bad, the nervous, vindictive lyrics wouldn’t have been quite as overbearing. However, ‘HIStory Continues’ reiterates musical ideas Jackson had been exploring since Bad. Jackson certainly tries to stay contemporary, yet he has a tendency to smooth out all of his rougher musical edges with show-biz schmaltz.” STE

“Occasionally, Jackson produces some well-crafted pop that ranks with his best material: R. Kelly's You Are Not Alone is seductive, Scream improves on the slamming beats of his earlier single ‘Jam,’ and Stranger in Moscow is one of his most haunting ballads. Nevertheless, ‘HIStory Continues’ stands as his weakest album since the mid-'70s.” STE

Review Source(s):

Related DMDB Links:

Previous Album: Dangerous (1991) Michael Jackson’s DMDB page Next Album: Invincible (2001)

Scream

You Are Not Alone

Earth Song

They Don’t Care about Us

Stranger in Moscow

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Last updated August 29, 2010.