Michael Jackson – “Black or White” – (1991)
Another classic from the King of Pop – who went a little rock ‘n roll on this track. This was the only #1 from Dangerous and it set a few records: it made Michael the first person to have a #1 hit in the 1970s, 80s, and 90s (he missed having a #1 in the 60s by about 3 weeks). This is also one song from him that is “infamous” – namely the music video. First let’s start with the “skit.” Skits on albums are one of my pet peeves… this song starts with over a minute of some kid listening to rock music when his dad bursts in and demands it silenced. In the video (but not on the album version) the dad is George Wendt and the kid is Macaulay Culkin and was directed by John Landis (who also did “Thriller“). The infamy comes in the long form of the video (which is not part of the “official” video linked above) where Michael Jackson is on top of a car and grabs his crotch. There were also wonderful racial epithets in graffiti on the walls behind him. Kinda tame now, but I bet it would still piss some people off as it did upon its release back in 1991.
