- Title: VARIOUS: MICHAEL JACKSON RELEASES NEW VIDEO FOR "HISTORY" ALBUM
- Date: 29th June 1995
- Summary: BERLIN, GERMANY (RECENT) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) MICHAEL JACKSON STATUE BEING RAISED ON CRANE JACKSON FANS WATCHING STATUE BEING MOVED INTO POSITION IN CENTRAL ALEXANDERPLATZ
- Embargoed: 14th July 1995 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM/ BERLIN, GERMANY/ LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City:
- Country: EUROPE USA United States England United Kingdom NORTH AMERICA Germany
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA3YI6CDOQTB63IJCBQ5M1DWRL6
- Story Text: Michael Jackson's first album in four years is heading up the music charts despite despite controversy over the pop star's personal life and accusations his lyrics are anti-Semitic.
Hundreds of people crowded record shops from New York to Los Angeles on Tuesday (June 20), vying for first copies of the "HISTORY" double album.
Its release has been accompanied by a barrage of publicity aimed at rebuilding the star's tarnished image. The hype included the erection of a huge fibreglass statue of Jackson in Berlin.
Another statue was sailed down London's River Thames on a barge before being moored near Tower Bridge.
On the album Jackson appears to use songs such as "Scream" to defend himself against unproved charges of child molestation and what he terms media persecution. "Stop questioning me," runs its chorus.
But the pop star has been forced to apologise after critics slammed anti-Semitic lyrics in another new song: "They Don't Care About Us." In it, Jackson sings: "Jew me/Sue me/Everybody/Do me/Kick me/Kike me/Don't you/Black or white me." Jackson said he used the lyrics to express his disgust at anti-Semitism but he apologised for using the derogatory terms.
"My intention was for this song to say 'no' to racism, anti-Semitism and stereotyping," he said last week in a letter to a leading Jewish group, the Simon Wiesenthal Centre in Los Angeles.
"Unfortunately, my choice of words may have unintentionally hurt the very people I wanted to stand in solidarity with," Jackson said.
While the apology did not impress some Jewish leaders, record buyers did not seem worried.
"No matter what he did in his past, it doesn't matter because his music is still great," said one shopper who bought the disc.
Sony Records hopes for huge sales of Jackson's first album since "Dangerous" sold 22 million copies in 1991. Two million copies of the 32 U.S. dollar album have been sent to stores in the U.S., virtually guaranteeing it number one album status in the next Billboard magazine chart.
The single "Scream" debuted at number five in the Billboard chart, beating the previous record high entry set by the Beatles.
Musician Magazine's Paul Grien said the album should be a sure-fire winner given the number of previous hits produced by the Jacksons.
The album's release is divided into two segments: HISTORY Begins and HISTORY Continues. HISTORY Begins is a collection of 15 of Michael's greatest hits including "Beat It," "Billie Jean," "Thriller," and "Black or White." HISTORY Continues includes 15 brand new recordings.
"HISTORY - Past, Present and Future" was recorded in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Minneapolis, Minnesota. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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