From The Vault: Michael Jackson – ‘Earth Song’

With a collection of classics as colossal as Michael Jackson‘s, That Grape Juice‘s From The Vault could easily pay exclusive homage to material from the King of Pop week in and week out.

And while variety is the name of our game, this week we salute MJ’s 1995 anthem, ‘Earth Song.’

The rousing record is housed on the ‘HIStory: Past, Present and Future’ album, which saw Jackson pair new material with his previously released classics.

Written and produced by Jackson, David Foster, and Bill Bottrell, ‘Earth Song’ was serviced as one of the freshly crafted cuts and was rolled out as the project’s third single.

Serving as the older, moodier, and angrier sister of ‘Heal The World,’ the track saw Jackson bemoan the state of the world – lyrically posing a succession of questions about war, climate change, animal cruelty, and more. Sonically, the song blends Pop with Gospel and operatic elements.

Its accompanying music video – a format the performer innovated in earnest – was expectedly a cinematic affair. Expensive and expansive, the visual – which was helmed by fine art photographer Nick Brandt – boasted an environmental theme,  juxtaposing Jackson’s powerful performance with clips of war, deforestation, pollution, animal cruelty, and more.

Deservingly, the short film was nominated at the GRAMMY Awards 1997 for Best Music Video.

Despite only being released to radio in Jackson’s home country of the US (with no Stateside physical release), ‘Earth Song’ was a global smash – hitting #1 in regions such as the UK, Germany, Switzerland, Scotland, and more.

29 years on, the song’s lyrics continue to resonate in a major way and apply to today’s world. Much like the enduring impact of Michael Jackson himself.

Long live the King!

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