A Place with No Name

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"A Place with No Name" (intro)
Michael Jackson's "A Place with No Name" has been said to have the same beat and sound as "Leave Me Alone".
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Joe Levy from Billboard called the song the "centerpiece" of the album. [19] Meggie Morris from Renowned for Sound called the track "unknown and at the same time familiar, producing a sound that is retro and classic, rather than dated." [20] However, Nekesa Mumbi Moody from Yahoo! said "A Place with No Name" "has the same beat and sound as 'Leave Me Alone' from the 'Bad' era and is lyrically weak: we can tell why Jackson left it on the cutting room floor." [21]

Response from America

Dewey Bunnell and Gerry Beckley—two members of the three part band—conveyed their gratitude toward Jackson for choosing their song as a musical template for "A Place with No Name". In their statement to MTV, the musicians also expressed regret that Jackson's fans did not get to hear the finished version of the track while Jackson was alive: [3] [10]

We're honored that Michael Jackson chose to record it and we're impressed with the quality of the track. We're also hoping it will be released soon so that music listeners around the world can hear the whole song and once again experience the incomparable brilliance of Michael Jackson [...] Michael Jackson really did it justice and we truly hope his fans—and our fans—get to hear it in its entirety. It's really poignant. [3] [10]

Bunnell further commented that he was "very proud of the fact that [Jackson] recorded it. It's a good version and an interesting derivative of the original that I wrote." Bunnel said that he and Beckley were "in the dark" regarding the future of Jackson's unreleased material. [22]

Track listing

"A Place with No Name"
"A Place With No Name" promotional cover.jpg
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Xscape
ReleasedAugust 12, 2014 (2014-08-12)
Recorded1998
Studio
  • Hit Factory Criteria (Miami)
  • Milkboy (Philadelphia)
  • Sterling Sound (New York City)
  • Jungle City (New York City)
Genre Synth-funk [1]
Length
  • 3:58 (single version)
  • 5:35 (album version)
  • 4:57 (original cut version)
  • 5:18 (original uncut version)
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Love Never Felt So Good"
(2014)		"A Place with No Name"
(2014)		"Blood on the Dance Floor x Dangerous"
(2017)
Music video
"A Place with No Name" on YouTube
Digital download / CD single [23]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."A Place with No Name" (single version)
3:58
2."A Place with No Name" (album version)
  • Jackson
  • Straite
  • Bunnell
  • Stargate
  • Jackson [a]
  • Freeze [a]
5:35
3."Slave to the Rhythm" (Audien remix radio edit)
3:15

Notes

Charts

See also

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References

  1. ↑ "Revisiting Michael Jackson's 'Xscape' (2014) | Retrospective Tribute". May 11, 2019.
  2. 1 2 Shields, Damien (December 6, 2013). "Michael Jackson's "A Place With No Name" – The story behind the song". Damienshields.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved August 14, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Montgomery, James (July 20, 2009). "America 'Honored' By Michael Jackson's 'A Place With No Name' Sample". MTV. Archived from the original on July 24, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
  4. ↑ "Many unreleased songs". The Straits Times . July 2, 2009. Archived from the original on July 5, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Urban/UAC Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on July 30, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Michael Jackson dead at 50 after cardiac arrest". cnn.com. Retrieved October 10, 2017.
  7. ↑ Hessel, Evan (July 25, 2009). "Michael Jackson, King Of Pop, Dies At 50". Forbes . Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  8. ↑ Tourtelotte, Bob (August 28, 2009). "Jackson death ruled homicide, focus on doctor". Reuters . Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  9. ↑ "New Michael Jackson song leaked". news.com.au. July 17, 2009. Archived from the original on July 19, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  10. 1 2 3 Kreps, Daniel (July 20, 2009). "America Respond To Michael Jackson's 'A Place With No Name'". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on September 24, 2009. Retrieved October 17, 2009.
  11. ↑ "Michael Jackson homage to America". news.com.au. July 18, 2009. Archived from the original on December 30, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Place with No Name sounds like Horse with No Name". news.com.au. July 17, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  13. ↑ "America Respond To New Michael Jackson Song". Rolling Stone. July 16, 2009.
  14. ↑ "People". St. Louis Post-Dispatch . July 18, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  15. ↑ "Jackson's new song hits the web". The Hindu . July 18, 2009. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  16. ↑ "New Michael Jackson song: A Place With No Name". news.com.au. July 17, 2009. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
  17. ↑ "A place without no name (by Spino) - full version". Youtube.com. January 18, 2011. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021. Retrieved May 26, 2014.
  18. 1 2 "Michael Jackson "A Place With No Name" (Samuel Bayer, director)". VideoStatic. August 14, 2014. Retrieved August 26, 2018.
  19. ↑ Levy, Joe. "Michael Jackson's 'Xscape': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard.com. Billboard. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  20. ↑ "Single Review: Michael Jackson – 'A Place with No Name' – Renowned for Sound". August 19, 2014.
  21. ↑ Moody, Nekesa Mumbi (May 13, 2014). "Review: 'Xscape' is a mixed bag for Jackson fans". Yahoo! Movies. Yahoo!. Retrieved July 12, 2014.
  22. ↑ Berger, John (August 7, 2009). "America rides in on 'horse with no name'". Honolulu Star-Bulletin . Archived from the original on January 5, 2010. Retrieved August 28, 2009.
  23. ↑ Bunnell, Dewey; Straite, Elliott; Jackson, Michael. "A Place with No Name" [CD Single]. MJJ Productions and Epic Records. Catalog no: 88875018402.
  24. ↑ "Michael Jackson – A Place with No Name" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  25. ↑ "Michael Jackson – A Place with No Name" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Michael Jackson – A Place with No Name" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Rádiós Top 40 játszási lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  28. ↑ "Archívum – Slágerlisták – MAHASZ" (in Hungarian). Single (track) Top 40 lista. Magyar Hanglemezkiadók Szövetsége. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Michael Jackson – A Place with No Name" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved June 10, 2020.
  30. ↑ "Rádiós Top 100 - hallgatottsági adatok alapján - 2014". Mahasz . Retrieved June 10, 2020.
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