Smooth Criminal

Last updated

"Smooth Criminal"
Smooth Criminal.jpg
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Bad
B-side "Smooth Criminal" (instrumental)
ReleasedNovember 14, 1988 (1988-11-14) [1]
RecordedNovember 1986 – April 1987 [2]
Studio Westlake (studio D), Los Angeles
Genre
Length4:18
Label Epic
Songwriter(s) Michael Jackson
Producer(s)
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Another Part of Me"
(1988)		"Smooth Criminal"
(1988)		"Leave Me Alone"
(1989)
Audio sample

"Smooth Criminal" is a song by the American pop singer Michael Jackson, released on November 14, 1988, from his seventh studio album, Bad (1987). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. The lyrics describe a woman who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth criminal".

Contents

The music video for "Smooth Criminal", which premiered internationally on MTV on October 13, 1988, [4] is the centerpiece of the 1988 film Moonwalker . The 1930s setting and Jackson's white suit and fedora pay tribute to the Fred Astaire musical comedy film The Band Wagon . In the video, Jackson and the dancers perform an apparently physically impossible "anti-gravity lean".

"Smooth Criminal" reached number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the sixth top-10 single from Bad. [5] It reached number two on the Billboard Hot Black Singles chart. It was certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It reached number one in Belgium, Iceland, the Netherlands, and Spain.

Retrospective reviews have described "Smooth Criminal" as one of Jackson's best songs. [6] Rolling Stone wrote that it was "his best blend of R&B groove and rock edginess, and a turning point in his shift toward darker, harder-edged material". [6] It has appeared on numerous greatest hits albums and was performed on all of Jackson's solo tours. "Smooth Criminal" was re-released in 2006 as a single as a part of Jackson's Visionary: The Video Singles boxset. In 2001, a version by Alien Ant Farm became an international hit.

Composition

"Smooth Criminal" evolved from an earlier song written by Jackson, "Al Capone" (named after real life gangster Al Capone), released on the 2012 reissue Bad 25 . [7] It is in the key of A minor, [8] and Jackson's vocal spans from G3 to C6. [8] The lyrics describe a narrator who finds a bloodstained carpet and an unconscious body. [9] The chorus refrain, "Annie, are you OK?", was inspired by Resusci Anne, a dummy used in cardiopulmonary resuscitation training. Trainees learn to say "Annie, are you OK?" while practicing resuscitation on the dummy. [10] The original mix of the song includes the sound of Jackson's fast-thumping heart and heavy breathing, which travel from left to right thanks to Hugo Zuccarelli's Holophonics system. [11]

Chart performance

"Smooth Criminal" peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the sixth top 10 single from Bad. [5] It is certified 2× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America, and platinum by the British Phonographic Industry. [12] The song reached number one in Belgium, Iceland, the Netherlands and Spain and the top 10 in Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Switzerland and the UK.

Music video

Jackson performing the "anti-gravity lean" in the "Smooth Criminal" music video Smooth criminal video.jpg
Jackson performing the "anti-gravity lean" in the "Smooth Criminal" music video

Jackson asked Vincent Paterson to conceive a concept for the short film. Paterson listened to the unfinished song and came up with the concept of a 1930s gangster club. [13] Paterson, who was a lead dancer in the music videos for "Beat It" and "Thriller", co-choreographed the "Smooth Criminal" video with Jackson and Jeffrey Daniel of the soul music group Shalamar.[ citation needed ] The video and Jackson's white suit and fedora pay tribute to the Fred Astaire musical comedy film The Band Wagon , particularly the "Girl Hunt Ballet" (itself inspired by the novels of Mickey Spillane) scene. [14] The video, directed by Colin Chilvers, was shot between mid-February and April 1987 at Culver City, California, and in the backlot at Universal Studios Hollywood [15] [16] and premiered internationally on MTV on the night of October 13, 1988. [4]

In the video, Jackson and the other dancers perform a lean that appears physically impossible. [17] The dancers lean forward 45 degrees with their backs straight and feet flat on the floor, and hold the pose before returning upright. [17] The lean moves the body's center of mass further than it can support. [17] The illusion was achieved using cables and a harness. [18] [19] In October 1993, Jackson's team patented a method of performing the lean in concert using specially designed shoes that hook into pegs that rise from the stage. [17] Even with the shoes, the move requires good athletic core strength. [19]

The video won Best Music Video at the 1989 Brit Awards [20] and the Critic's Choice awarded Jackson the "Best Video" award and the People's Choice Awards for "Favorite Music Video" for that same year. [21]

In 2019, American television personality Kim Kardashian bought Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" fedora, which still had his makeup on it, for her daughter North West. [22]

The style of clothing as well as mannerisms Jackson portrayed were reused in the numerous adaptations of the video game Michael Jackson's Moonwalker . The song serves as the background music for the "Club 30s" stage, the nightclub seen in the music video, that appears in the game. [23] The video is the centerpiece of the 1988 film Moonwalker . [24]

On October 23, 2024, the video achieved 1 Billion views on YouTube, making it the fifth of Jackson's video to reach this milestone after "Billie Jean", "They Don't Care About Us", "Beat It" and "Thriller." [25]

A fedora worn by Jackson while performing "Smooth Criminal", displayed at Hard Rock Cafe, Nice Michael Jackson white fedora (Smooth Criminal), close up, Hard Rock Cafe, Nice.jpg
A fedora worn by Jackson while performing "Smooth Criminal", displayed at Hard Rock Cafe, Nice

Critical reception

Jason Elias of AllMusic wrote that "Smooth Criminal" was "a gorgeous and exhilarating record ... [it] presents Michael Jackson at his most captivating and it never fails to impress". [26] Rolling Stone named it the sixth best Jackson song, writing that it was "his best blend of R&B groove and rock edginess, and a turning point in his shift toward darker, harder-edged material." [27] In a retrospective review of Bad, Newsweek wrote: "[Smooth Criminal] is a sleek, exhilarating action sequence of a song that's unlike anything else in Jackson's catalog ... an urgent and inspired highlight. Bad is at its best when it explores the darker, more paranoid side that began to consume Jackson's life in the late '80s, and this song captures that impulse." [28] Entertainment Weekly wrote: "If there was one song on Bad that truly captured the sense of artistic freedom that Jackson felt after Thriller , it was this track ... This is pop music as suspense drama." [29]

Track listings

Personnel

Adapted from single liner notes and Michael Jackson's website. [31]

Charts

Weekly charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark) [69] Platinum90,000‡
France (SNEP) [70] Silver200,000*
Germany (BVMI) [71] Gold250,000‡
Italy (FIMI) [72] Gold25,000‡
Japan (RIAJ) [73]
Full-length ringtone 		Gold100,000*
Mexico (AMPROFON) [74] Gold30,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [75]
Visionary version		Platinum60,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI) [76] Platinum1,000,000‡
United States (RIAA) [77] 2× Platinum2,000,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Alien Ant Farm version

"Smooth Criminal"
Alien ant farm smooth criminal.png
Single by Alien Ant Farm
from the album Anthology
B-side
  • "Orange Appeal"
  • "Denigrate"
ReleasedMay 22, 2001 (2001-05-22)
Genre
Length3:29
Label DreamWorks
Songwriter(s) Michael Jackson
Producer(s) Jay Baumgardner
Alien Ant Farm singles chronology
"Movies"
(2001)		"Smooth Criminal"
(2001)		"Movies" (re-release)
(2001)
Music video
"Alien Ant Farm - Smooth Criminal (Official Music Video)" on YouTube

In May 2001, the American rock band Alien Ant Farm released a cover of "Smooth Criminal" as the second single from their second studio album, Anthology (2001). According to the singer, Dryden Mitchell, the band would play a few riffs of the song while warming up before gigs and audience members would request the entire song. [81]

The cover became a number-one hit on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and was also a number-one hit in Australia for eight weeks. In Europe, it reached number three in the United Kingdom and charted within the top 10 in 10 other countries. Alien Ant Farm's 1999 album Greatest Hits includes a hidden track named "Slick Thief", which is an early version of "Smooth Criminal". [82]

Mitchell said he came to resent how popular the cover was, and did not want to perform it, thinking: "We're a better band than just this song." However, he accepted that fans wanted to hear it and decided he was being immature. He described it as a "fun party song" like the Beastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right". [83]

Music video and reaction from Jackson

The music video was directed by Marc Klasfeld and shot in San Fernando, California. [84] It features the band performing in a wrestling ring, and in front of a suburban house. The video also references various Jackson music videos and elements of his personal life, including the original "Smooth Criminal" video, Jackson's Moonwalk, and his pet chimp Bubbles. [85] [86]

Before its release, Alien Ant Farm sent the video to Jackson for his approval. At his request, they reshot some scenes to remove a child wearing a surgical mask, a reference to how Jackson wore them in public to cover cosmetic surgeries. However, Jackson decided he preferred the video with the mask. Reflecting on the video in 2022, Mitchell said, "We went through quite a bit of money and bullshit to make sure that we were appeasing Michael Jackson." [83]

Track listings

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA) [134] 2× Platinum140,000^
Belgium (BEA) [135] Gold25,000*
Germany (BVMI) [136] Gold250,000‡
Norway (IFPI Norway) [137] Gold 
Sweden (GLF) [138] Gold15,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [139] Gold20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI) [140] Platinum600,000‡

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionDateFormat(s)Label(s)Ref.
United StatesMay 22, 2001 Alternative radio DreamWorks [141]
EuropeAugust 20, 2001
  • CD
  • cassette
 [142]
United StatesAugust 21, 2001 Contemporary hit radio [143]
United KingdomSeptember 17, 2001
  • CD
  • cassette
 [142] [144]
AustraliaOctober 15, 2001CD [145]

Other covers

Croatian duo 2Cellos performed the song in a viral YouTube video. [146] Jean Rodríguez sang lead vocals for Tony Succar's Latin-flavored version of "Smooth Criminal", from the album Unity: The Latin Tribute to Michael Jackson (2015), including a section in Spanish. [147] [148] A video of their 2016 performance at the offices of Sirius XM went viral. [149]

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References

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