HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I

Popularity 90 /100
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I front cover
20 June 1995
Michael Jackson
Studio Album HIStory Era Dance-Pop New Jack Swing Pop R&B Rock
Michael Jackson's ninth studio album, a double-disc release combining his greatest hits (Disc 1) with 15 tracks of new material (Disc 2). Released on 20 June 1995, HIStory sold over 22 million two-disc copies (about 44 million units), becoming the best-selling multi-disc album of all time. It was Jackson's response to the 1993 child-abuse allegations and his most personal record.
Producers
Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley, Bill Bottrell, Bruce Swedien, Quincy Jones, Janet Jackson, Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, R. Kelly
Executive Producers
Michael Jackson
Studios
Hit Factory, New York
Record One Studios, Sherman Oaks
Larrabee North Studios, North Hollywood
Ocean Way Recording, Hollywood
Recorded
1 October 1992 to 1 May 1995
Label
Epic Records
Runtime
148:54 · 30 tracks
Awards
5 wins · 1 nomination  Read more

Tracklist

  1. 01 Billie Jean 4:54
  2. 02 The Way You Make Me Feel 4:58
  3. 03 Black or White 4:16
  4. 04 Rock with You 3:41
  5. 05 She's Out of My Life 3:38
  6. 06 Bad 4:07
  7. 07 I Just Can't Stop Loving You 4:12
  8. 08 Man In The Mirror 5:19
  9. 09 Thriller 5:58
  10. 10 Beat It 4:19
  11. 11 The Girl Is Mine 3:42
  12. 12 Remember the Time 4:00
  13. 13 Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough 6:05
  14. 14 Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 6:04
  15. 15 Heal the World 6:25
  16. 16 Scream 4:38
  17. 17 They Don't Care About Us Single 4:44
  18. 18 Stranger in Moscow Single 5:45
  19. 19 This Time Around 4:21
  20. 20 Earth Song Single 6:46
  21. 21 D.S. 4:50
  22. 22 Money 4:42
  23. 23 Come Together 4:03
  24. 24 You Are Not Alone Single 5:45
  25. 25 Childhood 4:28
  26. 26 Tabloid Junkie 4:33
  27. 27 2 Bad 4:50
  28. 28 HIStory 6:35
  29. 29 Little Susie 6:14
  30. 30 Smile 4:56

Singles

HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I is Michael Jackson’s ninth studio album, a double-disc release issued on 20 June 1995 by Epic Records. Disc one is a 15-track greatest hits collection compiling singles from Off the Wall, Thriller, Bad and Dangerous. Disc two contains 15 tracks of new material, all co-written by Jackson, and stands as one of the most personal records of his career.

The album was Jackson’s response to the 1993 child-abuse allegations and the subsequent media coverage. Tracks like “Scream” (a duet with Janet Jackson) and “They Don’t Care About Us” rage against the press; “Stranger in Moscow” and “Childhood” turn inward; “Earth Song” and “Heal the World’s” successor “Smile” deliver his characteristic anthem ballads. He brought in Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis (Flyte Tyme), R. Kelly, Teddy Riley and long-time collaborator Bill Bottrell to share production duties.

HIStory debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 and reached number one in most major markets. “You Are Not Alone” became the first song in history to debut at #1 on the Hot 100. “Earth Song” became Jackson’s biggest UK hit, spending six weeks at number one. The supporting HIStory World Tour, his largest, ran 1996–97 across 35 countries.

Counting each two-disc set as one unit, HIStory has sold over 22 million copies — making it the best-selling multi-disc album of all time. Counting individual discs (the IFPI standard for double albums), it has shifted approximately 44 million units. Despite mixed contemporary reviews, HIStory has been retrospectively reassessed as one of Jackson’s most ambitious and emotionally raw works.

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