Michael Jackson and Censorship
Michael Jackson, an iconic figure in the music industry, emerged as a child star with the Jackson 5 before achieving unparalleled success as a solo artist in the 1980s. Despite his musical genius and the adoration he received, Jackson faced significant scrutiny and calls for censorship due to various aspects of his lifestyle and artistic expression. Notably, his 1991 music video for "Black or White" sparked major controversy over its depiction of violence and sexual innuendo, leading to complaints from viewers and subsequent edits to the video.
In the 1990s, Jackson's public image was further complicated by serious allegations of sexual misconduct, resulting in radio stations dropping his music and advertisers expressing hesitation about associating with his projects. His 1995 song "They Don't Care About Us" drew backlash for perceived anti-Semitic language, prompting Jackson to apologize and modify the lyrics. These instances illustrate the tension between artistic freedom and societal expectations, highlighting how Jackson’s provocative work often collided with public sensibilities, leading to broader discussions on censorship in the arts.
Subject Terms
Michael Jackson and Censorship
Identification: American pop music performer
Significance: One of history’s most successful recording stars, Jackson was criticized for his songs emphasizing violence, sex, and racism, and accusations that he molested a child moved some radio stations not to air his recordings
Reared in a large family of talented musicians, Jackson began singing with his older brothers when he was five. He was only eleven when he and his brothers started recording professionally as the Jackson 5. He became the group’s lead singer and also began performing as a solo act before he turned twenty-one. The brothers’ repertoire comprised mostly upbeat and innocent love songs; in 1972 both houses of Congress formally commended them for their wholesome contributions to American youth.
After Jackson began writing, arranging, and performing his own material, he rose to the highest levels of success and popularity as a solo performer during the 1980’s. Named “Entertainer of the Decade,” he was congratulated by President George Bush at a White House reception. Although his musical genius was rarely challenged, unconventional aspects of his lifestyle—such as having his physical appearance altered— attracted criticism and some condemnation. During the 1990’s several widely publicized incidents raised calls to censor his work.
On November 14, 1991, Jackson’s music video, “Black or White,” premiered simultaneously on Fox Television, MTV, and the Black Entertainment Network, as well as in twenty-six other countries. It was seen by more than fourteen million people on Fox alone. Part of a publicity campaign for Jackson’s Dangerous album, the eleven-minute video cost four million dollars to produce. It has been seen as a serious and complex evocation of the contradictions in racial identity in the United States, but its final four minutes provoked a storm of controversy. In the final sequence a black panther turns into Jackson himself. After taking several steps, Jackson finds himself under a surveillance light, reaches for a gun, and is pelted with bullets. He then explodes into an energetic dance, at times grabbing and rubbing his groin. When he sees a parked car defaced with racist slogans, he jumps on it and wrecks it with a tire iron. Finally, he stops to zip up the fly on his pants.
Immediately after the video’s broadcast, Fox affiliates received calls from irate viewers objecting to its violence and simulated masturbation. They were particularly upset that the video aired when many young children were watching. Both Fox and Jackson issued apologies, and his recording company announced that the eleven-minute version of the video cassette would be replaced by a new six-minute version.
In 1993 Jackson was accused of sexually molesting a thirteen-year-old boy. Shortly afterward, a St. Louis radio station announced that it would drop his records from its playlist. Other stations either quietly stopped airing Jackson’s recordings, reduced their airplay, or said they would make no changes until formal charges were filed against Jackson. Meanwhile, the National Broadcasting Company had scheduled a two-hour awards special, “Jackson Family Honors,” for February, 1994. Prior to its airing, some advertising executives stated they would not recommend that their clients buy time on the special for fear of negative viewer reactions stemming from the sex-abuse allegations.
In early 1995 Jackson released a song titled “They Don’t Care About Us” on his HIStory album. He was soon criticized by leaders of the Anti-Defamation League of B’nai B’rith and the Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies because of the song’s ostensibly anti-Semitic lyrics, such as “Jew me” and “kike me.” Explaining that his song dealt with the pain of prejudice, Jackson angrily claimed that he was being misinterpreted. Later, however, he issued an apology and announced that he would rerecord the song and replace the offending phrases with “do me” and “strike me.”