"Ghosts" is a 1997 song by American singer

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

, written, composed and produced by Jackson and

Teddy Riley Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer credited with the creation of the New Jack Swing genre. Riley credits Barry Michael Cooper with giving the genre its name.Hogan, Paul. " Tedd ...

. It was released as part of "HIStory/Ghosts", a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company ...

single with remixes of the song "

HIStory History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the History of writing#Inventions of writing, invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbr ...

" from Jackson's 1995 album as the second single from '' Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix''. The ''Ghosts'' music video was a five-minute clip taken from a longer film, ''

Michael Jackson's Ghosts ''Michael Jackson's Ghosts'' is a 1996 short film starring Michael Jackson, directed by Stan Winston, and written by Stephen King and Mick Garris. It is based on a story by Garris, Jackson and King. ''Ghosts'' tells the story of an eccentric man ...

''. The song was a top five hit in the UK and Belgium.

Production, music and commentary

"Ghosts" was one of the five new tracks on the album. It was written, composed and produced by Michael Jackson and

.Jackson, Michael. ''Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix'' booklet. Sony BMG. p 6 The song was originally developed around the time Michael was approached to compose a song for

Addams Family Values ''Addams Family Values'' is a 1993 American supernatural black comedy film directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and written by Paul Rudnick, based on the characters created by Charles Addams. It is the sequel to ''The Addams Family'' (1991). The film ...

. It didn't make the final cut on ''HIStory'', but it would be featured in the short film of the same name. After ''HIStory'', additional work on the song took place in late August 1995 at

the Hit Factory The Hit Factory is a recording studio in New York City owned and operated by Troy Germano. History On March 6, 1975, Edward Germano, a singer, record producer, and one of the principal owners of the Record Plant Studios New York, purchased the ...

with

René Moore René Moore (born Ivan Rene Moore;Bruce Swedien Bruce Swedien (; April 19, 1934 – November 16, 2020) was an American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer. He was widely known for his work with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand. Swedien fir ...

and Rob Hoffman when doing remixes of Jackson's songs. Whilst developing music for the ''Ghosts'' short film, the song was revisited and further developed in March/April 1996 at

Record One Record One is a recording studio complex in the Sherman Oaks, Los Angeles, Sherman Oaks neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Originally founded in 1979, the studio has been the site of numerous commercially successful and award-winning record ...

and later in the same Summer at the

Record Plant The Record Plant is a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and currently operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it has produced highly influential albums, including Blon ...

studio before the movie's release. Instruments played on the track include a guitar and piano. Michael's vocals are dramatic and operatic. Jackson's vocal range on the song is E₃-A₅, the song is in the key of E dorian and at 103BPM . ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' noted, "'Ghosts' is another

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley and Bernard Belle, new jack swing was mos ...

collaboration with Teddy Riley for a similarly

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

. It is a bit unsettling, particularly when Jackson spits out this line: 'Who gave you the right to shake my family tree?'". Tom Sinclair of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'', also highlighted those particular lyrics, speculating that "armchair psychologists will have a field day with the words". The ''

Dallas Morning News ''The Dallas Morning News'' is a daily newspaper serving the Dallas–Fort Worth area of Texas, with an average print circulation of 65,369. It was founded on October 1, 1885 by Alfred Horatio Belo as a satellite publication of the ''Galvesto ...

'' described "Ghosts" as an angry tale of a back-stabbing woman. Michael Saunders of ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...

'' said that album cuts like "Is It Scary" and "Ghosts" "trample well-trodden ground". Sonia Murray of ''

The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution ''The Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the only major daily newspaper in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia. It is the flagship publication of Cox Enterprises. The ''Atlanta Journal-Constitution'' is the result of the merger between ...

'' said of the track, "'Ghosts' pounds with funk until Jackson's weak vocals come in. Anthony Violanti of ''

The Buffalo News ''The Buffalo News'' is the daily newspaper of the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area, located in downtown Buffalo, New York. It recently sold its headquarters to Uniland Development Corp. It was for decades the only paper fully owned by W ...

'' said "Ghosts"... sprogrammed plastic soul that makes you wonder how someone as talented as Jackson can churn out such tracks. Jim Farber of ''

New York Daily News The New York ''Daily News'', officially titled the ''Daily News'', is an American newspaper based in Jersey City, NJ. It was founded in 1919 by Joseph Medill Patterson as the ''Illustrated Daily News''. It was the first U.S. daily printed in ta ...

'' said of the single "'Ghosts'...boast a few innovative sounds but no real melodies". Roger Catlin of ''

The Hartford Courant The ''Hartford Courant'' is the largest daily newspaper in the U.S. state of Connecticut, and is considered to be the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States. A morning newspaper serving most of the state north of New Haven ...

'' stated, "The most intriguing pairing is 'Ghosts' and 'Is It Scary' in which he asks those who've only read about him in tabloids if he seems monstrous". Jennifer Clay of

Yahoo! Music Yahoo! Music was a brand under which Yahoo! provided a variety of music services, including Internet radio, music videos, news, artist information, and original programming. Previously, users with Yahoo! accounts could gain access to hundreds of ...

noted that "Ghosts" sounded like material from the '' Thriller'' era. A longtime commentator on Jackson's public life, J. Randy Taraborrelli, gave a retrospective analysis of the album in the biography, ''The Magic & the Madness''. Taraborrelli explained, "Several of the other songs on ''Blood'' are also memorable. 'Ghosts' stands out, perhaps because it's so evocative of Michael's spell-binding ''Ghosts'' long-styled video...it's classic, must-see Michael Jackson".

Short film

The music video for "Ghosts" was a five-minute cut-down of the short film of the same title, which Jackson unveiled at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

as part of the album promotion. It was released theatrically in the US in October 1996 and made its UK debut the following May at the

Odeon Leicester Square The Odeon Luxe Leicester Square is a prominent cinema building in the West End of London. Built in the Art Deco style and completed in 1937, the building has been continually altered in response to developments in cinema technology, and was the ...

. It was released on cassette in most parts of the world. The music video won the

Bob Fosse Robert Louis Fosse (; June 23, 1927 – September 23, 1987) was an American actor, choreographer, dancer, and film and stage director. He directed and choreographed musical works on stage and screen, including the stage musicals ''The Pajam ...

Award for Best Choreography in a Music Video.Taraborrelli 610–611George, p. 48–50 Written by Jackson and

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

and directed by

Stan Winston Stanley Winston (April 7, 1946 – June 15, 2008) was an American television and film Prosthetic makeup, special make-up effects creator, best known for his work in the Terminator (franchise), ''Terminator'' series, the first three ''Jurassic Pa ...

, the short film was inspired by the isolation the singer felt after he was accused of child sexual abuse in 1993. It centers on the

Maestro Maestro (; from the Italian ''wikt:maestro#Italian, maestro'' , meaning "wikt:master, master" or "teacher") is an honorific title of respect (plural: maestros or maestri). The term is most commonly used in the context of Western classical music ...

(Jackson), who is nearly chased out of his town by the residents and the mayor (also played by Michael Jackson, who intentionally resembles Tom Sneddon, a prosecutor in the 1993 and 2005 accusations) because they believe him to be a "freak". The film includes several songs and music videos from the albums ''

'' and ''Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix''. At over 38 minutes long, it held the

Guinness World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for the longest music video until 2013, when it was eclipsed by

Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973) is an American record producer, rapper, singer, and songwriter. Alongside close colleague Chad Hugo, he formed the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes in the early 1990s, with whom he ...

' "

Happy Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. Sinc ...

". The short version is included in ''

Michael Jackson's Vision ''Michael Jackson's Vision'' is a deluxe DVD video album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 22, 2010 by Epic Records, Legacy Recordings, and Jackson's own label, MJJ Productions. It includes three DVDs, feat ...

''.

Chart performance

"HIStory/Ghosts" generally did well in music charts worldwide, having charted within the top-ten and top-twenty in multiple countries. The song's highest peak position was in Italy, charting at number three. In the Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden "HIStory/Ghosts" spent seventeen to eighteen weeks on the charts. In Australia "HIStory/Ghosts" peaked at forty-three before falling off the chart. The single did not appear on any United States ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charts.

Track listing

CD single # "HIStory" (7" HIStory Lesson Edit) – 4:08 # "HIStory" (Mark!'s Radio Edit) – 4:16 # "HIStory" (Mark!'s Vocal Club Mix) – 9:11 # "HIStory" (The Ummah Radio Mix) – 5:00 # "HIStory" (The Ummah DJ Mix) – 3:04 # "HIStory" (The Ummah Main A Cappella) – 4:06 # "Ghosts" (Radio Edit) – 3:50 12" single # "Ghosts" (Mousse T's Club Mix) – 6:03 # "Ghosts" (Mousse T's Radio Rock) – 4:25 # "HIStory" (Tony Moran's HIStorical Dub) – 7:56 # "HIStory" (7" HIStory Lesson Edit) – 4:09

Remixes

Mousse T Mustafa Gundogdu ( tr, Mustafa Gündoğdu ; born 2 October 1966), best known under his stage name Mousse T., is a German-Turkish DJ, record producer, film composer and judge on season 15 of ''Deutschland sucht den Superstar'', the German versi ...

Mixes * "Ghosts" (Mousse T's Club Mix) – 6:03 * "Ghosts" (Mousse T's Club Mix TV) – 6:03 * "Ghosts" (Mousse T's Radio Rock) – 4:25

Personnel

* Written, composed and produced by Michael Jackson with Teddy Riley * Opera voice by Michael Jackson * Harmonizing by Michael Jackson. * Front and background vocals Michael Jackson. * Engineered by Teddy Riley and Eddie DeLena * Mixed by Dave Way * Solo and background vocals, vocal arrangement and piano by Michael Jackson * Teddy Riley,

Brad Buxer Bradley Buxer is an American keyboardist and composer, known for his many collaborations with the American musician Michael Jackson. In addition to recording with Jackson, Buxer was also the musical director for Jackson's tours for many years. Pr ...

and Doug Grigsby: Keyboards and synthesizers * Matt Carpenter, Doug Grigsby,

Andrew Scheps Andrew Scheps is an American mix engineer, recording engineer, record producer, and record label owner, based in Los Angeles and the United Kingdom. He received Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album for his work on Red Hot Chili Peppers' ''Stadium Ar ...

, Rob Hoffman and Alex Breuer: Drum programming * Additional engineering by Bobby Brooks, Matt Forger, Andrew Scheps, Armand Volker and Albert Boekholt * Assistant engineers: Tony Black, Mike Scotell, Greg Collins, Gerd Krenz, Patrick Ulenberg, Paul Dicato, Andy Strange, Rob Hoffman and Tom Bender

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Notes

References

* George, Nelson (2004). '' Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection'' booklet.

Sony BMG Sony BMG Music Entertainment was an American record company owned as a 50–50 joint venture between Sony Corporation of America and Bertelsmann. The venture's successor, the revived Sony Music, is wholly owned by Sony, following their buyout o ...

. * * {{Michael Jackson songs 1997 songs 1997 singles Songs about ghosts Michael Jackson songs Songs written by Michael Jackson Song recordings produced by Teddy Riley Song recordings produced by Michael Jackson Songs written by Teddy Riley Songs written for films Music videos directed by Stan Winston