"Jam" is a single by American singer-songwriter

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 ...

. The song is the fourth single from his 1991 album ''

Dangerous Dangerous may refer to: Film and television * ''Dangerous'' (1935 film), an American film starring Bette Davis * '' Dangerous: The Short Films'', a 1993 collection of music videos by Michael Jackson * ''Dangerous'' (2021 film), a Canadian-Ameri ...

'', where it is the opening track. It also appears as the second track on his 2009 '' This Is It'' compilation album. The single was re-released in 2006 as part of Jackson's '' Visionary: The Video Singles'' collection campaign, and it was remixed to the

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; "Circus of the Sun" or "Sun Circus") is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Ju ...

's Immortal World Tour, releasing that remix on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack o ...

album. "Jam" is a

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 ...

song whose

bridge A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or rail) without blocking the way underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somethi ...

features a

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

verse performed by

Heavy D Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. ''Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heav ...

(of the group

Heavy D & the Boyz Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. ''Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Heav ...

), though no credit to him appears on the album. The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

of the song featured

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

basketball legend

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player. His biography on the official NBA website states: "By acclamation, Michael Jordan is the g ...

. The song was also featured on the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded on January 1 ...

(Jordan's team at the time)'s 1992 NBA Championship video "Untouchabulls" and was also used in many promotional ads of the NBA in the said season. The single peaked at #26 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song re-entered the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in 2006, reaching number 22.

Critical reception

"Jam" was generally well received by music critics. Chris Lacy from Albumism said that on the song, Jackson "explains that jamming (the joy of music and dance) is his preferred method of temporarily escaping worldly issues."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

editor

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

wrote that there's a lot to be said for professional craftsmanship at its peak and he called this song blistering plus highlight on album.

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the music ...

from ''

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 ...

'' stated that it "is fortified with brassy horns, a funky bass line, and a rap cameo by

. Jackson's signature squeals and whoops are at home within an urgent groove that seems to goad him to the point of catharsis." ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' commented, "Get in the groove with the most funky track on the ''

'' album." ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People ...

'' said that Jackson "captures the outer style but not the energizing spirit of hip-hop." Alan Light from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' praised the song, adding that it "addresses Jackson's uneasy relationship to the world and reveals a canny self-awareness that carries the strongest message on ''Dangerous''. "Jam" features a dense, swirling Riley track, propelled by horn samples and a subtle scratch effect, and includes a fleet

by Riley favorite Heavy D. Though it initially sounds like a simple, funky dance vehicle, Jackson's voice bites into each phrase with a desperation that urges us to look deeper. He is singing as "false prophets cry of doom" and exhorts us to "live each day like it's the last." The chorus declares that the miseries of the world "ain't too much stuff" to stop us from jamming. To Jackson, who insists that he comes truly alive only onstage, the ability to "Jam" is the sole means to find "peace within myself," and this hope rings more sincere than the childlike wishes found in the ballads." Adam Gilham of

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

described the song as a perfect album opener and rated it "5/5".

Music video

The music video for "Jam" takes place within an abandoned indoor

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

court, where Michael Jackson teaches basketball legend

how to dance, and in return, Jordan teaches Jackson how to play basketball. Special effects have Jackson throwing a basketball through a window and scoring in the hoop in the opposite room, as well as Jackson scoring by tossing the ball behind him and kicking the ball into the hoop with his heel. The extended versions of the video include Jackson teaching Jordan how to do the physically complicated

moonwalk Moonwalk may refer to: Space travel * Moonwalk, an excursion on the Moon, see Moon landing ** For a specific event, see List of spacewalks and moonwalks 1965–1999 ** For a specific person, see List of people who have walked on the Moon *Extrave ...

dance technique (known as the slide step). The rap groups

Kris Kross Kris Kross was an American hip hop duo that consisted of Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith. Kris Kross was the youngest hip-hop duo to gain success, with gold and platinum albums at 12 and 13 years old. The duo was discover ...

and Naughty by Nature made a cameo appearance, as does

(who performs a rap during the

). The video was included on '' Dangerous – The Short Films'' and ''

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 ...

''. The music video was directed by David Kellogg and was filmed on April 20, 1992, in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. The music video premiered on FOX on June 19, 1992, at 9:30 p.m. EST.

Live performances

Jackson performed "Jam" as the opening number throughout his

Dangerous World Tour The Dangerous World Tour was the second world concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson to promote his eighth studio album ''Dangerous.'' The tour was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. All profits were donated to various charities including Jacks ...

. He also performed it at the Royal Brunei Concert in 1996, which turned out to be the last live performance of the song. A portion of the song was performed at the start of the 1993 Super Bowl halftime show. The song was prepared for the ''This Is It'' concert series, with a snippet of "

Another Part of Me "Another Part of Me" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. Produced by Quincy Jones (and co-produced by Jackson), it was released as the sixth single on July 11, 1988, for the singer's seventh studio album, ''Bad'' (1987). The s ...

", however the shows were cancelled due to Jackson's untimely death and it is not known if it were to have made the final setlist.

Track listings and formats

Jam (UK CD single 6583602) # "Jam" (7" Edit) – 4:10 # "Jam" (

Roger Roger is a given name, usually masculine, and a surname. The given name is derived from the Old French personal names ' and '. These names are of Germanic origin, derived from the elements ', ''χrōþi'' ("fame", "renown", "honour") and ', ' ( ...

's Jeep Mix) – 5:54 # "Jam" (Atlanta Techno Dub) – 5:16 (Incorrectly listed on insert as "Atlantan Techno Mix") # "

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson recorded for his sixth studio album '' Thriller'' (1982). It is the opening track of the album and was released as its fourth single on May 8, 1983, by Epic Records. It wa ...

" (

Brothers in Rhythm Brothers in Rhythm are a British electronic music group comprising Dave Seaman, Steve Anderson and Alan Bremner. The group was originally a duo comprising Seaman and Anderson, with Bremner joining later in 1999. They have remixed and/or produc ...

House Mix) – 7:40 Jam (US CD single 49K74334) # "Jam" (

's Jeep Radio Mix) – 3:57 # "Jam" ( Silky 7" Mix) – 4:17 # "Jam" (

's Club Mix) – 6:20 # "Jam" (Atlanta Techno Mix) – 6:06 # "

Rock with You "Rock with You" was written by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. It was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down. It was released on November 3, 1979, by Epic Records as ...

" (

Masters at Work Masters at Work is the American garage house production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. The duo has produced music together under the names MAW, KenLou, Sole Fusion, Hardrive, and Nuyorican Soul. They have been r ...

Remix) – 5:29 Jam (US promo CD single ESK6754) # "Jam" (

's Jeep Radio Mix) – 3:57 # "Jam" (

Teddy Teddy is an English language given name, usually a hypocorism of Edward or Theodore. It may refer to: People Nickname * Teddy Atlas (born 1956), boxing trainer and fight commentator * Teddy Bourne (born 1948), British Olympic epee fencer * Tedd ...

's Jam) – 5:48 # "Jam" (7" Edit) – 4:10 # "Jam" (MJ's Raw Mix) – 4:24 # "Jam" (

's 12" Mix) – 5:42 # "Jam" (

's Jeep Mix) – 5:54 # "Jam" (Percapella) – 5:29 # "Jam" (Radio Edit Without Rap) – 4:44 Jam (US VHS promo single ESK8880) # "Jam" (music video) – 8:00 Running time: 9 minutes Jam (2006 DualDisc single ESK4583) CD side # "Jam" (7" Edit) – 4:10 # "Jam" (Silky 12" Mix) – 6:28 DVD side # "Jam" (music video) – 8:00

Personnel

* Song and lyrics by Michael Jackson * Music by

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

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 ...

* Produced by Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley and Bruce Swedien * Solo and background vocals by Michael Jackson * Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley and Dave Way * Arrangement by Michael Jackson, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley and René Moore * Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson * Rap performed by Heavy D * Rene Moore, Teddy Riley, Bruce Swedien and

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 ...

: Keyboards * Teddy Riley,

Rhett Lawrence James Everett "Rhett" Lawrence is an American record producer and songwriter. He has produced, mentored, and helped launch the career of 5 artists amongst the top 200 artists to be featured on Billboard magazine's top charts from 1955-2012, who ...

, Michael Boddicker and Brad Buxer: Synthesizers * Teddy Riley and Bruce Swedien: Drums * Teddy Riley: Guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1992 singles Michael Jackson songs Songs written by Michael Jackson Songs written by René Moore Song recordings produced by Teddy Riley Michael Jordan Basketball music Song recordings produced by Michael Jackson Songs written by Teddy Riley Songs written by Bruce Swedien 1991 songs Epic Records singles Number-one singles in Spain