Liberian Girl

"Liberian Girl"
Single by Michael Jackson

General information

Released

July 3, 1989

Recorded

1986

Length

3:52

Album

Bad

Singles chronology
Previous	Next
"Leave Me Alone"	"Black or White"

Track list
Previous	Next
"Speed Demon"	"Just Good Friends"

Music video

"Liberian Girl" is a song by Michael Jackson released as the fourth track from the Bad album. It was released as a single on July 3, 1989, serving as the ninth single from the album.

Background[]

The track was first written and recorded in 1983, for the Victory album with the Jacksons.^[1] Later re-recorded in 1986. The song was dedicated to Michael's late long-time friend, Elizabeth Taylor.

"I wrote that at my house in the game room. I guess I was playing some pinball or something, and the song just popped into my head. And I think I ran upstairs, put it on tape, and it became ‘Liberian Girl’…..I don’t think about it, it just comes."

— Michael Jackson^[2]

Music video[]

It was directed by Jerry Kramer. The "Liberian Girl" video features multiple celebrities, most notably: Quincy Jones, Billy Dee Williams, Olivia Newton-John, Steven Spielberg and 'Weird Al' Yankovic and more.

Lyrics[]

[Intro]
Nakupenda pia
Nakutaka pia
Mpenzi we'

[Verse 1]
Liberian girl
You came and you changed my world
A love so brand new
Liberian girl
You came and you changed me, girl
A feeling so true

[Chorus]
Liberian girl
You know that you came and you changed my world
Just like in the movies
With two lovers in a scene
And she says, "Do you love me?"
And he says so endlessly
"I love you, Liberian girl"

[Post-Chorus]
Nakupenda pia
Nakutaka pia
Mpenzi we'

[Verse 2]
Liberian girl
More precious than any pearl
Your love's so complete
Liberian girl
You kiss me then, ooh, the world
You do this to me

[Chorus]
Liberian girl
You know that you came and you changed my world
Just like in the movies
With two lovers in a scene
And she says, "Do you love me?"
And he says so endlessly
"I love you, Liberian girl"

[Post-Chorus]
Nakupenda pia
Nakutaka pia
Mpenzi we'

[Chorus]
Liberian girl
You know that you came and you changed my world
I wait for the day
When you have to say, "I do"
And I'll smile and say it, too
And forever will be true

[Outro]
I love you, Liberian girl
All the time
I love you, Liberian girl
All the time
I love you, Liberian girl
All the time
I love you, Liberian girl
All the time
I love you
I love you, baby
I want you
I love you, baby
Ooh
I love you, baby
I want it, baby
Ooh

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

The song received a positive reception in Liberia, with women from the country viewing the song as empowering. Liberian woman Margaret Carson said in an interview with The Washington Times "When that music came out … the Liberian girls were so astonished to hear a great musician like Michael Jackson thinking about a little country in Africa. It gave us hope, especially when things went bad … . It made us to feel that we are still part of the world."^[4]

References[]

Discography

Studio albums
Got to Be There • Ben • Music & Me • Forever, Michael • Off the Wall • Thriller • Bad • Dangerous • HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I • Invincible

Other albums
Farewell My Summer Love • Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix • The Ultimate Collection • Thriller 25 • Michael • Bad 25 • Xscape • Scream • Thriller 40

Singles

"Got to Be There" • "Rockin' Robin" • "I Wanna Be Where You Are" • "Ain't No Sunshine" • "Ben" • "With a Child's Heart" • "Music & Me" • "We're Almost There" • "Just a Little Bit of You" • "You Can't Win" • "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" • "Rock with You" • "Off the Wall" • "She's Out of My Life" • "Girlfriend" • "One Day in Your Life" • "The Girl is Mine" • "Billie Jean" • "Beat It" • "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" • "Human Nature" • "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" • "Thriller" • "Happy" • "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" • "Bad" • "The Way You Make Me Feel" • "Man in the Mirror" • "Dirty Diana" • "Another Part of Me" • "Smooth Criminal" • "Leave Me Alone" • "Liberian Girl" • "Black or White" • "Remember the Time" • "In the Closet" • "Jam" • "Who Is It" • "Heal the World" • "Give In to Me" • "Will You Be There" • "Gone Too Soon" • "Scream/Childhood" • "You Are Not Alone" • "Earth Song" • "They Don't Care About Us" • "Stranger in Moscow" • "Blood on the Dance Floor" • "HIStory/Ghosts" • "Smile" • "You Rock My World" • "Butterflies" • "Cry" • "What More Can I Give" • "One More Chance" • "The Girl is Mine 2008" • "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' 2008" • "Hold My Hand" • "Mind Is the Magic" • "Hollywood Tonight" • "Behind the Mask" • "(I Like) The Way You Love Me" • "Love Never Felt So Good" • "A Place with No Name" • "Blood on the Dance Floor X Dangerous (The White Panda Mash-Up)"

Promotional singles
"Speed Demon" • "Someone Put Your Hand Out" • "This Time Around" • "Is It Scary" • "Speechless" • "Unbreakable" • "Cheater" • "This Is It"

Non-single songs

"Girl Don't Take Your Love from Me" • "In Our Small Way" • "Wings of My Love" • "Maria (You Were the Only One)" • "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" • "You've Got a Friend" • "Greatest Show on Earth" • "People Make the World go Round" • "We've Got a Good Thing Going" • "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" • "My Girl" • "What Goes Around Comes Around" • "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" • "You Can Cry on My Shoulder" • "Up Again" • "All the Things You Are" • "Too Young" • "Doggin' Around" • "Euphoria" • "Morning Glow" • "Johnny Raven" • "Take Me Back" • "Cinderella Stay Awhile" • "We've Got Forever" • "You Are There" • "Dapper Dan" • "Dear Michael" • "I'll Come Home To You" • "Workin' Day and Night" • "Get on the Floor" • "I Can't Help It" • "It's The Falling In Love" • "Burn This Disco Out" • "Someone in the Dark" • "Baby Be Mine" • "The Lady In My Life" • "Just Good Friends" • "Why You Wanna Trip on Me" • "She Drives Me Wild" • "Can't Let Her Get Away" • "Keep the Faith" • "Dangerous" • "D.S." • "Money" • "Come Together" • "Tabloid Junkie" • "2 Bad" • "Little Susie / Pie Jesu" • "On the Line" • "Morphine" • "Superfly Sister" • "Carousel" • "Streetwalker" • "Fly Away" • "Heartbreaker" • "Invincible" • "Break of Dawn" • "Heaven Can Wait" • "2000 Watts" • "You Are My Life" • "Privacy" • "Don't Walk Away" • "The Lost Children" • "Whatever Happens" • "Threatened" • "Shout" • "Sunset Driver" • "Scared of the Moon" • "We Are Here to Change the World" • "Monkey Business" • "Fall Again" • "In the Back" • "Beautiful Girl" • "We've Had Enough" • "For All Time" • "Got the Hots" • "Best of Joy" • "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" • "Much Too Soon" • "Don't Be Messin' 'Round" • "I'm So Blue" • "Abortion Papers" • "Free" • "Price of Fame" • "Al Capone" • "Chicago" • "Loving You" • "Slave to the Rhythm" • "Do You Know Where Your Children Are" • "Blue Gangsta" • "Xscape" • "Starlight" • "Who Do You Know" • "The Toy" • "What a Lovely Way to Go" • "She's Trouble"

[1] ttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5WcH6o-sBo&t=592s

[2] ttps://www.michaeljackson.com/track/liberian-girl/

[:0-3] 3.0 ^3.1 https://www.discogs.com/master/101797-Michael-Jackson-Liberian-Girl/image/SW1hZ2U6NTIxNjc5NTc=

[4] ttps://www.unorthodoxreviews.com/michael-jackson-inspired-by-africa

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Michael Jackson Wiki