Stranger In Moscow is one of Michael Jackson's songs in the album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. This song was released on November 4, 1996 Worldwide and on August 28, 1997 in the U.S. This song was recorded between 1995 and 1996. It was written by Michael Jackson during the Dangerous World Tour's third leg in 1993, when Michael made a stop in Moscow.[1] The music video is cited as "(C) 1996 MJJ Productions Inc".[2]
Lyrics[3]
- I was wandering in the rain
- (Mask of life, feelin' insane)
- Swift and sudden fall from grace
- (Sunny days seem far away)
- Kremlin's shadow belittlin' me
- (Stalin's tomb won't let me be)
- On and on and on it came
- (Wish the rain would just let me)
- How does it feel (How does it feel)
- How does it feel
- How does it feel
- When you're alone
- And you're cold inside
- Here abandoned in my fame
- Armageddon of the brain
- KGB was doggin' me
- Take my name and just let me be
- Then a begger boy called my name
- Happy days will drown the pain
- On and on and on it came
- And again, and again, and again...
- Take my name and just let me be
- How does it feel (How does it feel)
- How does it feel
- How does it feel
- How does it feel
- How does it feel (How does it feel now)
- How does it feel
- How does it feel
- When you're alone
- And you're cold inside
- How does it feel (How does it feel)
- How does it feel
- How does it feel
- How does it feel
- How does it feel (How does it feel now)
- How does it feel
- How does it feel
- When you're alone
- And you're cold inside
- Like stranger in Moscow
- Like stranger in Moscow
- We're talkin' danger
- We're talkin' danger, baby
- Like stranger in Moscow
- We're talkin' danger
- We're talkin' danger, baby
- Like stranger in Moscow
- I'm live in lonely
- I'm live in lonely, baby
- Stranger in Moscow
Gallery
Live Performances
The song was only performed in Michael's HIStory World Tour, as the fourth number in the set list, replacing Human Nature. Michael Bearden, the keyboard player for Michael's This Is It concerts, confirmed that the song was to be a part of the This Is It Tour, but would only be performed on some concerts, as Jackson himself pondered whether or not the fans would like it.
Pre History
The ending music for the game, Sonic the Hedgehog 3 became the basis for this song. This was claimed by Buxer.[4]
Background and Music Video
During the third leg of Michael's Dangerous World Tour, Michael was accused of sexually abusing a 13-year-old teenager named Jordie Chandler, to which Michael denied saying, "I wish for you to hear the truth before you condemn me. Don't treat me like a criminal." To make things even worse, one of Michael's sister, LaToya denounced him as a child abuser, breaking the singer's heart. Michael began writing the song on a stop in Moscow, Russia, hence the name "Stranger in Moscow". The stress, caused by the accusations and Michael's addiction to painkillers, caused him to cancel the rest of the Dangerous World Tour; the final concert was held on November 11, 1993 in Mexico.
Michael and LaToya reconciled after this settled up.
The music video had sequences in slow motion (coffee spilling, a baseball smashing a window, etcetera), but it was given good reviews. It became the sixth single off the HIStory album, and it was the third track on the CD.
The music video opens with Michael walking down the streets of a city (presumably Moscow) feeling sad, mainly because of the accusations made against him. Five other "strangers" are seen, feeling sad as well. The strangers are: a woman reading a newspaper, a teenaged boy watching other kids playing baseball, a man watching activity in the streets, a poor man who is shown lying down next to the dumpsters, and a business man. Halfway through the video, a rainstorm begins and several people flee to their homes to escape the rain. However, Michael and the five strangers decide to go outside and let the rain soak them. The video ends with a unseen man speaking Russian as Michael soaks himself in the rain.
Video
The live performance of this song in Gothenburg during the HIStory Tour 1997
In HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
This song is the third song on the second disc in the album.[5]
Trivia
The basis of this song have served as the music for the credits theme in the video game Sonic the Hedgehog 3 for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis released in 1994.
External Links
References
- ↑ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stranger_in_Moscow
- ↑ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEEMi2j6lYE
- ↑ http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/michaeljackson/strangerinmoscow.html
- ↑ http://michael-jackson.wikia.com/wiki/Sonic_the_Hedgehog_3
- ↑ http://michael-jackson.wikia.com/wiki/HIStory:_Past,_Present_and_Future,_Book_I