Ghosts (Michael Jackson song)


"Ghosts" is a 1997 song by Michael Jackson. It was written, composed and produced by Jackson and Teddy Riley, and was released as part of "HIStory/Ghosts", a double A-side single with remixes of the song HIStory from Jackson's as the second single from . Its music video was a five-minute clip taken from the much longer film of the same name. The song would become a top five hit in the UK, France and Italy

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 Teddy Riley. Instruments played on the track include a guitar and piano. Michael's vocals are dramatic, operatic and scary tenor. Jackson's vocal range on the song is E3-A5, the song is in the key E minor. The Washington Post noted, "'Ghosts' is another new jack swing collaboration with Teddy Riley for a similarly titled short film. 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, also highlighted those particular lyrics, speculating that "armchair psychologists will have a field day with the words".
The Dallas Morning News described "Ghosts" as an angry tale of a back-stabbing woman. Michael Saunders of The Boston Globe said that album cuts like "Is It Scary" and "Ghosts" "trample well-trodden ground". Sonia Murray of The Atlanta Journal and The Atlanta Constitution said of the track, "'Ghosts' pounds with funk until Jackson's weak vocals come in. Anthony Violanti of The Buffalo News said "Ghosts"... programmed plastic soul that makes you wonder how someone as talented as Jackson can churn out such tracks. Jim Farber of New York Daily News said of the single "'Ghosts'...boast a few innovative sounds but no real melodies". Roger Catlin of The Hartford Courant 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 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".

Music video

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 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. It was released on cassette in most parts of the world. The music video won the Bob Fosse Award for Best Choreography in a Music Video.
Written by Jackson and Stephen King and directed by Stan Winston, 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, who's nearly chased out of his town by the residents and the mayor because they believe him to be a "freak." The film includes several songs and music videos from the albums HIStory and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. At 38 minutes, the film holds the Guinness World Record for longest music video. The short version is included in Michael Jackson's Vision.

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 charts.

Track listing

;CD Single
  1. "HIStory " – 4:08
  2. "HIStory " – 4:16
  3. "HIStory " – 9:11
  4. "HIStory " – 5:00
  5. "HIStory " – 3:04
  6. "HIStory " – 4:06
  7. "Ghosts " – 3:50
;12" Single
  1. "Ghosts " – 6:03
  2. "Ghosts " – 4:25
  3. "HIStory " – 7:56
  4. "HIStory " – 4:09

    Remixes

;The Ummah Mixes
;Tony Moran Mixes
;Mark Picchiotti Mixes
;Mousse T Mixes
Note: The Mark Picchiotti remixes were alternatively titled "HIStory " and "HIStory " on certain releases, notably a few widely distributed promo records in the United Kingdom.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Personnel