One of the marks of a great song is how relevant it remains through the years in relation to the message it is trying to convey. In today’s song the message is clear. There are no words to describe how powerful or relevant this song was; is, or will remain until things change. ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ was fittingly released on Michael Jackson’s CD ‘HIStory: Past, Present and Future Book 1’ in 1996. It is one of the most controversial pieces of music he ever composed but as noted, it was one of the most socially relevant. The controversy stems from a handful of factors relating to the lyrics and his chosen method of delivering the message through video. ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ could be worthy of a lengthy essay or book, so summarizing its impact in this short passage may be difficult and unfortunately it may not give the song the credit it deserves as an anthem of the oppressed. So here goes…
When Michael Jackson released ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ he was mired in difficulties and scandal in his personal life. He was dealing with the ‘Neverland’ abuse allegations, marital issues and the bizarre scene where he dangled his child over the balcony of a hotel in front of the media. In short; life for Michael had become bizarre and his life in a fish bowl which had led to many obvious eccentricities had clearly come to a head. The result of this scrutiny was severe anxiety and by late 1995 he was rushed to hospital after collapsing during rehearsals. The diagnosis was ‘severe anxiety and a stress related panic attack’. Everything I know about Michael Jackson; and I do not profess to be an expert, indicates a man of the highest degree of empathy. I can safely assume that ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ rose from this powerful sense of caring and his desire to shed his eccentricities. The result was Michael Jackson at his best from a social commentary perspective. The beauty of it all and true to his image as ‘the King of pop’ he delivered it in such a way to create a mass appeal. Unfortunately, because he was so vulnerable at the time, he was attacked by people from all sides who completely misunderstood (or chose to misunderstand) his provocative lyrics and the presentation of the video. Here are the lyrics:
“They Don’t Care About Us”
Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, aggravation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Bang bang, shot dead
Everybody’s gone mad
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
Beat me, hate me
You can never break me
Will me, thrill me
You can never kill me
Jew me, sue me
Everybody do me
Kick me, kike me
Don’t you black or white me
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
Tell me what has become of my life
I have a wife and two children who love me
I am the victim of police brutality, now
I’m tired of being the victim of hate
You’re ripping me of my pride
Oh, for God’s sake
I look to heaven to fulfill its prophecy…
Set me free
Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Trepidation, speculation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Black man, blackmail
Throw the brother in jail
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
Tell me what has become of my rights
Am I invisible because you ignore me?
Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
I’m tired of being the victim of shame
They’re throwing me in a class with a bad name
I can’t believe this is the land from which I came
You know I really do hate to say it
The government don’t wanna see
But if Roosevelt was living
He wouldn’t let this be, no, no
Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, speculation
Everybody litigation
Beat me, bash me
You can never trash me
Hit me, kick me
You can never get me
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
Some things in life they just don’t wanna see
But if Martin Luther was living
He wouldn’t let this be, no, no
Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, segregation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Kick me, kike me
Don’t you wrong or right me
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
All I wanna say is that
They don’t really care about us
So yes…Michael Jackson had come a long way from “ABC…1,2,3”. As noted, things became misinterpreted by an obtuse audience or just a media and base determined to knock this icon off his pedestal because that was the mood of the day. Lines like…
“Jew me, sue me
Everybody do me
Kick me, kike me
Don’t you black or white me”
…were totally misunderstood as antisemitic which led to Jackson issuing several apologies and re-recording the song with altered lyrics. In response to a New York Times article criticizing the song Jackson stated “It’s not anti-Semitic because I’m not a racist person … I could never be a racist. I love all races.” It quickly became apparent that the lyrics were too ambiguous for a mass audience to understand. Jackson’s message was completely missed and the lyrics when noted on a superficial level were not comprehended in the way Jackson intended. Here is a critique of the song that leaves me scratching my head. Patrick Macdonald of The Seattle Times criticized Jackson, stating, “He may have lived a sheltered life, but there really is no excuse for using terms like ‘Jew me’ and ‘kike’ in a pop song, unless you make it clear you are denouncing such terms, and do so in an artful way.” Well d’uh! Should Michael Jackson be blamed or should the audience who condemned him be blamed for this unbelievable ignorance? It leaves me speechless really. It was a lost opportunity for many to see their reflection in the mirror and begin to change. Consequently, here we are over 20 years later and things are worse in many ways. Sadly, Michael is gone. It would be interesting to note how he would interpret what is going on through his vision and art.
So far I have only referenced Michael Jackson’s lyrics in relation to ‘They Don’t Care About Us.’ Fasten your seat belts because the controversy continued and I think by this point Michael was going ‘all in’, much to his credit. Jackson took the power of video to really get the message of the song through to his massive audience. He had something import at to say and he was not going to have his message suppressed.
“The idea that these lyrics could be deemed objectionable is extremely hurtful to me, and misleading. The song in fact is about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the black man, I am the white man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them. I am angry and outraged that I could be so misinterpreted.”
So he set out to create a video presentation that would get his point across. Enter Spike Lee and more controversy. The initial video was shot in an impoverished area of Rio de Janeiro. Rio officials were concerned about the impact the video would have on Brazil’s image related to tourism and the upcoming Olympics. A judge actually banned the filming but the ruling was overturned. The final product was a very inspiring production that saw Michael Jackson work his magic in front of countless participants and hundreds of onlookers. One woman managed to break through security and hug Jackson. Michael managed to return the hug and carry on. Another woman grabs him from behind and knocks him down, but he manages to get up and continue. These incidents make it into the video which adds to the authenticity. The Spike Lee connection really worked because as Jackson said, “It’s a public awareness kind of song and that’s what he is all about. It’s a protest kind of song…and I think he was perfect for it.” The back drop of the song sent a strong message. The truth is, this video could have been shot in literally thousands of poor locales throughout the inner cities of the U.S. and around the world. The video opens with a Brazilian woman saying “Michael, they don’t care about us.” Unfortunately, she was right. Unfortunately, the message has still not gotten through on the whole but according to reports, the area where the video was shot did receive a commitment for improvement and it has been referred to as ‘a model for social development’ and they cite Jackson’s efforts as at least partially responsible for the change. Here is the video:
Michael Jackson was so committed to the social and political message he was attempting to drive home that he opted to create a second video that focused on a combination of both foreign and domestic issues of the day. The images in this video are intense and leave any viewer with any sense of compassion feeling numb. The video is rooted in a prison cafeteria that by no accident shows a high percentage of Black and Latino prisoners performing synchronized moves with Jackson taking the lead. When you consider that a passage of the song is focused on the imbalance of visible minorities in the U.S federal prison system you understand the perspective being portrayed.
“Tell me what has become of my life
I have a wife and two children who love me
I am the victim of police brutality, now
I’m tired of being the victim of hate
You’re ripping me of my pride
Oh, for God’s sake
I look to heaven to fulfill its prophecy…
Set me free”
The video then splices in footage of a range of atrocities such as, police attacking African Americans, Tiananmen Square, the Ku Klux Klan, war crimes, genocide, martial law and other human rights abuses. It is a masterpiece. The lasting impression is of course this video could probably be reshot annually. Nothing has really changed and the people who have the power to enact change seem to do the most to prevent real change, while only protecting the interests of those with the money, who quite literally have the most to give, but never will, because ‘they don’t really care about us.’
“Tell me what has become of my rights
Am I invisible because you ignore me?
Your proclamation promised me free liberty, now
I’m tired of being the victim of shame
They’re throwing me in a class with a bad name
I can’t believe this is the land from which I came
You know I really do hate to say it
The government don’t wanna see
But if Roosevelt was living
He wouldn’t let this be, no, no”
There is plenty to go around. The lack of compassion and empathy is a choice. The greed is self serving and appalling. There is no justification. Every citizen should have the basics of food, shelter, health care and education. Those who prevent these rights from being provided really don’t care. It is undeniable.
Here is the ‘prison’ video which due to it’s content was refused to be played in many outlets throughout the United States. I guess it hit a little too close to home. It begins with the passage:
“This film is not degrading to any one race but it pictorializes the injustices to all mankind. May God grant us peace throughout the world.
And finally, I get to the cover version. There were several I could choose from but I went with this version because it speaks to Michael Jackson’s universal appeal and the delivery of the song by this large ensemble is extremely strong. Percussionist, Tony Succar delivers a clinic and Kevin Cebello does a great job on the vocals. The accompanying music is captivating. It is over 8 minutes long but it is thoroughly enjoyable as it evolves into a tribute that would make Michael Jackson smile.
Ted Tocks Covers 