The Years 1994 to 1997
On 5 January 1994, during a surprising appearance at the 26th annual ceremony of
the NAACP [NAACP _ National Association for the Advancement of Colored People] held in Pasadena, California, Michael Jackson presented the award for Outstanding Choreography to Debbie Allen.
Before the award was presented, Michael delighted the audience with his speech. They cheered him loudly while he was standing.
Michael: I love you all... [laughs]... thank you for your kind and generous support. I love you very much.
[Endless applause from the audience. Everyone calls out Michael’s name in unison.]
For several decades, the NAACP has been the standard-bearer of legal battles to achieve justice equal to that for all the people of our land. In dining rooms, in the halls of the Supreme Court, and in the meeting rooms of the United States, they have fought for justice, equality, and everything that concerns the dignity and status of human beings. NAACP members, in pursuit of these lofty ideals on which our country was founded, have been imprisoned and even murdered.
In this stage of my life, none of these goals is more meaningful to me than this belief that all individuals must be presumed innocent—completely and absolutely innocent.
[Applause from the crowd]
Until proven guilty and convicted by members of a jury.
[Standing ovations from the audience]
Truly, until today, I have never taken the time to understand the importance of these ideals. Until I myself became the victim of false accusations.
[Applause from the audience]
The victim of other people’s desire to believe and exploit the worst situations, before they even have the chance to hear the truth.
[Applause from the audience. One of them shouts: Michael, I love you]
I love you even more... I am not only presumed innocent, I am innocent. [Applause from the audience]
And I know that the truth is my way to salvation.
[Applause from the audience]
When others weren’t there, you were present to support me. By believing in God and knowing that I am not alone in this struggle, I have become even more steadfast in proving my innocence.
[Applause from the audience. Michael sends them kisses.]
Together, we will see the end of accepting these accusations... [a brief pause]... and I am proud to be here.
[Michael calls Debbie Allen onto the stage. Allen asks several people, including Michael Peters, to accompany her. Jackson hugs Michael Peters. Jackson had choreographed the music video clip “Thriller” with Peters.]
[Michael presents the award to Debbie Allen.]
After receiving the award, Debbie Allen said: “God be with you, Michael. We are all on your side.”
On 19 February 1994, a Jackson family celebration was held in Las Vegas. Michael did not perform at the event, but he presented two awards to their winners. Lisa Marie Presley was accompanying Michael at the ceremony.
[ Michael Jackson — Lisa Marie Presley]
Earlier, on 2 February, Michael had attended a concert by The Temptations in Las Vegas, together with Lisa Marie Presley.
Michael spent most of his time working on his new album in New York. He had rented a three-bedroom duplex apartment in Trump Tower.
On 26 May 1994, during a ceremony in the Dominican Republic that lasted twelve minutes, Michael Jackson married Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of Elvis Presley.
The officiant of the ceremony was Hugo Francisco Alvarez Perez, and the witnesses were Ava Darling, one of Lisa Marie’s friends, and Thomas Keough, Darling’s husband and Lisa Marie’s former brother-in-law. None of Michael’s family members were present at the ceremony. News of the marriage was not revealed until 11 July of that same year.
[Wedding ceremony]
On 11 July, the media reported Michael Jackson’s marriage to Lisa Marie Presley. The news network CNN stated in a report that three spokespersons for Michael Jackson had strongly denied the news. But Lisa Marie Presley’s spokesperson said nothing about it, because he did not have access to Lisa.
On 1 August 1994, after months of rumors, the news was confirmed. Michael had married Lisa Marie. The bride, in a statement released through MJJ Productions, announced that her name is now Lisa Marie Presley—Jackson. The statement said:
“I love Michael very much, and I dedicate my life to being his wife. I understand him and support him. We both look forward to the day when we will have a family and share a happy and successful life together.“
This official statement revealed nothing about the details of the marriage or the location where it took place.
With this marriage, the two most prominent names in the music performance industry joined together: Jackson and Presley.
The media called Michael Jackson’s marriage to Lisa Marie Presley, the daughter of the Rock ’n’ Roll king, “the marriage of the century.”
The controversy that the media created around this marriage was unbelievable. They claimed that Michael used his marriage to Presley to repair his image, which, according to them, had been tarnished after the accusations.
In response to these claims, Michael and Lisa said in an interview that they married each other out of love.
On 8 September 1994, Michael opened the 11th annual MTV Video Music Awards ceremony together with his wife. Their 120-second presence on stage was the most exciting part of the event for those in the hall. For the first time in public, Michael held Lisa Marie tightly in his arms and kissed her lovingly and gently.
[MTV ceremony]
The next day, that kiss became the biggest news event in the media around the world. Some called it the kiss of the century, while others compared it to a famous scene from the film Gone with the Wind, where Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler kiss each other.
On 26 January 1995, Michael was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize with the signatures of more than seventy thousand of his fans, but this news did not make headlines in the press. Michael did not receive the prize.
That same year, a photo of Michael Jackson with a new look, alongside Quincy Jones, was released on the cover of Vibe magazine.
[Vibe magazine]
On 29 May 1995, “Scream,” the first single from Michael’s new album “History,” was released worldwide. Michael performed the song with his sister, Janet.
From the very beginning, the song appeared at number five on the U.S. best-sellers chart. During the 37-year history of the Hot 100 chart, this was the first time a song entered the chart at such a high position. Previously, in March 1970, the Beatles’ song “Let It Be” had entered the chart at number six. Now “Scream” had achieved an even higher spot than that. Later, Michael would break his own record.
On 14 June, Michael and Lisa did their first interview as a couple on the ABC prime-time program. Hosted by Diane Sawyer, the interview was broadcast live around the world and became the second most-watched interview of that time. [The most-watched interview to date is Oprah Winfrey’s 1993 interview with Michael Jackson.]
[Interview]
More information about this interview (click here)
In 1997, Barbara Walters’ interview with Monica Lewinsky ranked as the second most-watched interview, pushing the Lisa and Michael interview down to third place.
During the prime-time interview, the music video clip “Scream,” directed by Mark Romanek, was shown for the first time. The clip was made in an exceptionally modern way and brought Michael another record. With a budget of seven million dollars, “Scream” was registered as the most expensive music video in the history of music in the Guinness World Records.
[Scream clip]
With the “Scream” clip, Michael took the art of making music videos to a new stage. The clip brought a new path for creating animated computer music videos.
What the world had been waiting for for four years finally happened on 15 June 1995. “History,” the new album that had kept everyone waiting for a long time, was released worldwide. 150 minutes of music on an album consisting of two CDs: one included fifteen new songs, and the other included fifteen of Michael’s best previous songs.
A statue of Michael Jackson, made by his music recording company, was unveiled in many European cities during ceremonies so that it would match the cover design of the album.
Five days later, on 20 June, the album “History” took the top spot on the best-selling album charts in the United States and many countries around the world.
Considering everything Michael had gone through in 1993, there is no doubt that “History” is his most important album and also his most personal. In “History,” Michael tells the story of his life. He talks about past events, false accusations, lies, greedy people, local newspapers (tabloids), and the situation he found himself in.
While American critics called the album an unsuccessful effort by a finished artist, “History” was nominated for six Grammy Awards. And from the awards decision committee, it was considered an outstanding album. That “finished artist,” at the American Music Awards ceremony on 29 January 1996, won the award for Best Male Artist in the field of pop and rock music. This prize proved that what critics or journalists say should never be treated as divine revelation.
Across the world, this album achieved extraordinary successes. And it clearly answered the question, “Will he write history again, or has he already become part of history?” “HISTORY” once again proved why Michael Jackson is the greatest showman in the world and the undisputed king of pop.
Michael truly made history. The American network MTV reported that the album “HISTORY” had become the best-selling double album [including two CDs] of all time. The album also sold faster than Michael’s other albums. Seven million copies were sold—unprecedentedly—during only the first week of its release worldwide.
On this album, Michael collaborated with prominent producers such as David Foster [who had also worked with Michael on the album “Off The Wall”], Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis, Dallas Austin, and R. Kelly. In the late 90s, David Foster was chosen as the most successful producer of the decade. He also produced songs for Whitney Houston, Madonna, and Mariah Carey. On the album “HISTORY,” prominent figures such as Janet Jackson, Sheryl Underwood, Slash, Stevie Wonder, Steve Parkar, and the groups Notorious B.I.G. and Boyz II Men were present.
On 22 June 1995, Michael appeared on a special honor program of the VH1 network held in the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, to receive an award in recognition of his humanitarian activities from the hands of Morgan Freeman. After that, the award was renamed “The Michael Jackson Special Award.”
Before the award was presented, the group Boyz II Men performed a medley of two of Michael’s songs—“Heal The World” and “We Are The World”—which carry humanitarian themes, and Michael joined them in the final part of the performance.
After receiving the award, Michael said in his speech: “Thank you for your love and support. You have given me so many things. And this gave me the opportunity to offer part of this love to those whose problems require our attention and help. The statement recently released by the United Nations is a clear example of this claim. If we give third-world children vitamin pills three times a year, one to three million of them will be saved from death. The cost for each child is only six cents. That’s it. Therefore, we must unite to heal the Earth and share this beautiful Earth with love and joy. I love you very much.“
[Michael shows the victory sign with his fingers. He blows kisses toward the audience. He salutes and leaves the stage.]
On 28 July 1995, MTV arranged an interview with Michael. The host of this interview was Bill Bixby. The interview was part of a special 30-minute program titled “Michael Jackson Changes History,” produced by MTV and broadcast simultaneously on the ABC and MTV channels. The clip “You Are Not Alone” was shown for the first time after the interview.
More information about this interview (click here)
On 15 August 1995, “You Are Not Alone,” the second single from the album “HISTORY,” was released in America. “You Are Not Alone” was the first single that, immediately after release, took the very top spot on the U.S. Hot 100 chart. This had never happened in the history of the singles chart.
[CD cover of You Are Not Alone]
Thus, Michael broke the record he had achieved three months earlier with the song “Scream.” [Scream had entered the chart at number five. Before that, there was no history of a song entering the chart at such a high position.]
The number one position on the singles chart is the highest spot a song can reach. This record may be repeated by others later. But it will never be broken.
Michael received the “Top 100 Songs Achievement” award for the song “You Are Not Alone,” which entered the top spot on the Hot 100 chart for the first time in music history.
On 7 September 1995, Michael showcased an exceptionally attractive and impactful performance at the opening ceremony of the 12th annual MTV Music Video Awards.
The standing ovation he received from the audience, along with Michael’s performance, proved without a doubt his continued popularity among the general public and his ability to excite and satisfy the viewers.
Other performers at the ceremony, from the band Weezer to Notorious B.I.G., all praised Michael.
Chris Conley from MTV said that backstage was full of famous people who were trying to get a place in the corners of the stage and watch Michael’s performance.
At this ceremony, Michael went on stage to receive three awards for Best Dance Video, Best Choreography, and Best Artistic Direction for the clip “Scream,” from the hands of his sister, Janet.
[Receiving the MTV award]
On 4 November 1995, for the first time, Michael performed on Germany’s most popular television show, Wetten Dass. The show became the most-watched television program in all of Europe. In Germany, eighteen million people watched it, and in other European countries, twenty-five million people watched. With Michael’s presence, the show became Europe’s 1995 event.
[Wetten Dass]
On 6 December 1995, while rehearsing for his performance on the show One Night Only, broadcast by HBO, Michael fainted and was quickly transferred to the Israeli clinic in New York. The reports indicated that Michael was suffering from a viral illness, dehydration, and an unbalanced concentration of electrolytes in the body’s fluids.
Michael was scheduled to perform on the stage of the Beacon Theatre on the 8th and 9th of that month, but those shows were canceled due to his illness.
On 19 January 1996, the American newspaper USA Today reported that Lisa Marie Presley had separated from Michael the day before, thus ending their 19-month marriage.
In a statement released by Michael’s spokesperson, Liz Souders, it said: “Michael and Lisa agreed to separate from each other. Although they continue their friendship.”
Unresolvable differences were cited as the reason for this decision. Michael and Lisa had made their marriage vows together on 26 June 1994 in the Dominican Republic.
On 19 February 1996, at the BRIT Awards ceremony in London, Michael performed his newly released song, “Earth Song.”
The song, which had been at the top of the best-selling singles chart in England for six weeks, was criticized and even insulted by journalists.
One reporter from MTV Europe called the song “a handful of nonsense.” He continued about the song’s clip: “The clip is even worse than the song itself. In this clip, Michael returns life to the trees. He brings the dead back to life. He rebuilds what has been destroyed by dust. Is he God?”
At the BRIT Awards, Michael received the “Artist of the Decade” award from the hands of Bob Geldof, singer and founder of the charity organization fighting famine in Africa, and delivered a spectacular performance of “Earth Song.” Michael was surrounded on stage by about forty children, representatives of deprived children from around the world. During part of the performance, Michael flew on a crane above the audience in the hall, and the nonstop cheering of two thousand spectators was deafening. While Michael was on the crane, Jarvis Cocker rushed toward the stage. He waved his two fingers in the air in an insulting gesture toward Michael and disrupted the line of singers on stage.
Betany Garner, a seven-year-old girl who was on stage, later said in an interview with two local English newspapers, The Sun and The Mirror: “Cocker told me you’re a pretty little girl. And then he kicked my foot.”
Following this chaos, security forces came onto the stage to take Cocker down. Cocker ran around the stage and climbed on the furniture placed on stage, and when one of the dancers went toward him, his foot slipped, and he collided with several children and threw them down from the stage. In the end, security forces managed to arrest him and remove him from the hall.
Cocker was arrested for causing physical injuries and transferred to the police department of Chelsea. Police revealed that an 11-year-old boy had claimed that Cocker punched him. Another child was injured in the ear, and another was thrown to the ground.
The parents of these children were extremely angry and expressed their anger in The Sun and The Mirror newspapers.
Janet Moore, the mother of one of the children: “That man (Cocker) ruined my daughter’s biggest night of her life. I saw someone lift my daughter off the ground and try to throw her down. I thought a crazy person had entered the stage and wanted to reach Michael. What kind of sensible person does such a thing to a child? I don’t know who he is or what he thinks he is. But I want to do the same thing to him—or something even worse. My daughter Ashley spent weeks preparing for this dream night, and this madman destroyed all her efforts in just a few moments. If I could, I would strangle him with my hands.”
Rachel Garner, the mother of seven-year-old Bethany Garner, added: “All of this incident was a disgusting show. My daughter and the other children couldn’t believe what was happening. Some of them came down from the stage crying and hugged each other.”
Steve Webb, the father of Stephen, said: “After this incident, Stephen stayed on stage and continued reading. And I’m proud of him for that. But I feel that the moment he had been waiting for for a long time was ruined. He is very upset.”
In a statement released by Epic music company, Michael accused Cocker of carrying out hateful and shameful behavior.
The statement said that Michael could not understand his disrespect toward the people present on stage. Michael was disgusted, saddened, shocked, upset, and angry about the incident, but at the same time he felt an immense pride that the band members were able to continue performing the song despite the hateful and shameful behavior of the individual who intended to disrupt the show. Michael’s main concern was about the people who had worked hard for this performance, as well as the children who were injured in the incident.
Cocker also denied committing any crime in a statement he published in the newspaper: “I didn’t do anything illegal. I don’t like Michael Jackson, but I didn’t hurt anyone. I didn’t attack anyone. What I did was a protest against Jackson’s actions and behavior—seeing himself as a messiah and wanting to heal the world. I couldn’t tolerate it anymore. The music industry, because of the wealth and power Jackson has at his disposal, allows him to nurture his fantasies and delusions.“
His spokesperson said that Cocker intended to sue Michael for the slander he had accused him of. He also claimed that he had a video tape of one of Michael’s guards beating children.
Following this incident, the British press mocked and ridiculed Cocker. The editor of The Sun, who usually doesn’t have a good relationship with Michael, wrote: “Michael Jackson is a mega star and a professional artist. Something that Jarvis Cocker will never become. The organizers promised that we would witness an extraordinary performance by Jaco [the press nickname for Michael]. And he proved it with the song ‘Earth Song.’ Cocker couldn’t stop the king of pop from performing.”
By giving Michael nine points out of ten, he reflected the satisfaction of many other critics with his performance.
Bill Cardewell, a cartoonist for the Star newspaper, said: “Jarvis Cocker was the clown, the idiot, and the most boring person of the year.”
But no one understood how the media suddenly rose to defend Jarvis.
At the BRIT Awards, Michael entered the stage wearing black clothes and then removed them. Under this black garment, he wore a white outfit. And at the end, he guided the children and other people present on stage toward the light shining on the stage.
The media blamed Michael for this move and accused him of believing he is the messiah and imagining that he is carrying a message for the people of Earth.
Jarvis Cocker now saw himself as a hero who had managed to direct the media’s attention toward his intended goal.
In an interview with a British television network, he said: “I was disgusted by his movements on stage and felt that my surroundings felt the same. I thought I had to do something, stood up, and went on stage. I didn’t know what to do. I thought maybe it would be better to imitate his movements. Run around the stage, climb on the equipment on stage, and bow like him.”
After a while, the American media also entered the matter with a hateful approach. They called Michael’s performance anti-Semitic.
In the final scene of this performance, Michael appears in white clothes and hugs everyone, including the person who was wearing Jewish clothing. The media’s interpretation was that the Jewish person (representing the Jewish religion) worships Michael (representing the Christian religion). [Meaning the superiority of the Christian religion over Judaism]
They even conducted a poll about it and broadcast an interview that had been done with several people from the United States on television. The interviewees called Michael Jackson anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, and anti-religion, while the performance of “Earth Song” at the BRIT Awards had not been broadcast on American television, and they certainly couldn’t have seen that program.
The media supported Cocker’s actions. Cocker had said that he went on stage to protest Michael’s messiah-like appearance. Whereas when he rushed onto the stage, Michael was performing “Earth Song” on the crane and was still wearing black clothes, with no sign of the messiah.
What is important is that when security forces took Cocker off the stage, the audience shouted Michael’s name in unison. So, it is certain that, unlike Cocker, they did not feel bad about Michael’s movements.
Perhaps Cocker did this as a result of jealousy or for the sake of promoting his own album, and his claim that he was protesting Michael’s actions was just an excuse to clear himself.
In response to the media controversy, Michael released a statement on the Sony website and explained his reasons for writing this song:
“I was feeling a great deal of sadness and pain. ‘Earth Song’ is, for me, the song of the Earth. Because I feel that nature is trying very hard to make up for the damage that human beings have done to the Earth and the environment. I think the Earth is suffering. And this song gave me an opportunity to bring the voice of the Earth to the ears of the people.“
Did he not try, with this song, to depict the Earth?
When Michael appeared on stage at the BRIT Awards, he was wearing black clothes, a symbol of Earth’s pollution and the destruction caused by war. When he flew on the crane above the audience, he addressed the people below from the Earth, calling on them to wake up and save the Earth before it was too late. Then he came down from the crane. The people present on stage were representatives of all human beings. Michael removed his black clothes while wearing a white outfit underneath, representing the Earth’s purification from pollution, the end of wars, rebuilding the Earth, and its return to its former state. All people (those on stage) hugged the Earth (Michael), and the Earth embraced them in return.
Michael’s outstretched arms did not depict the Christian cross. And the Jewish person was hugging the Earth, not the messiah.
The important message hidden in the song “Earth Song” remained unheard due to the pointless controversy created by the media.
[Earth Song clip]
On 28 February 1996, at the 38th annual Grammy Awards ceremony, Michael won the award for Best Music Video for the clip “Scream.”
In March 1996, the MTV network US reported that “History” is the best-selling double album in the history of music.
On 19 March 1996, at a press conference in Paris, Michael announced that he intended to establish a new company called Kingdom Entertainment . Kingdom Entertainment is a multi-media company operating in Paris, in which Michael and Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the Prince of Saudi Arabia, share ownership together.
On 22 March, the clip “They Don\'t Care About Us” was broadcast by television networks around the world except America.
This clip was filmed in Dona Martin, a poor neighborhood in the south of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), and the group Olodum, consisting of two hundred female drummers from that region, was present in it.
Michael’s makeup for this clip was done by Karen Faye, his special makeup artist.
Even before filming began, the clip was the top headline. Some politicians believed that by showing the reality of poverty and hardship that the people of Dona Martin suffer, the clip would tarnish the image of the city, which was a candidate to host the 2004 Olympic Games.
After seeing the threat the clip posed to the city’s image, the governor of Rio de Janeiro simply decided to prevent any filming in the city. This decision was immediately overturned by a government official because, according to him: “In international public opinion, banning filming in Dona Martin is more destructive than showing the reality of this city.”
More than 150 security police protected the area during filming.
There are two different versions of the clip for the song “They Don\'t Care About us.” And both were directed by Spike Lee. One version was filmed in Brazil, and the other depicts a prison. This version was released after the Brazilian version, because Michael was not completely satisfied with the result of the Brazilian version.
[They Don\'t Care About us clip in Brazil] The song was not broadcast on MTV or VH1. They called it ironic, hypocritical, and anti-Semitic. While there is no sign of anti-Semitism in this clip.
[They Don\'t Care About us clip in prison]
It is regrettable that MTV immediately broadcasts clips in which animals are cut into pieces, women are used for sexual purposes, violence is promoted, and... but it refuses to broadcast the clip of a song that tries to condemn our tendency to label and accept a dominant belief about a particular group of our brothers and sisters. With this clip, Michael intended to depict inhuman behaviors of human beings against their fellow human beings.
But after some time, the opinions of these two networks changed, and they showed the clip “They Don\'t Care About us.” At the beginning of the clip, a message appeared stating that the mentioned networks have no responsibility for broadcasting this clip and that they only show it to defend freedom of art.
VH1 proudly claims that it is a defender of freedom of expression. Music is a means of expressing an opinion and must be free. That is completely correct, but why doesn’t it apply to Michael’s music?
Spike Lee, director of the clips “They Don\'t Care About us,” said about the controversy that had arisen around these clips: “Michael is an artist and must be free to express his opinion.”
On 8 May 1996, after an outstanding performance of the song “Earth Song” at the “World Music Awards,” by receiving five prestigious awards, Michael broke