Background context
Michael Jackson was an American singer, dancer, song writer, record producer, actor and philanthropist.
• Michael debuted in 1964 as one of the Jackson Five then began his solo career in 1971. By the early 80s he was a dominant figure in the music industry and his album ‘Thriller’ earned him the title of the ‘King of Pop’, as it is the best-selling album of all time.
• Michael Jackson’s music videos were so unusual that they helped to transform the medium into both an art form and a promotional tool.
• The MTV cable channel was seen as a platform for Michael Jackson to showcase his video talents and by airing his videos regularly, MTV was also able to reach greater heights.
• The music video for ‘Black or White’ premiered on 14th November, 1991, in 27 countries simultaneously. It reached an audience of 500 million – the highest ever for a music video.
What is the narrative of the 1 minute 45 seconds before the song?
The video is more a mini film with a 1 min 45 second intro to the song. In this intro, the audience is zoomed along a suburban street into the window of a family home, where an establishing shot shows a young boy of around 11 years old (Macaulay Culkin of ‘Home Alone’ fame) playing rock music in his bedroom loudly. The scene cuts to an establishing shot of his parents downstairs and we soon see, through a close up, how cross his father is at the noise.
What is the song about?
'Black or White' is a song about racism and how it doesn't matter where you are from or what colour you are because we are all people. These lyrics describe his own opinion on discrimination and racism
Who is the target audience?
This could be fans of Michael Jackson in the ages of 15 - 35
Representational Issues:
• Jackson’s clothing in the video could be said to mimic the song’s title and his actions – him copying the various dance moves, then them copying his - represent the ideology that ultimately we are all just the same.
• Each group of people are represented positively in the video, displaying happy faces, a sense of unity and friendship and the lyrics of the song sound like a plea for racial harmony.
• This all seems like a very positive message to promote, that race does not and should not matter to anyone.
• However, interestingly, Michael Jackson suffered a skin condition called vitiligo, which caused his skin to grow paler as he aged. This condition sparked all sorts of media debate about whether he purposefully bleached his skin and it was clear he also wore makeup to cover up this condition, make up which made him paler. Therefore, the statement in ‘Black or White’ could be considered a little ironic in light of this.
• Each group of people are represented positively in the video, displaying happy faces, a sense of unity and friendship and the lyrics of the song sound like a plea for racial harmony.
• This all seems like a very positive message to promote, that race does not and should not matter to anyone.
• However, interestingly, Michael Jackson suffered a skin condition called vitiligo, which caused his skin to grow paler as he aged. This condition sparked all sorts of media debate about whether he purposefully bleached his skin and it was clear he also wore makeup to cover up this condition, make up which made him paler. Therefore, the statement in ‘Black or White’ could be considered a little ironic in light of this.
USEFUL LINKS:
http://resource.download.wjec.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/vtc/2016-17/16-17_1-36/_eng/unit5/1c-analysis-of-visuals.html - Black or White video + Quiz
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