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smooth criminal

remixed by rob b. / dmc

"Smooth Criminal" is a song on Michael Jackson's Bad album (1987). Intertwined with the fast-paced beats are Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a suave hitman. The song was re-released on the CD Number Ones

"Smooth Criminal" was released as a single in 1988 and peaked at seven on the Billboard Hot 100. [1] It was re-released on April 10, 2006 as a part of the Visionary: The Video Singles box-set. The re-released Visionary single charted at #19 in the UK.

information...

The song was the centerpiece in Jackson's Moonwalker movie, in which an entire hour-long short film (featuring Joe Pesci) was produced around the song. In the film, Jackson plays with his young friends outdoors when they come upon a cave, which leads to a kind of dream world in which "Mr. Big" Frankie Lideo has been selling drugs to youths in order to get everyone hooked. In the dream world, Jackson must save a kidnapped girl named Katie from Mr. Big's soldier-like henchmen, which he does through the power of a "wishing star". In the process, he transforms into a super-fast car, a robotic man and even a spaceship before saving her life. "Smooth Criminal" was presented in a ten-minute long clip in which Jackson dances through a 1930s-style nightclub. The version of the song used in the clip is different from the album version — the background beats are different, there are several new lyrics, and the song is much longer overall. The version of the video that is usually aired on network television is 4 minutes long and is merely a sped up version of the clip from the movie. For more information regarding the video see below.

Both the style of the clip and the clothes and mannerisms Jackson portrayed were reused in the arcade and Sega Genesis version of the video game adaptation of Moonwalker.

The song was performed live during the second leg of Jackson's 1987–88 Bad World Tour. The performance featured an exciting dance routine modeled after the scene from the Moonwalker movie. By the time the 1992 Dangerous World Tour came around, this spectacular performance became a regular on Jackson tours. This time Jackson had devised a way to perform the anti-gravity lean, which was featured in the Moonwalker video, on stage. Much like the robot move from "Dancing Machine" to the Moonwalk from "Billie Jean", this showcased Jackson's amazing talent for creating exciting moves to enhance stage performances. This performance can be seen on the Bucharest Dangerous Tour performance which is included as a DVD in The Ultimate Collection boxed set.

music video...

Currently there are 4 different versions of the video for Smooth Criminal:

  • The Original Moonwalker Version - This is the version seen on the Moonwalker film - while technically the whole video is 39 minutes the actual "Smooth Criminal" song segment is aprox. 15 minutes. It includes the added lyric, a middle section of interperative dance with the dancers among other changes.
  • The "Moonwalker Version" - This version is included on History on Film, Volume II and is the song section of the "Smooth Criminal" segment from the film Moonwalker. It is essentially the same only with different opening music, and the middle section with the dancers chanting has been truncated (a shot of the cat is removed, the chanting has been shortened, fewer "Annie are you Okay?"s) and ends at the point in the original where Michael exits the club, and contains an added shot of one of the flappers fanning herself. It also contains the added lyric.
  • The Sped Up Video - This is commonly shown on music video stations and appears during the end credits for Moonwalker. It is essentially the "Smooth Criminal" video sped up, with an added blur effect, and some alternate angles. This version was included on the Visionary Video Single.
  • The Album Version - Also commonly shown on music video stations - it is the regular version of the video edited to be in sync with the original album version of the song. It excludes the added lyric, the middle section along with various other moments.

This text is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Smooth Criminal".
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