You Are Not Alone

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This article is about the Michael Jackson song. For other uses, see You're Not Alone (disambiguation).
"You Are Not Alone"
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album HIStory - Past, Present and Future, Book I
Released August 15, 1995
Format CD single
Recorded November 1994
at The Chicago Recording Company, Chicago, Illinois[1]
Genre R&B, soul
Length 5:45 (Album version)
4:54 (Single version)
4:35 (Radio edit)
5:35 (Video edit)
6:02 (Extended version)
Label Epic
Writer(s) R. Kelly
Producer Michael Jackson, R. Kelly
Certification Platinum (U.S.)
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"Scream/Childhood"
(1995)		 "You Are Not Alone"
(1995)		 "Earth Song"
(1995)
HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I track listing
"Come Together"
(8)		 "You Are Not Alone"
(9)		 "Childhood"
(10)

"You Are Not Alone", released in August 1995, is the second single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory. The R&B ballad was written by R. Kelly in response to difficult times in his personal life. He then forwarded a bare demo tape to Jackson, who liked the song and decided to produce it with Kelly. Jackson's interest in the song was also linked to recent events in his personal life.

The vast majority of critical reaction to "You Are Not Alone" was positive, although it did not attain unanimous praise. The song was the recipient of Grammy and American Music Award nominations. The corresponding music video, which featured Jackson and his wife was also notable for its scenes of semi-nudity.

Commercially, the song was a significant success. It holds a Guinness World Record as the first song in the 37-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 to debut at number one; it was later certified platinum by the RIAA. The song peaked highly in all major markets.

Contents

[edit] Production and music

  • "You Are Not Alone"
    Excerpt of the R. Kelly penned second single from HIStory. The excerpt shows the final product, after Jackson co-produced the bare demo.
  • Problems listening to the files? See media help.

"You Are Not Alone" is an R&B ballad about love and isolation.[2][3] The song was written by R. Kelly and produced by Kelly and Jackson.[2] Kelly wrote the song after the loss of close people in his life.[4] Kelly was delighted to be able to work with his idol, explaining "I was psyched ... I feel I could have done his whole album. Not being selfish. I was just that geeked about it. It was an experience out of this world ... It's amazing to know that five years ago I was writing songs in a basement in the ghetto and now I'm writing for Michael Jackson ... I'd be a fool not to say it's a dream come true."[5] Jackson contacted Kelly to see if he had any material available. Kelly forwarded a tape recording of the song and Jackson then agreed to work with Kelly on the piece.[5] On the tape sent to Jackson, Kelly sung "You Are Not Alone" mimicking Jackson's vocal style, explaining, "I think I am him. I become him. I want him to feel that as well." Jackson found the interpretation amusing.[6] They spent the last week of November 1994 together in the studio working on the track.[5]

Jackson explained that he instantly liked the song, but listened to it twice before making his final decision. Although the song was written by Kelly, Jackson was adamant that the production should be a collaborative effort amongst the two musicians.[4] The tape sent to him had no harmony or modulations, so Jackson added a choir in the final portion and added a sense of climax and structure to the final piece.[7]

[edit] Critical reaction

James Hunter of Rolling Stone noted that, "the excellent current single 'Scream' or the first-rate R&B ballad 'You Are Not Alone' – manage to link the incidents of Jackson's infamous recent past to universal concepts like injustice or isolation. When he bases his music in the bluntness of hip-hop, Jackson sketches funky scenarios denouncing greed, blanket unreliability and false accusation".[3] Jon Pareles of The New York Times said that it was the only conventional love song on the new material on HIStory. He compared it to Mariah Carey's song "Hero" and said it "sounds like a surefire hit".[2]

In more recent years, Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic expressed the opinion that "You Are Not Alone" was amongst some the best songs Jackson ever released, calling the song seductive.[8] The R&B critic and journalist Nelson George described the song as lovely and supple.[9] Writer and journalist J. Randy Taraborrelli wrote of the song in 2004, "[it] remains among Michael's best songs ... On listening to 'You Are Not Alone', one wonders how many times Michael tried to tell himself, during his most desperate and anguished times, that he did have support in his life, from a higher power, or even friends and family, whether he actually believed it or not".[10]

MT Reviews awarded the song a 10/10 rating and called it "One of the best songs of the decade... A sensuous, intimate song of breathtaking quality."

Fred Shuster of the Daily News of Los Angeles described it as the best song on the album.[11] Conversely, while Steve Holsey of Michigan Chronicle gave the album a positive review, he described the song as the worst on the album, calling the Kelly penned lyrics "trite" and below the standard set by Jackson's own lyrical skills.[12] "You Are Not Alone" received an American Music Award nomination and a Grammy nomination both for "Best Pop Vocal Performance".[13]

[edit] Music video

Presley leans down towards her husband in the temple scene of the music video.

The music video was directed by Wayne Isham and begins with a large number of paparazzi taking photographs of Jackson. The plot then centers around two locations: a temple where Jackson appears in an affectionate semi-naked scene with his then wife Lisa Marie Presley and a theater where Jackson performs the song to an empty hall. Jackson also appears alone in other locations such as deserts and mountain tops. It is the first high profile video where Jackson's hair is cut relatively short. The slightly extended version that appeared on HIStory on Film, Volume II was notable for a scene where Jackson appeared as a guardian angel over his wife, special effects were used to give Jackson white feathery wings.

In one scene, Jackson originally appeared in complete nudity, but just before the video aired a decision was made to use special effects to remove or cover these aspects.[14]

Despite giving the song a positive review, Taraborrelli said of the video, "The only problem with 'You Are Not Alone' was the bizarre video for it, in which Michael and Lisa Marie frolic about semi-nude against an ethereal backdrop...The semi-nudity made no sense and was a bit disconcerting; one wished they would put their clothes back on".[10] Afterward Presley expressed regret about doing the video, saying she was "sucked up in the moment. It was kind of cool being in a Michael Jackson video. Come on!".[10]

[edit] Chart performance

Commercially, "You Are Not Alone", remains one of Jackson's best selling singles. It holds the Guinness World Record for the first song ever to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[15] First week sales were 120,000 copies, it was certified platinum by the RIAA for shipments of at least one million units within the US.[16][17][18] It broke the record set by his previous single "Scream/Childhood", which was the first song in the 37 year history of Billboard to debut at number five—where it peaked.[17]

It peaked at number one in the UK after a debut at number three in the prior week.[17][19] The song also reached number one in Wallonia, France, New Zealand, Spain and Switzerland.[20] With the exception of Italy, it became a top ten hit in every major market.[17][20]

[edit] Plagiarism

In 2007, a Belgium court ruled that R. Kelly had plagiarized the 1993 song "If We Can Start All Over" when composing "You Are Not Alone". The court transferred rights of Jackson's hit to the twin composer brothers, Eddy and Danny Van Passel. The judgment is only recognized in Belgium and airplay of the hit has been banned in that nation.[21][22][23]

[edit] Charts

Chart (1995) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Singles Chart 7[20]
Austrian Singles Chart 2[20]
Belgian (Flanders) Singles Chart 3[20]
Belgian (Wallonia) Singles Chart 1[20]
Canadian Singles Chart 2[24]
Dutch Singles Chart 6[20]
Finnish Singles Chart 10[20]
French Singles Chart 1[20]
Irish Singles Chart 1[25]
Italian Singles Chart 14[20]
New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart 1[20]
Norwegian Singles Chart 9[20]
Spanish Singles Chart 1[20]
Swedish Singles Chart 2[20]
Swiss Singles Chart 1[26]
UK Singles Chart 1[17]
US Billboard Hot 100 1[27]
Chart (2009) Peak
position
Danish Singles Chart 33[20]
French Digital Singles Chart 19[28]
New Zealand Singles Chart 12[29]
Swiss Singles Chart 16[26]
UK Singles Chart 35[30]
U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs 17[31]

[edit] Certifications

Country Certification Sales/Shipments
Austria[32] Gold 20,000
France[33] Gold 250,000
Germany[34] Gold 250,000[35]
New Zealand[36] Gold 7,500[37]
Switzerland[38] Gold 25,000
United Kingdom[39] Gold 400,000
United States[40] Platinum 1,000,000

[edit] Tracklisting

Canadian & U.S.

  1. You Are Not Alone - 5:48
  2. You Are Not Alone (Radio Edit) - 4:54
  3. You Are Not Alone (Franctified Club Mix) - 10:40
  4. Scream Louder (Flyte Tyme Remix) - 5:30
  5. MJ Megaremix - 10:33

Japan single

  1. You Are Not Alone - 5:48
  2. You Are Not Alone (Radio Edit) - 4:54
  3. You Are Not Alone (Franctified Club Mix) - 10:40
  4. You Are Not Alone (R. Kelly Mix) - 6:23
  5. You Are Not Alone (Classic Club Mix) - 7:40
  6. You Are Not Alone (Jon B. Main Mix) - 6:55
  7. You Are Not Alone (Jon B. Padapella Mix) 6:55

Austria single

  1. You Are Not Alone - 5:48
  2. You Are Not Alone (Radio Edit) - 4:54
  3. You Are Not Alone (Franctified Club Mix) - 10:40
  4. You Are Not Alone (Classic Club Mix) - 7:40
  5. You Are Not Alone (Jon B. Main Mix) - 6:55
  6. You Are Not Alone (Jon B. Padapella Mix) 6:55
  7. MJ Medley - 4:59

Visionary single

  • Cd Side:
  1. You Are Not Alone (Radio Edit) - 4:34
  2. You Are Not Alone (Classic Club Mix) - 7:36
  • Dvd Side:
  1. You Are Not Alone (Music Video) - 5:37

[edit] The X Factor UK 2009 finalists version

"You Are Not Alone"
Single by The X Factor Finalists 2009
Released 15 November 2009 (2009-11-15)
Format CD single, digital single
Genre R&B
Label Syco
Writer(s) R. Kelly
The X Factor finalists chronology
"Hero"
(2008)		 "You Are Not Alone"
(2009)
Joe McElderry singles chronology
"You Are Not Alone"
(2009)		 "The Climb"
(2009)

The final twelve acts from the sixth series of TV talent show The X Factor in the United Kingdom released a cover version of the song on November 15, 2009 in aid of Great Ormond Street Hospital.[41] The finalists premiered the song live on the November 15 edition of the programme; the single was available for digital download that day and a physical release followed the day after.[41] The release of the song follows a similar occurrence a year earlier, when the final twelve acts from the fifth series released a cover version of Mariah Carey's "Hero" in aid of Help for Heroes and raised over £1 million.[42]

[edit] Music video

The video is very similar to the video of the cover version of the charity single of the year before. It shows various contestants performing their part in front of a plain black background, then shows the 12 finalists together performing the song in front of a screen of photos. Photos and video footage of the finalists at the Great Ormond Street Hospital are shown throughout the video.

[edit] Charts

Chart (2009) Peak
position
Irish Singles Chart[43] 1
UK Singles Chart[44] 1
Eurochart Hot 100[45] 10


[edit] Notes

  1. ^ http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=CSTB&p_theme=cstb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB421F45D908382&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM
  2. ^ a b c Pareles, Jon (1995-06-18). "Pop View; Michael Jackson Is Angry, Understand?". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=990CE0DD123DF93BA25755C0A963958260&scp=4&sq=HIStory+album+michael+jackson+review&st=nyt. Retrieved 2008-09-18. 
  3. ^ a b Hunter, James (1995-08-10). "Michael Jackson HIStory". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/albums/album/312830/review/5943497/history_past_present_and_future_book_1. Retrieved 2008-07-23. 
  4. ^ a b Screamin' Siblings: Michael & Janet. [Televised interview/press conference]. Bryant Park, Manhattan: MTV. June 1995. http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?id=1536070&vid=104441. Retrieved 2008-10-06. 
  5. ^ a b c Brown, p. 56
  6. ^ Brown, p. 57
  7. ^ Grant, Adrian (1998). Michael Jackson : Making History. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0711967237. 
  8. ^ Erlewine, Stephen. "Michael Jackson HIStory Overview". Allmusic. http://www.allmusicguide.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:rz60tr7qklkx. Retrieved 2008-06-15. 
  9. ^ George, p. 24
  10. ^ a b c Taraborrelli, p. 609–610
  11. ^ Shuster, Fred (1995-06-18). "Jackson attempts to rewrite 'history'". Daily News of Los Angeles. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_action=doc&p_docid=0F51AE3C3455B8D7&p_docnum=1. Retrieved 2008-11-07. 
  12. ^ Holsey, Steve (1995-07-04). "Jackson's 'HIStory' is an impressive one". Michigan Chronicle. http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-2346777.html. Retrieved 2008-11-11. 
  13. ^ George, p. 49
  14. ^ Kennedy, Helen (1995-07-28). "Jacko has video surgery". New York Daily News. http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/1995/07/28/1995-07-28_jacko_has_video_surgery.html. Retrieved 2008-11-11. 
  15. ^ "Jackson receives his World Records". Yahoo!. 2006-11-14. http://uk.news.launch.yahoo.com/dyna/article.html?a=/14112006/344/jackson-receives-world-records.html&e=l_news_dm. Retrieved 2006-11-16. 
  16. ^ Hochman, Steve (1995-09-03). "Rewriting Pop HIStory; Michael Jackson's publicists are crowing about new single's unprecedented success, but skeptics abound.". Los Angeles Times. http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/21404361.html?dids=21404361:21404361&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&date=Sep+03%2C+1995&author=Steve+Hochman&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&desc=Rewriting+Pop+HIStory%3B+Michael+Jackson%27s+publicists+are+crowing+about+new+single%27s+unprecedented+success%2C+but+skeptics+abound.&pqatl=google. Retrieved 2008-11-10. 
  17. ^ a b c d e George, p. 48
  18. ^ "RIAA Gold and Platinum, search database". RIAA. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH. Retrieved 2008-11-09. 
  19. ^ Pinkerton, Lee (1997). The Many Faces of Michael Jackson. Music Sales Distribution. ISBN 0711967830. 
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "M. Jackson & J. Jackson - You Are Not Alone (nummer)". www.ultratop.be. http://www.ultratop.be/nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Michael+Jackson&titel=You+Are+Not+Alone&cat=s. Retrieved 2008-11-09. 
  21. ^ "Belgian court rules Michael Jackson hit was plagiarized". CBC news. 2007-09-12. http://www.cbc.ca/arts/music/story/2007/09/12/belgium-jackson.html. Retrieved 2008-11-10. 
  22. ^ Friedman, Roger (2007-10-11). "Britney Spears' 'Blackout' Hits Internet". Fox News Channel. http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,301200,00.html. Retrieved 2008-11-10. 
  23. ^ "R Kelly 'copied Belgian song'". The Independent. 2007-09-12. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4158/is_/ai_n19516781. Retrieved 2008-11-11. 
  24. ^ Lwin, Nanda. Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide 1975-1999. Mississauga, Ontario: Music Data Research. ISBN 1896594131.
  25. ^ Irish Recording Music Association (August 24, 1995). "Irish Singles Chart (searchable database)". irishcharts.ie. http://www.irishcharts.ie/search/placement. Retrieved 2008-12-08. 
  26. ^ a b "Swiss Singles Chart Archives". hitparade.ch. http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Michael+Jackson&titel=You+Are+Not+Alone&cat=s. Retrieved July 18, 2009. 
  27. ^ "Artist Chart History - Michael Jackson". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/retrieve_chart_history.do?model.vnuArtistId=4902&model.vnuAlbumId=497792. Retrieved 2008-11-05. 
  28. ^ "Download French Single Top 50". France. lescharts. http://lescharts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=si&year=2009&date=20090627. Retrieved 2009-12-30. 
  29. ^ "New Zealand Singles Chart". RIANZ. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp. Retrieved 7 July 2009. 
  30. ^ "UK Singles Chart". The Official UK Charts Company. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/top40_singles.php. Retrieved 6 July 2009. 
  31. ^ U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Songs
  32. ^ International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (December 21, 1995). "Austrian certification (search)". ifpi.at. http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin. Retrieved 2008-12-08. 
  33. ^ Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (1995). "French certification". chartsinfrance.net. http://www.chartsinfrance.net/certifications/artiste-302.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-08. 
  34. ^ International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (1995). "German certification". musikindustrie.de. http://www.musikindustrie.de/gold_platin_datenbank/?action=1&strSuche=You+Are+Not+Alone. Retrieved 2008-12-08. 
  35. ^ International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (1995). "Criteria" (PDF). musikindustrie.de. http://www.musikindustrie.de/uploads/media/TT-Formular_blanko_02.pdf. Retrieved 2008-12-08. 
  36. ^ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (2009). "New Zealand certification: Look at #1676 Monday 6 July 2009". rianz.org.nz. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart.asp. Retrieved 2009-07-07. 
  37. ^ Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (2009). "New Zealand Chart Facts". rianz.org.nz. http://www.rianz.org.nz/rianz/chart_facts.asp. Retrieved 2009-07-07. 
  38. ^ Hit Parade (1995). "Swiss certification". hitparade.ch. http://hitparade.ch/awards.asp?year=1995. Retrieved 2008-12-08. 
  39. ^ British Phonographic Industry (October 1, 1995). "U.K. certification". bpi.co.uk. http://www.bpi.co.uk/platinum/platinumright.asp?rq=search_plat&r_id=20620. Retrieved 2008-12-08. 
  40. ^ Recording Industry Association of America (October 13, 1995). "U.S. certification". riaa.com. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?resultpage=1&table=SEARCH_RESULTS&action=&title=you%20are%20not%20alone&artist=michael%20jackson&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25. Retrieved 2008-12-08. 
  41. ^ a b "First look at The X Factor contestants' charity single!". Heatworld.com. 30 October 2009. http://www.heatworld.com/Article/12769/The-X-Factor/First-look-at-The-X-Factor-contestants-charity-single!. Retrieved 30 October 2009. 
  42. ^ Routledge, Rebecca (25 October 2009). "'X Factor' stars record charity single". Digital Spy. http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/xfactor/news/a183531/x-factor-stars-record-charity-single.html. Retrieved 30 October 2009. 
  43. ^ Irish Singles Chart - The X Factor 2009
  44. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/chart/singles/
  45. ^ http://www.billboard.com/charts/european-hot-100#/charts/european-hot-100

[edit] References

Preceded by
"Kiss from a Rose" by Seal		 Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
(Michael Jackson version)
September 2, 1995		 Succeeded by
"Gangsta's Paradise" by Coolio featuring L.V.
Preceded by
"Country House" by Blur		 UK Singles Chart number-one single
(Michael Jackson version)
3 September 1995 – September 17, 1995		 Succeeded by
"Boombastic" by Shaggy
Preceded by
"Boombastic" by Shaggy		 Billboard's Hot R&B Songs number-one single
(Michael Jackson version)
September 2, 1995 - September 23, 1995		 Succeeded by
"Fantasy" by Mariah Carey
Preceded by
"XXL" by Mylène Farmer		 French number-one single
(Michael Jackson version)
September 30, 1995 - October 7, 1995		 Succeeded by
"Je sais pas" by Céline Dion
Preceded by
"Fight For This Love" by Cheryl Cole		 Irish Singles Chart number-one single
(The X Factor Finalists 2009 version)
November 19, 2009 - December 3, 2009		 Succeeded by
"Bad Romance" by Lady Gaga
Preceded by
"Meet Me Halfway" by Black Eyed Peas		 UK Singles Chart number-one single
(The X Factor Finalists 2009 version)
November 22, 2009 - Novermber 29, 2009		 Succeeded by
"The Official BBC Children in Need Medley" by Peter Kay
v • d • e
Michael Jackson singles
Got to Be There
Ben
"Ben"
Music & Me
"With a Child's Heart" · "Music and Me" · "Morning Glow" · "Happy"
Forever, Michael
The Wiz
Off the Wall
One Day in Your Life
Thriller
Farewell My Summer Love
"Farewell My Summer Love" · "Touch the One You Love" · "Girl You're So Together"
Bad
Dangerous
HIStory
"Scream/Childhood" · "You Are Not Alone" · "Earth Song" · "They Don't Care About Us" · "Stranger in Moscow"
Blood on the Dance Floor:
HIStory in the Mix
Invincible
Number Ones
Thriller 25
Promotional singles
Notable collaborations
and album tracks
v • d • e
R. Kelly
Studio albums
Collaboration albums
Compilation and
remix albums
Mixtapes
Singles
"Why You Wanna Play Me" · "She's Got That Vibe" · "Honey Love" · "Slow Dance (Hey Mr. DJ)" · "Dedicated" · "Sex Me (Parts I and II)" · "Bump n' Grind" · "Your Body's Callin'" · "Summer Bunnies" · "You Remind Me of Something" · "Down Low (Nobody Has to Know)" · "Thank God It's Friday" · "I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" · "I Believe I Can Fly" · "Gotham City" · "Half on a Baby" · "Home Alone" · "I'm Your Angel" · "When a Woman's Fed Up" · "Did You Ever Think" · "If I Could Turn Back the Hands of Time" · "Only the Loot Can Make Me Happy" · "I Wish" · "Feelin' on Yo Booty" · "The Storm Is Over Now" · "Fiesta" · "Take You Home with Me (A.K.A. Body)" · "Honey" · "The World's Greatest" · "Ignition (Remix)" · "Snake" · "Step in the Name of Love" · "Thoia Thoing" · "Happy People" · "U Saved Me" · "Big Chips" · "In the Kitchen" · "Trapped in the Closet" · "Playa's Only" · "Slow Wind" · "Burn It Up" · "I'm a Flirt (Remix)" · "Same Girl" · "Rock Star" · "Freaky in the Club" · "Hair Braider" · "Skin" · "Number One" · "Religious" · "Echo" ·
Featured singles
"Be Careful" · "Satisfy You" · "Contagious" · "We Thuggin'" · "Gigolo" · "Hotel" · "Gangsta Girl" · "So Sexy" · "Wonderful" · "That's That Shit" · "Go Getta" · "Speedin'" · "All the Above"
Related articles
v • d • e
The X Factor UK
Series
Main: 1 · 2 · 3 · 4 · 5 · 6
Celebrity: Battle of the Stars
Presenters
Judges
Winners
Related singles
Winner's singles: "Against All Odds" · "That's My Goal" · "A Moment Like This" · "When You Believe" · "Hallelujah · "The Climb"
Charity singles: "Hero" · "You Are Not Alone"
Related articles
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Are_Not_Alone"