Jump to content

Speechless (Michael Jackson song): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Just... no. Let's not have this again. Emailing an MP3 to a DJ does not mean this had an official release. The article concedes as much. It's an album track.
Line 1: Line 1:
{{infobox single<!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs --><!-- The song was released as a promotional single, so it should be listed as a "single" rather than a "song" in it's info box -->
{{infobox song<!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
| Name = Speechless
| Name = Speechless
| Cover = Speechless MJ Cover.jpg
| Cover = Speechless MJ Cover.jpg
Line 11: Line 11:
| Writer = Michael Jackson
| Writer = Michael Jackson
| Producer = Michael Jackson
| Producer = Michael Jackson
| Last single = "[[Butterflies (Michael Jackson song)|Butterflies]]"<br />(2001)
| This single = "'''Speechless'''"<br />(2001)
| Next single = "[[Cry (Michael Jackson song)|Cry]]"<br />(2001)
| Misc =
| Misc =
}}
}}

Revision as of 02:05, 6 May 2010

"Speechless"
Song

"Speechless" is a song written by American recording artist Michael Jackson and included on his tenth studio album, Invincible (2001). A ballad, the track came to fruition when Jackson was inspired to write it after having a water balloon fight with youngsters in Germany. Jackson collaborated with musicians including Jeremy Lubbock, Brad Buxer, Novi Novoq, Stuart Bradley and Bruce Swedien during the production of "Speechless". Backing vocals to the song were provided by Andrae Crouch and his gospel choir.

Sony Music Entertainment executives were given a pre-release preview of "Speechless" and responded positively to the ballad. It was later released as a promotional single, and received mixed reviews from music critics. Their comments focused on the acapellas featured on the track, as well as the song's lyrics and composition. A clip of Jackson singing "Speechless" was later included in the posthumous 2009 documentary–concert film Michael Jackson's This Is It.

Writing and recording

Michael Jackson wrote "Speechless" after having a water balloon fight with children in Germany.[1] In an interview with the magazine Vibe, the musician commented, "I was so happy after the fight that I ran upstairs in their house and wrote 'Speechless'. Fun inspires me. I hate to say that, because it's such a romantic song." He added, "But it was the fight that did it. I was happy, and I wrote it in it's entirety right there. I felt it would be good enough for the album. Out of the bliss comes magic, wonderment, and creativity."[2][3]

"Speechless" was the only song from Invincible—Jackson's first solo studio album since his 1995 HIStory—to be written solely by the entertainer.[4][5] Jeremy Lubbock worked with the musician in arranging and conducting an orchestra. Instrumentalists on the track included Brad Buxer on keyboards, as well as Novi Novoq and Thomas Tally on violas. The violinists on "Speechless" consisted of Peter Kent, Gina Kronstadt, Robin Lorentz, Kirstin Fife and John Wittenberg. The track featured backing vocals from Andrae Crouch and his gospel choir, The Andrae Crouch Singers. "Speechless" was digitally edited by Buxer and Stuart Brawley, and was mixed by Bruce Swedien,[6] who later said, "Everything with Michael is a stand-out moment but an absolutely gorgeous piece of music called 'Speechless' was really an event. Michael sings the first eight bars acappella. At the end, he closes it off acappella – it was Michael's idea to add the acappella parts."[7]

Composition and lyrics

"Speechless" is a ballad,[8][9] and is cited as an R&B, pop and soul song on the sheet music published on Musicnotes.com by Alfred Music Publishing. The track was performed in common time, with a tempo of 80 beats per minute. It was composed in a B♭ major key, and sung in a vocal range from F4 to D♭5.[10] The lyrics to "Speechless" are about being rendered aphasic by the power of love.[11] The song opens with Jackson singing acapella, "Your love is magical, that's how I feel, but I have not the words here to explain", which Rick de Yampert of The Daytona Beach News-Journal felt the singer "[crooned] sweetly".[6][12] The chorus includes the lines, "Speechless, speechless, that's how you make me feel. Though I'm with you, I am far away and nothing is for real."[6] A second acapella verse bookends the track.[13]

Post-production and release

In June 2001, several months before the release of Invincible, "Speechless" was among several songs showcased from the album to executives of Jackson's music label, Epic Records (a subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment). Other songs previewed included "Unbreakable", "The Lost Children" and "Privacy", which would all go on to feature on the track listing of Invincible.[14][15] Roger Friedman of Fox News reported that the executives who listened to the previews of Jackson's material liked what they heard. Epic Records' president Dave Glew commented on the collection of tracks, stating, "It's wonderful and amazing. Michael is singing better than ever." He added, "The ballads! The ballads are beautiful, and they're all there."[16] "Speechless" was later released as a promotional single in 2001. A remixed version of "You Rock My World" featuring rapper Jay-Z served as the single's B-side.[17]

Critical reception

"Speechless" received mixed comments from music journalists. Craig Seymour of The Buffalo News felt that the song was the only one from the album in which Jackson successfully revisited his past. The journalist thought that the song was reminiscent of the 1995 chart-topper "You Are Not Alone", as it sounded to him like a track that could have been written by R. Kelly, who penned the number one hit.[18] Writing for the Chicago Sun-Times, Jim DeRogatis described "Speechless" as a "beautifully minimal, heartfelt romantic ballad".[19] Music journalist Roger Catlin stated that the song leaned towards "neo-gospel".[13] The New York Post proclaimed that "Speechless" was "lullaby-like" and the best song on Invincible, while Jon Pareles of The New York Times praised Jackson's "long lines and creamy overdubbed choruses [sailing] weightlessly" in the ballad, that the journalist felt could have been "a love song to God".[20][21]

Pop music critic Robert Hilburn described "Speechless", and another song from Invincible ("Butterflies"), as being "as woefully generic as their titles".[11] Ben Rayner of the Toronto Star contested that the acapellas in "Speechless" were enough to make a person wish that Jackson actually was unable to make a sound.[22] Michigan Daily writer Dustin J. Seibert wrote that the song was a "shining [example] of what happens when The Gloved One gets beside himself and writes smarmy crap that should be reserved for a CD changer somewhere in a preschool".[23] The Fort Worth Star-Telegram said that "Speechless" was one of the weaker tracks from Invincible.[24] Elliot Sylvester of The Independent felt that the song was "pure Jackson – almost to a formulaic fault".[25]

The Dallas Morning News' Thor Christensen said that "Speechless" was "produced by Mr. Jackson in bombastic style à la Celine Dion". He added that as the track ended with an emotional Jackson, it drew a parallel with the singer's 1972 ode to a rat, "Ben".[26] Vaughn Watson of The Providence Journal hailed "Speechless" as Invincible's "best song, and one of Jackson's finest of any album". He added that with the song, the musician acknowledged the pain that accompanies isolation.[27] In a review of Invincible, The Wichita Eagle stated that "Speechless", "Don't Walk Away" and "Cry" were among the "sincere ballads" in which Jackson was exemplary.[28] Ada Anderson of The Ball State Daily News expressed the view that "Speechless" would become a popular song, while writers for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel stated that the ballad would take time to get used to.[29][30]

Nikolas Markantonatos of The Daily Collegian in Massachusetts suggested that one could "nearly feel Jackson's energy bursting through the seams of ["Speechless"], as the slow pace leaves him anything but."[31] The Dayton Daily News' Ron Rollins described the track as a "pretty love song", while Tim Perzyk of the Duke Chronicle stated that the acapellas of "Speechless" displayed a "disturbing vocal androgyny that gives falsetto a bad name".[32][33] Music critic Kevin C. Johnson thought that "Speechless" was "one of [Jackson's] typical, whispery ballads that swells as it moves along".[34] A journalist for The Olympian stated that the song was "gorgeous", with a Deseret News critic adding that the track had a "heartfelt sentiment".[35][36]

Live performance

Jackson died in June 2009 after suffering a cardiac arrest.[37] He had been preparing for This Is It, a planned series of concerts at The O2 Arena in London.[38] A clip of the entertainer singing "Speechless" was subsequently included in Michael Jackson's This Is It, a commercially successful documentary-concert film of the singer's rehearsals for the London shows.[39]

Track listing

  • Album track listing:
    • "Speechless" – 3: 18
  • Promotional single:
    • "Speechless" – 3:18
    • "You Rock My World" (remix version with Jay-Z) – 3:28

Notes

  1. ^ Reiter, Amy (January 29, 2002). "Jacko inspired by balloon battle". Salon.com. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  2. ^ Good, Karen R. (March 2002). "Black skin, white mask". Vibe. Retrieved March 14, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ Jones, p. 283
  4. ^ Taraborrelli, p. 612
  5. ^ Brown, p. 105
  6. ^ a b c Linear notes of Invincible by Michael Jackson
  7. ^ Grant, p. 296
  8. ^ Beaumont, Mark (October 30, 2001). "Michael Jackson : Invincible". NME. Retrieved April 16, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Reid, Shaheem (October 26, 2001). "Michael Jackson Revisits Old Self, Rails At Press, Tries Bounce On Invincible". MTV. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  10. ^ "Speechless – Michael Jackson Digital Sheet Music (Digital Download)". MusicNotes.com. Alfred Publishing Co. Inc. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  11. ^ a b Hilburn, Robert (October 28, 2001). "Michael Jackson's 'Invincible'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ de Yampert, Rick (November 13, 2001). "Jackson trying to be new kid on the block" (Payment required to access full article.). The Daytona Beach News-Journal. Retrieved April 19, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ a b Catlin, Roger (October 31, 2001). "'Invincible': new material, echoes of past" (Payment required to access full article.). The Hartford Courant. Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  14. ^ Vineyard, Jennifer (June 14, 2001). "Michael Jackson Previews 15 Invincible Tracks". MTV. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  15. ^ Turner, Megan (June 19, 2001). "Action Jackson – will the King of Pop reign again?" (Payment required to access full article.). New York Post. Retrieved April 17, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  16. ^ Friedman, Roger (June 15, 2001). "Michael Jackson Presents the 'Invincible' Album, Record Execs Go Crazy". Fox News. Retrieved April 17, 2010.
  17. ^ Packaging of the "Speechless" promotional single by Michael Jackson
  18. ^ Seymour, Craig (October 26, 2001). "Same old Jacko" (Payment required to access full article.). The Buffalo News. Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  19. ^ DeRogatis, Jim (October 29, 2001). "Whiny dancer" (Payment required to access full article.). Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ "Hands down, not out" (Payment required to access full article.). New York Post. (October 30, 2001). Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  21. ^ Pareles, Jon (October 28, 2001). "Music; To Regain Glory, The New Michael Imitates the Old". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  22. ^ Rayner, Ben (October 30, 2001). "Invincible incredibly insipid ; New album is not the come-back Jackson has been hoping for" (Payment required to access full article.). Toronto Star. Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ Seibert, Dustin J. (October 30, 2001). "CD review: Jacko moonwalks toward old form" (Payment required to access full article.). Michigan Daily. Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  24. ^ "The thriller is gone Jackson's latest shows how far he's fallen" (Payment required to access full article.). Fort Worth Star-Telegram. (November 2, 2001). Retrieved April 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ Sylvester, Elliot (January 14, 2002). "Invincible shows that Jacko is not". The Independent. Retrieved April 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  26. ^ Christensen, Thor (November 4, 2001). "Off the wall, out of touch Michael Jackson leans too much on the past for his comeback album" (Payment required to access full article.). The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  27. ^ Watson, Vaughn (November 11, 2001). "Spears and Jackson: Mostly stuck in old grooves" (Payment required to access full article.). The Providence Journal. Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  28. ^ "Still the king" (Payment required to access full article.). The Wichita Eagle. (November 11, 2001). Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  29. ^ Anderson, Ada (November 1, 2001). "CD Review: Pop king's new album average" (Payment required to access full article.). The Ball State Daily News. Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  30. ^ Roache, Dwight (November 30, 2001). "The Jackson legend" (Payment required to access full article.). South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Retrieved April 22, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  31. ^ Markantonatos, Nikolas (November 8, 2001). "CD review: King of Pop's 'Invincible' a lackluster comeback" (Payment required to access full article.). The Daily Collegian. Retrieved April 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  32. ^ Rollins, Ron (November 2, 2001). "Recordings on review" (Payment required to access full article.). Dayton Daily News. Retrieved April 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  33. ^ Perzyk, Tim (November 2, 2001). "Jackson sucks". Duke Chronicle. Retrieved April 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  34. ^ Johnson, Kevin C. (November 2, 2001). "Jackson's 'Invincible' isn't 'bad', just 'old'" (Payment required to access full article.). St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved April 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  35. ^ "Ross Raihala sound affects" (Payment required to access full article.). The Olympian. (November 9, 2001). Retrieved April 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  36. ^ "Jackson still seems invincible, But a lot has happened since 'Thriller'in '84" (Payment required to access full article.). Deseret News. (November 16, 2001). Retrieved April 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  37. ^ Moore, Matthew (June 26, 2009). "Michael Jackson, King of Pop, dies of cardiac arrest in Los Angeles". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved June 27, 2009. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  38. ^ "Singer Michael Jackson dead at 50-Legendary pop star had been preparing for London comeback tour". MSNBC. (June 25, 2009). Retrieved June 25, 2009. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ Ditzian, Eric (October 28, 2009). "Inside 'Michael Jackson's This Is It' From The New York Premiere". MTV. Retrieved April 24, 2010.

References

  • Brown, Geoff (2009). Michael Jackson: A Life in Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 1849382638.
  • Grant, Adrian (2009). Michael Jackson: The Visual Documentary. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781849382618.
  • Jones, Jel D. Lewis (2005). Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: The Big Picture: the Music! the Man! the Legend! the Interviews!. Amber Books Publishing. ISBN 097497790X.
  • Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Headline. ISBN 0330420054.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Speechless_(Michael_Jackson_song)&oldid=360430518"