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“They Don't Care About Us”

Date range assessed by the fact that “‘Stranger in Moscow’ was the first song Michael and Buxer worked on. “When Michael finally came out to New York and heard my work on ‘Stranger in Moscow’, the strings, piano, drums and the beatboxing samples that make up the rhythmic backbone of the track, he literally shrieked with joy,”... Over the course of the late spring and summer, Michael began working on more and more songs.” (Mike Smallcombe, “Making Michael”)

Primetime Live interview (June 14, 1995)

Diane Sawyer: In a song you say, "Jew me, sue me". And some people are saying that that is anti-semitic.

Michael Jackson: It's not anti-semitic because I'm not a racist. I could never be a racist. I love all races of people, from Arabs, to Jewish people...like I said before, to blacks. But when I say, "Jew me, sue me, everybody do me, kick me, kike me, don't you black or white me" I'm talking about myself as the victim, you know. My accountants and lawyers are Jewish. My three best friends are Jewish… David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Steven Spielberg, Mike Milkin. These are friends of mine. They're all Jewish. So how does that make sense? I was raised in a Jewish community.

Michael Jackson, “New York Times” (June 15, 1995) (archived)

The idea that these lyrics could be deemed objectionable is extremely hurtful to me, and misleading. The song in fact is about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the black man, I am the white man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them. I am angry and outraged that I could be so misinterpreted.

Letter to deans of the Simon Wiesenthal Center (New York Times and LA Times, June 17, 1995)

There has been a lot of controversy about my song, 'They Don't Care About Us.' My intention was for this song to say 'No' to racism, anti-Semitism and stereotyping. Unfortunately, my choice of words may have unintentionally hurt the very people I wanted to stand in solidarity with. I just want you all to know how strongly I am committed to tolerance, peace and love, and I apologize to anyone who might have been hurt.

Respectfully, Michael Jackson

Re-record announcement (June 22, 1995 - snippet in LA Times - Copy of the full Daily Variety statement available in Armond White’s “Keep Moving: The Michael Jackson Chronicles” / Below)

My sole intention with the song “They Don't Care About Us” was to use language to demonstrate the ugliness of racism, anti-Semitism, and stereotyping. I had hoped that my lyrics would target the bigots, not the victims of bigotry.

Because of the unforeseen reaction to specific words in my song by many people around the world, I have chosen to re-record it, deleting the words found offensive. In doing so, I acknowledge that I seriously offended some people which was never my intention and for that I am deeply sorry. I have come to understand over the past days that these words are considered anti-Semitic.

Although I cannot erase any hurt I may have caused, I fully accept responsibility for my action. I now realize that all words have power especially when they are chosen to make a statement. I sincerely hope that anyone offended by my words will forgive me for not recognizing this sooner.

LA Times article on the June 22, 1995 re-record announcement

Jackson first announced his decision to re-record "They Don't Care About Us," the controversial song off his new "HIStory" album, with a phone call to Daily Variety columnist Army Archerd. The conversation appeared in Thursday's edition of the trade publication.

"Haven't you ever done something that you wish you had never done? I do. So, now I'll change it," Jackson told Archerd.

Jackson plans on going into the studio early next week to overdub new lyrics in the song. He told Archerd he will probably change the lyrics to "strike me" for "kike me" and "Do me" for "Jew me."

"As soon as he realized the extent to which those lyrics might hurt people, Michael decided to do this," Sandy Gallin, Jackson's manager, said.

A spokesperson for Epic Records estimated that 2 million copies of "HIStory" are already in retail stores or on their way, but any copies after that will either have the new version of the song or a prominently placed explanatory sticker added to the packaging. She said it is uncertain how long it will take to add the new version of "They Don't Care About Us" to pressings of the disc.

In a statement issued Thursday, Epic Records said it stands by Jackson's decision.

Gallin said Jackson told Epic he wants it to do "everything humanly possible to put new versions of the song on the album." He also wanted to emphasize that the decision was not made due to concern over possible lackluster sales of the album.

Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean at the Simon Wiesenthal Center, said he is pleased with Jackson's decision to change the lyrics, but he feels it's too little, too late.

"We've always believed Michael's claim that he did not want to hurt anyone, but those lyrics never should have seen the light of day," Cooper said. "Out of all the people that heard the record before it came out, somebody should have stopped it."

Gallin was one of those people who heard the record and Jackson's manager said that even though he is Jewish, he did not know the ramifications of the slur.

"I personally had no idea. It has not been in use for many, many years, and was not something that children would recognize as racism. The mere usage of the word, of bringing it back, is the essence of where the mistake was," Gallin said.

In his Daily Variety comments, Jackson told Archerd that many of the Jewish associates he cites as close friends heard the song "over and over."

Archerd, who was unavailable for comment Thursday, had adamantly criticized "They Don't Care About Us" in his column. Gallin says Jackson called Archerd because Archerd had also made many phone calls to try to persuade Jackson to change the lyrics.

"Michael saw that the [explanatory sticker] might not be enough, and that people might still get hurt. That's all he needed to prompt him to do this," Gallin said.

Chicago Tribune article on the June 22, 1995 re-record announcement

Daily Variety columnist Army Archerd, in Thursday's editions, quoted Jackson as saying, "I'll go into the studio next week and change (the lyrics). I thought of, first, muffling them, but that would make them even more noticeable."

The substitute phrases, Archerd reported, would be "Strike me" and "Do me."

Mike Smallcombe, Making Michael

Inspired by seeing the world, Michael had been writing songs while spending time at his ranch after the Bad Tour. Forger said Michael returned from his tour with certain impressions. “His social commentary kicked up a notch or two,” he said. “Most of the early songs we worked on were more socially conscious. His consciousness of the planet was much more to the forefront.” The most prominent of these were later titled ‘They Don’t Care About Us’ and ‘Earth Song’. Michael and Forger began working on these tracks in Westlake’s Studio C on Santa Monica Boulevard in June 1989.

...Soon after starting work on ‘Stranger in Moscow’ Michael resurrected ‘They Don’t Care About Us’, a protest song from the Dangerous sessions. Michael liked some of the unfinished songs from those sessions and wanted to complete them. “Although the idea for this song existed from the earlier sessions, I think Michael and Matt Forger started on the song again from scratch,” Rob Hoffman said.

Hoffman may have joined the team as an engineer, but he soon found himself playing instruments. Michael liked the song ‘Owner of a Lonely Heart’ by Yes, so when the rock band came to New York, guitarist Trevor Rabin was invited to the studio to play on ‘They Don’t Care About Us’. “We had many programmers and guitarists come in and play the main bridge guitar riff, including Trevor, Slash and Jeff Bova,” Hoffman said. “After Trevor and Slash played their parts, someone came in and said they played the wrong notes on the riff, so they got me to replay it. I prayed they would keep my take, and they did. That was my first ever guitar credit, on a Michael Jackson record!”

Bryan Loren, percussion/guitar/collaborator, "Myspace” blog post (July 11, 2009) (archived)

[They Don’t Care About Us] was a song that he’d started even before I joined him for 'Dangerous'. One of the first things I heard was this song, but it got bumped at that time.