Smooth Criminal

"Smooth Criminal" is the seventh single from Michael Jackson's 1987 Bad album. The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a "smooth" assailant. It was released as a single on October 24, 1988 and peaked at number 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 number 19 in the UK. The piece is one of Jackson's signature songs, and has appeared on numerous greatest hits albums, including Number Ones, The Essential Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection, King of Pop, This Is It, and Immortal (for the New version of song).
The song also serves as the theme song to Jackson's 1988 film Moonwalker.

Song


Two early versions of the song were written by Jackson in 1985 and the original demo was recorded in 1986. The first song was called "Chicago 1945" the song it evolved into was "Al Capone". This version didn't make the album and was re-worked and re-written as "Smooth Criminal".

Music Video and Live Performances


Jackson originally wanted to make the short film in the western genre, but later decided to change it to a 1930s nightclub style.[2] Film was shot between mid-February and April 1987.
The style of both the clip and the clothes as well as mannerisms Jackson portrayed were reused in the arcade, the Sega Master System, the Sega Mega Drive and the Sega Game Gear adaptations of Moonwalker. The song itself serves as the soundtrack for the Club 30s stage, the nightclub from the movie, in all versions of the game.
The song was performed live during the second leg of Jackson's 1988–89 Bad World Tour. The performance featured a dance routine modeled after the scene from Moonwalker. By the time the 1992 Dangerous World Tour came around, this performance became a regular on Jackson tours, including his HIStory Tour. A spoken word and synth recording preceded the song on the second leg of the Bad tour and on the subsequent Dangerous World Tour, the same recording having been used as an intro for the song "This Place Hotel" on the first leg of the Bad Tour. By the time of the Dangerous Tour, Jackson had devised a way to perform the patented anti-gravity lean, which was featured in the Moonwalker video, on stage. Much like the robot move from "Dancing Machine" and the Moonwalk from "Billie Jean", this showcased Jackson's talent for creating unique 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.
Part of the song was also briefly used in the middle of the live version of the song "Dangerous" since Jackson's performance at the 1995 MTV Video Music Awards. In the HIStory Tour, he used a small snippet of this song during his performance of "Dangerous". Jackson was also going to use it again in his "Dangerous" performance in his This Is It concerts, along with the full track, had the concert series not been canceled due to his sudden death.

Film Adaptation


The song was adapted into a short film which was the centerpiece of the 1988 film Moonwalker starring Michael Jackson and Joe Pesci in the lead roles.


Plot


The film begins with three homeless children (Sean, played by Sean Lennon, Katie and Zeke) sneaking through a big city to see their friend Michael walk out of his store. As Michael stands in front of the door, he gazes at the night sky before he is attacked by mobsters with machine guns. The film then backtracks to show Michael and the children playing in a meadow in happier times. Their dog Skipper runs away, and as Michael and Katie look for him, they uncover the lair of Mr. Big (Joe Pesci). Mr. Big—whose real name is Frankie LiDeo, which is an anagram of Frank DiLeo—is a drug-dealing mobster with a disciplined private army at his command. He wants to get the entire population of Earth addicted to drugs, starting with children. He likes to eat nuts and leaves nutshells wherever he goes. He is obsessed with spiders, as displayed by their abundance at the entrance to his lair and his operation named "bugs and drugs". Further, all his henchmen sport a spider crest on their uniforms. Katie screams when she sees a spider, and Mr. Big discovers them spying on his operation.
The story returns to the shooting in front of Michael's store. Unknown to the gangsters, Michael has a lucky star, and using it, he escaped the gunfire. Upon realizing that Michael has escaped again, Mr. Big orders his henchmen to track him down with dogs. Michael is eventually cornered in an alley, where he uses his lucky star again to turn into a sportscar (the 1970 Lancia Stratos prototype) that mows down several of Mr. Big's henchmen. Michael is pursued through the city streets until he loses the henchmen. Meanwhile, the children scout out Club 30's, where Michael had told them to meet him, and find only an abandoned and haunted nightclub. As Michael arrives, Katie sees a silhouette of him turning back from a car into himself. The door of the club opens with a gust of wind, and Michael walks in to find it filled with zoot suiters and swing dancers. The children gather outside a window of the club and watch Michael dance to "Smooth Criminal".
The song used in the film is much longer than the album release, with several lyrics that clarify the story. There is also an interlude wherein Jackson joins the other dancers in a modern interpretive dance. At the climax of the song, Mr. Big lays siege to the club and kidnaps Katie. Michael follows them back to Big's lair and ends up surrounded by his henchmen. Mr. Big appears and taunts Michael by threatening to inject Katie with highly addictive narcotics. Katie breaks free for a moment, but Mr. Big grabs her again and starts kicking Michael. As Mr. Big stands over Michael and orders his henchmen to kill him and Katie, Michael looks up and sees his lucky star. He transforms into a giant robot and kills all of Mr. Big's soldiers, then turns into a spaceship. Mr. Big gets into a large hillside-mounted energy cannon, firing on the spaceship as it flies into a nearby ravine. The children are his next target, but the spaceship returns from the ravine just in time to fire a beam into the cannon with Mr. Big inside, killing him. The children watch the ship fly into the night sky with shower of light.
The children return to the city, believing that Michael is gone forever. As the boys talk about Michael, Katie walks away crying and clutching a paper star. As she sits in a corner wishing for him to come back, the paper star flies out of her hand and Michael walks out of the night fog. He takes them to Club 30's, where they find that the club has turned into the backstage area of a concert. Michael's stage crew return the children's missing dog and then escort Michael onto the stage where he performs "Come Together".

Personnel


Written, composed, clap, vocal arrangement, solo and background vocals by Michael Jackson
Produced by Quincy Jones
Co-Produced by Michael Jackson
Bill Bottrell, John Robinson, Bruce Swedien: Drums
David Williams: Guitar
Kim Hutchcroft, Larry Williams: Saxophones
Gary Grant, Jerry Hey: Trumpets
Kevin Maloney: Muted Steinway piano
Christopher Currell: Synclavier
Certain synclavier effects by Denny Jaeger and Michael Rubini
John Barnes, Michael Boddicker: Synthesizers
Chief Of Police Announcement by Bruce Swedien
Michael Jackson's heartbeat recording by Dr. Eric Chevlen; digitally processed in the Synclavier
Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson and John Barnes
Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey

Chart Performance


Chart (1988) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart 29
Belgian Singles Chart 1
UK Singles Chart 3
Canadian Singles Chart 6
Danish Singles Chart 1
Dutch Singles Chart 1
Eurochart Hot 100 Singles 2
French Singles Chart 4
German Singles Chart 9
Irish Singles Chart 1
Italian Singles Chart 6
New Zealand Singles Chart 29
Spanish Singles Chart 1
Swiss Singles Chart 5
United States Billboard Hot 100[1] 7
United States Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales Chart[1] 13
United States Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks Chart[1] 2
United States Dance Music/Club Play Singles Chart[1] 10


Chart (2009) Peak
position
Australian Singles Chart[3] 16
Danish Singles Chart[3] 28
European Hot 100 Singles[4] 20
French Singles Chart[3] 61
French Digital Singles Chart[5] 10
New Zealand Singles Chart[3] 37
Swedish Singles Top 60 Chart[6] 12
Swiss Singles Top 75 Chart[3][7] 12
United Kingdom Top 40 Singles Chart[8] 13
United Kingdom Top 40 Download Chart[9] 13
United States Billboard Hot Digital Songs[10] 12

Track Listing


7" Single:[11]
"Smooth Criminal" (Single Mix) – 4:10
"Smooth Criminal" (Instrumental) – 4:10
12" Maxi and CD-Maxi:[11]
"Smooth Criminal" (Extended Dance Mix) – 7:46
"Smooth Criminal" (Extended Dance Mix Radio Edit) – 5:20
"Smooth Criminal" ("Annie" Mix) – 5:35
"Smooth Criminal" (Dance Mix – Dub Version) – 4:45
"Smooth Criminal" (A Cappella) – 4:12
Visionary Single:[11]
CD side:
"Smooth Criminal" – 4:10
"Smooth Criminal" (Extended Dance Mix) – 7:45
DVD side:
"Smooth Criminal" (Music Video)
"Smooth Criminal" (Moonwalker Version, Edit) – 9:36
3" CD-Single:[11]
"Smooth Criminal" (Extended Dance Mix) – 7:46
"Smooth Criminal" ("Annie" Mix) – 5:35
"Smooth Criminal" (Dance Mix – Dub Version) – 4:45
CD Promo:[11]
"Smooth Criminal" (Single Mix) – 4:12
"Smooth Criminal" (Extended Dance Mix) – 7:46
"Smooth Criminal" (Extended Dance Mix Radio Edit) – 5:20
"Smooth Criminal" ("Annie" Mix) – 5:35
"Smooth Criminal" (Dance Mix – Dub Version) – 4:45
"Smooth Criminal" (A Cappella) – 4:12

Music Video


Jeffrey Daniel of the soul music group Shalamar co-choreographed the "Smooth Criminal" video with Vincent Paterson, who had previously danced in "Beat It", "Thriller". It was directed by special effects coordinator Colin Chilvers. The dance sequence of the video in the 1930s style lounge (and Michael's white suit and fedora) pays tribute to the Fred Astaire musical comedy film The Band Wagon. Currently there are four different versions of the video for "Smooth Criminal," as well as an additional vignette created for the 2009 This Is It concert series:
Original Moonwalker Version - This is the version included in the Moonwalker film - while technically the whole "Smooth Criminal" segment is about 40 minutes long, the actual "Smooth Criminal" song section is only about ten minutes. It is generally the most complete version of the video and includes the unedited middle section of interpretive dance with the dancers but does not include the last six seconds where a flapper fans herself after the door is shut behind Michael. In comparison to the original song this version has two lines in the second stanza added: "Everytime I try to find him he's leaving no clues left behind him. And they have no way of knowing of the suspect, or what to expect".
Moonwalker Edit - This version is included on History on Film, Volume II as well as Michael Jackson's Vision and it is basically an edited version of the ten minute song section from the "Smooth Criminal" segment in the film Moonwalker. It is essentially the same, however it has some minor changes including: different opening music and no dialogue, the middle section with the dancers chanting has been truncated (some of the chanting has been shortened) and ends similarly to the original where Michael exits the club but with the addition of the lead flapper fanning herself.
Album Version - This is the version of the video that is on Michael Jackson's official website, as well as his YouTube channel. It also appears during the end credits for Moonwalker and Number Ones (video) and was included on the "Visionary" single. It is essentially a lot of clips from the Original Moonwalker Version of the "Smooth Criminal" video, that have either been sped up, or slowed down, with an added blur effect, and some alternate angles. The video is four minutes and seventeen seconds long. Throughout the video, the regular version of the song is played.
Single Version - This unreleased version is edited to be in sync with the Single Mix taken from the "Smooth Criminal" single released October 24, 1988. It excludes the added lyric & interlude. This video is four minutes and three seconds long. It is considered an MTV Base video.
This Is It Vignette - 2009 video, shot in black and white and intended to be shown during the London O2 concert series. It runs three minutes and forty-two seconds and features Jackson in a reprisal of his Moonwalker character, digitally inserted into the sets of various film noirs, including Gilda and The Big Sleep (1946 film) along with a few shots/scenes of his film Moonwalker.
The video won Best Music Video at the 1989 Brit Awards.


Anti-gravity Lean


In the video, Michael Jackson performs an anti-gravity lean without the use of cables, a seemingly impossible feat. To accomplish this maneuver for stage performances, Jackson patented a hitching mechanism which was built into the floor of the stage and the performer's shoes.[12] The system consists of pegs that rise from the stage at the appropriate moment, and special shoes with ankle supports and cutouts in the heels which can slide over the pegs and be temporarily attached to the stage. These allow a performer to lean without needing to keep his center of mass directly over his feet.[13]However, the feat still required very good core strength.
At a show in Russia circa 1994, one shoe had become unlatched from the stage, causing Jackson to lose his balance. The sole of the shoe was re-designed after that performance. The pair of shoes used during the Moscow show were displayed at the Hard Rock Cafe in Moscow for several years; later they were sold at auction for $600,000 after Jackson's death in the summer of 2009.

Covers


Alien Ant Farm Cover


In 2001, Alien Ant Farm released a cover of "Smooth Criminal" as their debut single from their album Anthology. According to the band members, they would play a few riffs of the Jackson song while warming up before gigs and audience members would request them to play the entire song. This positive feedback encouraged them to record their own rendition of "Smooth Criminal" and include it on Anthology. It became a number one hit on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart and was also a number one in Australia. The song was also featured in the 2001 film American Pie 2, during a scene wherein Jason Biggs' character, Jim, superglues his hand to his crotch. The album Greatest Hits (1999) includes a hidden track named "Slick Thief", which is in fact an early version of "Smooth Criminal". This version was featured on the video games Karaoke Revolution and Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades. It was released as downloadable content for the Rock Band series of video games.

Other Cover Versions


2000s
In 2002, the band ApologetiX has recorded a parody of "Smooth Criminal" called "Smooth Grandmama" for their album Grace Period.[14] The song's instrumentation is a parody of the Alien Ant Farm version.
In 2008, Violinist David Garrett recorded an classical instrumental cover of "Smooth Criminal". It is released on his album Encore.
In 2008, J.Viewz, stage name of Israeli musician Jonathan Dagan and his band, recorded an easy-listening/jazz cover of "Smooth Criminal", which was released on the EP Besides.
In 2008, South Korean boy band TVXQ's 3rd Japanese album T, has a track called "Trick" that features "Smooth Criminal"'s pre-chorus ("Are you okay, Annie?" is changed to "Are you okay, honey?")
In 2009, Wizard rock band The 8th Horcrux recorded a parody, entitled "Ginny, Are You OK?", referencing Ginny Weasley and the plot of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. It also is based on the Alien Ant Farm version.[15]
Lucky Boys Confusion performed a cover as a staple of their live performances but declined to record it for their major label debut.
In 2009, singer Shakira pays homage to Jackson by doing an anti-gravity lean in her "She Wolf" music video.
In 2009,South Korean pop groups SHINee, Super Junior and Girls' Generation did a performance of Smooth Criminal at the Gayo Festival.
BlazBlue: Continuum Shift character Hazama dresses in a similar manner to Jackson and is the main antagonist behind the series, leading fans to refer to him affectionately as the "Smooth Criminal".
2010s
In January 2011, musical duo 2Cellos (consisting of Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser) recorded a cover of "Smooth Criminal" played solely on cello, which became a hit on YouTube[16] and released later on their debut album. The cover was featured on the "Michael" episode of American TV series Glee.
Delmos Wade performed a cover of "Smooth Criminal".[17][18]
In 2011, the Uzbek Band Abbos performed an instrumental version of "Smooth Criminal" with traditional Uzbek musical instruments.[19]
In January 2012, Naya Rivera (as her character Santana Lopez) and Grant Gustin (as Sebastian Smythe) sing Smooth Criminal as a duet in the television show Glee, backed by musical duo 2Cellos (Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser). The song is filmed in a similar environment as the 2Cellos music video, in a room surrounded by empty chairs as the two musicians play. This cover debuted and peaked at number 26 at Billboard Hot 100, number 10 at Billboard Digital Songs, and number 28 at Billboard Canadian Hot 100 chart at the week of February 18, 2012.[20]

Appearances In Other Media


In 1989, German comedian Otto Waalkes parodied the video in his movie Otto - Der Außerfriesische. In a scene he enters a bar, flips a coin into a waitress' cleavage and does a short dance routine, including moonwalking back and forth, to a beat that closely resembles the song.[21]
In 1992, the Alvin and the Chipmunks video special Rockin' with the Chipmunks, part of the music video is shown, but with animation of Alvin inserted.
The 2008's video game Saints Row 2 contains a dance part from "Smooth Criminal" that can be used as a taunt against enemies.