Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)

Three members of the Toto group participated in the creation of “Human Nature”: Steve Porkaro, David Peich and Steve Lukather . Parkaro recorded the first raw demo of the song during the preparation of the Toto Africa single. The musician recalled that his daughter had a hard day at school, and she kept asking her father why this happened. The question “Why?” ( Eng. “Why?” ) Continued to ring in Porkar’s head ^[2] . He began to play the melody on the piano and hum the words “Why? Why? ”(“ Why? Why? ”) With echoing ^{[1] [2] [3]} . His colleague David Peych at the same time engaged in sketches for the new album of Michael Jackson. The cassette, on which Porkaro recorded the still completely crude demo version of “Human Nature”, turned out to be his last, however, it was necessary to urgently send new records to Peich Quincy Jones . There was no choice, the musician took the tape and wrote down David’s sketches on it ^{[1] [2]} . Jones was not impressed with Peich's songs, but he became interested in the Porkaro demo version. The next day, the producer called David - it took him about 20 minutes to convince Quincy that the author of the recording was not really him, but Steve ^[2] . At the request of Johns Porkaro wrote the text, the producer liked the name, the chorus, but the couplets seemed to him too personal ^[2] . Then they offered to finish the work on the song to John Bettis, the author of the hits The Carpenters and The Pointer Sisters ^[3] . Jackson invited Steve Lyukater, who played the guitar part, to take part in the recording of “Human Nature”, and Porcaro recorded all the keyboards ^[4] .

"Human Nature" was the last song recorded for the album Thriller and selected on its final track list, displacing "Carousel". In 2001, Carousel entered the re-release of the album Thriller: Special Edition as bonus material ^[5] .

“Human Nature” was described by critics as a gentle, airy soft rock / rhythm and blues ballad ^[6] . Billboard noted that Jackson's vocals perfectly convey the mood and spirit of the track ^[7] . David Stubbs wrote that the sound characteristic of the 80s, generates in this composition "the semblance of multiple reflections, the effect of the mirror room" ^[8] . The melody of the couplets is as follows: the first two lines are syncopated with the rhythm section , the third is an immediate legato transition with a pulsating percussion sound. This technique allows the song to remain “suspended in the air”, causing the listener to feel a sense of mystery and anticipation. Music and the words “circulate” around IV, V and the converted I chords ^[9] . Jackson recorded the song in the key of D major , IV and V chords in this case are G major and A major respectively ^{[9] [10]} . At the end of each stanza , the lowest II minor chord in E minor sounds, while the vocal part rises to the highest note, playing the role of a “musical point” that intrigues the listener and makes him wait to continue. Then comes the chorus : the word “why” is repeated twice with a strong echo - this is a simple and effective move that suddenly creates space. At the moment when Jackson sings the words “human nature”, the root chord of the song, D major, is shown only once. The melody of the verse and the chords in the second verse are the same as in the first. “Human Nature” has a keynote motif: it sounds at the beginning of the song and reappears after the second verse, playing the role of the final codes . The code is foretold by jerky modulations : chords are played in a new key ^[9] .

Los Angeles Times Reviewer Randall Roberts suggested that “Human Nature” is the perfect “photographic snapshot” of New York . Jackson is locked in four walls, behind which the seductive city "wakes sleeplessly". He can “hear his voice,” but is powerless to change anything ^[11] . In the edition of the Huffington Post, the composition was described as follows: “A magnificent synth-ballad sliding against the background of flickering, sparkling sounds of stringed instruments. This song about youth, languor and lust evokes a bright urban landscape in front of the listener's mind’s eye, in which the narrator wanders between sleep and reality ” ^{[8] [12]} . Despite its name, the words “Human Nature” tell not about the animal instincts of man, but about the specific state of his soul: about premonition, anticipation ^[9] .

"Human Nature" was released as a single on July 3, 1983. The song has achieved success in the American charts. Having received the second place in the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart and the seventh in the Billboard Hot 100 , she became the fifth hit of Jackson from the album Thriller , which hit the top 10. The composition went up to the third line in the R & B singles chart. In Japan, the song was released in an alternative version with minor differences in the performance of the instrumental part ^[1] . In the UK, the release did not take place, only in 1989 the song came out on the B side of the single “Leave Me Alone” from the Jackson's Bad album ^[1] . Human Nature has received a platinum certificate in the United States ^[13] .

John Rockwell from The New York Times wrote: “Perhaps the most amazing song on the album Thriller -„ Human Nature “. This is a crying ballad with an irresistible chorus. It should be a hit ” ^[14] . Slant Magazine reviewer Eric Henderson noted: “This is one of the few ballads of its era worth remembering. The harmonies of “Human Nature” turned out to be so powerful that a musician decided to write a cover version of this composition, which is no less than a jazz legend Miles Davis ” ^[15] . In Rolling Stone, “Human Nature” was called “beautiful, fragile, open and bold”, and in Stylus - the “most insinuating” ballad ^{[12] [16]} .

About.com reviewer Bill Lamb rated the track 25 years after its release: “The song was the first incarnation of what we now call the Adult Rhythm and Blues ” ^[17] . The Los Angeles Times wrote that she became an example of imitation for subsequent performers, composing the new jack swing and hip-hop soul ballads ^[18] . Allmusic reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlyuin was surprised at how Jackson's album combines such compositions as “gentle and beautiful” “Human Nature” and “hard, scary” “ Beat It ” ^[19] . According to critics of the magazine American Songwriter the song “most likely will not be recognized as the best in Jackson’s career, but it deserves to be considered at least one of the best” ^[9] .

For the first time the composition was performed at a concert in 1984: it got on the Victory Set tour The Jacksons . Jackson began to sing the “Ben” song, then stopped, and Human Nature began ^[20] .

The song was also performed by Jackson on solo tours: during the Bad World Tour (1987–89) and the Dangerous World Tour (1992–93). The singer performed this composition at a free concert dedicated to the birthday of the Sultan of Brunei in July 1996. The concert was attended by 60,000 people ^[21] . In the set list HIStory World Tour "Human Nature" did not hit. It was planned that Jackson will perform it on the failed in connection with the death of the singer tour This Is It ^[22] .

Officially, live performances with Human Nature were released on DVD : Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour and Live at Wembley July 16, 1988 ^{[23] [24]} . The rehearsal for the This Is It tour was included in the documentary musical Michael Jackson: That's all ^[25] .

7 " (Epic Records catalog number - 34-04026) ^[26]

• 1985: American jazz singer Miles Davis included his cover version on the album You're Under Arrest ^[3] .
• 2004: A Latin American cover version of Boyz II Men entered their album Throwback, Vol. 1 ^[38] .
• 2007: Alisha Keese performed Human Nature at the Nobel Peace Prize in Oslo ^[39] .
• 2008: Stevie Wander performed this composition at a concert in Vancouver ^[40] .
• May 2009: A cover version of "Human Nature" was featured on the Billy Crawford album Groove ^[41] .
• July 7, 2009: John Mayer sang an instrumental version of the song at the Farewell Ceremony with Michael Jackson ^[42] .
• 2009: American singer Toro Y Moi recorded “Human Nature” for his tribute album to Jackson Chum Onah . The album was published in the free access to the blog ButterXFace ^[43] .
• 2010: Peter Andre performed Human Nature on his concert tour ^[44] .
• 2010: “Human Nature” entered the tribute album of jazz pianist Bob Baldwin Never Can Say Goodbye: A Tribute to Michael Jackson ^[45] .
• 2010: Brazilian singer Yvette Sangalo performed this composition at a concert in Madison Square Garden . The concert was released on DVD ^[46] .
• 2010: Jazz pianist Vijay Yer recorded the version of the song on the piano ^[47] . The solo version is included in the album Yera Solo , the trio version is in the 2012 album Accelerando .
• 2011: Alfonso Blackwell released his single jazz interpretation of the song as a tribute to Michael Jackson ^[48] .
• 2011: Toto performed Human Nature throughout their tour, dedicating it to Jackson and Mike Porcaro. The vocal part was performed by Joseph Williams ^[49] .
• 2011: At the ceremony of introducing Skylar Gray to the Hall of Fame, she performed her version to the accompaniment of a dulcimer in honor of John Bettis ^[50] .
• 2011: A cover version of Marcus Miller entered his album of live performances Tutu Revisited ^[51] .
• October 8, 2011: Craig David performed the acoustic version of “Human Nature” at the Michael Forever Tribute Concert Tribute Concert ^[52] .
• 2012: Amber Riley and Kord Overstreet recorded a cover version for an episode of the television series Glee , dedicated to Michael Jackson ^[53] .
• 2013: Actor Chris Tucker performed this composition at the BET Awards ^[54] .
• 2013: Justin Timberlake performed Human Nature several times on The 20/20 Experience World Tour ^[55] .

• Human Nature on Discogs