Michael Jackson – Remember The Time

"Remember the Time" was a popular recording for American pop and R&B singer Michael Jackson in the late winter/early spring (March) of 1992. Released as the second single off Jackson’s hit 1991 album, Dangerous, the song was a classic attempt of a concepting New Jack Swing-flavored R&B jam and with the accompaniment of co-producer Teddy Riley, Jackson achieved. The song hit #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and #1 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart.

Riley told the Los Angeles Times in November 1996, he wrote the song after Michael told him about falling in love with Debbie Rowe: "I don’t know why he didn’t marry her in the first time around."

Several demo versions are known to exist – no official release.

A promo 9 minutes short film, directed by John Singleton, had an Egyptian theme. It co-starred Eddie Murphy as Pharaoh Ramses, supermodel Iman as Queen Nefertiti and pro-basketball star Magic Johnson as a slave. Michael shared his first on-screen kiss with Iman.

[Teddy Riley’s Words About The Song]
One of the biggest things Michael really surprised me with on the Dangerous album was his vocal deliverance on Remember The Time. That really blew me away. I came to the project with this track. That was the sound I was thinking of for this album. Basically it was the sound I wanted on Dangerous and he loved it – loved it from the beginning. I’d describe that sound as, really, like the New Jack Swing sound.

He’d [Jackson] often record the vocals on a Dictaphone and take them into the studio and then see how it would all work out.

The elements on this song that give it that New Jack Swing sound are the ones that I used when I recorded with Guy and Bobby Brown to pioneer it. Sort of like the twisted samples I brought in. There were no samples of other people on that; what I did was make the sounds myself – I was sampling myself. I’d just jam with a riff and think, ‘That’s a cool bit there…’ Yeah, it kinda really brought a lot to the production side. It worked.

Credits

* Written and composed by Teddy Riley, Michael Jackson and Bernard Belle
* Produced by Teddy Riley and Michael Jackson
* Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley and Dave Way
* Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
* Rhythm arrangement by Teddy Riley
* Synthesizer arrangement by Teddy Riley
* Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
* Keyboards and synthesizers: Teddy Riley
* Sequencing and programming: Wayne Cobham

Remember The Time – Lyrics

Do You Remember
When We Fell In Love
We Were Young
And Innocent Then
Do You Remember
How It All Began
It Just Seemed Like Heaven
So Why Did It End?

Do You Remember
Back In The Fall
We’d Be Together
All Day Long
Do You Remember
Us Holding Hands
In Each Other’s Eyes
We’d Stare
(Tell Me)

Do You Remember The Time
When We Fell In Love
Do You Remember The Time
When We First Met
Do You Remember The Time
When We Fell In Love
Do You Remember The Time

Do You Remember
How We Used To Talk
(Ya Know)
We’d Stay On The Phone
At Night Till Dawn
Do You Remember
All The Things We Said Like
I Love You So
I’ll Never Let You Go

Do You Remember
Back In The Spring
Every Morning Birds Would Sing
Do You Remember
Those Special Times
They’ll Just Go On And On
In The Back Of My Mind

Do You Remember The Time
When We Fell In Love
Do You Remember The Time
When We First Met Girl
Do You Remember The Time
When We Fell In Love
Do You Remember The Time
Those Sweet Memories
Will Always Be Dear To Me
And Girl No Matter What Was Said
I Will Never Forget What We Had
Now Baby

Do You Remember The Time
When We Fell In Love
Do You Remember The Time
When We First Met
Do You Remember The Time
When We Fell In Love
Do You Remember The Time

Do You Remember The Time
When We Fell In Love
Do You Remember The Time
When We First Met
Do You Remember The Time
When We Fell In Love
Do You Remember The Time

Remember The Times
Ooh
Remember The Times
Do You Remember Girl
Remember The Times
On The Phone You And Me
Remember The Times
Till Dawn, Two Or Three
What About Us Girl

Remember The Times
Do You. Do You, Do You,
Do You, Do You
Remember The Times
In The Park, On The Beach
Remember The Times
You And Me In Spain
Remember The Times
What About, What About…

Remember The Times
Ooh… In The Park
Remember The Times
After Dark…, Do You, Do You, Do You
Remember The Times
Do You, Do You, Do You, Do You
Remember The Times
Yeah Yeah
Remember The Times