Michael Jackson – They Don’t Care About Us

Affiliate link.

Written by Michael, and recorded for his HISTORY album, issued in June 1995.

Lyrics deemed ‘anti-Semitic’ by Jewish groups:
Jew me, sue me, everybody do me;
Kick me, kike me, don’t you black or white me.

Michael, who insisted it was a public awareness song, responded by
releasing a statement that read:

‘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 very much regret and apologise from the bottom of my
heart if I have hurt anyone’s feelings in conveying my own.’

Michael further stated he would re-record the song, changing ‘jew me’
to ‘do me’ and ‘kike me’ to ‘strike me’, and that apology stickers
would be affixed to all existing copies of HISTORY.

New pressings of HISTORY in 1996 saw ‘jew me’ changed to ‘chew
me’, and ‘kike me’ changed to ‘hike me’.

‘I’m talking about myself as the victim,’ Michael later explained.
‘David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Stephen Spielberg, Mike Milkin –
these are my friends. They’re all Jewish, so how does that make sense?
I was raised in a Jewish community.’

Chosen for single release by Michael, ahead of Sony Music’s
preference, Money.

Charted at no.4 in the UK but, unsurprisingly given the controversy it
had stirred up, struggled to no.10 on the R&B singles chart and no.30
on the Hot 100 in the States.

No.1 in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Italy.

Two promo short films made, both directed by Spike Lee.

Shooting of the first short film delayed by 20 days, as the Governor of
Rio was fearful filming the city’s shanty town area of Doña Marta
might adversely effect Brazil’s chances of hosting the 2004 Olympic
Games. Finished promo censored by MTV and VH1 as, although the
offending words were muffled, Michael could still be seen mouthing
‘jew me, sue me.’ Premiered on 22nd March 1996.

Michael was reportedly unhappy with the first promo, and had Spike
Lee put together a second, featuring prison footage shot in New York
that wasn’t used in the first version. This more accurately reflected the
angry, defiant mood of the song, but was banned by MTV and several
other TV stations, so was only rarely screened and still awaits an
official release.

Live performances screened in Germany and New Zealand, as part of
televised concerts.

Eighteenth of Michael’s 20 ‘Visionary – The Video Singles’ reissues,
with the music on one side of a Dual Disc and the accompanying short
film on the other side. Issued in June 2006 in the UK – charted at
no.26.

They Don’t Care About Us – Lyrics

Written and composed by Michael Jackson

Skin head, dead head
Everybody gone bad
Situation, aggravation
Everybody allegation
In the suite, on the news
Everybody dog food
Bang bang, shock dead
Everybody’s gone mad