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Michael Jackson · S7 E4
You Are Not Alone
Written by R. Kelly — the controversy that shadowed the biggest debut ever
Late August 1995. A Michael Jackson single does something no song has ever done before: it debuts at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and the man who wrote it will one day become one of music's most convicted criminals.
Ghosts, Michael Jackson (1997). A shortened version of the 39-minute short film directed by Stan Winston. Michael plays both a mysterious recluse and the narrow-minded mayor trying to run him out of town. The film is about being judged by people who have already decided what you are.
Ghosts, Michael Jackson (1997)
Written by Michael with Teddy Riley, "Ghosts" blends pop with cinematic horror-movie textures. The production uses orchestral stabs, distorted vocals, and a driving beat that feels both playful and threatening. The 39-minute short film was directed by Stan Winston, the special effects legend behind Jurassic Park and Terminator 2. In it, Michael plays multiple characters using prosthetic makeup, including the very man trying to destroy him.
Sources
Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix album credits, Epic Records, 1997
Ghosts short film credits, 1997
The Record
"You Are Not Alone" debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 in late August 1995. No song in Billboard history had ever done this. The record made headlines worldwide and cemented HIStory's commercial dominance. The song was written and produced by R. Kelly, then one of the biggest names in R&B.
Sources
Billboard Hot 100 chart history, August 1995
HIStory album credits, Epic Records, 1995
TAP TO REVEAL: Was 'You Are Not Alone' actually original?
The Shadow
R. Kelly's involvement in "You Are Not Alone" has taken on a different meaning since his conviction in 2021 on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges. The song remains one of Michael's most vulnerable recordings, but the knowledge of who wrote it has made it impossible for many listeners to hear it the same way. It raises a question that music has no clean answer for: what happens to a song when the person who created it is revealed to be something monstrous?
Sources
United States v. Robert Sylvester Kelly, Eastern District of New York, 2021
New York Times, R. Kelly trial coverage, 2021-2022
You Are Not Alone: The Facts
Smile, Michael Jackson (1995)
A cover of the Charlie Chaplin standard, recorded for the HIStory album. Michael's vocal is fragile and unadorned, accompanied by little more than strings and a gentle arrangement. The song is about smiling through unbearable pain, and Michael recorded it as if he knew exactly what that felt like. Jermaine Jackson performed it at Michael's memorial service in 2009.
Smile, Michael Jackson (1995)
The lyrics were originally composed by Charlie Chaplin for his 1936 film Modern Times, with words added later by John Turner and Geoffrey Parsons. Michael strips the song down to its emotional core: the act of smiling when your heart is breaking. His vocal cracks in places that feel unplanned, and those imperfections are what make the recording devastating.
Who wrote and produced 'You Are Not Alone'?
The HIStory era proves Michael can still sell records and break records. But behind the scenes, his relationship with Sony Music is deteriorating into the ugliest fight in the music business.
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