Is It Scary
"Is It Scary" | ||||
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Promotional single by Michael Jackson | ||||
from the album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix | ||||
B-side | "Off the Wall" (Junior Vasquez remix) | |||
Released | September 7, 1997 | |||
Recorded | 1994–1995[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
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Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) |
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Producer(s) |
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Michael Jackson singles chronology | ||||
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"Is It Scary" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. The song was originally written to have been featured in the 1993 film Addams Family Values, but the plans were canceled after contract conflicts. The song was later released on Jackson's 1997 remix album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. "Is It Scary" was written and produced by Jackson, James Harris III and Terry Lewis.
"Is It Scary" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Musically, the song was viewed by music critics as showing a "darker side" of Jackson, and compared the song's composition to the music of Marilyn Manson. In November 1997, a radio edit version of the song was released as a promotional single in the Netherlands, while promo singles containing remixes were released in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Background
"Is It Scary" was originally written by Michael Jackson,
The song was among those considered for inclusion on Jackson's 1995
A remix of "Is It Scary", called "DJ Greek's Scary Mix", was included on a three-track 'minimax' CD single that was released as part of the Ghosts Deluxe Collector Box Set. Remixes of "Is It Scary" were also included on Jackson's cancelled single "Smile". The radio edit for "Is It Scary" was later included on the third disc of the deluxe edition of Jackson's greatest hits album King of Pop in 2008 in the United Kingdom.[6] "Is It Scary" was also featured on the deluxe edition of King of Pop in France. Samples of "Is It Scary" and "Threatened" (from Jackson's tenth studio album Invincible) are featured in the "Thriller" segment of the concert documentary film, Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009).[7] Tommy D. also produced a remix of the song, but this mix was never officially released. However, this mix leaked on the internet in November 2010.
Promotion
"Is It Scary" was never lifted as a commercial single, but it was given out to radio stations and dance clubs to promote Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. Promo CD singles containing a radio edit and
Critical reception
"Is It Scary" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Jim Farber, writer for the
Jae-Ha Kim, a writer for Chicago Sun-Times, noted, that "Is It Scary" shows a "darker side of Jackson than even the tabloids would have you believe".[12] Neil Strauss, a writer for The New York Times, described "Is It Scary" as "sounding more like the ghoulish rocker Marilyn Manson than the Motown prodigy that he is."[13] A longtime commentator on Jackson's public life, J. Randy Taraborrelli, gave a retrospective analysis on Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix's critical reviews in the biography, The Magic & the Madness (2004). Taraborrelli argued that certain sections of the world took interest in tabloid stories about Jackson's personal life over his musical career.[14]
Track listings
- Promo CD single[15]
- "Is It Scary" (Radio Edit) – 4:11
- Promo 12" single[16]
- "Is It Scary" (Deep Dish Dark and Scary Remix) – 12:07
- "Is It Scary" (Eddie's Rub-a-Dub Mix) – 5:00
- "Is It Scary" (Eddie's Love Mix) – 8:00
- "Off the Wall" (Junior Vasquez Remix) – 4:57
Remixes
- Eddie Arroyo mixes
- "Is It Scary" (Eddie's Love Mix) – 8:00
- "Is It Scary" (Eddie's Love Mix Radio Edit) – 3:50
- "Is It Scary" (Eddie's Rub-a-Dub Mix) – 4:33
- "Is It Scary" (Downtempo Groove Mix) – 4:32
- Deep Dish mixes
- "Is It Scary" (Deep Dish Dark & Scary Remix) – 12:07
- "Is It Scary" (Deep Dish Dark & Scary Radio Edit) – 4:38
- "Is It Scary" (Deep Dish Double-O-Jazz Dub) – 8:35
- "Is It Scary" (DJ Greek Scary Remix) – 7:11
- Tommy D mix
- "Is It Scary" (Tommy D's Death Row Mix) – 4:15
References
- ISBN 978-1-78840-057-2.
- ^ MICHAEL, book by Rolling Stone Magazine
- ^ Wyman, Bill. "All 147 Michael Jackson Songs, Ranked From Worst to Best". Vulture. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
But all in all, this track, which gets more and more overwrought, isn't really R&B; it's straight-up pop gothic.
- ^ ISBN 0-7552-0091-8.
- ^ Blood on the Dance Floor liner notes Epic Records (1997).
- Amazon.co.uk. Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved March 1, 2010.
- ^ Michael Jackson's This Is It [DVD] Sony Entertainment (2010).
- ^ Martins, Chris (July 2, 2013). "Michael Jackson Estate Releases Nearly 270 Remastered Tracks and Rarities to iTunes".
- ^ Farber, Jim (May 19, 1997). "The 'Thriller' is gone..." New York Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. Archived from the original on July 10, 2009. Retrieved March 5, 2010.
- The Hartford Courant.
- ^ Anthony Violanti (May 23, 1997). "Lost Soul...". The Buffalo News.
- ^ Jae-Ha Kim (June 3, 1997). "King of flop Jackson's 'Blood' dies on charts". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ Neil Strauss (May 20, 1997). "Stars Adrift: Further Out, Further In". NYTimes.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved March 4, 2010.
- ^ Taraborrelli, pp. 610–611
- ^ "Michael Jackson – Is It Scary (1997, Purple cover edition, CD)". Discogs.
- ^ "Michael Jackson – Is It Scary (1997, Vinyl)". Discogs.
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-330-42005-4.