Blood on the Dance Floor (song)

"Blood on the Dance Floor"
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix
B-side "Dangerous" (Roger's Dangerous Club Dance Mix)
Released March 21, 1997
Format
Recorded March 1991 – January 1997
Genre
Length 4:11
Label Epic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Michael Jackson
  • Teddy Riley
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"On the Line"
(1997)		 "Blood on the Dance Floor"
(1997)		 "HIStory/Ghosts"
(1997)
Music video
"Blood on the Dance Floor" on YouTube
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

"Blood on the Dance Floor" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The song was released as the first single from the remix album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. Jackson and Teddy Riley created the track in time for the 1991 release of Dangerous. However, it did not appear on that record and was minimally altered before commercial release in 1997. The song is about a predatory woman by the name of Susie, who seduces Jackson before plotting to stab him with a knife. The composition explores a variety of genres ranging from funk and new jack swing.

The single peaked at number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached number one in Italy, Spain, New Zealand and the UK. It also reached the top 10 several other countries, including Australia, Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Scotland, Sweden, and Switzerland. Commentators compared "Blood on the Dance Floor" to music from Dangerous. Others commented on the song's perceived aggressive tone and the vocal style, the broad genres heard and possible lyrical interpretations of the song. Reviews at the time of release were largely mixed, but contemporary reviews have been favorable. The song was promoted with a music video that premiered on Top of the Pops. It centered on Susie seducing Jackson in a courtship “dance”, before opening a switchblade. "Blood on the Dance Floor" was the only track from the remix album performed on the HIStory World Tour.

Production and music

Teddy Riley came up with the song's title while Jackson recorded the piece for his Dangerous album in 1991—it failed to make the final track listing. Riley was reportedly upset that Jackson did not call him to "vacuum clean this old master" upon realizing it would be included on Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. Riley wanted to update the musical composition before it appeared on the remix album.[1]

Instruments played in the song include a guitar and piano, the latter of which has an F2-Eb5 range in scientific pitch notation. Jackson's vocal range on the track is C3-Bb5 and aspects of the song are performed in the key F minor. Genres that have been attributed to the song are dance,[2] funk[2] and new jack swing.[3] Jackson incorporates many of the vocal traits associated with his work, such as hiccups and gasps.[4][2][3][5][6] Neil Strauss of The New York Times suggests that the predatory woman in the title track, "Susie", is a metaphor for AIDS.[7] However, in an interview with Adrian Grant, Jackson denied that the song was about AIDS.

Reception

The Dallas Morning News described "Blood on the Dance Floor" as an angry tale of a back-stabbing woman and Michael Saunders of The Boston Globe described it as "a middling dance-funk cut".[2][8] Anthony Violenti of The Buffalo News said of the single, "[it is] laced with Teddy Riley's new jack swing sound and a pounding techno beat", whereas The Cincinnati Post characterized the song as a "lackluster first release ... dated, played-out dance track", but gave the album an overall favorable review.[3][9] Jim Farber of New York Daily News, noted of the vocals and musical style, "[Jackson] coughs up a series of strangulated mutters and munchkin hiccups in lieu of a vocal, while its chilly, faux-industrial music proves as appealing as a migraine".[6]

William Ruhlman of AllMusic observed, "'Blood on the Dance Floor' is an uptempo Jackson song in the increasingly hysterical tradition of 'Billie Jean' and 'Smooth Criminal' with Jackson huffing, puffing, and yelping through some nonsense about a stabbing ... over a fairly generic electronic dance track". He was not complimentary of the B-sides that accompanied it.[5] Stephen Thomas Erlewine, also of AllMusic, had a negative reaction to the record. He described "Blood on the Dance Floor" as a "bleak reworking of 'Jam' and 'Scream'".[10]

Music commentator Nelson George, compared the song to material from Dangerous, notably the critically acclaimed tracks "Jam" and "Dangerous". He described it as a "pile driving" song that "explodes from radio speakers".[11] A longtime commentator on Jackson's public life, J. Randy Taraborrelli, gave a retrospective analysis of the album in the biography, The Magic & the Madness. Taraborrelli thought that "Blood on the Dance Floor" was one of Jackson's best songs, a song that US fans "don't even know exists".[12] In 2005, J T Griffith, of AllMusic, believed that in hindsight, "Blood on the Dance Floor" was actually a good song. He explained, "[it is] a second-rate mixture of 'Beat It' and 'Thriller' but Jackson's missteps are better than most pop music out there. This track showcases all the artist's trademarks: the ooohing, the grunts, and funky basslines. It is hard to hear 'Blood on the Dance Floor' and not want to moonwalk or dance like a ghoul".[13]

Promotion

Jackson and Azur in the music video for "Blood on the Dance Floor".

"Blood on the Dance Floor" was the only track from Blood on the Dance Floor: History in the Mix to appear on the set list of the HIStory World Tour.[14] The music video for "Blood on the Dance Floor" was directed by Jackson and Vincent Paterson. It premiered on Top of the Pops in the UK on March 28, 1997, several weeks ahead of its release as a single.[1] The video opens with a thrown switchblade impaling a spray painted image. The impaled image is that of a blood dripping love heart with "SUSIE + ME" scrawled across it. Jackson and a group of dancers then enter a salsa dance hall and he begins to dance with a woman, "Susie", while shaking a piece of percussion. The singer then appears seated while the woman dances seductively above him on a table top.

After the 1st verse and chorus, there is an a cappella moment, in which Jackson breathes to the drums and the bass, then the strings, then spins, drops down and claps, then the main song starts with the 2nd verse.

Throughout the video, Jackson shows a sexual attraction towards the dancing woman—played by Sybil Azur. Jackson caresses her ankle, calf, knee and thigh, and at one stage looks up her dress. The woman is then seen opening a flick knife as the pair engage in a final courtship dance. The video closes in the same manner it began, with the switchblade impaling the spray painted image. The music video won the Brazilian TVZ Video Award: Best International Music Video of the Year.[11][15] Interviewed on her experience during the video one of the dancers, Carmit Bachar (of The Pussycat Dolls) noted, "I was called in by Vincent Paterson for 'Blood on the Dance Floor'. It was to have a Latin feel, some sort of mambo. I arrived wearing a little salsa dress, fish nets, heels, and my hair was up in a kind of bun with a flower. I was 'camera ready'. I showed up with the whole outfit. It's not that producers can't see what they like, or the potential in somebody, but what I do helps them to see their vision more".[16]

A "Refugee Camp Mix" of "Blood on the Dance Floor" appeared on Jackson's video collection, HIStory on Film, Volume II and Michael Jackson's Vision. The original song would later appear on the Number Ones DVD, which contained previously unreleased scenes.[1] Furthermore, Paterson recorded an unreleased, alternate version of the music video, shot with an 8 mm camera. Writer David Noh, described it as, "grainy, overexposed, and sexy as shit". According to Paterson, "Michael loved it, but Sony hated it and refused to release it".[17] The New York Times described the United States promotional effort for the Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix campaign as "subdued", creating "hardly a sound" and "perplexing to many people in the industry". Jackson's label Epic Records, refuted allegations they were not promoting the album sufficiently, saying, "We are completely behind the album ... Michael is certainly one of our superstars and is treated as such ... We just went into this one with our global hats on". The New York Times acknowledged that promotion was stronger internationally, where Jackson had more commercial force and popularity.[18]

Live performances

Jackson performed song only at second leg of his HIStory World Tour in 1997. Also the song was originally slated to be performed at "This Is It" concerts, which was scheduled to run from July 2009 to March 2010, but later it was removed from set-list.

Chart performance

The song became a top ten hit in almost every European Union state. "Blood on the Dance Floor" peaked at number one in the UK, Spain and New Zealand, charting for 11 weeks in the latter two nations. In the UK it sold 85,000 copies in its first week, enough to take the number one spot from "I Believe I Can Fly" by friend and collaborator R. Kelly. The song was Jackson's seventh UK chart topper as a solo artist, although it fell to number eight in its second week of release. The European country where "Blood on the Dance Floor" had the most longevity was Switzerland, where it spent 18 weeks in the chart.

The single peaked at number 42 on the US Billboard Hot 100. This relatively lower peak position has been attributed to the lack of US promotion and—according to J. Randy Taraborrelli and AllMusic writer William Ruhlman—the ongoing US public interest in the singer's private life over his music.[19][12] "Blood on the Dance Floor" was the 20th and last of Jackson's reissued singles from the Visionary campaign. Issued in 2006, it was re-released in Europe, where it reached number one in Spain and the top 20 in Ireland, Italy, and the UK.

Track listing

UK single 1
No.TitleLength
1."Blood on the Dance Floor"4:11
2."Blood on the Dance Floor" (TM's Switchblade Mix)8:39
3."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Refugee Camp Mix)5:27
4."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Fire Island Vocal Mix)8:57
5."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Fire Island Dub)8:57
Total length:34:92
UK single 2
No.TitleLength
1."Blood on the Dance Floor"4:11
2."Blood on the Dance Floor" (TM's Switchblade Mix)8:39
3."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Fire Island Vocal Mix)8:57
4."Dangerous" (Roger's Dangerous Club Mix)6:55
Total length:27:63
US single
No.TitleLength
1."Blood on the Dance Floor"4:11
2."Blood on the Dance Floor" (TM's Switchblade Edit)3:22
3."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Refugee Camp Edit)3:19
4."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Fire Island Radio Edit)3:50
5."Blood on the Dance Floor" (TM's Switchblade Mix)8:39
6."Dangerous" (Roger's Dangerous Club Mix)6:55
Total length:31:47
The Dubs 12" vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Blood on the Dance Floor" (T&G Pool of Blood Dub)7:34
2."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Refugee Camp Dub)3:38
3."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Fire Island Dub)8:55
4."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Acapella)3:01
Total length:23:28
UK 12" promo vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Blood on the Dance Floor" (TM's O-Positive Dub)7:00
2."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Fire Island Dub)8:55
3."Dangerous" (Roger's Dangerous Club Mix)6:55
4."Dangerous" (Roger's Rough Dub)6:57
Total length:27:47
iTunes EP
No.TitleLength
1."Blood on the Dance Floor"4:11
2."Blood on the Dance Floor" (TM's Switchblade Edit)3:22
3."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Refugee Camp Edit)3:19
4."Dangerous" (Roger's Dangerous Edit)4:41
Total length:15:35
EU single
No.TitleLength
1."Blood on the Dance Floor"4:11
2."Blood on the Dance Floor" (Fire Island Vocal Mix)8:57
3."Blood on the Dance Floor" (TM's Switchblade Mix)8:39
4."Dangerous" (Roger's Dangerous Club Mix)6:55
Total length:28:02
Visionary single
  • CD side
  1. "Blood on the Dance Floor" – 4:14
  2. "Blood on the Dance Floor" (Fire Island Vocal Mix) – 8:55
  • DVD side
  1. "Blood on the Dance Floor" (video) – 4:15

Personnel

  • Written, composed and produced by Michael Jackson and Teddy Riley
  • Solo and background vocals, vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
  • Teddy Riley and Brad Buxer: Keyboards and synthesizers, drum programming
  • Guitar by Nile Rodgers
  • Matt Carpenter: Digital Systems programming
  • Engineered by Teddy Riley, Dave Way and Mick Guzauski
  • Mixed by Mick Guzauski

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[63] Gold 35,000^
Belgium (BEA)[64] Platinum 50,000*
Germany (BVMI)[65] Gold 250,000^

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Halstead, Craig (2007). Michael Jackson: For the Record. Authors OnLine. pp. 46–48. ISBN 978-0-7552-0267-6.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Michael Saunders. (June 05, 1997). "Blood on the Dance Floor Epic". The Boston Globe.
  3. 1 2 3 Anthony Violanti. (May 23, 1997). "Lost Soul....". The Buffalo News.
  4. ↑ "Blood on the Dance Floor". www.musicnotes.com. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
  5. 1 2 Ruhlmann, William (July 13, 2005). "Blood On The Dance Floor Review". Allmusic. Retrieved May 18, 2011.
  6. 1 2 Farber, Jim (May 19, 1997). "The 'Thriller' is gone..." New York Daily News. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  7. ↑ Strauss, Neil (May 20, 1997). "Stars Adrift: Further Out, Further In". The New York Times. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  8. ↑ Thor Christensen. (May 20, 1997). "Jackson's new `Blood' generally thin Singer's work best when fresh on remix release". The Dallas Morning News.
  9. ↑ "Michael Jackson Still Relevant". (June 26, 1997). The Cincinnati Post.
  10. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Blood on the Dance Floor: History in the Mix". Allmusic. Retrieved December 21, 2008.
  11. 1 2 George, p. 48–50
  12. 1 2 Taraborrelli, p. 610–611
  13. ↑ Griffith, JT (July 13, 2005). "Blood On The Dance Floor Review". Allmusic. Archived from the original on June 7, 2008. Retrieved December 22, 2008.
  14. ↑ Paul Martin. (July 13, 1997). "Rock On; Ulster pop fans go wacko over Jacko". Sunday Mirror.
  15. ↑ "Sybil Azur". IMDB. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  16. ↑ "If You Want to Be Like Britney". January/February issue of Dance & Fitness Magazin. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  17. ↑ Noh, David (January 26, 2006). "Choreographer Supreme". Gay City News. Archived from the original on May 1, 2009. Retrieved January 13, 2009.
  18. ↑ Sorkin, Andrew (1997-06-23). "King of Pop Faces U.S. Market With Subdued Promotion Effort". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
  19. ↑ Ruhlmann, William (2005-07-13). "Blood On The Dance Floor Review". Allmusic. Archived from the original on August 26, 2005. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  20. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  21. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  22. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  23. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  24. ↑ "CANADIAN BILLBOARD WEEKLY DIGITAL SONG SALES CHARTS FROM 1997". Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  25. ↑ Billboard, April 30, 1997: Hits of the World Section
  26. ↑ "Michael Jackson: Blood on the Dance Floor" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  27. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor" (in French). Les classement single.
  28. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor". GfK Entertainment Charts.
  29. ↑ "Íslenski Listinn NR. 220 Vikuna 8.5. '97 - 14.5. '97" (PDF). Dagblaðið Vísir. May 9, 1997. p. 16. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  30. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Blood on the Dance Floor". Irish Singles Chart.
  31. 1 2 "I singoli più venduti del 1997" (in Italian). Retrieved 13 April 2018.
  32. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 19, 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
  33. 1 2 "Dutchcharts.nl – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  34. ↑ "Charts.nz – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor". Top 40 Singles.
  35. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor". VG-lista.
  36. ↑ "Notowanie nr801". Nowe Media, Polskie Radio S.A. LP3.polskieradio.pl. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  37. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  38. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  39. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor". Singles Top 100.
  40. 1 2 "Swisscharts.com – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor". Swiss Singles Chart.
  41. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  42. ↑ "Official R&B Singles Chart Top 40". officialcharts.com.
  43. ↑ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  44. ↑ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Adult R&B Songs)". Billboard.
  45. ↑ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  46. ↑ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  47. ↑ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  48. ↑ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay)". Billboard.
  49. ↑ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard.
  50. ↑ "Michael Jackson Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  51. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Blood on the Dance Floor". Irish Singles Chart.
  52. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor". Top Digital Download.
  53. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  54. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Michael Jackson – Blood on the Dance Floor" Canciones Top 50.
  55. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  56. ↑ "ARIA End Of Year Singles 1997". ARIA Charts. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  57. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1997" (in Dutch). Ultratop Flanders. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  58. ↑ "Rapports Annuels 1997" (in French). Ultratop Wallonia. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  59. ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  60. ↑ "End of Year Charts 1997". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved December 4, 2017.
  61. ↑ "Årslista Singles – 1997" (in Swedish). Hitlistan. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  62. ↑ "Jahreshitparade 1997" (in German). Swiss Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved April 11, 2017.
  63. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association.
  64. ↑ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – singles 1997". Ultratop. Hung Medien.
  65. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Michael Jackson; 'Blood on the Dance Floor')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

References

  • George, Nelson (2004). Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection booklet. Sony BMG.
  • Taraborrelli, J. Randy (2004). The Magic and the Madness. Terra Alta, WV: Headline. ISBN 0-330-42005-4.

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