VII DANGEROUS Michael Jackson: Song No 7 HEAL THE WORLD hidden on cover

„What have we done to the world. Look what we’ve done!“ … HEAL THE WORLD!

To „Heal the World“ encouraged Michael Jackson us with a gentle voice in his 1991 song from the DANGEROUS album. „What have we done to the world?“ then four years later Michael Jackson mourned in EARTH SONG, which he released on the HIStory album. 1 In 2009, Michael Jackson gave us a final ultimatum:

… take care of the planet. We have four years to get it right or else it’s irreversible, the damage we’ve done.

Michael Jackson, 2009. 2
Michael Jackson Dangerous

Michael Jackson’s DANGEROUS album cover from 1991, SONY Music Entertainment. Painter of the artwork named „King of Pop“ (acrylic on wood 82” x 74”) is Mark Ryden. The original of the painting is exhibited in the Paul Kasmin Gallery, 293 Tenth Ave., New York, NY 10001 source

On DANGEROUS the world is upside down

On DANGEROUS, pollution and wars continue to bombard the blue planet. A conveyor belt leads tirelessly towards the earth. Factories can be seen on it, nuclear power signs and guns. Skulls are warning of contamination. This is fatal.

Michael Jackson Dangerous album cover earth Fließband

picture: on DANGEROUS the world is bombarded with dangerous threats.

On the 1991 DANGEROUS album cover by Michael Jackson, the world is turned upside down, unhinged. The earth is trapped, prevented from its natural course in the midst of the industry. Clamped as in a vice. Some sort of an apocalypse, doomsday mood accompanied by hellfire.
Michael Jackson had published his thoughts on the destruction of the world in a poem in 1992:

„Disrupted ecology, wanton destruction
Diseased biology, nature’s obstruction
Endangered species, environmental pollution
Holes in the ozone, defying solution …“

Michael Jackson, 1992. 3

We didn’t have to deal with Jackson’s accusations about the destruction of the earth until 1995, when he published his plea EARTH SONG. In 1991, however, he is said to have already been working on EARTH SONG. The miserable state of the earth on DANGEROUS indicates this. 4 The world needs healing:

We have to heal our wounded world. The chaos, despair, and senseless destruction we see today are a result of the alienation that people feel from each other and their environment. …“

Michael Jackson, 1991. 5
Image left: Michael Jackson Dangerous album cover globe like Heal the World right: David Nordahl single cover globe

l.: The heart of the DANGEROUS album cover from Michael Jackson from 1991, painted by Mark Ryden, source;
r.: The single release HEAL THE WORLD from the DANGEROUS album source. The cover for the single was painted by David Nordahl, davidnordahl.com

I wanted to change the world, so I got up one morning and looked in the mirror. That one looking back said, „There is not much time left. The earth is wracked with pain. Children are starving. Nations remain divided by mistrust and hatred. Everywhere the air and water have been fouled almost beyond help. Do something!„“

Michael Jackson, 1992 in „That One in the Mirror“ from his book „Dancing the Dream“. 6

„This crying Earth, these weeping shores“

Michael Jackson, 1995 in EARTH SONG.

HEAL THE WORLD. Song number 7 in the hand of Michael Jackson

The song HEAL THE WORLD was released by Michael Jackson on his 1991 DANGEROUS album.

„Heal the world … Make it a better place. For you and for me.

Michael Jackson 1991 in HEAL THE WORLD, album DANGEROUS.

Planet Earth, gentle and blue
With all my heart, I love you.

Michael Jackson, 1992 in his poem „Planet Earth“ in his book „Dancing the Dream“. 7

HEAL THE WORLD is the 7th song on the album DANGEROUS. The „7“ is a special number that Michael Jackson used on many occasions during his career. The „7“ is engraved in the entertainer’s hand on the DANGEROUS cover.

Michael Jackson Dangerous album cover Heal the World with number 7 in hand

picture: The number „7“ is carved in stone in entertainer Michael Jackson’s hand. Song number 7 from the album DANGEROUS is called HEAL THE WORLD.

Before HEAL THE WORLD was FEED THE WORLD

By the way, the working title of Michael Jackson’s HEAL THE WORLD is said to have been „Feed The World.“ 8. And that is what probably exactly happens with the world on DANGEROUS.

Out of negligence, we have contaminated and polluted our planet and, in exchange, we hurt ourselves. In the life songs of ages is the dance of our blood. The environment is an extension of our body and it gives the pulse of love, is the orchestra of universe’s symphony. It is music’s territory and enables us to rediscover our souls. Let’s rejoice together in love today, unity and conciliation. Let’s heal everybody and, thus, heal ourselves. Let us make a covenant with life and let us celebrate with joy a new world … and healed. Thank you, […] especially, to all the children of the world. I love you all. Thank you so much … Thank you.”,

Michael Jackson, 1992, speech press conference in Romania. 9

Children of the World – to Heal the World

On DANGEROUS, the image of the business-like old man in a tuxedo is contrasting the innocence of the little child. The child has warm, golden colors, which stands clockwise in chronology before the friendly dog king. The child has a braid, so it must be a girl … maybe. The child is standing on a hand made out of stone. The hand offers support and protection. The taped fingertips are one of the trademarks of the performer Michael Jackson.

To heal the world, we must start by healing our children.“

Michael Jackson, 1992, press conference New York City. 10

picture: The hand made of stone, wearing Michael Jackson’s trademark finger tapes, offers support for the child. Michael Jackson’s vow was to honor the children of the world by building children’s hospitals and helping the sick, the lonely, the homeless and the hungry.

The promise in Michael Jackson’s hand: the continents of the Dangerous world tour

The world is literally in Michael Jackson’s hand. On display are those continents where he will perform during his DANGEROUS world tour starting in 1992. Michael announced 1991 that he would donate the proceeds of this tour to the HEAL THE WORLD foundation he established to help those who need it the most: the children. They are actually the reason – he said – why he would go on a worldwide tour with the album in the first place. Speaking at a press conference, Michael Jackson announced that the goal is to raise $100 million in donations on the world tour by Christmas 1993. And that he wanted to focus the world’s attention on helping children.

Michael Jackson Dangerous Album Cover - Heal the World: Continents of the world are painted on the palm of the hand

picture: Michael Jackson’s promise to help and honor all the children of the world is written in stone in the entertainer’s hand.

The promise in Michael Jackson’s hand: help for the children of the world to heal the world

Michael Jackson visited (not only) during the DANGEROUS world tour hospitals and orphanages around the globe and criticized social injustices. Romania became his focus, as well as Sarajevo. Michael Jackson sat at the deathbeds of children, handing out toys, providing life-saving surgeries. Actions like these were the law in the Jackson camp but not everyone in his entourage was able to cope with the suffering of the children. And nobody asked where Michael Jackson drew the necessary strength from.
Michael Jackson had not only sung HEAL THE WORLD, Michael Jackson had lived HEAL THE WORLD.
Jackson hoped that others would also be touched by this help to make their own contribution to the „healing of the world“. Michael Jackson always emphasized that children are the future for all of us.

To honor the children of the world, I vow to keep my promise to help the sick and dying, the alone, homeless and hungry, through the construction of children’s hospitals and orphanages in every needy corner of the world.“

Michael Jackson, 1995. 11

And we as adults are also the children of this world.

We the children of this world

I want my work to help people rediscover the child that’s hiding in them.“

Michael Jackson, 1992. 12
Michael Jackson Dangerous Cover - I want people to rediscover the child that's hiding in them www.partofhistory.de
I want my work to help people rediscover the child that’s hiding in them.“ Michael Jackson

The skull and the shoe of the entertainer

In the hand out of stone on DANGEROUS, the child’s left foot stands on Europe, the right stands on North America.
Children are free from prejudices. Children connect continents.

Michael Jackson Album Cover - Heal the World.

picture: Children are free from prejudices. Children connect continents. With ease.

The child carries under his arms the skull of a … crocodile?
But the silhouette of that skull reminds us of a shoe. Maybe those famous shoes that the dancer Jackson wears while performing? His trademarks also include finger tapes like the one on the stone hand on DANGEROUS. They belong to the King of Pop, who wants to help children through his performances around the globe.

To honor the children of the world, I vow to keep my promise to help … in every needy corner of the world.“

Michael Jackson. 13

picture: Is the silhouette of the skull held in the hands of the girl on DANGEROUS a nod to the entertainer’s shoe? These famous shoes that Michael Jackson wore as King of Pop on stage? On those world tours with which he wanted to help the children of this world.

The dancer’s shoe already had its place as a trademark next to the roller coaster in LEAVE ME ALONE. He accompanied the ride through the career of entertainer Michael Jackson, who was so brilliant at entertaining all the children of the world from 1 to 99 years old so wonderfully.

picture: The famous shoe of entertainer Michael Jackson was already depicted in his short film LEAVE ME ALONE in 1987. The painter Mark Ryden explained in a later interview that the images from LEAVE ME ALONE inspired him to create the DANGEROUS painting.

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Quellen

  1. Jackson, Michael, EARTH SONG – album: „HIStory – Past, Present and Future Book I„, 1995 June 14., „What have we done to the world? Look what we’ve done!“, Sony Music
  2. Michael Jackson May/June 2009 giving a speech to his crew in the preparations for an announced concert series he had called THIS IS IT„: We’re putting love back into the world to remind the world that love is important. Love is important. To love each other. We’re all one. That’s the message. And take care of the planet. We have four years to get it right or else it’s irreversible, the damage we’ve done. So we have an important message to give. Okay? It’s important.“, SONY Music/DVD, 28 October 2009 SONY, MJJ Productions, AEG Live, Columbia Pictures; The Michael Jackson Company, LLC
  3. Jackson, Michael, DANCING THE DREAM – „Ecstasy“, 1992/1993, Doubleday an imprint of Transworld Publishers, London/Goldmann Verlag Bertelsmann
  4. Forger, Matt, Full interview with longtime Michael Jackson collaborator and friend Matt Forger by Mike Smallcombe, 2016.11.21., author from „Making Michael – Making Michael: Inside the Career of Michael Jackson – ISBN 978-1910782514“ about the production from the DANGEROUS album: „The early songs that we worked on include ‘They Don’t Care About Us’, and Billy worked on ‘Earth Song’. In the late summer and early fall, we worked on ‘Heal The World’. The original title for that was actually ‘Feed The World’….“, www.makingmichael.co.uk/single-post/2016/11/21/Full-interview-with-longtime-Michael-Jackson-collaborator-and-friend-Matt-Forger
  5. Jackson, Michael, DANCING THE DREAM, 1992/1993,  „We have to heal our wounded world. The chaos, despair, and senseless destruction we see today are a result of the alienation that people feel from each other and their environment. Often this alienation has its roots in an emotionally deprived childhood. Children have had their childhood stolen from them. A child’s mind needs the nourishment of mystery, magic, wonder, and excitement. I want my work to help people rediscover the child that’s hiding in them.“, Doubleday an imprint of Transworld Publishers, London/Goldmann Verlag Bertelsmann,“ON children OF THE WORLD“
  6. Jackson, Michael, DANCING THE DREAM- „That One in the Mirror“, 1992/1993: „I wanted to change the world, so I got up one morning and looked in the mirror. That one looking back said, „There is not much time left. The earth is wracked with pain. Children are starving. Nations remain divided by mistrust and hatred. Everywhere the air and water have been fouled almost beyond help. Do something!“ That one in the mirror felt very angry and desperate. Everything looked like a mess, a tragedy, a disaster. I decided he must be right. Didn’t I feel terrible about these things, too, just like him? The planet was being used up and thrown away. Imagining earthly life just one generation from now made me feel panicky …“, Doubleday an imprint of Transworld Publishers, London/Goldmann Verlag Bertelsmann
  7. Jackson, Michael, DANCING THE DREAM-„Planet Earth“, 1992/1993, „Planet Earth, gentle and blue/With all my heart, I love you.“, Doubleday an imprint of Transworld Publishers, London/Goldmann Verlag Bertelsmann.
  8. Forger, Matt, Full interview with longtime Michael Jackson collaborator and friend Matt Forger by Mike Smallcombe, 2016.11.21., Matt Forger in the interview with Mike Smallcombe, author of „Making Michael – Making Michael: Inside the Career of Michael Jackson“ – ISBN 978-1910782514“
  9. Cadman, Chris, „Michael Jackson-The Maestro. The Definitive A-Z, Volume I: A-J“, Cadman, Chris. 2013, On 30th September 1992 Michael held a press conference at the „Tetraul des Revista Constantin Tanase“ theatre in Bucharest, Romania. In the presence of Prime Minister, Theodor Stolojan he addressed the press and attendees. “Dear friends, ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Prime Minister. These children are as dear to me as all the children of the world. Today, I’ve had the opportunity to see the face of transformation and civilization. A moment like this means healing the world. We must heal the world and ourselves. We have to weave our life like a web, because we are part of this web. Out of negligence, we have contaminated and polluted our planet, and, in exchange, we hurt ourselves. In the life songs of ages is the dance of our blood. The environment is an extension of our body, and it gives the pulse of love, is the orchestra of universe’s symphony. It is music’s territory and enables us to rediscover our souls. Let’s rejoice together in love today, unity and conciliation. Let’s heal everybody and, thus, heal ourselves. Let us make a covenant with life and let us celebrate with joy a new world … and healed. Thank you, […] especially, to all the children of the world. I love you all. Thank you so much … Thank you.”, page 344
  10. Michael Jackson, November 1992 press conference New York City about his „HTWF“ for the war-stricken Sarajevo: „It is for that reason that ‚Heal The World“ is organizing the World’s Children Congress next year, made up exclusively of delegates, aged 8 to 16. The world desperately needs their innocent perspective on the world’s problems. We have to heal our wounded planet of the chaos, despair and senseless destruction we see today. The mission of HTW, my mission, is healing. Pure and simple. To heal the world, we must start by healing our children. Today, we come bearing gifts for the children of war-torn Sarajevo.“
  11. Jackson, Michael, HIStory – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BOOK I, 14.06.1995, Sony Music, page 47
  12. Jackson, Michael, DANCING THE DREAM, 1992/1993, „We have to heal our wounded world. The chaos, despair, and senseless destruction we see today are a result of the alienation that people feel from each other and their environment. Often this alienation has its roots in an emotionally deprived childhood. Children have had their childhood stolen from them. A child’s mind needs the nourishment of mystery, magic, wonder, and excitement. I want my work to help people rediscover the child that’s hiding in them.“, Doubleday an imprint of Transworld Publishers, London/Goldmann Verlag Bertelsmann,“ON children OF THE WORLD“
  13. Jackson, Michael, HIStory – PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE BOOK I, 14.06.1995, „To honor the children of the world, I vow to keep my promise to help the sick and dying, the alone, homeless and hungry, through the construction of children’s hospitals and orphanages in every needy corner of the world.“, Sony Music, page 47

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