Tabloid Junkie
Encyclopedia
"Tabloid Junkie" is a pop song
performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson
. The song appeared as the album's eleventh track on Jackson's ninth studio album, entitled HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, which was released in 1995 as a two-disc set. The song was written, composed, and produced by Michael Jackson, Jimmy Jam (James Harris III) and Terry Lewis.
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. "Tabloid Junkie" is a pop-rock song, with lyrics that pertain to media bias
and negative coverage of rumors about Jackson and his personal life, similar to previous songs recorded by Jackson. "Tabloid Junkie" is the seventh song on HIStory: Past, Present And Future, Book I to be aimed at the media. The track was not released as a single.
", "Scream
" and "This Time Around
", amongst others, "Tabloid Junkie", co-written by Jackson, shows Jackson's dissatisfaction with the media, particularly the tabloids, because of the bias and negative media coverage of false rumors and the 1993 child sexual abuse accusations made against him
. Ever since the late 1980s, Jackson and the press had not had a good relationship. In 1986, the tabloids ran a story claiming that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow the aging process, with a picture of him lying down in a glass box; Jackson stated that the story was untrue. When Jackson bought a pet chimpanzee
Bubbles
, the media viewed it as evidence of Jackson's increasing detachment from reality.
It was reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph "The Elephant Man" Merrick
; Jackson stated that the story was false. These stories inspired the nickname "Wacko Jacko", which Jackson acquired the following year, and would come to despise. Jackson stopped leaking untrue stories to the press, so the media began making up their own. In 1989, Jackson released the song and music video "Leave Me Alone", a song about his perceived victimization at the hands of the press. The video shows Jackson poking fun at both the press and himself. In the video, there are newspapers with bizarre headlines, Jackson dancing with the bones of "The Elephant Man", and an animated nose with a scalpel chasing it across the screen.
In August 1993, the relationship between Jackson and the press soured entirely when he was accused of child sexual abuse. Although never charged with a crime, Jackson was subject to intense media scrutiny while the criminal investigation took place. Complaints about the coverage included the media using sensational headlines to draw in readers and viewers when the content itself did not support the headline, accepting leaked material from the police investigation and of Jackson's alleged criminal activity in return for money, a lack of objectivity and using headlines that strongly implied Jackson's guilt. At the time, Jackson said of the media coverage, "I will say I am particularly upset by the handling of the matter by the incredible, terrible mass media. At every opportunity, the media has dissected and manipulated these allegations to reach their own conclusions." Jackson began taking painkillers, Valium, Xanax and Ativan to deal with the stress of the allegations made against him. When he left the United States to go into rehabilitation
, the media showed him little sympathy.
signature. It has heavy beats throughout with Jackson beatboxing throughout. Jackson's voice range is from Cb4 to Bb7. The songs tempo
is moderate and it's metronome is 111 beats per minute.
, a film and music critic, who gave the album ** Honorable Mention , listed "Tabloid Junkie" as being one out of two of the albums highlights. Jim Farber, of the New York Daily News
, commented that "Tabloid Junkie" sounded "like virtual satires" of the "beat-heavy sound devised" by Jam and Lewis in the 1980s.
David Browne, of Entertainment Weekly
, noted that "Tabloid Junkie," comes as "close to transcendence as anywhere on the album" and described the chorus, "Just because you read it in the magazine or see it on the TV screen don't make it factual" as Jackson's "grabbiest, most driven refrain in years." Although Browne praised the song, he commented, "The rest of the song, however, is mucked up with fake tabloid-TV snippets about his 'life,' and on the verses Jackson's delivery is so terse (he's not singing, he's harrumphing) that his lyrics are all but obliterated. Handed a golden opportunity, he throws it all away — but then, it wouldn't be the first time." Deepika Reedy, of The Daily Collegian, described the "rust in songs" like "Tabloid Junkie" as having a "raw aspect" that Jackson "hasn't approached since a near-miss with 'Billie Jean
'." Patrick Macdonald, of The Seattle Times
, noting that "Tabloid Junkie" was a "disingenuous attack on sensational news stories" about Jackson, remarked that most of stories were "planted" by Jackson himself.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
performed by American recording artist Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. The song appeared as the album's eleventh track on Jackson's ninth studio album, entitled HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, which was released in 1995 as a two-disc set. The song was written, composed, and produced by Michael Jackson, Jimmy Jam (James Harris III) and Terry Lewis.
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. "Tabloid Junkie" is a pop-rock song, with lyrics that pertain to media bias
Media bias
Media bias refers to the bias of journalists and news producers within the mass media in the selection of events and stories that are reported and how they are covered. The term "media bias" implies a pervasive or widespread bias contravening the standards of journalism, rather than the...
and negative coverage of rumors about Jackson and his personal life, similar to previous songs recorded by Jackson. "Tabloid Junkie" is the seventh song on HIStory: Past, Present And Future, Book I to be aimed at the media. The track was not released as a single.
Background
Similarly to "Leave Me Alone" (1987) and HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I album tracks, "They Don't Care About UsThey Don't Care About Us
"They Don't Care About Us" is the fourth single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, released on April 1, 1996. The song remains one of the most controversial pieces Jackson ever composed...
", "Scream
Scream/Childhood
"Scream"/"Childhood" is the lead single from Michael Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I where "Scream" is the first song and "Childhood" is the tenth song on the second disc of the album HIStory Continues. The A-side, "Scream", is a duet with his younger sister...
" and "This Time Around
This Time Around (Michael Jackson song)
"This Time Around" is a song by American recording artist and song-writer Michael Jackson that features the vocals from rapper The Notorious B.I.G. The song appears on Jackson's ninth studio album, entitled HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I, which was released in 1995 as a two-disc set...
", amongst others, "Tabloid Junkie", co-written by Jackson, shows Jackson's dissatisfaction with the media, particularly the tabloids, because of the bias and negative media coverage of false rumors and the 1993 child sexual abuse accusations made against him
1993 child sexual abuse accusations against Michael Jackson
In 1993, Evan Chandler accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing his thirteen-year-old son, Jordan. The relationship between Jackson and Jordan began in May 1992. Evan initially welcomed and encouraged the friendship, and bragged about his connection to a celebrity. The friendship became well...
. Ever since the late 1980s, Jackson and the press had not had a good relationship. In 1986, the tabloids ran a story claiming that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to slow the aging process, with a picture of him lying down in a glass box; Jackson stated that the story was untrue. When Jackson bought a pet chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
Bubbles
Bubbles (chimpanzee)
Bubbles is a common chimpanzee, known for being the one-time pet of American recording artist Michael Jackson. The entertainer adopted the young primate from a Texas research facility in the early 1980s. The singer's attachment to the animal led to media mockery and, among other factors, to a...
, the media viewed it as evidence of Jackson's increasing detachment from reality.
It was reported that Jackson had offered to buy the bones of Joseph "The Elephant Man" Merrick
Joseph Merrick
Joseph Carey Merrick , sometimes incorrectly referred to as John Merrick, was an English man with severe deformities who was exhibited as a human curiosity named the Elephant Man. He became well known in London society after he went to live at the London Hospital...
; Jackson stated that the story was false. These stories inspired the nickname "Wacko Jacko", which Jackson acquired the following year, and would come to despise. Jackson stopped leaking untrue stories to the press, so the media began making up their own. In 1989, Jackson released the song and music video "Leave Me Alone", a song about his perceived victimization at the hands of the press. The video shows Jackson poking fun at both the press and himself. In the video, there are newspapers with bizarre headlines, Jackson dancing with the bones of "The Elephant Man", and an animated nose with a scalpel chasing it across the screen.
In August 1993, the relationship between Jackson and the press soured entirely when he was accused of child sexual abuse. Although never charged with a crime, Jackson was subject to intense media scrutiny while the criminal investigation took place. Complaints about the coverage included the media using sensational headlines to draw in readers and viewers when the content itself did not support the headline, accepting leaked material from the police investigation and of Jackson's alleged criminal activity in return for money, a lack of objectivity and using headlines that strongly implied Jackson's guilt. At the time, Jackson said of the media coverage, "I will say I am particularly upset by the handling of the matter by the incredible, terrible mass media. At every opportunity, the media has dissected and manipulated these allegations to reach their own conclusions." Jackson began taking painkillers, Valium, Xanax and Ativan to deal with the stress of the allegations made against him. When he left the United States to go into rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation
Drug rehabilitation is a term for the processes of medical or psychotherapeutic treatment, for dependency on psychoactive substances such as alcohol, prescription drugs, and so-called street drugs such as cocaine, heroin or amphetamines...
, the media showed him little sympathy.
Composition
"Tabloid Junkie" is credited as a pop—funk song, that is similar to New Jack Swing. Throughout the song, Jackson sings in a quick-voice, which some music critics viewed as Jackson "not singing" but "harrumphing". It is a plea to the public to not believe everything in the tabloids; and the lyrics are about media bias and sensational journalism about Jackson and in general. This can be heard in lyrics such as, "Just because you read it in the magazine or see it on the TV screen don't make it factual". Jackson uses the song to criticize journalists, commenting "with your pen you torture men", describing how he was affected by the media coverage about him, and "speculate to break the one you hate", describing how reporters used sensational writing to mislead people and cast him in a negative view. "Tabloid Junkie" is played in the key of Gb major and in common timeCommon Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
signature. It has heavy beats throughout with Jackson beatboxing throughout. Jackson's voice range is from Cb4 to Bb7. The songs tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
is moderate and it's metronome is 111 beats per minute.
Reception
"Tabloid Junkie" received primarily positive reviews from contemporary music critics. James Hunter, a writer for Rolling Stone, described "Tabloid Junkie", as well as "Scream", another track from the album, as being "two adventurous Jam and Lewis thumpers" that "work completely", commenting that "Jackson's slippery voice is caught in mammoth funk-rock constructions". Hunter noted that the "choruses of 'Tabloid Junkie' in particular sing out with quick-voiced warnings about the failings of media truth." Robert ChristgauRobert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
, a film and music critic, who gave the album ** Honorable Mention , listed "Tabloid Junkie" as being one out of two of the albums highlights. Jim Farber, of the New York Daily News
New York Daily News
The Daily News of New York City is the fourth most widely circulated daily newspaper in the United States with a daily circulation of 605,677, as of November 1, 2011....
, commented that "Tabloid Junkie" sounded "like virtual satires" of the "beat-heavy sound devised" by Jam and Lewis in the 1980s.
David Browne, of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, noted that "Tabloid Junkie," comes as "close to transcendence as anywhere on the album" and described the chorus, "Just because you read it in the magazine or see it on the TV screen don't make it factual" as Jackson's "grabbiest, most driven refrain in years." Although Browne praised the song, he commented, "The rest of the song, however, is mucked up with fake tabloid-TV snippets about his 'life,' and on the verses Jackson's delivery is so terse (he's not singing, he's harrumphing) that his lyrics are all but obliterated. Handed a golden opportunity, he throws it all away — but then, it wouldn't be the first time." Deepika Reedy, of The Daily Collegian, described the "rust in songs" like "Tabloid Junkie" as having a "raw aspect" that Jackson "hasn't approached since a near-miss with 'Billie Jean
Billie Jean
"Billie Jean" is a dance-pop/R&B song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was written, composed, and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones from the singer's sixth album, Thriller . Originally disliked by Jones, the track was almost removed from the album after he and...
'." Patrick Macdonald, of The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times
The Seattle Times is a newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, US. It is the largest daily newspaper in the state of Washington. It has been, since the demise in 2009 of the printed version of the rival Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Seattle's only major daily print newspaper.-History:The Seattle Times...
, noting that "Tabloid Junkie" was a "disingenuous attack on sensational news stories" about Jackson, remarked that most of stories were "planted" by Jackson himself.