Invincible (Michael Jackson album)

Invincible (Michael Jackson album)
Invincible is the tenth and final studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson, released on October 30, 2001, by Epic Records. It was Jackson's last album before his death in 2009. It features appearances from Carlos Santana, the Notorious B.I.G. and Slash. It incorporates R&B, pop and soul, and, similarly to Jackson's previous material, the album explores themes such as love, romance, isolation, media criticism, and social issues.
The album's creation was expensive and laborious. Jackson started the multi-genre production in 1997 and did not finish until eight weeks before the album's October 2001 release. It was reported that it cost $30 million to record, making it the most expensive album ever made. Jackson refused to tour to support it, adding to the growing rift between him and Sony Music Entertainment. In July 2002, following Sony's decision to abruptly end promotion for the album, Jackson alleged that the CEO of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola, was a "devil" and a racist who used his African-American artists only for personal gain.
Invincible debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart in the United States and in ten other countries worldwide. It was certified double platinum in the US January 2002 and has sold more than eight million copies worldwide. The lead single, "You Rock My World", reached number ten on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 2002 Grammy Awards. "Cry" and "Butterflies" were also released as singles, and "Speechless" was released as a promotional single.
Invincible received mixed reviews and became Jackson's most critically derided album. Retrospective reviews have been more positive, and it has been credited as featuring early examples of dubstep. In 2009, it was voted by online readers of Billboard as the best album of the decade.
Production
Prior to the release of Invincible, Jackson had not released any new material since Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix in 1997. His last studio album was HIStory (1995). Invincible was thus looked at as Jackson's "career comeback".
Jackson began recording new material in October 1997, and finished with "You Are My Life" being recorded only eight weeks before the album's release in October 2001 – the most extensive recording of Jackson's career. The tracks with Rodney Jerkins were recorded at the Hit Factory in Miami, Florida. Jackson had shown interest in including a rapper on at least one song, and had noted that he did not want a 'known rapper'. Jackson's spokesperson suggested a New Jersey rapper named Fats; after Jackson heard the finished product of the song, the two agreed to record another song together for the album.
Rodney Jerkins stated that Jackson was looking to record material in a different musical direction than his previous work, describing the new direction as "edgier". Jackson received credit for both writing and producing a majority of the songs on Invincible. Aside from Jackson, the album features productions by Jerkins, Teddy Riley, Andre Harris, Andraeo "Fanatic" Heard, Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, R. Kelly and Dr. Freeze Bill Gray and writing credits from Kelly, Fred Jerkins III, LaShawn Daniels, Nora Payne and Robert Smith. The album is the third collaboration between Jackson and Riley, the other two being Dangerous and Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. Invincible is Jackson's tenth and final studio album to have been recorded and released during his lifetime. It was reported that it cost thirty million dollars to make the album, making it the most expensive album ever made.
Invincible was dedicated to the fifteen-year-old Afro-Norwegian boy Benjamin "Benny" Hermansen who was stabbed to death by a group of neo-Nazis in Oslo, Norway, in January 2001. The reason for this tribute was partly due to the fact that another Oslo youth, Omer Bhatti, Jackson's friend, was also a good friend of Hermansen. The dedication in the album reads, "Michael Jackson gives 'special thanks': This album is dedicated to Benjamin 'Benny' Hermansen. May we continue to remember not to judge a man by the color of his skin, but the content of his character. Benjamin ... we love you ... may you rest in peace." The album is also dedicated to Nicholette Sottile and his parents Joseph and Katherine Jackson.
Music and lyrics
Invincible is an R&B, pop and soul record. The album's full length lasts over 77 minutes and contains 16 songs – fifteen of which were written (or co-written) by Jackson. It was noted that the album shifts between aggressive songs and ballads. Invincible opens with "Unbreakable"; the last line in the first verse recites the lyrics, "With all that I've been through/I'm still around". In a 2002 interview with the magazine Vibe, Jackson commented on his inspiration for writing "Speechless", saying:
"Privacy", a reflection on Jackson's own personal experiences, is about media invasions and tabloid inaccuracies. "The Lost Children" is about imperiled children. Jackson sings in a third person in "Whatever Happens". The song's lyrics, described by Rolling Stone magazine as having a "jagged intensity", narrate the story of two people involved in an unnamed threatening situation. Invincible features four ballads: "You Are My Life", "Butterflies", "Don't Walk Away" and "Cry". "Cry", similar to Jackson's "Man in the Mirror", is about healing the world together. The lyrics to "Butterflies" and "Break of Dawn" were viewed as "glaringly banal" and it was implied that they could have been written by anyone. "Threatened" was viewed as being a storyteller. The song was viewed as a "Thriller redux". The song "You Are My Life" is about Jackson's two children at the time, Prince and Paris. The song features Jackson singing, "You are the sun, you make me shine, more like the stars."
Singles
The album spawned three official singles ("You Rock My World", "Cry" and "Butterflies") and a promotional single in South Korea ("Speechless"), although all were given limited releases. "You Rock My World" was only released to radio airplay in the United States, consequently only peaking at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. Internationally, where it was released as a commercial single, it reached number one in France, number two in Norway, Finland, Denmark, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, number three in Italy, number four in Australia, and five in Sweden and Switzerland. The second single, "Cry", was not released in the United States. It was only moderately successful, with the song's most successful territories being Spain, Denmark, France, and Belgium, charting at number six, sixteen, thirty and thirty-one.
The album's third single, "Butterflies", was only released in the United States to radio airplay. It reached number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at number two for five weeks on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles Chart. "Heaven Can Wait" also charted at the bottom of the R&B/Hip-Hop Charts, at number 72 due to radio airplay without an official release; the song did not chart internationally. "Unbreakable" was originally supposed to be released as a single, but it was ultimately cancelled. Despite that, the song managed to chart inside the Romanian Top 100 chart, peaking at number 62. It was later included on The Ultimate Collection box set in 2004.
Promotion
It was reported that the album had a budget of twenty five million dollars set aside for promotion. Despite this, however, due to the conflicts between Jackson and his record label, little was done to promote the album. Unlike with Jackson's post-Thriller adult studio albums, there was no world tour to promote the album; a tour was planned, but cancelled due to conflicts between Jackson and Sony, and the September 11 attacks (the latter of which had also motivated many other artists to cancel their then-upcoming concerts in late 2001 and early 2002.) There was, however, a special 30th Anniversary celebration at Madison Square Garden in early September 2001 to mark Jackson's 30th year as a solo artist. Jackson performed "You Rock My World" and marked his first appearance onstage alongside his brothers since the Jacksons' Victory Tour in 1984. The show also featured performances by Britney Spears, Mýa, Usher, Whitney Houston, Tamia, Backstreet Boys, 'N Sync, 98 Degrees, and Slash, among other artists. The show aired on CBS in November 2001 as a two-hour television special and garnered 30 million viewers.
The album's promotion was met with trouble due to internal conflicts with Sony Music Entertainment and Jackson due to his part of ownership with the company and the contract to this deal with Sony that was originally signed back in 1991. The issue stemmed back during the production of Invincible when Jackson learned that the rights to the masters of his past releases, which were to revert to him in the early 2000s, wouldn't actually revert to him until much later in the decade. When Jackson went to the lawyer who worked with him in making the deal back in 1991, he learned that the same lawyer was also working for Sony, revealing a conflict of interest he was never aware of. Not wanting to sign away his ownership in Sony Music Entertainment, Jackson elected to leave the company shortly after the album's release. After the announcement, Sony halted promotion on the album, cancelling single releases, including a 9/11 charity single that was intended to be released before Invincible.
In July 2002, following Sony's decision to abruptly end promotion for the album, Jackson alleged that the CEO of Sony Music, Tommy Mottola, was a "devil" and a racist who used his African-American artists only for personal gain. He accused Sony and the record industry of racism, deliberately not promoting or actively working against promotion of his album. Sony disputed claims that they had failed to promote Invincible with sufficient energy, maintaining that Jackson refused to tour in the United States.
Critical reception
Invincible received mixed reviews from professional critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a mixed score of 51 based on 19 reviews. David Browne of Entertainment Weekly, felt that Invincible is Jackson's "first album since Off the Wall that offers virtually no new twists" but remarked that the album "feels like an anthology of his less-than-greatest hits".
James Hunter of Rolling Stone critiqued that the album's later ballads made the record too long. Hunter also commented that Jackson and Riley made "Whatever Happens" "something really handsome and smart", allowing listeners "to concentrate on the track's momentous rhythms" such as "Santana's passionate interjections and Lubbock's wonderfully arranged symphonic sweeps". Mark Beaumont of NME called it "a relevant and rejuvenated comeback album made overlong", while Blender also found it "long-winded".
Reviewing for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau said that Jackson's skills as a musician are often forgotten, but noted that the album seemed too long compared to other Jackson albums. While Christgau felt some material was "offensive", he described the album's first three tracks as being the "Rodney Jerkins of the year" adding that he did not "believe the [album's] hype matters". Nikki Tranter of PopMatters said that it is both innovative and meaningful because exceptional songs such as "The Lost Children" and "Whatever Happens" more than make up for overly sentimental songs like "Heaven Can Wait" and "You Are My Life". Q magazine said that it is an aurally interesting, albeit inconsistent, album.
In a negative review for The New York Times, Jon Pareles suggested that the album is somewhat impersonal and humorless, as Jackson rehashes ideas from his past songs and is "so busy trying to dazzle listeners that he forgets to have any fun." In a retrospective review for The Rolling Stone Album Guide, Pareles said that Invincible showed Jackson had lost his suave quality to "grim calculation".
Invincible received one Grammy Award nomination at the 2002 ceremony. The album's song "You Rock My World" was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male, but lost to James Taylor's "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight". Due to the album's release in October 2001, it was not eligible for any other nomination from the 2002 Grammy Awards.
Retrospective reviews
In retrospective reviews, Invincible has gained more positive reviews and the track "Heartbreaker" has been cited as an early development of dubstep. Jackson later admitted to have been very proud of Invincible:"It is tough because you’re competing against yourself. Invincible is just as good or better than Thriller, in my true, humble opinion. It has more to offer."
AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine commented that it has a "spark" and "sound better than anything Jackson has done since Dangerous." Erlewine noted that while the album had good material it was "not enough to make Invincible the comeback Jackson needed – he really would have had to have an album that sounded free instead of constrained for that to work – but it does offer a reminder that he can really craft good pop." Writing for PopDose, Mike Heyliger wrote "Invincible isn't the piece of shit most claim it to be. A leaner structure to the album and more sympathetic production would have resulted in a classic. But when measured against the radio junk that passes for pop-R&B these days, Invincible is stronger than ever." In December 2009 readers of Billboard voted Invincible the best album of the decade.
Commercial performance
Invincible was Jackson's first studio album since HIStory six years earlier. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 363,000 units. It was Jackson's fifth Billboard 200 number-one, and his fourth solo album to chart at number one in its first week; however, it sold less than HIStory in its opening week, which sold 391,000 units. In its second week, the album slip to number 3 selling 202,000 copies with a 45%. Invincible also charted at number one on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Albums Chart for four weeks. After eight weeks of release, in December 2001, Invincible was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for the sales of five hundred thousand units. In the same month, the album was certified platinum for the sale of one million units. On January 25, 2002, it was certified two times platinum for the sales of two million units. In the United States, it was the 45th best-selling album of 2001 selling over 1.56 million units. As of 2009, Invincible had sold 2.4 million copies in the United States.
Invincible left the Billboard 200 in June 2002 after charting there for 28 weeks. Shortly after the release of the album, in a poll conducted by Billboard magazine, "an overwhelming majority" of people—79% of 5,195 voters—were not surprised by Invincible entering the Billboard 200 at number one. Billboard also reported that 44% agreed with the statement, proclaiming that Jackson was "still the King of Pop". Another 35% said they were not surprised by the album's ranking, but doubted Invincible would hold on for a second week at the top of the chart. Only 12% of people who responded to the poll said they were surprised by the album's charting debut because of Jackson's career over the past six years and another 9% were taken aback by the album's success, in light of the negativity that preceded the album's release.
Invincible reached number one in thirteen countries worldwide, including the United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland. It also charted within the top ten in several countries, including Austria, Canada, Finland, Italy, New Zealand, and Norway.
Invincible was certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry, for the sales of over 300,000 units in the United Kingdom. The album was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for the sales of 40,000 units in Switzerland. The IFPI also certified the album gold in Austria for the sales of 15,000 units. Australian Recording Industry Association certified Invincible two times platinum for the sales of 140,000 units in Australia. Invincible was the eleventh best-selling album of 2001 according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry with 5.4 million copies. Since then, the album has sold more than 8 million units worldwide.
Following Jackson's death in June 2009, his music experienced a surge in popularity. Invincible charted at number twelve on the Billboard Digital Albums Chart on July 11, 2009. Having not charted on the chart prior to its peak position, the album was listed as the ninth biggest jump on that chart that week. It also charted within the top ten, peaking at number nine, on Billboards Catalog Albums Chart on the issue date of July 18. On the week of July 19, 2009, Invincible charted at number eighteen in Italy. Invincible peaked at number sixty-four on the European Albums Chart on the charts issue date of July 25. The album also charted at number twenty-nine in Mexico on July, and eighty-four on the Swiss Albums Chart on July 19, 2009.
Track listing
Notes
The rap verse by The Notorious B.I.G. in "Unbreakable" was originally from the second verse of the song "You Can't Stop the Reign" by Shaquille O'Neal.
"Break of Dawn", "2000 Watts" and "Threatened" were excluded from the original Chinese release. In the Chinese edition of the box set The Collection released in 2013, all 16 tracks are included.
Credits
Personnel
Credits adapted from Invincible album liner notes.
Michael Jackson – lead vocals , background vocals , arranger , multiple instruments , programming , drum programming , orchestral arrangements and conducting , keyboard programming
Marsha Ambrosius – background vocals
Maxi Anderson – vocals
Gloria Augustus – vocals
Babyface – acoustic guitar, bass guitar, background vocals, drum programming, and keyboards
Tom Bahler – youth choir conductor
Emanuel "Bucket" Baker – drums
Rose Beatty – youth choir
Edie Lehmann Boddicker – youth choir
Robert Bolyard – youth choir
Norman Jeff Bradshaw – horns
Brandy – additional background vocals
Stuart Brawley – whistle solo
Mary Brown – additional background vocals
Tim Brown – vocals
Brad Buxer – drum programming , keyboards , keyboard programming
David Campbell – string arrangement
Matt Cappy – horns
Martha Cowan – youth choir
Andraé Crouch – vocals
Sandra Crouch – vocals
Paulinho da Costa – percussion
LaShawn Daniels – background vocals
Valerie Doby – vocals
Dr. Freeze – background vocals , multiple instruments
Monique Donally – youth choir
Kevin Dorsey – vocals
Marja Dozier – vocals
Alfie Silas Durio – vocals
Nathan East – bass guitar
Jason Edmonds – choir
Geary Lanier Faggett – vocals
Vonciele Faggett – vocals
Fats – rap
Lynn Fiddmont-Lindsey – choir
Kirstin Fife – violin
Judy Gossett – vocals
Harold Green – vocals
Jonathon Hall – youth choir
Justine Hall – youth choir
Andre Harris – multiple instruments
Scottie Haskell – youth choir
Micha Haupman – youth choir
Tess (Teresa) Escoto – youth choir
Gerald Heyward – drums
Tabia Ivery – choir
Luana Jackman – youth choir
Prince Jackson – narrative
Rodney Jerkins – multiple instruments , programming
Tenika Johns – vocals
Angela Johnson – vocals
Daniel Johnson – vocals
Zaneta M. Johnson – vocals
Laquentan Jordan – vocals
R. Kelly – choir arrangement
Peter Kent – violin
Gina Kronstadt – violin
Michael Landau – guitar
James Lively – youth choir
Robin Lorentz – violin
Jeremy Lubbock – orchestral arrangements and conducting
Brandon Lucas – youth choir
Jonathon Lucas – youth choir
Ricky Lucchse – youth choir
Melissa MacKay – youth choir
Alex Martinez – youth choir
Howard McCrary – vocals
Linda McCrary – vocals
Sam McCrary – vocals
Alice Jean McRath – vocals
Sue Merriett – vocals
Bill Meyers – string arrangements
Mischke – background vocals
Patrice Morris – vocals
Kristle Murden – vocals
The Notorious B.I.G. – rap
Novi Novog – viola and contractor
Nora Payne – background vocals
Que – background vocals
Teddy Riley – multiple instruments additional background vocals
John Robinson – drums
Baby Rubba – narrative
Carlos Santana – guitar and whistle solo
Deborah Sharp-Taylor – vocals
F. Sheridan – youth choir
Slash – guitar solo
Andrew Snyder – youth choir
Sally Stevens – youth choir
Richard Stites – additional background vocals
Thomas Tally – viola
Brett Tattersol – youth choir
Ron Taylor – vocals
Michael Thompson – guitar
Chris Tucker – introduction
Mario Vasquez – additional background vocals
Johnnie Walker – vocals
Nathan "N8" Walton – choir
Rick Williams – guitar
Yvonne Williams – vocals
Zandra Williams – vocals
John Wittenberg – violin
Record production
Executive producer: Michael Jackson
Produced by Michael Jackson , Rodney Jerkins , Dr. Freeze , Teddy Riley , Andre Harris , Babyface , R. Kelly
Co-produced by Andreao "Fanatic" Heard" and Nate Smith , Richard Stites
Recorded by Bruce Swedien , Teddy Riley , Rodney Jerkins , Stuart Brawley , Brad Gilderman , Dexter Simmons , George Mayers , Jean-Marie Horvat , Brad Buxer , Mike Ging , Paul Boutin , Andre Harris , Humberto Gatica
Assistant engineers: Rob Herrera, Craig Durrance, Kevin Scott, Steve Robillard, Franny Graham, Richard Thomas Ash, Chris Carroll, Dave Ashton, Christine Tramontano, Vidal Davis
Rap recorded by Bob Brown
Strings recorded by Tommy Vicari
Assisted by Steve Genewick
Production coordinator: Ivy Skoff
Mixed by Bruce Swedien , Teddy Riley , Rodney Jerkins , Michael Jackson , Mick Guzauski , Stuart Brawley , George Mayers , Jean-Marie Horvat , Jon Gass , Humberto Gatica
Assisted by Kb and EQ
Mastered by Bernie Grundman
Digital editing by Stuart Brawley , Brad Buxer , Rob Herrera, Harvey Mason, Jr. , Alex Greggs , Fabian Marasciullo , Paul Cruz , Paul Foley , George Mayers
Additional digital editing and engineering by Michael Prince
Art direction: Nancy Donald, David Coleman, Adam Owett
Cover design: Steven Hankinson
Photography: Albert Watson
Illustration: Uri Geller
Make-Up and hair: Karen Faye
Vocal consultant: Seth Riggs
Archivist: Craig Johnson
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications and sales
References
Bibliography
George, Nelson (2004). Michael Jackson: The Ultimate Collection booklet. Sony BMG.
External links
2001 albums
Michael Jackson albums
Epic Records albums
Albums produced by Michael Jackson
Albums produced by Babyface (musician)
Albums produced by Rodney Jerkins
Albums produced by R. Kelly
Albums produced by Teddy Riley
Albums recorded at Capitol Studios