
They Don't Care About Us
Lead vocals: Man
Taal: Engels
They Don't Care About Us is een nummer van de Amerikaanse zanger Michael Jackson. Het kwam uit op Jacksons album HIStory: Past, Present And Future - Book I, en werd uitgegeven als derde single van dat album.
Het nummer werd eerst in Europa op 15 maart 1996 op single uitgebracht. De VS, Canada, Australië, Nieuw-Zeeland en Japan volgden op 16 april. De single was echter wereldwijd minder succesvol dan zijn voorgangers You Are Not Alone en Earth Song.
"They Don't Care About Us" is a song written, produced and performed by American singer Michael Jackson, first released on April 8, 1996 in the United Kingdom, and April 23 in the United States, as the fourth single from his ninth album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995). It is a protest song and remains one of the most controversial pieces Jackson ever composed. In the United States, media scrutiny surrounding allegations of antisemitic lyrics were the catalyst for Jackson issuing multiple clarifications, an apology, defense from director Spike Lee and re-releasing an edited version of the song. Jackson countered allegations of antisemitism, arguing that reviews had misinterpreted the context of the song, either unintentionally or deliberately.
"They Don't Care About Us" was accompanied by two music videos directed by Lee. The first was shot in two locations in Brazil: in Pelourinho, the historic city center of Salvador; and in Santa Marta, a favela of Rio de Janeiro. State authorities tried to ban production over fears the video would damage their image, the area and prospects of Rio de Janeiro staging the 2004 Olympics. Still, the residents of the area were happy to see Jackson, hoping their problems would be made visible to a wider audience. The second video was shot in a prison and contained video footage of multiple references to human rights abuses.
Commercially, "They Don't Care About Us" became a top-10 hit in European countries and number one in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Italy. In the US, the song peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video premiere was viewed by over 200 million people worldwide, making it one of the most viewed music videos.
"They Don't Care About Us" was performed as part of a medley with "Scream" and "In the Closet" during Jackson's third and final concert series, the HIStory World Tour, which ran from 1996 to 1997. The song was set to be performed on Jackson's This Is It comeback concert series at The O2 Arena in London from July 2009 to March 2010, but the shows were cancelled due to his sudden death in June 2009. In 2011, the Immortal album included a remixed version of "They Don't Care About Us" which features elements of the songs "Privacy" (from Invincible) and "Tabloid Junkie" (from HIStory).
The song gained renewed attention and relevance due to its use during Black Lives Matter protests in 2014 and 2015, and again in 2020 with Spike Lee's "Director's Cut" of the music videos being combined, along with new footage of attacks against protestors.