"Jam" is a song by American singer

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

, released in July 1992 by

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film defined by the spectacular presentation of human drama on a grandiose scale Epic(s) ...

as the fourth single from his eighth album, '' Dangerous'' (1991), where it is the opening track. "Jam" is a

new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...

song whose

bridge A bridge is a structure built to Span (engineering), span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, whi ...

features a rap verse performed by

Heavy D Dwight Arrington MyersCuda, Heidi Sigmund Keeping it reel. '' Vibe'' ("born Dwight Arrington Myers")Samuels, Anita M. (January 12' 1996)Heavy D, the C.E.O. ''New York Times'' (May 24, 1967 – November 8, 2011), known professionally as Hea ...

(of the group Heavy D & the Boyz). The music video of the song featured

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

basketball legend

Michael Jordan Michael Jeffrey Jordan (born February 17, 1963), also known by his initials MJ, is an American businessman and former professional basketball player, who is currently a minority owner of the Charlotte Hornets of the National Basketball Ass ...

. The song was also featured on the

Chicago Bulls The Chicago Bulls are an American professional basketball team based in Chicago. The Bulls compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The team was founded on January 16 ...

(Jordan's team at the time)'s 1992 NBA Championship video "Untouchabulls" and was also used in many promotional ads of the NBA in the said season. "Jam" was a top 40 hit across the world, peaking at number 26 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It received generally positive reviews by critics and received two

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

nominations. The song re-entered the UK Singles Chart in 2006, reaching number 22. In the same year, it also reached number one in Spain. It also appears as the second track on his 2009 '' This Is It'' compilation album. The single was re-released in 2006 as part of Jackson's '' Visionary: The Video Singles'' collection campaign, and it was remixed to the

Cirque du Soleil Cirque du Soleil (, ; ) is a Canadian entertainment company and the largest contemporary circus producer in the world. Located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, Montreal, Saint-Michel, Montreal, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul on 16 Jun ...

's Immortal World Tour, releasing that remix on the

soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...

album.

Critical reception

"Jam" was generally well received by music critics.

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' wrote that the song "is fortified with brassy horns, a funky bass line, and a rap cameo by

. Jackson's signature squeals and whoops are at home within an urgent groove that seems to goad him to the point of catharsis." Andrew Smith from ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...

'' described it as "lean" and "spikey". Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' commented, "Get in the groove with the most funky track on the '' Dangerous'' album." An editor from ''

People Magazine ''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC (company), IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''Peopl ...

'' felt that Jackson "captures the outer style but not the energizing spirit of

hip-hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hi ...

." Alan Light from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' praised the song, adding that it "addresses Jackson's uneasy relationship to the world and reveals a canny self-awareness that carries the strongest message on ''Dangerous''." He wrote further, "Though it initially sounds like a simple, funky dance vehicle, Jackson's voice bites into each phrase with a desperation that urges us to look deeper. He is singing as 'false prophets cry of doom' and exhorts us to 'live each day like it's the last'. The chorus declares that the miseries of the world 'ain't too much stuff' to stop us from jamming. To Jackson, who insists that he comes truly alive only onstage, the ability to 'Jam' is the sole means to find 'peace within myself', and this hope rings more sincere than the childlike wishes found in the ballads." Ted Shaw from ''

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'' noted that Jackson's voice is treated electronically on the track, "which establishes the thematic thrust in lyrics that call for brotherly love."

Retrospective response

In a 2016 retrospective review, Chris Lacy from Albumism said that on the song, Jackson "explains that jamming (the joy of music and dance) is his preferred method of temporarily escaping worldly issues."

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

editor

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

wrote that there's a lot to be said for professional craftsmanship at its peak and he called this song blistering plus highlight on album. Adam Gilham of Sputnikmusic described the song as a perfect album opener and rated it "5/5".

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Jam" takes place within an abandoned indoor

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

court, where Jackson teaches basketball legend

how to dance, and in return, Jordan teaches Jackson how to play basketball. Special effects have Jackson throwing a basketball through a window and scoring in the hoop in the opposite room, as well as Jackson scoring by tossing the ball behind him and kicking the ball into the hoop with his heel. The extended versions of the video include Jackson teaching Jordan how to do the physically complicated moonwalk dance technique (known as the slide step). The rap groups

Kris Kross Kris Kross were an American hip hop duo, composed of rappers Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mac" Smith, formed by record producer Jermaine Dupri. They were the youngest hip-hop group to gain commercial success, charting releases by t ...

and Naughty by Nature made a cameo appearance, as does

(who performs a rap during the

). The video was included on '' Dangerous: The Short Films'' and '' Michael Jackson's Vision''. The music video was directed by David Kellogg and was filmed on April 20, 1992, in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. The music video premiered on

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

on June 19, 1992, at 9:30 p.m. EST.

Live performances

Jackson performed "Jam" as the opening number throughout his

Dangerous World Tour The ''Dangerous'' World Tour was the second world concert tour by American singer Michael Jackson and was staged to promote his eighth studio album '' Dangerous.'' The tour was sponsored by Pepsi-Cola. All profits were donated to various chari ...

. He also performed it at the Royal Brunei Concert in 1996, which turned out to be the last live performance of the song. A portion of the song was performed at the start of the 1993 Super Bowl halftime show. The song was prepared for the This Is It concert series, with a snippet of "

Another Part of Me "Another Part of Me" is a song by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson. Produced by Quincy Jones (and co-produced by Jackson), it was released as the sixth single on July 11, 1988, for the singer's seventh studio album, '' Bad'' (1987). ...

", however the shows were cancelled due to Jackson's untimely death.

Track listings and formats

* Jam (UK CD single 6583602) # "Jam" (7" Edit) – 4:10 # "Jam" (

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's Jeep Mix) – 5:54 # "Jam" (Atlanta Techno Dub) – 5:16 (incorrectly listed on insert as "Atlantan Techno Mix") # "

Wanna Be Startin' Somethin' "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson recorded for his sixth studio album ''Thriller (album), Thriller'' (1982). It is the opening track of the album and was released as its fourth single on May 9, 1983, by Ep ...

" (

Brothers in Rhythm Brothers in Rhythm are a British electronic music group comprising Dave Seaman, Steve Anderson and Alan Bremner. The group was originally a duo comprising Seaman and Anderson, with Bremner joining later in 1999. They have remixed and/or produc ...

House Mix) – 7:40 * Jam (US CD single 49K74334) # "Jam" (Roger's Jeep Radio Mix) – 3:57 # "Jam" ( Silky 7" Mix) – 4:17 # "Jam" (Roger's Club Mix) – 6:20 # "Jam" (Atlanta Techno Mix) – 6:06 # "

Rock with You "Rock with You" is a song by American singer Michael Jackson, written by Rod Temperton and produced by Quincy Jones. It was first offered to Karen Carpenter, while she was working on her first solo album, but she turned it down. It was release ...

" (

Masters at Work Masters at Work is the American garage house production and remix team of "Little" Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope" Gonzalez. The duo has produced music together under the names MAW, KenLou, Sole Fusion, Hardrive, and Nuyorican Soul. They have bee ...

Remix) – 5:29 * Jam (US promo CD single ESK6754) # "Jam" (Roger's Jeep Radio Mix) – 3:57 # "Jam" ( Teddy's Jam) – 5:48 # "Jam" (7" Edit) – 4:10 # "Jam" (MJ's Raw Mix) – 4:24 # "Jam" (Teddy's 12" Mix) – 5:42 # "Jam" (Roger's Jeep Mix) – 5:54 # "Jam" (Percapella) – 5:29 # "Jam" (Radio Edit Without Rap) – 4:44 * Jam (US VHS promo single ESK8880) # "Jam" (music video) – 8:00 * Jam (2006 DualDisc single ESK4583) CD side # "Jam" (7" Edit) – 4:10 # "Jam" (Silky 12" Mix) – 6:28 DVD side # "Jam" (music video) – 8:00

Personnel

* Song and lyrics by Michael Jackson * Music by René Moore,

Bruce Swedien Bruce Swedien ( ) (April 19, 1934 – November 16, 2020) was an American recording engineer, mixing engineer and record producer. He was widely known for his work with Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Paul McCartney and Barbra Streisand. Swedie ...

and

Teddy Riley Edward Theodore Riley (born October 8, 1967) is an American record producer, singer, and songwriter credited with the creation of the R&B and hip-hop fusion genre, new jack swing. Musical artists who utilized Riley's production and songwri ...

* Produced by Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley and Bruce Swedien Co/Producer Renee Moore * Solo and background vocals by Michael Jackson * Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley and Dave Way * Arrangement by Michael Jackson, Bruce Swedien, Teddy Riley and René Moore * Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson * Rap performed by Heavy D * Rene Moore, Teddy Riley, Bruce Swedien and

Brad Buxer Bradley Buxer is an American keyboardist and composer, known for his many collaborations with the American musician Michael Jackson. In addition to recording with Jackson, Buxer was also the musical director for Jackson's tours for many years. Pr ...

: Keyboards * Teddy Riley,

Rhett Lawrence James Everett "Rhett" Lawrence is an American record producer and songwriter. He first became known for producing the 1990 single " Vision of Love" by Mariah Carey, which received a Grammy Award and peaked on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His prod ...

, Michael Boddicker and Brad Buxer: Synthesizers * Teddy Riley and Bruce Swedien: Drums * Teddy Riley: Guitar

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

{{Authority control 1992 singles Michael Jackson songs Songs written by Michael Jackson Songs written by René Moore Song recordings produced by Teddy Riley Michael Jordan Basketball music Song recordings produced by Michael Jackson Songs written by Teddy Riley Songs written by Bruce Swedien 1991 songs Epic Records singles Number-one singles in Spain