Michael Jackson 2001: You Rock My World
 Smooth Criminal is the seventh single from Michael Jackson's Bad album (1987). The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been attacked in her apartment by a suave hitman. It was released as a single in 1988 and peaked at seven on the Billboard Hot 100. It was re-released on April 10, 2006 as a part of the Visionary: The Video Singles box-set. The re-released Visionary single charted at #19 in the UK. In 2003, the song was re-released on the Number Ones greatest hits album.
Song information
The song was the centerpiece in Jackson's film Moonwalker, in which an entire hour-long short film (featuring Joe Pesci) was produced around the song. In the film, Jackson plays with his young friends outdoors when they come upon a cave, which leads to a kind of dream world in which Mr. Big Frankie Lideo has been selling drugs to youths in order to get everyone hooked. In the dream world, Jackson must save a kidnapped girl named Katie from Mr. Big's soldier-like henchmen, which he does through the power of a wishing star. In the process, he transforms into a super-fast car, a robotic man and even a spaceship before saving her life. Smooth Criminal was presented in a ten-minute long clip in which Jackson dances through a 1930s-style nightclub. The version of the song used in the clip is different from the album version — the background beats are different, there are several new lyrics, and the song is much longer overall. The version of the video that is usually aired on network television is 4 minutes long and is merely a sped up version of the clip from the film. For more information regarding the video see below.
Both the style of the clip and the clothes and mannerisms Jackson portrayed were reused in the arcade and Sega Genesis adaptations of Moonwalker.
The song was performed live during the second leg of Jackson's 1987–88 Bad World Tour. The performance featured an exciting dance routine modelled after the scene from Moonwalker. By the time the 1992 Dangerous World Tour came around, this performance became a regular on Jackson tours. This time Jackson had devised a way to perform the anti-gravity lean, which was featured in the Moonwalker video, on stage. Much like the robot move from Dancing Machine to the Moonwalk from Billie Jean, this showcased Jackson's talent for creating unique moves to enhance stage performances. This performance can be seen on the Bucharest Dangerous Tour performance which is included as a DVD in The Ultimate Collection boxed set.
Music video
Currently there are 4 different versions of the video for Smooth Criminal:
The Original Moonwalker Version - This is the version included in the Moonwalker film - while technically the whole short film is 39 minutes the actual Smooth Criminal song segment is aprox. 10 minutes. It includes an added lyric in the second chorus, a middle section of interpretive dance with the dancers among other changes. This version can be viewed here.
The Moonwalker Version - This version is included on History on Film, Volume II and is the song section of the Smooth Criminal segment from the film Moonwalker. It is essentially the same, however it has some minor changes including: different opening music and no dialogue, the middle section with the dancers chanting has been truncated (a shot of the cat is removed, the chanting has been shortened) and ends at the point in the original where Michael exits the club with an added shot of one of the flappers fanning herself. It also contains the added lyric. This version can be viewed here.
The Sped Up/Moonwalker Credits Version - This is commonly shown on music video stations, appears during the end credits for Moonwalker and was included on the Visionary single. It is essentially the Smooth Criminal video sped up, with an added blur effect, and some alternate angles. This version can be viewed here.
The Album Version - Also shown on some music video stations - it is the regular version of the video edited to be in sync with the original album version of the song. It excludes the added lyric, the middle section along with various other moments. However, commonly the Sped Up/Moonwalker Credits version is used rather than this version. This version can be viewed here.
Anti-gravity lean
While the video version used special harnesses and ropes to achieve the lean it would be impossible to rig this for a live performance. Accordingly, Jackson and his team had to come up with an alternative way to achieve the effect on stage. The anti-gravity lean technique was filed under United States patent law by Jackson in 1993 , and consisted of the dancers wearing special shoes which could be locked down onto clips attached to the stage. This allowed the performer to lean beyond their own center of gravity. The trick is over a century old, originating in Vaudeville shows, where it was known as simply the lean. The Jackson patented version, U.S. Patent No. 5,255,452, uses a unique type of latch and a specially hidden support. Michael has actually fallen doing this in a performance, in which he got back up and continued dancing.
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