Album: Dangerous (1991)

Charted: 1 1

License This Song 

• I took my baby on a Saturday bang
  Boy is that girl with you
  Yes we're one and the same
  
  Now I believe in miracles
  And a miracle has happened tonight
  
  But, if you're thinkin' about my baby
  It don't matter if you're black or white
  
  They print my message in the Saturday Sun
  I had to tell them I ain't second to none
  
  And I told about equality and it's true
  Either you're wrong or you're right
  
  But, if you're thinkin' about my baby
  It don't matter if you're black or white
  
  I am tired of this devil
  I am tired of this stuff
  I am tired of this business
  Sew when the going gets rough
  I ain't scared of your brother
  I ain'ts scared of no sheets
  I ain't scared of nobody
  Girl when the goin' gets mean
  
  Protection
  For gangs, clubs, and nations
  Causing grief in human relations
  It's a turf war on a global scale
  I'd rather hear both sides of the tale
  See, it's not about races
  Just places
  Faces
  Where your blood comes from
  Is were your space is
  I've seen the bright get duller
  I'm not going to spend my life being a color
  
  Don't tell me you agree with me
  When I saw you kicking dirt in my eye
  
  But, if you're thinkin' about my baby
  It don't matter if you're black or white
  
  I said if you're thinkin' of being my baby
  It don't matter if you're black or white
  
  I said if you're thinkin' of being my brother
  It don't matter if you're black or white
  
  Ooh, ooh
  Yea, yea, yea now
  Ooh, ooh
  Yea, yea, yea now
  
  It's black, it's white
  It's tough for them to get by
  It's black, it's white, (x3) whoo Writer/s: Michael Jackson
  Publisher: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 32

• Daphne from Memphis,tnAlexander-Ciudad michael had vitiligo that's why his skin turn white.
• Mark from New YorkBased on what you quoted from Teddy Riley, maybe that's why people think Slash played on the track.
• Peace Of Fans from InaHi, here iam in 2020 still digging into his s--t lol. What I wanna say is yes I am one of the biggest fans. I fell for his voice, I fell for the way he made for his "art"(in this case, melody, music, instrument, lyrics, concept, style, etc), I found it very strange at first to a 5 yo me seeing a man grabbing his crotch things, n sounded hee hee/aow stuff like that. But he opened me to the music world, from him I learned english, I got to know to any other legend artists, I got entertained when I was down, I got amused and amazed by his art from performances to mv. The more I digging into him, the more I know that there were more songs of him that actually I just heard today. He being crowned as king of pop, as one of the biggest entertainer that ever lived etc with "world" words behind it. I mean he is still global phenomenon. I get it, not all of us accept it, just coz I am a fan of course I digging into his things n declare that he is the best forever. But I didn't agree to some people who praised him a lot like he was an angel n never doing wrong, I mean he was a human too, he had good n bad things. Especially about the look, I'm not trying to judge but to be honest he wasn't good looking in his last day because of his surgery. But I won't judge him because it was what he wanted to do like everyone else who trying to be in their best looks. But may be he failed. I just wanted the non mj especially who likes to mock to respect. But it your choice n right once again. N about his sexuality, let it be his, it shouldn't have to be asked by the world, even they asked whether he is virgin or not in interview wtf right? N what's bothering me most is the allegations. I love kids, n I cursed the one who hurt them, so I don't defend him coz I didn't know the truth behind it, an also I didn't blame him. So please just be at ur peace if y'all don't know the truth, coz if u falsely accused someone, u'll get ur turn one day. Once again it's my opinion, at least I wanted a peace life. Especially for the hater, haw about the fact that he saved even if only one life through his humanitarian stuff? Idk even it was a propaganda to covered up his bad but what about if it was true? Yes, people easily forget our goodness n always bring up the badness. N to those mjfam who I guess u r a fanatic, I don't blame u at all to defend him n praised him like a god, it's ur right, but please be at ur peace, don't insult other artist, coz they're making their best art too, ya maube for us their arts nothing to compare with mj, but the worlds doesn't spinning only to mj, yet mj still part of one of the greatest, and always the greatest for us mjfam. Peace and thank you.
• Judy from Somewhere, FlTO Alexander, Ciudad Ojeda, Michael had vitiligo, which causes the skin to loose all pigment and become porcelain white.
• Judy from Somewhere, FlAsh in WY and Dennis in MI, Lexie in London, et al, You need to check the facts, they're out there for anyone willing to take the time to look, Michael was not guilty of any wrong going with a child.
• Rhi from Kathmandu, Nepalthank you MICHAEL... its an amazing song with a great message.
• Jennifer Harris from Grand Blanc, MiI loved the video of this with George wendt yelling at Macauley Caulkin[Who was at a WWE Event one time] I also love the song.
• Karlitos from Ottawa, OnThat video morphing technique is commonplace nowadays, but it was so new back then that it cost $10,000 per second to render.
  
  But money was no object for MJ and he absolutely wanted it in.
• Abdullaah from Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaDamn! How did Slash agree to play the riffs to this song?...It's too simple even my baby brother can play it.......
• Kahla from Long Beach, CaI love this song and the video is cool. And if you notice he references the KKK when he says i ain't scared of no sheets.
• Theresa from Murfreesboro, TnHot song, Adam Lambert did a great version of this hit on Idol.
• Jeff from Austin, TxI always thought it was really humanitarian of Michael Jackson to write a song like this. I mean, here's a wierd looking grey guy, talking about racial equality. Maybe one day everyone will figure out what he is, then someone can write a song about his race.
• Bob from Hallanedale, FlI have always liked MJ's songs, his voice, and this song is really great. But---why did he do this to his face? MJ was a handsome man at one point until he decided he wanted to look like Diana Ross. Being a Physician/Surgeon, I am trying to comprehend why anyone would want to do this to themselves? What really bothers me is that a surgeon actually agreed to doing this--what kind of a trained doc would do this? Some of my friends and I figured out how he described to the surgeon what he wanted to look like. When the surgeon asked him for a general idea of the appearance he wished to portray, MJ replied "Well doc, I would like to look like s--t!
• Jena from Leavenworth, KsThe 90's show "In Living Color" did a spoof on tis video in which "Michael" (played by Tommy Davidson) gradually appears whiter and whiter. The words were, "Look me in the face and tell me if you think I'm black or white." At the end of the video, at the car-smashing scene, a cop comes up and handcuffs him to take him to jail. He looks at the camera and says, "Oh! Guess I really am black!" Hilarious!!
• Aya from NswMy favourite music video- the full length version. Fantastic massage and the panther dance sequence has incredible power, as controversial as it was.
• Meredith from Wauwatosa, WiWho'd have thought that Michael Jackson would have a song that has such a powerful and wonderful message behind it?! Very good song and music video!
• Helena from London, EnglandThis is the best song I've ever heard in pop music! Michael Jackson rocks!
• Dave from Cardiff, WalesDangerous was an amazing album. This song, "Dangerous", "Heal The World", "Who Is It?", "Will You Be There?", amongst all the other songs, each one a classic... Surely Michael's strongest album by far, even better than Thriller!
• Brandon from Peoria, IlThe original ending of the music video showed Jackson dancing on, and later smashing up a car. A rather strange ending for a song about peace. The ending was later changed to better known version of Jackson morphing into a panther. Jackson also made a formal appology concerning that ending.
  Also if you pay attention during the morphing scene, you will see Basketball Player Isiah Thomas.
• Sarah Floyd from Bloomingdale, Ilwell i would try to score a date but he moved. so i guess i am screwed over that. who ever is a fan for michael jackson is awesomly cool. so i am a fan so im awesomly cool. anyways this song is da bomb. i love michael jackson.
• Matthew from Dalton, PaI saw the video and I was freaked out by the intro with George Wendt yelling at Macauley Culkin. He sounded like a temper-fueled monster.
• Alexander from Ciudad OjedaIt's funny how he, throughout the whole song, reamins singing "It don't matter if you're black or white" when he actually changed his color from black to white. Why would he ever want to change his color?
  My mom once told me he was getting leukoderma and that's why the color change.
• Ken from Louisville, KyThe music video was directed by prominent film director John Landis, who also directed Jackson's "Thriller" short movie/music video.
  
  
• Sarah Floyd from Bloomingdale, Ilok i dont care if he was black or white. and i think he is cute. any way it doesnt matter what color you are. what you do. just as long as your happy what your doing. you are your own person. and michael jackson did what he wanted to do. thats all that matters.
• Kenneth from Cleveland, OhAccording to some of the posters here innocent until proven guilty unless you are Black ,which illustrates how true this song is.One thing I hate is when people quote the chorus of this song and say it implies Jackson is saying it doesn't matter in America if you are Black or White.The song is saying it doesn't matter to him if someone is Black or White-big difference.This song was also a smash ,the racist media always implies that Dangerous and it's songs were not hits ,that is a flat out lie.
• Lexie from London, EnglandMichael Jackson may be a reclusive kiddie-fiddler who never grew out of his childhood and has big issues with how he looks, but he writes some damn good songs. And this is one of them.
• Dennis from Boyne City, MiMichael should not be in prison. Even if he did what he was accused of, that boy was a teenager and knew what he was doing!
• Ash from Charleston, WvYeah, that's right. It don't matter if you're black or white. So long as your under 12.
• Chris from Chch, New ZealandMichael wrote this in his tree about 1990, Bill boterell wrote the rap and he wrote the original lyrics, An absolute HUGE #1 song, going #1, his DANGEROUS album sold 1 million more than BAD, his previous
• Akash from Abbotsford(use To Be Vancouver, United StatesThis song is really good. Back in the early 90's when it was released it was #1 for 5 weeks staright and reached #1 on its third week on the charts. The song also has a good message .
• Sam from Beirut, OtherOne of the most amazing songs that actually depict a sad truth : racial segregation
• Jam Kemal from Lindua, South AfricaMichael wanted to get a message heard so, the genius he is, he made a mainstream, easy to get into pop/rock song so the message would be heard. The plan worked perfectly well, the single became a transatlantic charttopper.

More Songfacts:

Most HighJimmy Page and Robert Plant

Led Zeppelin never won a Grammy Award; Jimmy Page and Robert Plant earned their first trophies in 2000 for "Most High," a song they wrote together that explores the role of religion in society.

Go Away Little GirlDonny Osmond

Originally a chart-topper for Steve Lawrence in 1962 chart-topper, "Go Away Little Girl," became the first song of the rock era to be taken to #1 by two different artists when Donny Osmond's cover version also reached the summit in 1971.

Everybody Wants To Rule The WorldTears for Fears

"Everybody Wants To Rule The World" was a line from a 1980 Clash song called "Charlie Don't Surf." Tears For Fears used it as the title of their 1985 hit.

Mellow YellowDonovan

The "electrical bananas" in the Donovan song "Mellow Yellow" were vibrators.

Gone'N Sync

Justin Timberlake originally wrote "Gone" for Michael Jackson, but his team turned it down, so 'N Sync cut it instead.

BenMichael Jackson

Michael Jackson's first #1 solo hit, "Ben," is about a pet rat.

Editor's Picks

Tom Keifer of CinderellaSongwriter Interviews

Tom talks about the evolution of Cinderella's songs through their first three albums, and how he writes as a solo artist.

George HarrisonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really steal George's wife? What's the George Harrison-Monty Python connection? Set the record straight with our Fact or Fiction quiz.

Carol KayeSongwriter Interviews

A top session musician, Carol played on hundreds of hits by The Beach Boys, The Monkees, Frank Sinatra and many others.

Rush: Album by Album - A Conversation With Martin PopoffSong Writing

A talk with Martin Popoff about his latest book on Rush and how he assessed the thousands of albums he reviewed.

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.

Concert DisastersFact or Fiction

Ozzy biting a dove? Alice Cooper causing mayhem with a chicken? Creed so bad they were sued? See if you can spot the real concert mishaps.