"Dangerous" | ||||
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Song by Michael Jackson | ||||
from the album Dangerous | ||||
Released | November 26, 1991 (song on album) 1994 (promo single) |
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Recorded | September 1990 – February 1991, August 22, 1991, October 29, 1991 | |||
Genre | New jack swing,industrial,pop | |||
Length |
7:00 (album version) 4:37 (radio edit) |
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Label | Epic Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Michael Jackson, Bill Bottrell, Teddy Riley | |||
Producer(s) | Michael Jackson, Teddy Riley | |||
Dangerous track listing | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Dangerous" (Audio) on YouTube |
"Dangerous" is a pop song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The song appeared as the fourteenth and final track on Jackson's solo studio album of the same name, released in November 1991. Written and composed by Jackson, Bill Bottrell and Teddy Riley, the song was planned as the tenth single from the album, set for a January 1994 release. However, these plans were cancelled due to allegations of child sexual abuse which were made against Jackson in August 1993, Jackson's health concerns, and the failure of the previous single, "Gone Too Soon".
Prior to the planned release of the song, "Dangerous" received a positive reaction from contemporary critics in reviews of the track's parent album. Although the song has not been released as a single, "Dangerous" entered music charts in mid-2009 after Jackson's death in June. Jackson also performed the song live. In 1994, songwriter Crystal Cartier alleged that Jackson, Bottrell and Riley had plagiarized "Dangerous". At the subsequent court hearing the judge ruled in favor of Jackson, Bottrell and Riley, due to lack of evidence; Cartier was refused the right to appeal her case.
Near the end of Dangerous: The Short Films, the song is played over footage of various performances during his Dangerous World Tour.
"Dangerous" was developed from another song titled "Streetwalker", which Jackson wrote for his 1987 Bad album. During recording sessions in September 1990 for Dangerous, Jackson recorded a 6:40 minute demo of "Dangerous", which he wrote with Bill Bottrell. Teddy Riley later added writing and produced it with Jackson in early 1991. According to music commentator Nelson George the demo is "very different to the final version. Here the keyboards are spacey, in strong contrast to the taunt, mechanical rhythm track. Throughout the song, Jackson keeps up a spoken word rap about the dangerous woman who is this song's subject. Overall it is much moodier". The demo was released in November 2004, on The Ultimate Collection. A different, longer version also exists, with Jackson heard screaming at the beginning—after a sound protection wall fell on him as he was about to record. "The genesis of the songs we co-wrote [for Dangerous]", said Bottrell, "consisted of Jackson humming melodies and grooves, and him then leaving the studio while I developed these ideas with a bunch of drum machines and samplers". "Dangerous" is played in the key of D minor with Jackson's vocal range being from Ab2 to B5. The song's tempo is moderate at 113 beats per minute.