| Name | Is It Scary |
|---|---|
| Cover | Isitscary.jpg |
| Artist | Michael Jackson |
| From album | |
| Released | November 8, 1997 |
| Format | Promo, CD single, 12" single |
| Recorded | 1993 – 1996 |
| Genre | Gothic rock, soul, operatic pop, funk rock |
| Length | 5:35 (album version)4:11 (radio edit) |
| Label | Epic Records |
| Writer | Michael JacksonJames Harris IIITerry Lewis |
| Producer | Jimmy Jam & Terry LewisMichael Jackson |
| Last single | "HIStory/Ghosts"(1997) |
| This single | "Is It Scary"(1997) |
| Next single | "On the Line"(1997) |
| Misc |
}}
"Is It Scary" is a song by American recording artist Michael Jackson. The song was originally written to have been featured in the 1993 film Addams Family Values, but the plans were canceled after contract conflicts. The song was recorded for Jackson's 1997 remix album, . "Is It Scary" was written and produced by Jackson, Jimmy Jam (James Harris III) and Terry Lewis. "Is It Scary" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. Musically, the song was viewed by music critics as showing a "darker side" of Jackson, and compared the songs composition to material from Marilyn Manson. In November 1997, a radio edit version of the song was released as a promotional single in the Netherlands, while promo singles containing remixes were released in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Background"Is It Scary" was originally written by Michael Jackson, James Harris III and Terry Lewis for the 1993 film Addams Family Values. The song was among those considered for inclusion on Jackson's 1995 double album, , but it was not chosen as it did not complement the other tracks on the album.A remix of "Is It Scary", called "DJ Greek's Scary Mix", was included on a three-track 'minimax' CD single that was released as part of the Ghosts Deluxe Collector Box Set. Remixes of "Is It Scary" were also included on Jackson's canceled single, "Smile". The radio edit for "Is It Scary" was later included on the third disc of the deluxe edition of Jackson's greatest hits album King of Pop in 2008 in the United Kingdom. "Is It Scary" was also featured on the deluxe edition of King of Pop in France. Samples of "Is It Scary" and "Threatened" (from Jackson's tenth studio album Invincible) are featured in the "Thriller" segment of the concert documentary film, Michael Jackson's This Is It (2009). Tommy D. also produced a remix of the song, but this mix never officially released. However, this mix leaked in the internet in November 2010. LyricsThere's a ghost out in the hall Theirs a goul beneath the bed Now it's coming through the walls Now it's coming down the stairsThen there's screaming in the dark Hear the beating of his heart Can you feel it in the air Ghosts be hiding everywhere I'm gonna be Exactly what you wanna see It's you whose haunting me Your warning me To be the stranger In your life Am I amusing you Or just confusing you Am I the beast You visualised And if you wanna to see Eccentrialities I'll be grotesque Before your eyes Let them all materialise Is that scary for you baby Am I scary for you oh Is it scary for you baby Is it scary for you You know the stranger is you Is it scary for you baby There's a creak beneath the floor There's a creak behind the door There's a rocking in the chair But nobody sitting there Their's a ghostly smell around But nobody to be found And a coughin' and a yawn Where restless soul has spoken I'm gonna be Exactly what you gonna see So did you come to me To see your fantasies Performed before your very eyes A haunting ghostly treat The foolish trickery And spirits dancing In the light But if you came to see The truth the purity It's here inside A lonely heart So let the performance start Is that scary for you baby Am I scary for you oh Am I scary for you baby Am I scary for you So tell me is it scary for you baby So tell me is it crazy for you baby Am I scary for you You know the stranger is you Am I scary for ya Masquerade the heart Is the height of hurting souls Just not what you seek of me Can the heart reveal the proof Like a mirror reveals the truth See the evil one is you Is that scary for you baby Am I scary for you oh Am I scary for you baby Is it scary for you So tell me am I scary for you baby Am I scary for ya baby Is is scary for ya baby Am I scary for you (I don't wanna talk about it) Am I scary for you baby Am I scary for you I'm tired of being abused You know you're scaring me too I see the evil is you Is it scary for you baby
CompositionIs It Scary Is 5:35 long and is credited as being a Gothic Rock, Soul, Operatic Pop, and Funk Rock. The song is performed in Ab major and A major, and at a tempo of 109 beats per minute. Jackson's vocal range on the song is Ab3-A5.
Promotion"Is It Scary" was never lifted as a commercial single, but it was given out to radio stations and dance clubs to promote Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix. Promo CD singles containing a radio edit and 12" promos containing three remixes of the song were released to the Netherlands. Roger Catlin of The Hartford Courant stated that "the most intriguing pairing" was "Ghosts" and "Is It Scary" because Jackson "asks those who've only read about him in tabloids if he seems monstrous". Anthony Violanti, a writer for The Buffalo News, remarked that Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mixs songs "Superfly Sister", "Ghosts" and "Is It Scary" were "programmed plastic soul that makes you wonder how someone as talented as Jackson can churn out such tracks".Jae-Ha Kim, a writer for Chicago Sun-Times, noted, that "Is It Scary" shows a "darker side of Jackson than even the tabloids would have you believe". Neil Strauss, a writer for The New York Times, described "Is It Scary" as "sounding more like the ghoulish rocker Marilyn Manson than the Motown prodigy that he is." A long time commentator on Jackson's public life, J. Randy Taraborrelli, gave a retrospective analysis on Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mixs critical reviews in the biography, The Magic & the Madness (2004). Taraborrelli argued that certain sections of the world took interest in tabloid stories about Jackson's personal life over his musical career.
Track listings and formats;UK promo 12" single (XPR 3195);UK promo 12" single (XPR 3168) ;Netherlands promo 12" single (SAMPMS 4674)
Official Remixes
Personnel
References;Bibliography
Category:1997 singles Category:Michael Jackson songs Category:Songs written by Michael Jackson Category:Songs produced by Michael Jackson Category:English-language songs This text is licensed under the Creative Commons CC-BY-SA License. This text was originally published on Wikipedia and was developed by the Wikipedia community.
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