Michael Jackson - Earth Song

Description
Earth Song" is a song by Michael Jackson featured on Jackson's 1995 HIStory album. The song's music video depicts the Earth being destroyed by humans, and alludes to environmental and poverty issues in the world. The visuals present the destruction of rainforests by loggers, majestic animals killed by poachers, and a North American forest burnt to stumps. The video also shows the devastation of 1990s aggressions between Bosnia and Bosniaks returning to their shattered homes. The video's scene was recorded in Croatia, due to instability in Bosnia at the time. The video includes stock footage of the Serb army shelling of Bosnian villages. In the end, Michael and all the suffering native peoples depicted cry, kneel, and dig into the dirt, which magically triggers the world to swirl backwards in time, returning everything to its original, peaceful state.

When it was released in 1995, it reached number one in the United Kingdom, becoming the Christmas number one single in that year, selling over a million copies. The single sold over three million copies worldwide.

However, many critics considered both the song and the video to be pompous and overbearing, a charge repeated by Jarvis Cocker as a partial explanation for his notorious invasion of Jackson's stage during a performance of "Earth Song" at the 1996 BRIT Awards. Fans said that the critics failed to fully read the lyrics of the song, or look at the video more closely. They claim there were no indications of a "messiah complex" that some critics claimed, and in the video, Jackson represented himself as a mendicant who prays for a better tomorrow, along with the nations of the world. The posture adopted by Jackson while performing this song at the BRIT Awards in fact originated in the video to his earlier single, "Will You Be There". The "Earth Song" video is available on the DVDs HIStory On Film Volume II and Number Ones. It was nominated for a 1996 Grammy for Best Short Form Video.

Lyrics
What about sunrise
What about rain
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain.. .
What about killing fields
Is there a time
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we've shed before
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores?

Aaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaah

What have we done to the world
Look what we've done
What about all the peace
That you pledge your only son...
What about flowering fields
Is there a time
What about all the dreams
That you said was yours and mine...
Did you ever stop to notice
All the children dead from war
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores

Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaah

I used to dream
I used to glance beyond the stars
Now I don't know where we are
Although I know we've drifted far

Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaaah
Aaaaaaaaaaah Aaaaaaaaaaaah

Hey, what about yesterday
(What about us)
What about the seas
(What about us)
The heavens are falling down
(What about us)
I can't even breathe
(What about us)
What about the bleeding Earth
(What about us)
Can't we feel its wounds
(What about us)
What about nature's worth
(ooo,ooo)
It's our planet's womb
(What about us)
What about animals
(What about it)
We've turned kingdoms to dust
(What about us)
What about elephants
(What about us)
Have we lost their trust
(What about us)
What about crying whales
(What about us)
We're ravaging the seas
(What about us)
What about forest trails
(ooo, ooo)
Burnt despite our pleas
(What about us)
What about the holy land
(What about it)
Torn apart by creed
(What about us)
What about the common man
(What about us)
Can't we set him free
(What about us)
What about children dying
(What about us)
Can't you hear them cry
(What about us)
Where did we go wrong
(ooo, ooo)
Someone tell me why
(What about us)
What about babies
(What about it)
What about the days
(What about us)
What about all their joy
(What about us)
What about the man
(What about us)
What about the crying man
(What about us)
What about Abraham
(What was us)
What about death again
(ooo, ooo)
Do we give a damn