Michael Jackson is in a unique situation when it comes to music videos with billions of views on YouTube. This week, the late King of Pop achieved his fifth video to surpass the mark: the clip for his 1988 gangster-themed single “Smooth Criminal” has crossed the 10-digit barrier.
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The song from Jackson’s seventh album, Bad from 1987, was brought to life by director Colin Chilvers, who harnessed the vibe of a 1930s gangster nightclub for one of MJ’s most endearing videos. In the clip, Jackson also paid tribute to one of his musical and dance heroes, wearing a white suit and fedora hat to evoke Fred Astaire, the renowned dancer, actor and singer.
The nearly 10-minute mini-movie begins with Jackson running toward the door of an underground club, where he is greeted by a gust of white wind, before silently entering as clubgoers watch him warily. In best MJ style, he flips a coin into the air, which lands perfectly in the slot of a jukebox, which, of course, kicks off the rhythm track co-produced by Quincy Jones.
What follows is a display of classic Jackson, with the singer jumping, dancing and sliding across the club floor as he performs some of his signature spins and steps, breaking hearts and deftly dispatching would-be assassins with his trademark enthusiasm. The action culminates in the video’s centerpiece, the “anti-gravity tilt,” during which the music stops and time slows down, before the beat picks up again and the singer slides into his moonwalk and then appear to defy the rules of the physical universe by keeping your feet planted and your back straight while your body tilts almost 45 degrees before straightening.
According to a 2018 article in The Telegraphthe trick was accomplished using non-visible wires, because, as neurosurgeon Dr. Nishant Yagnick told the newspaper: “It’s really not physically possible to do it. “I was cheating gravity.” Jackson later patented a specially designed shoe with a hook so he could recreate the trick live, since most humans can barely bend 30 degrees without hurting themselves.
A group dance number brings things to a close as Jackson opens fire with a machine gun, sending attendees running for the exit.
“Smooth Criminal” joins other classic Jackson videos with more than 1 billion views on YouTube, including such beloved hits as “Beat It,” “Billie Jean,” “They Don’t Care About Us” and the song 14-minute horror perfect for Halloween, “Thriller”.
Watch the video for “Smooth Criminal” below.
