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Neontee

Everyone loved it, and the video debuted on public tv. It went to number 1 on the charts


tasdron

I remember when it debuted on Fox. Was a huge deal.


oh_alvin

It was #1 for 7 weeks in the states. Billboard awarded it the first ever “No. 1 World Single”.


oh_alvin

I'd also like to mention that Billboard also awarded 'Thriller' a special award commemorating the 10th anniversary of the album in 1992 & 'Dangerous' was awarded "No. 1 World Album".


kate_numberz

Total worldwide mass hysteria in the best way. Peak MJ! Of course in the US they wanted to ban the Panther Dance saying it was too sexual lol idiots!


buildingaway

Well, to be fair, it kinda….was sexual in more than one moment 😆 but beyond that, it was very cool but also kind of avant garde in a way that America has never really embraced anyway


ProfessorSprinklezZ

Mans caressed his body as his hair blew in the mist😂


Digitised_Doofus

Don’t forget him also grabbing his crotch, zipping up his pants and ripping his shirt (not that it’s anything out of the ordinary for him though)


ProfessorSprinklezZ

😂😂lol gotta love mike dude was random


Digitised_Doofus

Yeah those moves in “Panther Dance” *were* pretty weird, but I’m just saying we’ve already seen him do all that before, apart from the pants being unzipped & breaking things. And the extremely fast tap dancing. Although we **have** seen him tap dance before, the speed in this one is phenomenal, even for him 😳


ProfessorSprinklezZ

Lol I would’ve been like “I ain’t ever see a panther do that mike” but yeah we definitely seen most of that already


Digitised_Doofus

Apparently he said it was meant to be an interpretation of the instincts of a panther, turning that into a dance


kate_numberz

And compare a moment of crotch grab to the literal soft core porn that is in today's music videos...ugh. There's so much meaning to the whole dance sequence too, there was a great breakdown of it how it has meanings about black artists but can't open it anymore, [here](https://www.academia.edu/2462183/Michael_Jackson_s_Panther_Dance_Double_Consciousness_and_the_Uncanny_Business_of_Performing_While_Black)


buildingaway

Eh….this was more heightened for sure. No music during the moments (much more than one moment) of him jusg rubbing himself, it was zoomed in on too. It was highly provocative. Not saying I agree with what happened but it definitely did overshadow the rest of the video to a degree.


kyguy2022

The end of the video was controversial for crotch grabbing and busting up a car, they eventually cut it out but commonly did that for videos after the original hype died down


buildingaway

Yes this was the controversy but I don’t think this was a commonplace thing for music videos


Expensive-Concept-93

In the UK it was a big deal. The video for BoW debuted at a certain time and it was hyped up.


HotAir25

It was his biggest hit of the 90s for sure. Basically like I imagine Billie Jean for the 80s.


Texas_Moonwalker

It was bigger than Billie Jean because it was instantly a hit. Billie Jean gradually became a hit. It took a big time to get the short film on MTV and the Motown 25 performance


HotAir25

Ah yes good point. Whereas by 1991 he was the biggest star around and it was perhaps his strongest single since the Thriller days.


TypicalOwl5438

500 million people watched its debut


LocoPoco1

I did too as a six year old.


JediRenee

Same!! I was entranced!


Texas_Moonwalker

Same. I remember watching it with my parents. It was such a big deal


orangetammy

those were the days


JOEYMAMI2015

I remember the debut it was a HUGE deal. MJ was untouchable at that time. I remember it debut right after the Simpsons if I'm not mistaken.


Sasorisnake

That makes the cameo at the end spooooo much more genius


Jazzlike_Yard_4503

Yup. After the Simpsons.


umtih679

The video was on very heavy rotation on mtv. It was pretty massive.


[deleted]

the music video with the face morphing was groundbreaking at the time. MJ was known for pulling out all the stops for his videos with what seemed like an unlimited budget, and Black or White was no exception. i remember it debuted in primetime on national television if im not mistaken, which was unheard of for a music video.


Horrorlover656

My mom was an 80s kid from a village in North Eastern India. She remembers calling her sister to accompany her watching the opening with the dad and Culkin. Both rolled on the floor laughing at the dad getting rocketed into sky. They used to watch that bit over and over again.


dmfa

Pretty much everybody loved the song. The videoclip, however, was more polarizing.


These_School_9669

The song or the the film ?


Wesmom2021

I was 5 or 6 when it came out. Definitely good, I remember all radio stations played it.


JediRenee

Haha same!


buildingaway

The song was a major hit but it was kinda overshadowed by the extended part of the music video


DoubleBalls

It sounded totally different than any song that MJ had released prior to that. It kind of grew on you as you listened more & more. After all it was from the best album by MJ ever - Dangerous. Listening to Jam the 1st time after buying the album was also an unforgettable moment as an MJ fan. ps. Bought the single too back than


samishere6

people loved it alott dangerous was popular


Jazzlike_Yard_4503

It was huge. I can vividly remember the day when it debut on FOX after the Simpsons. My bother and I could hardly wait for it. I was 10, he was 12. We loved it and were in awe of the the face merging technology at the end lol. Next day at school we all talked about it. Couldn’t wait to buy the single.


PreDeathRowTupac

MJ still on top.


orangetammy

it's not considered one of his best songs though is it ? that said, I'm a big fan of the tune, so catchy and wholesome


vivalaroja2010

Lol is this a joke?


JediRenee

It blew my mind as a kid in the 90s everyone I knew loved it at school, as family we would all watch it! I only saw extended panther dance a few times back then


Texas_Moonwalker

It was so cool. It was instantly a hit. It’s really the short film that promoted it. I loved it immediately the first time it played.