Майкл Джексонның «Human Nature» әнінің тарихы

1983 song by Michael Jackson

"Human Nature" is a song performed by American singer songwriter Michael Jackson, and the fifth single from his sixth solo album, Thriller. The track was produced by Quincy Jones and performed by some band members of Toto with Jackson providing vocals. It was originally written by keyboardist Steve Porcaro, based on a conversation he had with his young daughter Heather after a boy hit her at school, Porcaro said "he probably likes you and it's human nature". Porcaro, along with some Toto bandmates, had been assisting with the production of Thriller, but he had not intended for "Human Nature" to be used by Jackson. However, Jones inadvertently heard a demo version of the track and thought it would be a great fit for the album. Jones then brought in songwriter John Bettis to rewrite the verses, whose lyrics are about a passerby in New York City. The song would ultimately replace the track Carousel, which had been already recorded for Thriller. "Human Nature" was released as a single on July 4, 1983. Like the four Thriller singles before it, the song became a top 10 hit in the US, reaching number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. It also reached number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart and is certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). In Canada and the Netherlands, the single reached number 11. The single was not released in the UK. The song garnered positive reviews from music critics. "Human Nature" has been sampled by numerous artists, including Nas with "It Ain't Hard to Tell", and Teddy Riley who remixed SWV's single "Right Here", with a sample of "Human Nature", with the remix reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100.

The first version of "Human Nature" was written and composed by Steve Porcaro of Toto. He wrote the song when his first grade daughter came home crying after a boy pushed her off the slide. He blurted out three reasons for the incident to comfort her: the boy liked her, people can be strange, and it's "human nature". He recorded a rough demo of the song in their studio while the Toto song "Africa" was being mixed. Paich had prepared some demo tracks for producer Quincy Jones to listen to as possible songs for Thriller and asked Porcaro to make Jones a tape with the songs. However, Jones was dissatisfied with the original lyrics for the verses and asked John Bettis, who had written lyrics for hits by the Carpenters and the Pointer Sisters, among others, to write new lyrics for the song. He completed the song in two days. Jones asked if the song could be included on Jackson's album, to which Porcaro and Bettis agreed. The song, as it turns out, did not change much musically from the demo through to the final album, as Jones liked the song as it was. It was, for the most part, recreated in the studio. "Human Nature" was released in July 1983, as the fifth single from Thriller. "Human Nature" charted at number 27 on the R&B singles chart. John Rockwell, of The New York Times, stated that "Human Nature" was a "haunting, brooding ballad" with an "irresistible" chorus. Allmusic noted that the "gentle and lovely" "Human Nature" coexisted comfortably with the "tough, scared" "Beat It". They later added that the song was a "soft rocker". Reflecting on Thriller, Slant expressed their fondness of the song, stating that it was "probably the best musical composition on the album and surely one of the only A/C ballads of its era worth remembering". The magazine added that the track's "buttery harmonies" were powerful. However, they further added that the music "does little to embody the song's message" and that it couches Jackson's "glazed voice" in "bubble synths and drum pillows". Kelefa Sanneh of Blender described the "soft serve balladry" of the song as a "silk sheets masterstroke". In a 2008 IGN review, Todd Gilchrist explained that the elements of "Human Nature" worked better today than they did before. He added that it may be because modern R&B "sucks". Tom Ewing, reviewer for Pitchfork Media, described the song as "meltingly tender", with MTV adding that it was an "airy ballad". Rolling Stone claimed that the "most beautifully fragile" "Human Nature" was so open and brave it made "She's Out of My Life" seem phony. The Los Angeles Times concluded that it was Jackson's delivery that made the "middling ballad" take off.

The song was first performed during the Jacksons' Victory Tour. Michael started to sing "Ben", but stopped and proceeded to sing "Human Nature". It was also performed during Michael's Bad World Tour and Dangerous World Tour. Jackson also performed the song live during his 1996 Royal Brunei concert. It was going to be performed for Jackson's This Is It concerts, which were canceled due to his death; however, it was included on the posthumous album to coincide with the concerts. Live versions of the song are available on the DVDs Live at Wembley July 16, 1988 and Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour. Toto has performed the song in some of their shows with vocals by Joseph Williams. A live version is available on the 2019 DVD 40 Trips Around the Sun.

"Human Nature" was covered by Miles Davis on his 1985 album You're Under Arrest; at the time Davis also suggested that the song could become a jazz standard. Toto has occasionally performed the song as part of a tribute to Jackson and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band.