Dangerous - The cover

Tony R

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This is an old essay from me, but one that we could discuss again!

I want to add to this as the whole asethetics of Dangerous was a wonder in itself. Until then we'd only had blank CD with tracklisting, but Dangerous was a work of art. And so was the inside of the booklet with the clever way the lyrics were printed (that sexy Dangerous one!).

But this writing was just about my thoughts on the cover from a few years back. Like I say these are just musings as food for thought and discussion :)

The Dangerous cover – What does it all mean?

Michael Jackson's Dangerous is my favourite album of all time. However, apart from the music, one thing that singles Dangerous out is the thought and detail that went into the whole package. The black CD and the elegant way the songs names were printed in it, the stylish use of the colours and photos in the booklet and the clever way the song lyrics were printed, the poetry and of course the cover itself.

Dangerous was the first Michael solo album not to fully feature his face (and in fact no album since has had what you would call a proper photo of him) but there was enough on there to keep the listener of the album perplexed and mystified while they got lost in the new songs.

Illustrated by Mark Ryden, the cover holds many insights into Michael's psyche and how he was feeling at the time of the 1990s. So this is what I believe the album cover of Dangerous is all about.

Starting at the top, you have Michael's name ordained by cherubs and angels, a menagerie below confirming his love of animals. At the top you have what I presume to be Bubbles being ironically crowned as king. You have two clowns either side of Michael's name – to the left sad, to the right happy reflecting the two main feelings we all experience daily. The foremost feature of this central part of the cover is Michael's eyes, instantly recognisable but with a curly lock of hair dangling down in case anyone was unsure.

Moving clockwise round the cover – you next have a white elephant on top a sparkling globe. Knowing how much Michael has been inspired by P.T, Barnum in his career, I think he is the inspiration for this part. For those that don't know the story, P.T. Barnum once sent an agent to buy a white elephant, sight unseen, hoping to use it as a circus attraction. When it arrived in Bridgeport, Connecticut, it was covered with large pinkish splotches and was not white at all. The public was not impressed and Barnum had to keep his "white elephant" hidden from public view in a stable while he tried to decide how to recover some of the high cost. The elephant later died when his stable burned down. The term white elephant has since become to mean 'a rare, expensive possession that is a financial burden to maintain'. Make of that what you will - Neverland?

Below the elephant, more cherubs and birds surround a bird or penguin that has been crowned as Queen. I may be wrong here, but the abundance of animals on the cover, and especially the fact that two have been crowned King and Queen, harks to Indian mythology. I offer you this thought, "Ancient Indians had recognized the animals' right to co-exist with man and therefore they were loved, nurtured and even worshipped. In order to impress upon the commoners about their importance, the animals were given the status of gods and goddesses. They declared that Almighty incarnates in different animal forms. The kings and the emperors opted different animals in their emblems. Many festivals were/are observed in honour of several animals. In order to inculcate (encourage) love for animals among children, animals were made heroes in stories. The rulers gave them prime position in art and architecture. Unfortunately, today we are neither adopting ancient Indians' compassionate attitude, nor scientific approach of the westerners towards these animals and hence we are heading towards a catastrophe."

I don't know if Michael or Ryden had interest in Indian culture but I'm sure this is a concept to which Michael would have much sympathy. The 'Queen Bird' is revealed by two swallows to be robotic in form and also seems to be connected to the remains of a human. This seems to me to be a foresight into a future where animals reclaim the world having evolved into a new form. Very science-fiction, but it's a thought.
On the columns supporting the Queen is a face of two halves, marking the first time Michael had made reference to his changing skin colour. By now, the media was starting to turn stories on Michael from light hearted 'sleeps in an oxygen chamber' to more bizarre and peculiar ones, mainly concerning his apparent changing appearance, These were normally accompanied by halving earlier versions of Michael with the current one. This was usually unfair as if you took any picture of a person as a ten year old and compared it to their 30 year old persona a dramatic difference would be noticeable. The image on the cover goes hand in hand with the lead single from Dangerous which would also reference Michaels changing pallor.

The columns border a water ride, the participants of which have been part of Michael's life. At the front you have young, carefree Jackson 5 Michael, the one the world fell in love with but behind which was a sad interior who struggled with mixing his love of singing and performing with the lost childhood and regimented life. Behind him, I believe is the skeleton of 'The Elephant Man', who was the focus of one of the pre-Dangerous rumours which had us believing that Michael had bid to buy his bones. Michael had denied this in Moonwalk, but the similarity between the two lives is apparent; two inherently good people who were mocked and jeered due to their physical attributes. Like the closing lyrics on Will You Be There, this seems to be a piece that would have more relevance in the years to come.

Moving round, the older gentleman in the tuxedo is the aforementioned P.T. Barnum. An American showman and circus entertainer who heralded the 'Greatest Show On Earth' to which Michael often cites as a maxim for his own life. Barnum's shows would be illegal and immoral in this day and age, with 'freaks and curiosities' often being the staple of his early collections. Despite this, Barnum is revered to this day and famously inspired Disney's 'Dumbo' story as Jumbo was an enormous African elephant bought by Barnum that famously died in a train crash. On top of Barnum's head is an example of who you may have seen in one of his shows, a dwarf (if that's the PC term to use?) with a lucky 7 number adorning his hat. Michael has an affinity with the 'lucky number 7' and often has been seen with 777 on his clothing.

The bottom centre piece of the work is rather a foreboding section that looks to a cruel, cold, apocalyptic future. Framed by the Dangerous album title, this portion reminds me of the Dangerous song, specifically the intro with its mechanical, industrial beats. The art depicts the Earth (upside down) being kept 'alive' by man and industry. No sun, no nature, the consequence of man pushing Mother Earth too far and having to deal with the result. Again, there is another correlation here to what is inside the booklet, with this going hand in hand with the Mother Earth poem. The walkway winding through the industrial world at first glance seems to be a conflicting image to the dark dank universe. This is a colourful piece of childlike imagery. But closer evaluation proves it to be a path of what brought the earth to this destruction. The path references bombs, guns, bullets and death.

Next you see Michael's hand, complete with trademarked plastered fingers holding aloft a young boy holding a skeleton. I often thought the skeleton was another reference to the Elephant Man, but I now believe this is a piece highlighting African famine. Obviously an issue close to Michael's heart inspiring his work on 'We Are The World' which he had penned only 6 years earlier. This could be a malnourished African child holding the skeleton of one of the family livestock which had perished in the drought.

To the left of this, more animals are starting the water ride that had ended earlier with young Michael. Just starting the trip are an elephant, llama and chimp; presumably all Neverland residents. This leads up to the King through ornate columns, this time decorated by different objects, such as a pirate logo and cherubs riding fishes. Cherubs riding fish are a feature on much French architecture and the pillars of the Dangerous cover could easily have been taken from the Notre Dame or many Parisian bridges. Here the Bird Queen's counterpart, the Dog King resides upon his throne. Maybe the meaning here is the Indian mythology idea I referred to earlier. Other Dog Kings in history include The Dog King from Scandinavian tradition which appears in several Danish sources. The story of which seems to have no relevance that I can find to Michael's life.

That’s what I can see. The main question left unanswered is why did Michael go from such plain, simple imagery on his previous albums to such a thought provoking piece. My thoughts are that is simply where he was in his life. He had now reached his 30s and was more reflective. This is also depicted on the song choices and song writing on Dangerous (Why You Wanna Trip On Me, Heal The World and Will You Be There). It was a natural progression for the cover to reflect this. I am overjoyed that Dangerous had such a magnificent cover and accompanying booklet. It goes to finish off a masterpiece work of genius that is now one fully cohesive work of art.

To finish, I'll leave you with a few (researched) facts about the artist.
Mark Ryden (b. January 20, 1963 in Medford, Oregon) is an American painter. Ryden's work combines a saccharine cartoon-like sensibility - with a detailed fullness and a creepy combination of numerology, little girls, meat, Catholic and Buddhist symbolism, and carnivalesque Americana. Ryden's artwork is on the dustjacket of Stephen King's novel Desperation and The Regulators. Other Ryden album covers include One Hot Minute - Red Hot Chili Peppers , Bigger, Better, Faster, More! - 4 Non Blondes , Jeff Beck's Guitar Shop - Jeff Beck and Time Takes Time - Ringo Starr.
 
Best cover art I have ever seen. - Not only for MJ albums - but for all albums ever released in the universe... :lol:

True art !
 
Brilliant piece Tony! I remember reading it before, but glad I did again. It's an amazing sleeve & works with the music to give the fan one complete package. I'll throw down a few thoughts on this tomorrow, but for now I'll just say, it adds a whole new layer to the album and gives it a mystique that's so lacking in this day & age.
 
Great work writing that essay!
I think more people (non-fans) should appreciate the cover as a work of art in itself. I've recently heard or read somewhere that Michael used that elaborate cover, on which only his eyes could be seen, only as a means to hide his face (because he was always changing...). That was such a stupid comment coming from ignorant people.
 
Great work writing that essay!
I think more people (non-fans) should appreciate the cover as a work of art in itself. I've recently heard or read somewhere that Michael used that elaborate cover, on which only his eyes could be seen, only as a means to hide his face (because he was always changing...). That was such a stupid comment coming from ignorant people.

"Leave Me Alone" (video clip) was the basic concept behind that timeless cover which took 6 months to be completely illustrated.
 
I just had to find out more about Mark Ryden, I guess from being an English major and realizing that authors/artists create based on personal and societal influences. His art is described as "pop surrealism" or "carnivalesque Americana." In the Jan/Feb 2012 issue of Art Business News, Mark says,
This visual debris from contemporary pop culture contains the specific archetypes that formed my consciousness while living in this particular period in history," says Ryden of his inspirational beginnings. "I often find archetypes in old children's books and toys, so these things make up a large part of my collection. I am attracted to things that evoke memories from childhood."

Nostalgic and cutting-edge at the same time, Ryden's work captures the viewer's attention with its familiarity and keeps them transfixed by hinting at darker themes that seem to exist below the surface.

I did read that Michael wanted the design to be mysterious; that people would interpret it in their own way. I'm still looking for an article from '91/'92 that will give more insight into their interaction.

I find his work hauntingly beautiful...somewhat disturbing...

If anyone is interested in his art:

Website: http://markryden.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/rydenart/feed
Article: http://www.verbicidemagazine.com/2013/03/28/interview-mark-ryden/
Book: http://m.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/art/all/04997/facts.mark_ryden_pinxit.htm
 
I just had to find out more about Mark Ryden,
I find his work hauntingly beautiful...somewhat disturbing...

If anyone is interested in his art:

Website: http://markryden.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/rydenart/feed
Article: http://www.verbicidemagazine.com/2013/03/28/interview-mark-ryden/
Book: http://m.taschen.com/pages/en/catalogue/art/all/04997/facts.mark_ryden_pinxit.htm

Dewey-thank you for this. I have been looking at his work and you are right-it is beautiful and extremely disturbing-I think I now know where Gaga got the inspiration for her "meat dress" and it just wasn't something crazy for that night-it had much deeper meaning.
 
I think I´ll look at it with a magnifying glass to see the details.
It would be interesting with a Q&A with Mark Ryden , about the cover and the ideas Michael had for it.
 
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