Whether intentional or not, I feel that HIStory has a very interesting emotional arc. The first seven or so songs (up to “Money”) amount to a rage-induced stream of consciousness: MJ hates the media, hates the police, hates the ongoing societal injustice, hates Evan Chandler and Tom Sneddon, hates seeing the environment suffer, and feels more isolated than ever. The next few tracks (“You Are Not Alone” and “Childhood”) represent anger giving way to sadness, to loneliness, to the overwhelming desire to be loved and understood. Finally, the last suite (“Tabloid Junkie” to “Smile”) finds MJ declaring himself comfortable in his own skin, dismissing those who continue to degrade and shame him, and finding reasons to keep smiling.
“Come Together” doesn’t fit that arc. It could if it were placed closer to “HIStory,” but midway through his emotional outburst feels very unorganized and weird. Even setting aside how it sounds nothing like the other tracks and is clearly a Bad-era vocal with demo production, it just grinds the album to a halt.
That said, I absolutely love it and think it obliterates every other version, including the original. I just think it’s better suited as a bonus track or on a compilation.
