^^Another great piece from the same reporter that wrote Baltimore Sun article.
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I dug out that old review from NY Times that Weinraub wrote back in 1995:
In New Lyrics, Jackson Uses Slurs
By BERNARD WEINRAUB
Published: June 15, 1995
One of the most anticipated and heavily promoted albums in years, Michael Jackson's "HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I," includes a song with lyrics that can be interpreted as pointedly critical of Jews.
Although Mr. Jackson has over the last decade built a reputation as a performer whose music consistently focuses on childhood, fantasy, love and brotherhood, his new double album, which is to be released by Sony Music on Tuesday, is profane, obscure, angry and filled with rage.
Because most of the lyrics on the album have been kept secret, few here appeared to be aware of its contents beyond the single "Scream," which has been released along with a music video. In the song "They Don't Care About Us," however, Mr. Jackson sings, "Jew me, sue me, everybody do me/ Kick me, **** me, don't you black or white me." The song also says: "Skinhead, deadhead, everybody gone dead/ Hit me, kick me, you can never get me." And at one point, Mr. Jackson sings, "I'm tired of being the victim of shame." The song's refrain is, "They don't care about us."
A copy of the album was obtained several weeks ago by Jon Pareles, the chief pop music critic for The New York Times, with the understanding that his review of it would not appear until Sunday, two days before the album's release. The review appears in the June 18 Arts and Leisure section, copies of which were available today, because the section is printed on Wednesdays.
In response to a reporter's query about the lyrics of "They Don't Care About Us," Mr. Jackson gave a statement to The New York Times this afternoon. It said: "The idea that these lyrics could be deemed objectionable is extremely hurtful to me, and misleading. The song in fact is about the pain of prejudice and hate and is a way to draw attention to social and political problems. I am the voice of the accused and the attacked. I am the voice of everyone. I am the skinhead, I am the Jew, I am the black man, I am the white man. I am not the one who was attacking. It is about the injustices to young people and how the system can wrongfully accuse them. I am angry and outraged that I could be so misinterpreted."
Appearing on the ABC News program "Prime Time Live" tonight, Mr. Jackson denied that "They Don't Care About Us" was anti-Semitic. "It's not anti-Semitic because I'm not a racist person," he said to the interviewer, Diane Sawyer. "I could never be a racist. I love all races."
He added: "My accountants and lawyers are Jewish. My three best friends are Jewish -- David Geffen, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg." Mr. Geffen, Mr. Katzenberg and Mr. Spielberg are partners in the Dreamworks studio.
Mr. Jackson's new album comes at a crucial point in his turbulent career, which was threatened two years ago by accusations of child molestation. Mr. Jackson settled a civil suit brought by a 13-year-old boy, reportedly for more than $10 million; a criminal suit was dropped.
"HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I" is being promoted by Sony at a reported cost of about $30 million. Mr. Jackson has not released an album since "Dangerous," in 1991, and his own advisers as well as those at Sony Music are anxious about the momentum of a career that once seemed golden.
When asked yesterday about the lyrics of "They Don't Care About Us," Sandy Gallin, Mr. Jackson's manager, said in an interview that they should be taken in context. "When I heard those lyrics, I thought they were brilliant," he said. "He's saying, stop labeling people, stop degrading people, stop calling them names. The song is about not being prejudiced. To take two lines out of context is unfair."
Melani Rogers, the vice president of publicity for Epic Records, a division of Sony Music, said in a written comment, "Our own reaction to that song is that it is a statement against prejudice of any kind."
A spokeswoman for Sony USA said that Michael P. Schulhof, the chairman, was traveling and unavailable for comment. Mr. Jackson's representatives at Creative Artists Agency declined to comment.
A booklet accompanying the album includes comments from Elizabeth Taylor, Mr. Spielberg and other celebrities. Mr. Spielberg, who directed "Schindler's List," is quoted as calling Mr. Jackson "one of the world's most precious resources." Marvin Levy, a spokesman for Mr. Spielberg, said this comment was made about two years ago, in connection with a television show.
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/15/arts/in-new-lyrics-jackson-uses-slurs.html
As for bolded part, here is the link Parales' review and it is petty and nasty:
http://www.nytimes.com/1995/06/18/arts/pop-view-michael-jackson-is-angry-understand.html
These people at NY Times were seriously f..ed up in their minds, see little snippet below:bugeyed
"The booklet also includes a baby picture of
Jackson with his genitalia revealed -- celebrity child porn? -- and an illustration he drew to go with a new ballad, "Childhood." The drawing is of a boy huddled in a corner with a microphone, looking scared."
This is the drawing, right?
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_3W4UvWscwnA/Smcxxsa1ENI/AAAAAAAAB8A/XPCWp8pH4dY/s400/1-childhood.jpg
