Here’s what I’ve been able to deign about “I Have This Dream” over the years based on my own research. (This doesn’t directly answer the question asked, but I don’t have work today and am bored.)
- MJ started work on a solo demo in April 1999, though its completion is unknown.
- In 2002, MJ co-sponsored a lyric-writing competition for the song. Nashville-based musician Ric Kipp was ultimately crowned as the winner, though Carole Bayer-Sager objected to using any of his material. According to Kipp, MJ failed to show up for any of the scheduled recording sessions, though Foster recorded a demo using his lyrics and a newly-contributed bridge. None of Kipp’s lyrics or music would be retained in any future versions of the song.
- MJ first returned to the song in August 2005, repurposing it as an all-start charity single to benefit Hurricane Katrina victims. While it is unknown if any significant changes were made to the original 1999 material, the song was announced by 2 Seas Records as being titled “From the Bottom of My Heart,” suggesting that the lyrics may have been revised at one point. The title was solidified as “I Have This Dream” by September, but wasn’t publicly acknowledged as such until early 2006.
- John Barnes was flown out in/around September 2005 to contribute keyboards and an orchestral arrangement.
- Between late September and mid-October 2005, MJ made several trips to Metropolis Studios in London to work on the song, oversee the recording of the hired string section, and track his final vocal parts. During the final session, MJ and Sheik Abdullah agreed that MJ’s singing wasn’t up to par and scheduled one additional session to redo his vocals. MJ, however, didn’t show up.
- On 1 November 2005, James Ingram, Ciara, Snoop Dogg, Shirley Caesar, and the O’Jays recorded their vocal parts at a Los Angeles recording studio, with MJ producing over the phone from Bahrain.
- By February 2006, several other contributing artists, including Jermaine Jackson and R. Kelly, had submitted their parts and “I Have This Dream” was nearly finished—save for MJ’s final vocal, which still hadn’t been turned in. Sheik Abdullah continued to praise the song publicly, promising the delay was “the calm before the storm.”
- In mid-April 2006, MJ signed to Bahrain-based startup label 2 Seas Records, through which he would release a new album and—prospectively—the long-awaited “I Have This Dream.” Two months later, he departed Bahrain for the final time and announced his withdrawal from 2 Seas, effectively putting to bed any prospect of the song being released.
- The title “Bottom of My Heart” was reused for a completely separate song in 2007-8.
- On 16 April 2010, a demo of “I Have This Dream” featuring three unidentified vocalists and a full gospel choir leaked online. Despite much skepticism, Damien Shields confirmed the demo was authentic.
- On 1 February 2015, Ric Kipp and independent singer Michael Ricks released a cover of “I Have This Dream” using Kipp’s music and lyrics as a charity single for Ebola relief.
