This Time Around [MERGED]

[Nite Line]

Re: This time around

Honestly speaking, I have always disliked This Time Around. The melody hurts my ears, the lyrics aren't the best, although it was cool to hear MJ swear. Even the rap part is quite underwhelming.

I feel that by adding Biggie to the song, Michael was trying to appeal to the US audience, as hip hop was starting to become the main genre in US, and that makes it even the more baffling that This Time Around wasn't released as a single in the US, as it surely would have been a top 10 hit at least.

 

[MJTruth]

Re: This time around

This Time Around was planned to be a single. Promo singles were sent out to stations I believe.
Personally I always liked TTA but Yes it is repetitive.
I like the concept, I like the sound, I like the message. BUT I think it could have benefited from some rework. Rather than using his own people to achieve a pseudo hip-hop sound MJ should have gone all in. If you want a hip-hop sound hire a hip-hop producer. Biggie was a massive MJ fan and I'm confident he would have got some of his guys on the track and made some magic.


BTW check out the clip from the MTV Awards 95 when MJ goes on stage and is greeted by Biggie and Janet. That was a magic moment and quite surprising actually. That was the first MTV awards I saw and MJ looked and acted so cool. The last time he genuinely fit with the in-crowd IMO. By '96 it was all about the straight wigs and his image went downhill from there, as did his live performances.

Similarly a track like DS, which aims at a more rock sound would have benfited from having somebody from a pure rock background working on it. As it is I like the track but the rock guitars sound too pop IMO. So it's a rock-like pop song instead of a rock song.

Compare it to Give In To Me. It doesn't really prove my point about the use of a rock producer, but is much more convincing as a rock track. I appreciate MJ may have got the result he wanted with DS but to me it's a faux rock song so falls a bit short IMO.

 

[mj_frenzy]

This Time Around was planned to be a single. Promo singles were sent out to stations I believe.

There were never promo singles of ‘This Time Around’ sent to radio stations.

In fact, there were only some promo remixes of ‘This Time Around’, along with ‘Earth Song’, that were sent to US radio stations in 1995.

 

[MJTruth]

There were never promo singles of ‘This Time Around’ sent to radio stations.

In fact, there were only some promo remixes of ‘This Time Around’, along with ‘Earth Song’, that were sent to US radio stations in 1995.

Thanks, they're probably what I remember hearing about. Never saw them myself.

 

[Electro]

There were never promo singles of ‘This Time Around’ sent to radio stations.

In fact, there were only some promo remixes of ‘This Time Around’, along with ‘Earth Song’, that were sent to US radio stations in 1995.

Where do you get your facts from?

In actual fact there were several official promo-only releases of This Time Around.
Most include only remixes, some also the original.
And these were sent to promotion pools for radios/clubs/DJs.
(Mainly in the USA and a few in Europe).

Single CD with original:
https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Jackson-This-Time-Around/release/6919804

All:
https://www.discogs.com/Michael-Jackson-This-Time-Around/master/35061

One of the remixes later also appeard on commercial releases of TDCAU in the USA.

 

[mthalen]

‘This Time Around’ is not really an underrated track.


Also, it was a far-fetched move (on MJ’s part) to include The Notorious B.I.G.’s rap vocals again (posthumously, in that case) on the opening ‘Unbreakable’ track six years later in 2001.

Not to mention that the entire ‘Unbreakable’ track sounds like just a faster version of the ‘Unbelievable’ track that was released by the same rapper in 1994.

Rap was taken from Shaquille O'Neal - can't stop the reign.

 

[DuranDuran]

Dallas Austin

If you want a hip-hop sound hire a hip-hop producer.

Dallas Austin is a hip hop producer or at least a New Jack Swing one. NJS is hip hop based.

 

[Cinnamon234]

Re: This time around

Love this song (especially the remix from BOTDF). Good vocals and lyrics. It's all about those allegations and MJ denying any wrongdoing ("somebody's out to get me....then falsely accuse me"). Powerful message.

I've been listening to it often these days.

 

[Serpens Albus]

Re: This Time Around

Yeah that would be nice... I agree. Even though this song didn't get much love, it doesn't take away from the song itself. It's a great song. I've always imagined it's about "Dom Sheldon", or some other man that has wronged him, perhaps a Tommy Motolla? idk

 

[NatureCriminal7896]

Re: This Time Around

i like this song the only problem i don't like about this song is biggie drops the N-word. there's is an censored version of this song. the things i like about this song is that this was few songs biggie did before he die and two even though i don't like how he drop the N-word i think michael kept it to say something about him. (i'm from an african descent so i probably get why he probably left it in there etc.)

i don't think get a lot of love because of the swearing. it's only two swear words and michael was basically mad as heck in this album and era so it make sense.

r.i.p to both.

 

[DuranDuran]

Re: This Time Around

i don't think get a lot of love because of the swearing.

Why do you say this since this song came out after popular albums like The Chronic by Dr. Dre? Biggie's music is full of cussin' too. A lot of the hits today have profanity although the radio play the clean versions. But the dirty versions can be heard on Youtube and some get hundreds of millions of views.

 

[DuranDuran]

Ninja Drummist

 

[Serpens Albus]

Re: This Time Around

lol @ anyone that got upset or offended by Michael swearing in this song. Anyone has the right to feel how they feel about an artist swearing in a song, but if you don't like the cussing you could listen to almost any other MJ song. He has so many songs. Off the top of my head I can name a few songs you can try to remember to avoid; 'D.S.', 'Morphine', 'Scream', and 'This Time Around'

 

[Agonum]

Re: This Time Around

It was a promo-only single in the USA and Europe.
But besides the rap feature gimmick it's not really a great song. A classic album filler.
It only made the niche charts because of the club and urban remixes.

US Chart (1995/1996)
Billboard?'?s Dance Music/Club Play Singles: Peak 18
Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay: Peak 23
Billboard Rhythmic Top 40: Peak 36

No chart entry in Europe.

This term “filler” grinds my gears!

 

[Agonum]

Re: This Time Around

lol @ anyone that got upset or offended by Michael swearing in this song. Anyone has the right to feel how they feel about an artist swearing in a song, but if you don't like the cussing you could listen to almost any other MJ song. He has so many songs. Off the top of my head I can name a few songs you can try to remember to avoid; 'D.S.', 'Morphine', 'Scream', and 'This Time Around'

That’s interesting, they’re all off of HIStory.

 

[Robbsaber01]

That’s interesting, they’re all off of HIStory.

Considering how this was his first album after 93 I completely understand the swearing. He had every right to be angry.