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What was the message of "Threatened"?

Piek said:
Sure. But do you really think Michael would dedicate a song with a darker meaning to a good friend??? That would be a cruel thing to do.

Imagine Michael dedicated Morphine to you... how would you feel?
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It's not the dark meaning that made him dedicate the song to Rick Baker (known as the guru of special effects), but the special effects that are typical for horror and Threatened falls in that genre.
en.wikipedia.org

Rick Baker - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org en.wikipedia.org
 
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Some thoughts about this line in the beginning:
The major ingredient of any recipe for fear is the unknown
If people knew the truth about him, about vitiligo, about his innocence, his childhood, they wouldn't be concerned.
But for many he is the unknown. Their ignorance creates their fear.
 
For me personally, there's a DEEP meaning to it....and honestly I think it has to do with his feud with Sony which had gone on for awhile...and as we know came to a head when Invincible was being worked on, and the lack of promotion afterwards. Maybe a coincidence but I digress.

I honestly think it's about Tommy Motolla.
 
There really is no particularly deep message to it, even if it was aimed at someone specific. Basically just what you got when you turn "Thriller" into a generic 2001 pop song.
 
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Multiple songs on Invincible sounded like something 'N Sync would do, including "Threatened". They had a very similar style of futuristic dance pop with heavy electronic beats. That was the big musical trend in the late 90s and early 2000s, actually; futurism was the craze because of the new millennium and all.

But by going this route, MJ sounded too much like everyone else. I would have preferred the album to be a lot rawer and more organic, with emphasis on having real live instruments. I don't feel Darkchild was a particularly good producer for MJ. Definitely worse than Quincy and Teddy, but I'll take him over Jam & Lewis.
 
Spaceship said:
Multiple songs on Invincible sounded like something 'N Sync would do, including "Threatened". They had a very similar style of futuristic dance pop with heavy electronic beats. That was the big musical trend in the late 90s and early 2000s, actually; futurism was the craze because of the new millennium and all.

But by going this route, MJ sounded too much like everyone else. I would have preferred the album to be a lot rawer and more organic, with emphasis on having real live instruments. I don't feel Darkchild was a particularly good producer for MJ. Definitely worse than Quincy and Teddy, but I'll take him over Jam & Lewis.
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The title track sounds raw, doesn't it. Also Whatever Happens.
 
Spaceship said:
Multiple songs on Invincible sounded like something 'N Sync would do, including "Threatened". They had a very similar style of futuristic dance pop with heavy electronic beats. That was the big musical trend in the late 90s and early 2000s, actually; futurism was the craze because of the new millennium and all.

But by going this route, MJ sounded too much like everyone else. I would have preferred the album to be a lot rawer and more organic, with emphasis on having real live instruments. I don't feel Darkchild was a particularly good producer for MJ. Definitely worse than Quincy and Teddy, but I'll take him over Jam & Lewis.
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I never heard N-Sync and I didn't compare them. It sounds just as much like Aaliyah and Timbaland.
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
What does that have to do with what I said?
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You said that the song was against the "New Kings of Pop", which would refer to the most popular male pop stars in 2001. Not that 'N Sync and Backstreet were actually kings, but they were the biggest male pop stars at the time.
 
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Not really. Vocally (and musically, for that matter) "Speechless" was the rawest track on the album, even featuring acapella parts with MJ singing from his heart. The title track doesn't come close.
 
When I think of "raw", I think of not being mixed with or disturbed by anything else. I think the title track's vocals only sound "rough" in the sense that they were course and strained.
 
Spaceship said:
You said that the song was against the "New Kings of Pop", which would refer to the most popular male pop stars in 2001. Not that 'N Sync and Backstreet were actually kings, but they were the biggest male pop stars at the time.
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They were not in the habit back then of trying to displace him. Aside from, y'know, Tevin Campbell. And Terrence Trent D'Arby. And they one Prince guy. But once JT went solo is when it definitely did change. Usher too.

www.chron.com

Usher ready to be crowned new King of Pop

"There were four Beatles, there were three Bee Gees, but there's only one Usher." So says...
www.chron.com www.chron.com

But the song is more relevant now because there are way more new KoPs than there were
 
Mister_Jay_Tee said:
They were not in the habit back then of trying to displace him.
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But they were the biggest pop stars at the time. MJ's critics felt that he wouldn't find success in the teen pop TRL era of the early 2000s that was dominated by boy bands.

But the song is more relevant now because there are way more new KoPs than there were
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I don't think MJ would have been thinking about that in 2001.
 
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