Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)

The first version of "Human Nature" was written and composed by Steve Porcaro of Toto. He wrote the song when his first-grade daughter came home crying after a boy pushed her off the slide. He blurted out three reasons for the incident to comfort her: the boy liked her, people can be strange, and "it's human nature". He recorded a rough demo of the song in his studio while the Toto song "Africa" was being mixed for the single release in October 1982. Paich had prepared some demo tracks for producer Quincy Jones to listen to as possible songs for Thriller and asked Porcaro to make Jones a tape with the songs. However, Jones was dissatisfied with the original lyrics for the verses and asked John Bettis, who had written lyrics for hits by the Carpenters and the Pointer Sisters, among others, to write new lyrics for the song. He completed the song in two days. Jones asked if the song could be included on Jackson's album, to which Porcaro and Bettis agreed. It was, for the most part, recreated in the studio. ==Release and reception==

"Human Nature" was released in July 1983, as the fifth single from Thriller. "Human Nature" also charted at number 27 on the Hot Black Singles chart and number 1 on RPM's Canada Adult Contemporary. In the Netherlands, the single reached number 11. John Rockwell of The New York Times stated that "Human Nature" was a "haunting, brooding ballad" with an "irresistible" chorus. AllMusic said that the "gentle and lovely" "Human Nature" coexisted comfortably with the "tough, scared" "Beat It". They later added that the song was a "soft rocker". Reflecting on Thriller, Slant expressed their fondness of the song, stating that it was "probably the best musical composition on the album and surely one of the only A/C ballads of its era worth remembering". The magazine added that the track's "buttery harmonies" were powerful. However, they further added that the music "does little to embody the song's message" and that it couches Jackson's "glazed voice" in "bubble synths and drum pillows". Kelefa Sanneh of Blender described the "soft-serve balladry" of the song as a "silk-sheets masterstroke". In a 2008 IGN review, Todd Gilchrist explained that the elements of "Human Nature" worked better today than they did before. He added that it may be because modern R&B "sucks". Tom Ewing, reviewer for Pitchfork Media, described the song as "meltingly tender", with MTV adding that it was an "airy ballad". Rolling Stone said that the "most beautifully fragile" "Human Nature" was so open and brave it made "She's Out of My Life" seem phony. The Los Angeles Times concluded that it was Jackson's delivery that made the "middling ballad" take off. ==Live performances==

The song was first performed during the Jacksons' Victory Tour. Michael started to sing "Ben", but stopped and proceeded to sing "Human Nature". It was also performed during Michael's Bad and Dangerous World Tour. Jackson also performed the song live during his 1996 Royal Brunei concert. It was going to be performed for Jackson's This Is It concerts, which were canceled due to his death; however, it was included on the posthumous album to coincide with the concerts. Live versions of the song are available on the DVDs Live at Wembley July 16, 1988 and Live in Bucharest: The Dangerous Tour. Toto has performed the song in some of their shows, with vocals by Joseph Williams. A live version is available on the 2019 DVD 40 Trips Around the Sun. ==Track listing==

• 7-inch vinyl • "Human Nature" (single version) – 3:47 (Misprinted as 4:05) • "Baby Be Mine" – 4:20 ==Official remixes==

• Album version – 4:06 • Single version – 3:47 • Live – 4:29 (This version is taken from Live at Wembley July 16, 1988 and included in the deluxe edition of Bad 25.) • "Speechless" / "Human Nature" – 3:18 (Immortal version) ==Personnel==

• Written and composed by Steve Porcaro and John Bettis • Produced by Quincy Jones • Michael Jackson: vocals • David Paich: synthesizer • Steve Porcaro: synthesizer, synthesizer programming • Steve Lukather: guitar • Jeff Porcaro: drums • Paulinho Da Costa: percussion • Michael Boddicker: E-mu Emulator • Arrangement by David Paich, Steve Porcaro and Steve Lukather ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==

Songs that have sampled "Human Nature" include: • "Right Here (Human Nature Remix)" by SWV, a 1993 Teddy Riley-produced remix of the group's 1992 song "Right Here". It spent seven weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot R&B Singles chart. The music video for the remix included clips of Jackson performing on the Dangerous World Tour, including a hologram of the pop singer intercut with wildlife footage from Free Willy, which the song was featured in and on its soundtrack. • "It Ain't Hard to Tell" (1994) by Nas. Nas has performed "It Ain't Hard to Tell" as a mashup with "Human Nature" using Jackson's original vocals at some concerts. • "I'm in Heaven" (2003) by Jason Nevins (featuring Holly James) uses an interpolation of the hook from "Human Nature". • "She Ain't You" (2011) by Chris Brown, from his album F.A.M.E.. • "Don Life" by Big Sean (feat. Lil Wayne), from his album Detroit 2 (2020). ==Other versions==

"Human Nature" was covered by Miles Davis on his 1985 album ''You're Under Arrest''; at the time Davis also suggested that the song could become a jazz standard. Toto has occasionally performed the song as part of a tribute to Jackson and to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the band. ==References==