Black or White

"Black or White" launched the Dangerous era with a bang. The album's lead single, it fuses a hard rock guitar riff with dance-pop and a message of racial unity, arguing that a person's worth has nothing to do with color. Jackson wrote it with Bill Bottrell, who also produced this track, and it became a massive worldwide hit, topping the U.S. charts. The song is bright, punchy, and instantly catchy, carried by a chunky guitar hook and a rap interlude. Its John Landis-directed video became an event, famous for a groundbreaking morphing sequence in which faces of different races transform seamlessly into one another. The premiere drew a huge global audience and stirred controversy over its extended ending. Optimistic and forward-looking, "Black or White" showed Jackson entering the 1990s with a new sound, a social message, and cutting-edge visual technology.

Jackson wrote "Black or White" with Bill Bottrell, who produced the track for the Dangerous album, released in 1991. Guitarist Slash contributed to the song's rock texture. The rap section in the middle featured a spoken interlude, and the whole record was designed to blend rock energy with pop accessibility. John Landis, who had directed "Thriller," returned to helm the technically ambitious video and its morphing finale.

The song is built around a bright, chugging rock guitar riff over a snapping dance beat, blending rock and pop with pop-rap. The groove is punchy and upbeat, driven by strong percussion and a catchy, sing-along hook. A spoken rap section breaks up the structure midway. Jackson's vocal is energetic and clear, riding the guitar-heavy arrangement, which stays bright and major-key with an anthemic, celebratory feel.

The video's face-morphing sequence introduced a visual effect that would spread across film and advertising, and the premiere drew one of the largest audiences ever for a music video. The song's message of racial harmony resonated worldwide, and its chart success reestablished Jackson as a dominant force in the early 1990s. It remains one of his most recognizable and message-driven hits.

"Black or White" was a high-energy feature of the Dangerous and HIStory tours, often staged with a live guitarist echoing the song's rock riff. Its upbeat groove and unity message made it a rousing crowd moment and a natural fit for the celebratory stretches of his shows.