Earth Song

Saturday is World Animal Day. I think that Michael Jackson's song and video give the best expression of the meaning of that day.

"Earth Song" is the third single from Michael Jackson's album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It is the fifth song on the second disc of the album. It is a ballad that incorporates elements of blues, gospel and opera. Jackson had a long-standing history of releasing socially conscious material such as "We Are the World", "Man in the Mirror" and "Heal the World". However, "Earth Song" was the first that overtly dealt with the environment and animal welfare. "Earth Song" was made for the "Dangerous" album but it failed to make the album. The song was written and composed by Jackson; the task of production was split between Jackson, David Foster and Bill Bottrell.

"Earth Song" was accompanied by a lavish music video shot on four geographical regions. It centered on the destruction and rebirth of Earth and went on to receive a Grammy nomination in 1997. The song was a top five hit in most European countries. In the United Kingdom, it remains Jackson's best-selling single and was the country's 1995 Christmas number-one single. "Earth Song" was not released as a single in the United States. Jackson went on to receive recognition from various animal and environmental organizations.

In 2011 the song was paired-up with the poem "Planet Earth" (previously released on Michael Jackson's This Is It, in 2009) and released as a song in the remix album Immortal. The song was the last song to be rehearsed by Jackson, shortly after midnight on June 25, 2009, making it the final song ever performed by Michael Jackson.