Stranger in Moscow

"Stranger in Moscow"
Single by Michael Jackson
from the album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I
B-side"Off the Wall" (Junior Vasquez Mix)
WrittenSeptember 1993[1]
Released
  • November 4, 1996 (1996-11-04) (worldwide)
  • July 4, 1997 (1997-07-04) (US)
RecordedJanuary 1994[1]
Studio
GenreR&B
Length
  • 5:44 (album version)
  • 5:24 (album edit)
  • 4:05 (radio edit)
  • 5:32 (video mix)
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)Michael Jackson
Producer(s)Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson singles chronology
"They Don't Care About Us"
(1996)
"Stranger in Moscow"
(1996)
"On the Line"
(1997)
Music video
"Stranger in Moscow" on YouTube
Audio sample
"Stranger in Moscow"

"Stranger in Moscow" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson from his ninth studio album, HIStory (1995). The song was released as the sixth and final single worldwide on November 4, 1996 by Epic Records.[2] It was not released in the United States until July 7, 1997.[3]

The song's music video depicts the lives of six individuals, including Jackson, who are left isolated and disconnected from the world around them. "Stranger in Moscow" charted highly in the top 10 of numerous countries music charts worldwide, including Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. However, it only peaked at number 91 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Jackson's lowest peaking on the chart. The song was performed on the HIStory World Tour in 1996–1997. The song has been covered a few times by other artists.

  1. ^ a b Lecocq, Richard; Allard, François (2018). "History". Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England: Cassell. ISBN 978-1-78840-057-2.
  2. ^ "Stranger in Moscow". Michael Jackson official web site. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
  3. ^ "Michael Jackson's 'Blood'". Billboard. June 21, 1997. Retrieved December 14, 2019.