"State of Shock"
Single by The Jacksons featuring Mick Jagger
from the album Victory
B-side"Your Ways"
ReleasedJune 18, 1984 (1984-06-18)[1]
RecordedNovember 1983–May 1984[2]
Studio
Genre
Length
  • 4:30
  • 4:05 (7-inch)
LabelEpic, CBS
Songwriter(s)Michael Jackson, Randy Hansen
Producer(s)Michael Jackson
The Jacksons singles chronology
"Walk Right Now"
(1981) 		"State of Shock"
(1984) 		"Torture"
(1984)
Mick Jagger singles chronology
"Memo from Turner"
(1970) 		"State of Shock"
(1984) 		"Just Another Night"
(1985)

"State of Shock" is a 1984 single by the Jacksons, featuring frontman Michael Jackson and Mick Jagger. It was written by Jackson and guitarist Randy Hansen. The track was originally sung by Jackson as a duet with Freddie Mercury,[4] and was later slated for the Thriller album in 1982; however, due to differing time schedules, Jackson ended up recording it with his brothers and Jagger instead.

Song information

"State of Shock" was the biggest hit from the Jacksons' Victory album in 1984, reaching number 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 14 on the UK Singles Chart. [5][6] It was also their only top 5 American single since leaving Motown. The song was originally recorded with Freddie Mercury, as Michael Jackson and Mercury had been working on several tracks at that time (1981–1983), including the unreleased title track "Victory" and "There Must Be More to Life Than This" from Mercury's Mr. Bad Guy (1985). The final version featured lead vocals by Jackson and Mick Jagger.

In his 1994 book Michael Jackson: Unauthorized, author Christopher Andersen described "State of Shock" as a hard rock song and added that Jagger respected Jackson's work and "eyed the phenomenal success of Thriller with envy." Further, he stated that Arthur Collins, then president of Rolling Stones Records, said that Jagger had become "obsessed" with Jackson and "wanted to know every detail about Jackson's life, his contract with Columbia, how the Thriller singles were selling...".[5] "State of Shock" was the last top ten hit for the Jacksons, as well as their last single to be certified gold. Jagger performed the song with Tina Turner for their 1985 performance at Live Aid.

In 2002, a demo of Mercury and Jackson singing "State of Shock" was leaked online. In 2014, William Orbit remixed the Mercury/Jackson version for release on Queen Forever, but the song was not included.

Although having been given a songwriting credit for the song, guitarist Randy Hansen claimed in a 2021 interview with Eddie Trunk that he did not recall having any participation at all in the song and felt that he deserved no credit.[7]

An extended dance mix (5:41) of the song is available as a digitally remastered release. An instrumental clip of the song appeared on Michael's posthumous album Immortal in 2011.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Victory LP liner notes.[8]

Parodies

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"Weird Al" Yankovic used the song multiple times. It was featured in the "Hooked on Polkas" medley on his 1985 album Dare to Be Stupid and was also performed by industry veteran Harvey Leeds that year in the mockumentary The Compleat Al. The style was later used for the song "UHF" from the 1989 film of the same name.

Charts

Certifications

Certifications for "State of Shock"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[28] Gold 50,000^
United States (RIAA)[29] Gold 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ Lecocq, Richard; Allard, François (2018). "Bad". Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England: Cassell. ISBN 9781788400572.
  2. ^ Lecocq, Richard; Allard, François (2018). "Bad". Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England: Cassell. ISBN 9781788400572.
  3. ^ Harrington, Jim (2015). "The Jacksons featuring Mick Jagger - "State of Shock". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die. New York: Universe. p. 553.
  4. ^ McAlpine, Fraser. [httpT://www.bbcamerica.com/shows//blog/2013/07/the-story-of-those-freddie-mercury-and-michael-jackson-demos "The Story Of Those Freddie Mercury And Michael Jackson Demos"]. BBC America. Retrieved 2019-11-24.
  5. ^ a b Andersen, Christopher P. (1994). Michael Jackson: unauthorized. Simon & Schuster. p. 155. ISBN 0-671-89239-8. Retrieved April 24, 2010. The most memorable cut on the Victory album — and its only top five single — was "State of Shock," Michael's hard rock duet with Mick Jagger. ... "Mick became obsessed with Michael Jackson," said Arthur Collins, then president of Rolling Stones Records.
  6. ^ Rees, Dafydd; Crampton, Luke (1991). Rock movers & shakers, Volume 1991, Part 2. ABC-CLIO. p. 261. ISBN 0-87436-661-5. Retrieved April 24, 2010. Jackson duets with Freddy Mercury on the album's lead-off single State Of Shock (US No. 3 and UK No. 14).
  7. ^ Did Randy Hansen write "STATE OF SHOCK" by Michael Jackson?, archived from the original on 2021-12-13, retrieved 2021-12-05
  8. ^ Victory (LP liner notes). The Jacksons. Epic Records. 1984. QE 38946.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  10. ^ "Jacksons – State Of Shock" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6818." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  12. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e Dischi (in Italian). Retrieved May 29, 2022. Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Michael Jackson".
  13. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Mick Jagger" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  14. ^ "Jacksons – State Of Shock" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  15. ^ "Jacksons – State Of Shock". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  16. ^ "Jacksons – State Of Shock". VG-lista. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  17. ^ "Jacksons – State Of Shock". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  18. ^ "Jacksons – State Of Shock". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  19. ^ "Jacksons with Mick Jagger: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  20. ^ "The Jacksons Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  21. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 287.
  22. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 132.
  23. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1984" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  24. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 9638." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  25. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1984" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  26. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1984" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved May 29, 2022.
  27. ^ "Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 51. December 22, 1984. p. TA-19.
  28. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Jacksons – State of Shock". Music Canada. Retrieved August 2, 2023.
  29. ^ "American single certifications – The Jacksons – State of Shock". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 2, 2023.


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