Smooth Criminal Essay

Malcolm McCluskey
Malcolm McCluskey
Professor Cassel
English 102
25 September 2021
Smooth Criminal
Michael Jackson Vs. Alien Ant Farm
The song “Smooth Criminal” by Michael Jackson was released in 1988 and it was one of
the most popular songs in the world. Many years later in 2001, the Rock Band, “Alien Ant Farm”
released a new take on the song. Both of these songs had music videos, but with different
messages. The original video showcases the lyrics through theatrical elements while the video
by “Alien Ant Farm” is more of a nod toward the original. The first video shows Michael Jackson
walking into a bar where he doesn’t seem to be very welcomed. He then begins to break into his
dance routine while singing the lyrics to the song. He faces many opponents in the bar and wins
against them all. Later in the video symbols are used to represent the danger that “Annie” from
the song is in. It shows a black cat walking across a piano and many people slowly getting
closer to the ground. A black cat is usually used to represent bad luck and the people getting
closer to the ground seem to be grieving for Annie. After this, a series of mostly unimportant
events occur until the police begin to close in on the bar. The people help Michael to escape
and cover for him. Throughout the video, it implies that Michael Jackson is the Smooth Criminal.
This is known as one of the greatest music videos ever and was heavily directed toward the
younger generation at the time. When Alien Ant Farm released their new take on the song it
was extremely popular with a new younger generation. When the video was released, it didn’t
live up to Michael Jackson’s version. While it did have a few nods to the original, it just didn’t
relate to the lyrics at all in the way the original did.
The music video by Alien Ant Farm starts out very differently. It takes place in a
suburban neighborhood where the band is playing the song in a fighting rink while a mass of
people is gathered around them partying. The band starts by doing a couple of Michael
Jackson’s dance moves then the video cuts to more shots of people dancing and having a good
time. Most of what the video is, is about the band doing a couple of things made famous by
Michael Jackson in the ’80s while other people are having a house party. It’s a fun music video
that showcases most music videos during this time, but it just doesn’t hit the way Jackson’s
version does. Part of the reason for this is because when music videos first started coming out,
they were like mini-movies that were meant to showcase the lyrics of the song. As time went on,
most music videos became people performing their songs, doing some tricks, and partying. The
original video actually had rhetorical appeals while in Alien Ant Farm’s version, there was no
real connection to the lyrics.
Michael Jackson’s video used pathos to connect the lyrics to the video. He did this by
showing the effects Annie’s assault had on people. Near the end of the video, it showed people
groaning and falling to the floor. They were all talking about Annie and asking if she was ok as
they did this. This makes the audience feel bad for Annie. The video also uses pathos to make
the audience love the video. It shows a funny little kid doing Michael Jackson’s dance moves
and it throws a little comedy into the video. These are some examples of why Michael Jackson’s
video did so well. It was almost like a mini-movie that showed the audience how the lyrics were
meant to be perceived. Alien Ant Farm’s video was fun, but it did nothing to show the meaning
behind the lyrics.
“Annie are you ok?”, is one of the most famous lines in music history. The original music
video with Michael Jackson shows this through theatrical elements. The video made by Alien
Ant Farm does not. While it may be a fun music video that the band did not intend to have any
deeper meaning, it just doesn’t convey the message that Jackson’s version had. It doesn’t
resonate with people years after they have seen it as the original video did. To put things into
perspective, Jackson’s video was almost ten minutes long while Alien Ant Farm’s was three and
a half. To many people, it blends in with so many other music videos made in the early 2000s. It
also has no noticeable rhetorical appeals, while in Michael Jackson’s video it uses pathos to
show people the meaning behind the lyrics. In simple terms, Jackson’s video did more to show
people what the lyrics meant while Alien Ant Farms’ video was one big party.
Works Cited
“Michael Jackson-Smooth Criminal” Youtube, Uploaded by Michael Jackson, Accessed 9/25/21
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_D3VFfhvs4
“Alien Ant Farm-Smooth Criminal” Youtube, Uploaded by Vevo, Accessed 9/25/21

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDl9ZMfj6aE

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Malcolm McCluskey

Michael Jackson Vs. Alien Ant Farm

relate to the lyrics at all in the way the original did.

real connection to the lyrics.

behind the lyrics.

“Alien Ant Farm-Smooth Criminal” Youtube, Uploaded by Vevo, Accessed 9/25/21

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