Michael Jackson recorded “HIStory” as one of 15 new songs for the 1995 two-disc set HIStory: Past, Present and Future—Book I. While the song was not released as a single from that album, it was remixed for the 1997 album Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix, and released as the second single for that album on this date in 1997 as a double A-side single with “Ghosts.”
“HIStory” was written and produced by Michael, Jimmy Jam, and Terry Lewis. The song samples other musical compositions and historical quotes, including a quote from Michael himself from a childhood interview.
“Ghosts” was written and produced by Michael and Teddy Riley, and was one of five new tracks for Blood on the Dance Floor. The album also included eight remixes of songs from HIStory: Past, Present and Future—Book I.
Michael Jackson’s Ghosts, a 40-minute film, was directed by Stan Winston with a screenplay written by Stephen King and Mick Garris based on a story by Michael Jackson, Stephen King and Mick Garris. The film, which was screened out of competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1997, has been certified by Guinness World Records as the longest music video of all time and it won a Bob Fosse Award for Best Choreography in a Music Video in 1997. The short film “Ghosts” was edited primarily from the dance sequence in the film.
