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Continued Exploration: Analysis of Human Nature

 The Music: Human Nature By Michael Jackson. July 3, 1983 USA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElN_4vUvTPs


Michael Jackson became the king of the music world in the early 80’s. His music had a magical and revolutionary sound that still sounds closer to some of the modern works by artists such as the Weeknd then of other artists of his time. He does still have a very retro 1980’s synth sound, but arguably that sound has been used up until now. Human Nature is the perfect showcase of how an immaculate song could be produced without the automation tools used today.

According to Nextbop, Human Nature has resurfaced within the jazz and piano world multiple times since its release. The song was so successful and incorporated aspects of multiple genres that allowed for it to be so adaptive. Miles Davis’ straightforward jazz cover of Human Nature and David Benoit’s classical cover are 2 examples noted. I am extremely curious to see what the future holds for Human Nature and MJ’s legacy.





Musical Analysis:


Tempo:

The song clocks at 94 bpm. The drums are a mix of half and double time. The drums and hat are playing 16th, and the electronic shakers are playing a mix of quarter and 8th notes. What all this basically means is that there is a nice revolving motion to the music. This combination also remains the same throughout the song. I like the levelness of the song and the way it maintains a nice upbeat pace retrospective. 


Lyrics:

Probably the most notable aspect of this song, and MJ in general is his voice. There was no autotune available at this time, a tool used commonly by R&B artists of today, and even 25 years ago. One notable example of this in MJ’s voice is during the first verse when he says  “sweet sedUUUUUUcing sights”. One source I found pointed out that this part of the lyrics does seem flat, but I bet you would’ve never noticed. I think my favorite parts of the lyrics are whenever he really drags out the words…. “If this townnnnn, is just an apple, then let me taaaaaake a bite”.  


Melody:

Bass drum, synth bass, violin, french horn, various percussion instruments, lyrics, and guitar are all a part of the melody. I think that the synth bass and guitar shine through the most as instruments in this piece. There is a lot of modulation of the bass, as well as reverb. Towards the end of the song we see a lot of vocal and instrumental remixing of elements previously heard earlier in the song. I like this because it kind of gives a bit of a grand finale effect.


Texture:

Starting with the vocal reverberation component of the song, this aspect not only creates sort of an ethereal energy, but it also harkens back to MJ’s earlier days… giving neo gospel. I am not a church goer, but I really appreciate the soul music aspect displayed here. The layers of Human Nature are very dense, and I think the layering of the aforementioned instruments within the melody is what makes the magic of this song. 


Dynamics:

An interesting component to this song is the fact that there isn't an overly emphasized placement on dynamics. The volume of the music stays relatively the same, with the exception of the first part where the electronic violin-ish sound at the 0:07 mark. Also when he is singing at his higher frequency at the 2:05 and 3:40 marks. Other than that things stay relatively relaxed, and the song never really breaches the initial volume levels within the first 30 seconds despite lots going on. 


Gray, Ben. “Human Nature: A Critical Analysis of Covers - Nextbop.” Nextbop Jazz Music Blog, 10 Dec. 2022, https://nextbop.com/blog/humannatureacriticalanalysisofcovers.

Owsinski, Bobby. “Michael Jackson ‘Human Nature’ Song Analysis.” Bobby Owsinski's Big Picture Music Production Blog, http://bobbyowsinski.blogspot.com/2011/06/michael-jackson-human-nature-song.html#axzz7zH7wL772.

Shelton, Jessica. “‘Human Nature’ by Michael Jackson.” Song Meanings and Facts, 18 Dec 2019,         https://www.songmeaningsandfacts.com/human-nature-by-michael-jackson/.

Comments

  1. Sophia MartinApril 24, 2023 at 1:53 AM

    I like that you pointed out the fact that there was no such thing as autotune back in his days. That's one thing about older music, you can trust it to be much more raw than today's overproduced songs. I can definitely hear the 80s in this song, but I agree that it is also timeless. I wonder if there will ever be a time that the world stops enjoying Michael Jackson's music, but I certainly hope not. Thank you for your post!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kellen DavisApril 26, 2023 at 2:50 PM

    Hello Gus,

    Thank you for sharing this song by Michael Jackson I agree with you that his music is timeless and has had a huge influence on the popular music of today. I also like how you pointed out the hallmark "synth sound" used by many songs in the 80s. This song kinda reminds me of another Michael jackson song "Smooth Criminal". I will link it below. https://youtu.be/sFvENQBc-F8

    ReplyDelete

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