Though he passed away some five years ago, Michael Jackson has just now become a pioneer in the realm of social media. With the video for the Xscape single “A Place With No Name”, Jackson is one of the first artists to debut a full video entirely within a single tweet.
The short film is helmed by director Samuel Bayer (Nirvana, Rolling Stones), who incorporated outtakes and behind-the-scenes footage Jackson originally shot for 1992’s “In The Closet” mini-movie. According to Jackson’s official website, the video closely adapts the song’s narrative: “A man is enticed into a magical place by a mysterious woman. This Utopian world is one where no one is in fear and no people have pain.” What that actually translates to, though, is snippets of Jackson footage intercut between a sexually-charged dance routine by a couple in some rather striking backdrops.
The track itself is Jackson’s rework of America’s 1972 folk rock smash “A Horse With No Name”. To complete the archival track, the Jackson Estate and Xscape executive producer L.A. Reid turned to Norwegian production duo StarGate (Rihanna’s “S&M, Katy Perry’s “Firework”).
Watch the video here, or below.
(Read: Dissected: Michael Jackson)
