"They Don't Care About Us" is one of Michael Jackson's most powerful and most controversial songs. Released on 8 April 1996 in the UK and 23 April in the US, it was the fourth single from Jackson's ninth album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995). According to Wikipedia, the song is a blend of pop rock, dancehall, blues, and samba-reggae, and it was written and produced by Jackson himself. The album version runs 4:44.

The song's initial release contained ethnic slurs, which triggered accusations of antisemitism. Jackson issued an apology, saying the lyrics had been intended to draw attention to social injustice, and he altered future copies. This controversy is an important part of the song's history, and it is impossible to discuss the track without acknowledging it.

Two music videos were directed by Spike Lee. The first was shot in Pelourinho, the historic city center of Salvador, and in Santa Marta, a favela of Rio de Janeiro. State authorities tried to ban production over fears the video would damage their image, but residents of the area were happy to see Jackson, hoping their problems would be made visible to a wider audience. The second video was shot in a prison and contains footage of human rights abuses.

"They Don't Care About Us" became a top-five hit in several European countries, and it was the continent's ninth highest-selling single and tenth most radio-played song of 1996.

As a reviewer, I find this song difficult to separate from its context. The music is urgent and angry, and the lyrics are a cry against injustice, but the controversy around the original lyrics cannot be ignored. What is remarkable is how the song has endured. The Spike Lee videos, especially the Brazil version, turned it into a visual statement about poverty and police violence, and the song's message about the powerless being ignored still resonates. The collective reception, from the sources I read, is that this is a protest song that is both powerful and complicated. It is a song that demands you sit with its contradictions, and that is exactly what makes it worth hearing.