Stranger in Moscow

"Stranger in Moscow" is a song by Michael Jackson, released as the fifth single from his 1995 album HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. Jackson wrote and produced the track himself, recording it in January 1994 at The Hit Factory and Sony Music Studios in New York City. The song originated from a lonely moment in September 1993, when Jackson was on his Dangerous World Tour and staying in a Moscow hotel room. He described the experience as "a strange, eerie, lonely time," feeling like a stranger despite the fans outside.

The song is an R&B ballad with a sparse, atmospheric arrangement. Its lyrics dwell on isolation and paranoia, with lines like "How does it feel when you're alone and you're cold inside?" The album version runs 5:44, while a radio edit shortens it to 4:05. The single was released in Europe on September 9, 1996, in the UK on November 4, 1996, and in the US on July 7, 1997, through Epic Records.

Commercially, "Stranger in Moscow" reached the top ten in Austria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, and several other countries. In the United Kingdom, it peaked at number 13. However, it underperformed in the US, becoming one of Jackson's lowest-charting singles there. The music video, shot in black and white, shows Jackson and other individuals moving in slow motion through a rainy cityscape, culminating in a thunderstorm that washes over him. The song was performed during Jackson's HIStory World Tour and has been covered by artists such as Peter Gabriel and the band 3T. [edit]