Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix
Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix is a remix album by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on May 20, 1997, by Epic Records, and is the second album also released by MJJ Productions, Jackson's record label. The album comprises eight remixes of songs from Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995), and five new songs that failed to make previous albums. Jackson was involved primarily with the production of the new material; the remixes were produced by other artists. Blood on the Dance Floor: HIStory in the Mix incorporates R&B, pop, industrial, hip hop, house, funk and new jack swing. It concerns themes such as drug addiction, sex, relationships, and paranoia.
Though Blood on the Dance Floor received minimal promotion by Jackson's standards, particularly in the United States, the short film Michael Jackson's Ghosts, two singles ("Blood on the Dance Floor" and "Ghosts"), a promotional single ("Is It Scary"), and a music video were issued as promotion. Although initial sales in the United States were seen as disappointing for Jackson, it reached number one throughout Europe, including in France, Belgium, Spain, the UK, and New Zealand. Michael Jackson's Ghosts premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, as part of the Blood on the Dance Floor promotion. The short film, also considered the official music video for "Ghosts", won the Bob Fosse Award for Best Choreography in a Music Video.
Reviews for Blood on the Dance Floor were mixed, with some critics feeling that Jackson had already explored these musical themes and others criticizing what they perceived as weak vocals. Other critics were more favorable, noting the album for its incorporation of genres Jackson previously had not explored, justifying the use of previous themes but with "brutal honesty". Blood on the Dance Floor: has sold over six million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling remix album in history. On October 20, 2000, it was certified platinum in the US.