It was released by Epic Records on November 7, 1995, as the third single from Jackson's ninth studio album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995).

It was accompanied by a lavish music video, directed by Nick Brandt, which was shot in four geographical regions, centered on the destruction and rebirth of Earth.

It also topped the charts in Germany, Iceland, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland while peaking at number two in France, Ireland, and the Netherlands.

Jackson wrote "Earth Song" under the working title "What About Us" at the Vienna Marriott hotel during the Bad World Tour on June 1, 1988.

[3][4] Jackson wanted to create a song that was lyrically deep with an emotional message, but was melodically simple, so the whole world, particularly non-English-speaking fans, could sing along.

A reviewer from Contra Costa Times called it "a bit sappy and overblown", but also acknowledged that it was "epic" and destined to be a "massive smash hit".

[15] Ledger-Enquirer observed that it "enjoys the same kind of subtlety, building to a dramatic call-and-response finish with the Andraé Crouch Choir".

[7] Pan-European magazine Music & Media named it Single of the Week and an "ecological anthem", stating that "even without the delightful arrangements (tentative piano, jazzy guitar licks, nature noises), the strong composition would have been a sure thing for the top of the EHR and ACE charts.

[12] James Hunter of Rolling Stone stated, "The slow blues-operatic 'Earth Song' for all its noble sentiments, sounds primarily like a showpiece".

[18] A reviewer from San Jose Mercury News called it "flat" and "whiny", believing Jackson had already experimented with these concepts earlier in his career.

In early December, bookmakers correctly predicted that Jackson would keep the Beatles off the top position and go on to attain the Christmas number-one single.

[27] The song also took the number one position in Iceland, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland, peaking within the top five in almost every European state.

On July 16, 1996, Jackson performed "Earth Song" at the Brunei Royal Concert at Jerudong Park Amphitheatre in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Jackson sang while dangling off the edge of a high-rise crane elevator, which he had used the year before while performing "Earth Song" on the German TV show Wetten, dass..?.

[3] During the performance, the singer Jarvis Cocker ran onstage without permission, lifted his shirt and pretended to break wind, before giving Jackson the V sign.

A video provided by an unidentified source showed that it was one of Jackson's crew who had barged into the children, not Cocker, and the charges were dropped.

One reason these alternative readings emerge is because of the way the performance of popular culture engages more than a literal text, it employs gestures and symbols, tones of voice, looks and glances, all of which might tell a different story.

[44] Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood, Smokey Robinson, Celine Dion and Usher all sang the song together, while the video played in the background.

The production had an environmental theme, showing images of animal cruelty, deforestation, pollution, poaching, poverty and war.

The DMC Megamix is a medley of "Bad", "Billie Jean", "Black or White", "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough", "Remember the Time", "Rock with You", "Scream", "Thriller" and "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'".