"They Don't Care About Us" is a song written, produced and performed by American singer Michael Jackson, released on April 16, 1996, as the fifth single from his ninth album, HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I (1995).

In the United States, media scrutiny surrounding allegations of antisemitic lyrics were the catalyst for Jackson issuing multiple clarifications, an apology, defense from director Spike Lee and re-releasing an edited version of the song.

The first was shot in two locations in Brazil: in Pelourinho, the historic city center of Salvador; and in Santa Marta, a favela of Rio de Janeiro.

[5][6] State authorities tried to ban production over fears the video would damage their image, the area and prospects of Rio de Janeiro staging the 2004 Olympics.

Commercially, "They Don't Care About Us" became a top ten hit in European countries and number one in the Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary and Italy.

"They Don't Care About Us" was performed as part of a medley with "Scream" and "In the Closet" during Jackson's third and final concert series, the HIStory World Tour, which ran from 1996 to 1997.

The song was set to be performed on Jackson's This Is It comeback concert series at The O2 Arena in London from July 2009 to March 2010, but the shows were cancelled due to his sudden death in June 2009.

In 2011, the Immortal album included a remixed version of "They Don't Care About Us" which features elements of the songs "Privacy" (from Invincible) and "Tabloid Junkie" (from HIStory).

The song gained renewed attention and relevance due to its use during Black Lives Matter protests in 2014 and 2015, and again in 2020 with Spike Lee's "Director's Cut" of the music videos being combined, along with new footage of attacks against protestors.

There is nothing wrong with an artist pouring personal experience into a song, of course, but the range of emotion displayed in Jackson's snarling vocal would be far more affecting within a more direct lyrical context.

"[13] A reviewer from Music Week rated "They Don't Care About Us" four out of five, adding, "With echoes of Bad, Jackson's next single from HIStory sees him in tougher mode, with some real raucous guitar backing his soaring vocals.

He continued, "A listener might wonder just who 'Us' is supposed to be ... To make the songs lodge in the ear, Jackson uses elementary singsong melodies – a 'nyah, nyah' two-note motif in 'They Don't Care About Us' ... and he comes up with all kinds of surprises in the arrangements".

[17] James Hunter of Rolling Stone magazine noted that, musically, Jackson was no longer trying to hide any eccentricities he had and added that, with "They Don't Care About Us", the pop musician sounded more embattled than ever.

European highlights came in Austria, Switzerland, France, Belgium and Sweden, where the song became a top five hit and stayed in each country's respective charts for a minimum of 21 weeks.

Some residents and officials found it offensive that Jackson's production team had negotiated with drug dealers in order to gain permission to film in one of the city's shantytowns.

[3][28] The media interest surrounding the music video exposed Olodum to 140 countries around the world, bringing them worldwide fame and increased credibility in Brazil.

The interesting aspect of Michael Jackson's strategy is the efficiency with which it gives visibility to poverty and social problems in countries like Brazil without resorting to traditional political discourse.

It also contains real footage of police attacking African Americans (including the beating of Rodney King), the military crackdown of the protests in the Tiananmen Square, the Ku Klux Klan, the assassination attempt of George Wallace, war crimes, genocide, execution, martial law, and other human rights abuses.

On June 15, 1995, a day before the release of HIStory, The New York Times reported that "They Don't Care About Us" contained racist and antisemitic content.

[40] The next day, in his review of HIStory, Jon Pareles of The New York Times alleged, "In ... 'They Don't Care About Us', he gives the lie to his entire catalogue of brotherhood anthems with a burst of anti-Semitism.

I just want you all to know how strongly I am committed to tolerance, peace and love, and I apologize to anyone who might have been hurt.Spike Lee defended Jackson's use of the word, by mentioning the double standard from the media.

"[46] Finnish power metal bands Northern Kings and Beast in Black each covered the song as a bonus track for the albums Rethroned and Dark Connection, respectively.

The song was also garnered a brief resurgence of popularity in Brazil during the wake of the 2024 Rio Grande do Sul floods especially on the video sharing app TikTok, to protest against the state government's handling of the rescue operations and alleged incompetence.