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Justin Shiverdecker

Professor Reynolds

English 1200

4 October 2020

Are You Okay?

The lyric, “Annie, are you okay?” repeats itself multiple times in the hit song “Smooth

Criminal”. The original production, by Michael Jackson swept the music industry in 1989,

alongside an MTV music video where Michael Jackson has choreographed dance moves to go

with the music. Years later, Alien Ant Farm produced a cover of the song in 2001 as a hard-rock

re-envision of the pop-rock classic. Jackson’s music video takes place in a speakeasy where he is

viewed as the “Smooth Criminal”. In the video produced by Alien Ant Farm, The band is the

center of attention at an out-of-control backyard house party where mosh-pits and chaos takes

place. Michael Jackson’s hit, “Smooth criminal”, has a similar claim to Alien Ant Farm’s

rendition of the same song, which is to make sure you are okay; however, the varying settings of

each music video appeals to vastly different audiences due to the rhetorical appeals used in each

song.

Both versions of “Smooth Criminal” continually ask the question: are you okay? The

music video from Alien Ant Farm chants the main claim of the song, while the version by

Jackson whispers it. The repetition of this lyric invites the reader to ask themselves if they are

okay. Alien Ant Farm’s version conveys this by chanting the question to a heavy-rock rendition

of the original music track. During this lyrical phrase, the music video shows head banging,

mosh-pits in the backyard of this house party. Constant chaos is seen throughout the party, yet

the question, are you okay, echoes over all the anarchy. The overall message is to have a good
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time, but stay safe and make sure you and the people around you are okay. Both versions of

“Smooth Criminal” ask the same question, are you okay, which develops similar main claims of

each song. However, setting plays a role in why the audiences differ between the two songs.

Michael Jackson’s MTV music video takes place inside a speakeasy where he dances

with the women and fights with the men through the spectacle of choreography. He takes the

whole bar full of people, who was originally against him, and eventually befriends them. There is

a moment in the video where the music stops and a window in the speakeasy breaks from the

smooth criminal’s dance move. This signifies the lyric “as he came into the window” in the song.

The ending of the music video has the entire bar full of people protecting the criminal from

silhouettes of people with guns outside as he slips away out the back door. Michael Jackson’s

“Smooth Criminal” draws in audiences of people who like Michael Jackson’s music and pop

rock. The video appeals to a variety of audiences because of the mix of dance moves and pop

rock music, however the Alien Ant Farm music video appeals to a different audience.

The two music videos appeal to vastly different audiences. The Alien Ant Farm’s version

is aimed at an immature audience. The rhetorical appeal, ethos, was used by the band to provide

credibility to the younger viewers. The use of Michael Jackson’s original dance moves gives

credit to the original music video. Secondly, in the middle of Alien Ant Farm’s video, the music

stops and there is a silence just like in Jackson’s video. The singer’s dance move causes a car’s

windows to break. This credits the original music video because Jackson breaks a window in a

similar fashion. The credit paid to the original is comical and appeals to a more immature

audience. The section of the video where the music stops and the singer has his moment to break

the window, is randomly placed in the video chronologically to credit Michael Jackson’s original

video.
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The setting of the music video by Alien Ant Farm is aimed at a younger audience.

Several scenes in the video contain kids partying along with the band. Some of the children hold

posters and others dance the moves of Michael Jackson. The imagery of children partying with

the hard rock music draws in the attention of a younger audience.

“Annie, are you okay” repeats itself many times throughout the track “Smooth Criminal”

because it hints to the main claim and question of the song. Michael Jackson’s version of

“Smooth Criminal” reaches a broad audience because of its original dance moves and story. The

Alien Animal Farm’s use of ethos to create credibility and using a chaotic party as the setting for

their music video grasps at the viewers of immature audiences.

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Works Cited

Jackson, Michael. “Smooth Criminal.” Bad 25. Jones, Quincy. 1989. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h_D3VFfhvs4&ab_channel=michaeljacksonVEVO

Alien Ant Farm. “Smooth Criminal.” Baumgardner, Jay. 2001. YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDl9ZMfj6aE&ab_channel=AlienAntFarmVEVO