The Ghost Of Michael Jackson Past Haunts The “Hold My Hand” Video

Robbie Daw | December 9, 2010 8:00 am

So how does it feel to watch the “new” video from Michael Jackson, “Hold My Hand”—a song he didn’t release in his lifetime, that’s included on a collection of other unreleased material called Michael? It’s also a song that the famous perfectionist had no hand in when it came time to mix the final version. And even in the video, it’s naturally old footage of Jackson edited in among new scenes featuring Akon, MJ impersonators and an army of extras (mostly children). Watch below. Ultimately, Michael presents this dilemma: do you give the fans and music-consuming public a taste of unheard (for the most part, at least) tunes from Jackson? Or do you leave the unfinished material be on the shelf? We clearly know what the label’s answer to that question is—the posthumous collection is out on Tuesday next week.

The music video genre is an area the performer prided himself on being a trendsetter in. So does the Mark Pellington-directed clip for “Hold My Hand” effectively count as “a Michael Jackson video”?

If anything, the ensuing three minutes and 43 seconds serve as a kind of montage-rendered tribute to the onetime King Of Pop. And perhaps the purist of hearts can see Michael in the same light.

Ironically, the first line of “Hold My Hand” is “This life don’t last forever.” We’ll see about that.