Human Nature (Michael Jackson song)

Human Nature is a 1983 song written by Steve Porcaro (music) and John Bettis (lyrics). It first appeared on Michael Jackson's album Thriller; the version released on single is 3:45 minutes long. The album sold more than 1 million copies in the US alone.

Origin

Human Nature was released on July 12, 1983.

The song was written by Steve Porcaro, keyboardist of the band Toto, who had written it for his daughter. Porcaro and his bandmate David Paich were working with producer Quincy Jones on the album Thriller at the time. Jones had asked Paich for some song ideas, and Paich gave him a tape of some demos, including Human Nature, which wasn't actually meant for Jones. Jones took the song and asked John Bettis to write the lyrics.

Reception

The song received many positive reviews. In the New York Times, John Rockwell described it as a "haunting ... Ballad with an irresistible chorus". Rolling Stone magazine wrote that the ballad was modeled on the Michael Jackson classic She's Out of My Life.