Michael Jackson - Liberian Girl

What this video is

Released in July 1989 as the ninth and final single from Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad, 'Liberian Girl' was not issued as a single in the United States but reached the top 20 in five European countries, including No. 1 in Ireland, and the top 15 in several additional markets. The video represents one of the most densely star-populated music videos ever produced, assembling dozens of major Hollywood and…

Why it matters

A landmark artifact of the celebrity-cameo video genre, 'Liberian Girl' codified the meta-textual, film-within-a-film music video format and stands as the quintessential example of late-80s pop star cultural omnipotence rendered as visual spectacle. Its influence on the all-star ensemble video…

The director

James 'Jim' Yukich is an American television and film director. He graduated from Purdue University's Brian Lamb School of Communication in 1978 with a BA in Film/TV, began his career in the mailroom at Capitol-EMI Records in Hollywood, and rose to become a…