Flashback Fridays: 21 Years Ago Today, Michael Jackson’s ‘You Are Not Alone’ Debuts at Number 1

The record holds the Guinness World Record as the first song in the 37-year history of the Billboard Hot 100 to debut at number one.

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The song was originally written by R. Kelly in response to difficult times in his personal life. He forwarded a bare demo tape to Michael Jackson who liked the song and decided to produce it with Kelly. MJ’s interest in the song was also linked to recent events in his personal life. You Are Not Alone became the second single from Michael Jackson’s album HIStory and became a massive number hit world-wide.

The R&B ballad was later covered by R. Kelly himself as a hidden track on his tenth solo studio album Love Letter.

You Are Not Alone is a R&B ballad about love and isolation. Kelly wrote the song after the loss of close people in his life. When he gave the song to MJ, he was delighted to be able to work with his idol, explaining "I was psyched ... I feel I could have done his whole album. Not being selfish. I was just that geeked about it. It was an experience out of this world ... It's amazing to know that five years ago I was writing songs in a basement in the ghetto and now I'm writing for Michael Jackson ... I'd be a fool not to say it's a dream come true."

On September 2, 1995, 21 years ago today, Michael Jackson’s You Are Not Alone became the first song to debut on the Billboard charts. The song was Michael Jackson's 13th and last number one hit song in the United States during his lifetime.

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