Michael Jackson and Barry Gibb Once Wrote a Protest Song Together (Or Did They?)

Roughly two years after Michael Jackson‘s death, Barry Gibb and company released the unreleased single, “All in Your Name”. Michael Jackson and Barry Gibb recorded the single in 2002, but after it was finished, they never released the single. Why they decided to keep it in the vault has never been entirely confirmed. Though the theories currently in play revolve around Jackson’s early 2000s dispute with Sony Records, as well as with the original intention for the song. Which was that it was allegedly a protest song protesting the war in Iraq.

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When it comes to politically charged musicians, one typically doesn’t think of Barry Gibb and Michael Jackson. Their styles encompass catchy pop hooks and a tonal ambiance conducive to dancing and a good time. Not profound political and social analysis. Well, that seemingly changed in 2002 when Barry Gibb and Michael Jackson teamed up to create a song that reportedly attacked President Bush and the then-impending war in Iraq.

Barry Gibb Insisted That It Wasn’t a Protest Song

When Barry Gibb and Michael Jackson took to the Middle Ear Studio in Miami, Florida, the United States was just about three months away from invading Iraq. The potential invasion was one of the most topical issues of the time. Hence, musicians, actors, and other large personalities were all sharing their piece on the matter with the world. Including Gibb and Jackson, well, they at least allegedly did.

Given the lyrics of this song and the timeframe in which it was created, publications and masses alike assumed it was a protest anthem denouncing the US’s plans to invade Iraq. Some of the lyrics supporting this theory include, There’s just one religion, one family of love / We suffer the children as God cries above, and Where is the peace we’re searching for / Under the shadows of war?

Despite the arguably apparent lyrics protesting war, Gibb never strictly divulged that as the single’s main mission. Particularly, in a YouTube post showing a behind-the-scenes look at the recording session, Gibbs wrote, “All In Your Name” is in fact the message that Michael wanted to send out to all of his fans all over the World that he did it all for them and for the pure love of music. I hope and pray that we all get to hear it in its entirety.”

So, to this day, the underlying message in “All In Your Name” remains ambiguous. Though per Gibbs’ wish, he and Jackson did get the chance to share the song with the world in 2011.

Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage