Wiki
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Length
4:49
D.S. was released on June 20, 1995, as the sixth track on Disc 2 of Michael Jackson's penultimate studio album, HIStory - Past, Present and Future - Book I. The track's lyrics center around a conniving and treacherous "Dom Sheldon"- a thinly veiled stand-in for Tom Sneddon, District Attorney of Santa Barbara County between 1983 and 2006. Sneddon quickly became a pivotal figure in the child molestation allegations and corresponding legal proceedings against Jackson beginning in 1993. Ultimately, no charges would be brought against Jackson in relation to the 1993 investigation. He would later be indicted on 10 criminal counts in late 2003, thereafter being fully acquitted in 2005 following a highly publicized criminal trial.
D.S.'s lyrics, while seemingly generic, are widely interpreted as a criticism of Sneddon's motives and actions. The verses proceed with Jackson accusing Sneddon of corruption, racism, and dishonesty. Sneddon's role in spearheading the 1993 (and later) investigations was controversial, and Jackson's supporters often accused the prosecutor of being driven by personal vendettas rather than a genuine desire for justice. They pointed to incidents such as the 1993 strip search of Jackson ordered by Sneddon, the questionable legality surrounding a search of Jackson's PI's office, alleged attempts by Sneddon to tamper with evidence, and other allegations of prosecutorial misconduct. Sneddon's website later proclaimed that he was "the only DA in the nation to have an angry song written about him by pop megastar Michael Jackson". When asked about the song, Sneddon added, "I have not, shall we say, done him the honor of listening to it, but I’ve been told that it ends with the sound of a gunshot".
Due to a lack of radio airtime, D.S. did not chart on any music charts worldwide. The few critics who provided reviews mainly covered the song's connection to Tom Sneddon. However, Fred Shuster of the Daily News of Los Angeles described D.S. as a "superb slice of organic funk that will fuel many of the summer's busiest dance floors".
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