In 1992, Michael Jackson and Naomi Campbell created a music video unlike anything he had done before. The chemistry, the visuals, and the confidence showed a side of Michael that many fans still talk about today.
“In the Closet” was supposed to be a duet with Madonna. Michael and Madonna worked on early concepts together, but he felt her direction for the song was too provocative and walked away from the idea.
HE NEEDED SOMEONE ELSE, AND HE WANTED NAOMI CAMPBELL SPECIFICALLY.
There was just one problem. Naomi had 30 fashion shows lined up in Paris and didn’t think she could break the commitment.
So Michael made her an offer most people couldn’t refuse: he’d personally cover what she’d lose by skipping those shows. She said yes.
Watch The Original Song
Directed by fashion photographer Herb Ritts, the video was shot near the Salton Sea in California in early 1992, drenched in sepia tones with almost nothing but sand, stone, and the two of them moving together.
The female vocals on the track were credited to a mysterious “Mystery Girl,” later revealed to be Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, though Naomi re-recorded the lip-sync parts for the video itself.
OFF CAMERA, THE TWO BECAME CLOSE. Naomi has described Michael as a perfectionist who somehow kept the set fun, joking around and getting into water gun fights between takes.
Behind The Scene – The Making Of “In The Closet”
THE FINAL PRODUCT WON AN MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY and was considered so bold for its time that it was banned outright in South Africa.
It’s one of the few times fans got to see Michael fully in command of a love scene on screen, and decades later, people are still talking about it.