anonymous August 1st, 2009 09:06PM  
A hauntingly melodious song that describes those terrible times that some people are forced to face in life when the whole world goes against you. Michael is probably inspired by his own experience where he was falsely accused of things that he was never responsible of. The media slamming him probably left him alone and he felt like a stranger in Moscow whom the KGB (Russian secret agency) was stalking and it was all dull and blue.

He asks repeatedly "How does it feel" "When you are alone and cold inside" then he answers in the end "like the stranger in Moscow" and says "I am living lonely baby"...

The best thing about this song is that it relates to one of the deepest sorrows of human life- feeling rejected and lonely. Perhaps we all have such times in life (at least I can relate to it where I had was walking like a loony in the streets of London rejected and dejected). The tunes in the song and the chorus complemented with Micahel's soulful rendition make the listening an emotional journey. Kudos, MJ!! It's one of the most underrated MJ works.

anonymous August 15th, 2009 04:21AM  
Michael Jackson realized there was more to life than fame, money and one of the largest fan-following of all time (if not THE largest). With fame comes responsibility.
"Walking in the rain" is a reference to enjoying the simple life (the video says it all). "Swift and sudden fall from grace" is the embarrassment he had to face for something many believed he was innocent. KGB is the law enforcement authority and media that never let him be. Feeling like a stranger in his own home and country, MJ made Moscow the analogy for his unhappiness despite having it all.
Fame, something almost every human being would give an arm and leg for, "abandoned" him. He wanted to lead the normal human life. Instead, being in the public eye made him feel so isolated - "I'm living lonely". Notice in the video how he stands under the ledge when it begins to rain, while he watches in envy regular people running and enjoying themselves in the rain. MJ then follows suit as an expression of his strong urge to be out in the open and "soak" in all that life has to offer.
He was so disheartened with glamor, fortune and popularity (as strange as it may sound) that he says "take my name and just let me be". If he could, I'm certain he would've been happy to trade all that he had to live in peace, happiness and simplicity.
The irony about life is that with desires there are implications. Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it!
MJ's horrendous childhood, image pressures and continuous controversies gave rapid birth to demons that multiplied and that he struggled to fight.
The next time you think about wanting to be rich and famous, think about this philosophically-rich, emotionally moving track and see if all that can still get you to "walk in the rain"!

anonymous December 17th, 2009 08:16PM  
I think Stranger in Moscow is a great song. It's about Michael feeling alone and very cold internally -- hence the line "How does it feel when you're alone and you're cold inside". "Swift and sudden fall from grace" means the humiliation because of the child abuse accusations made against him in 1993. In the ballad, Jackson sings of a fall from grace that has left him lonely, isolated, paranoid and on the verge of insanity. And in the video Michael did feel envious of all those people running past him, taking advantage of feeling the rain against their faces. Finally he then walks out into the rain and joins them. In my opinion, this is a great, although underrated, MJ song. Kudos to MJ for writing this. It's very deep and philosophical, too! I like the song, and the video too.