Invincible (2001): The Cost, the Conflict and the Music

Invincible was recorded over several years at studios including the Hit Factory in New York. Jackson worked with a range of producers and writers, most prominently Rodney Jerkins, who produced several of the uptempo tracks, as well as Teddy Riley and Babyface. The sessions produced far more songs than were used, and the long timeline is one reason the budget grew so large.

The reported cost of around $30 million, often described as making it one of the most expensive albums ever made, comes from press reports and statements in the later dispute between Jackson and Sony. It is best treated as a widely reported estimate rather than an audited number.

The album mixes harder, heavily programmed tracks, such as Unbreakable, Heartbreaker and Invincible, with some of the softest ballads of his career. You Rock My World, the lead single, is a smooth dance track with a video featuring Chris Tucker and Marlon Brando. Butterflies, written and produced by Andre Harris and Marsha Ambrosius, is a slow R&B song that many fans rank among his best late recordings. Speechless is one of the few songs Jackson wrote entirely alone for the album; he said the idea came to him after a water-balloon fight with children in Germany.

Other highlights include Heaven Can Wait and Whatever Happens, which features Carlos Santana on guitar. Unbreakable includes a verse from the late rapper The Notorious B.I.G.

Invincible debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 in November 2001, and it topped the charts in a number of other countries. You Rock My World reached number ten on the Hot 100. Because of the dispute that followed, fewer singles and videos were released than originally planned.

The album was released weeks after two concerts at Madison Square Garden in September 2001 celebrating Jackson's 30 years as a solo artist, which featured a reunion with his brothers.

In 2002 Jackson publicly criticised Sony Music and its then-head Tommy Mottola, saying the label had failed to promote the album properly. He appeared at public events in New York and London to make his case. The dispute was tied to wider business issues, including Jackson's ownership stake in music publishing and the terms of his recording contract.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the dispute, it meant that Invincible never had the long promotional campaign of his earlier albums. That is one reason it is often described as underrated.

Invincible has grown in reputation since 2001. Its ballads, in particular Butterflies and Speechless, show a gentler side of Jackson than the defensive tone of HIStory. For quiz takers who match the Invincible era, the defining trait is warmth that has survived difficulty.

Where to start: Butterflies, then Speechless, then Heartbreaker to hear the harder side of the record.