Sources : My personal research, Wikipedia, Michael Jackson: For The Record by Chris Cadman & Craig Halstead, Twitter account of Damien Shields and the amazing archives of the MJCast.
RECORDING DATE
Recorded in 1986 during the Hayvenhurst sessions with John Barnes, Bill Bottrell & Matt Forger.
May 09, 1986 : Recording session at Michael’s Hayvenhurst home studio. MJ, Bill Bottrell, John Barnes and Matt Forger work on the song “Do You Know Where You Children Are”.
May 10, 1986 : Recording session at Michael’s Hayvenhurst home studio. MJ, Bill Bottrell, John Barnes and Matt Forger work on the song “Do You Know Where You Children Are”.
May 15, 1986 : Recording session at Michael’s Hayvenhurst home studio. MJ, Bill Bottrell, John Barnes and Matt Forger work on the song “Do You Know Where You Children Are”.
May 16, 1986 : Recording session at Michael’s Hayvenhurst home studio. MJ, Bill Bottrell, John Barnes and Matt Forger work on the song “Do You Know Where You Children Are”.
Following Jackson’s passing, in 2010 “Do You Know Where Your Children Are” got reworked by Tricky Stewart and considered for the Michael album. Once again, the song wasn’t included on the release and stayed in the vault. This version featured a sample from a 1991 hip-hop song by Naughty By Nature, “O.P.P.” which ironically also samples The Jackson 5’s “ABC”. In December 2010, the track would leak online alongside Stewart’s remix of “Slave to the Rhythm”.
In 2013 Timbaland and J-Roc completely reworked the song again for the Xscape album, bringing a completely fresh take on the song, heavily relying on more modern synthesizers and including a much more distorted guitar solo.
In the fan community, it is heavily debated whether the released demo originates from the Bad or Dangerous sessions. Multiple sources seem to contradict each other, as the Xscape booklet or Jackson’s Estate only confirming the song was intended for the aforementioned albums, but not giving away specific dates. Notably, the 2010 and 2014 versions of “Do You Know Where Your Children Are” seem to feature a different vocal take than the demo, as the delivery of the “she’s only twelve years old” lyric differs.
STUDIO(S)
Hayvenhurst home studio in Encino, California
SONGWRITER(S)
Michael Jackson
PRODUCER(S)
Bill Bottrell
RELEASE DATE :
Original demo + new remix released posthumously on May 9, 2014 (Xscape).
LABEL
Sony
LENGTH
4:40 (demo)
ALTERNATE VERSIONS RECORDED BY MJ (covers and remixes by other artists are not included)
No other version known to exist
MUSICIANS
???
PEAK ON HOT 100 BILLBOARD :
Never released as a single in the US.
SHORT FILM
No short film
LIVE PERFORMANCES ON TV SHOWS
Never performed on TV
LIVE PERFORMANCES IN CONCERTS
Never performed in concerts
Jackson Dynasty 