Prior to the release of the video, Jackson's record label promoted it by releasing clips, as well as releasing behind the scenes clips of making the video.
Jackson would perform this song in 1993 at the soul train music awards however he sat on stage because he had broken his foot and couldn't dance, on top of that he lip synced the whole performance with no microphone, but because of his popularity and his presence the audience cheered for him anyway. Michael stated later he was a little embarrassed because of the situation of having to sit instead of dancing.
Everyone featured in the video are lightly dressed to match the clothing worn by ancient Egyptians, with Jackson being the only one to not be lightly dressed. This was to avoid attention from most of his skin as he was suffering from vitiligo. It wouldn't be until his 1993 interview with Oprah where he would address his condition.
Jackson loved so many different cultures and the color gold that he wanted a video to incorporate Egyptian culture and a gold like rich theme to it.
Former pro basketball player Magic Johnson appears as one of the guards.