Bad (album)

''Bad'' is the seventh studio album by the American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released on August 31, 1987, by Epic Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous album, ''Thriller'' (1982). Written and recorded between January 1985 and July 1987, ''Bad'' was the third and final collaboration between Jackson and producer Quincy Jones, with Jackson co-producing and composing all but two tracks. Jackson notably adopted an edgy look and sound with ''Bad'', departing from his signature groove-based style and high-pitched vocals. The album incorporates pop, rock, funk, R&B, dance, soul, and hard rock styles. Jackson also experimented with newer recording technology, including digital synthesizers and drum machines, resulting in a sleeker and more aggressive sound. Jackson wrote nine of the eleven songs on the album. Lyrical themes on the album include media bias, paranoia, racial profiling, romance, self-improvement, and world peace. The album features appearances from Siedah Garrett and Stevie Wonder.

One of the most anticipated albums of its time, ''Bad'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Top Pop Albums chart, selling over 2.25 million copies in its first week in the United States, and stayed atop for six consecutive weeks. It also reached number one in 24 other countries, including the United Kingdom, where it sold 350,000 copies in its first week and became the country's bestselling album of 1987. Nine songs from the album were released as official singles, and one as a promotional single. Six singles charted charted in the top ten of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (''Thriller'' had seven top ten singles) and " Another Part of Me" charted at #11, including a record-breaking five number ones: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", " Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror" and " Dirty Diana". The album was also promoted with the film, ''Moonwalker'' (1988), which included the music videos of songs from the album, including " Speed Demon", " Leave Me Alone", "Man in the Mirror" and " Smooth Criminal".

Subjected to widespread comparisons with ''Thriller'' by critics upon release, Jackson's vocal prowess and ''Bad''s rich, more polished production were particularly praised. In retrospect, the album has been lauded by critics as a staple of 1980s pop music and an extension of Jackson's influence on 21st-century music. A blockbuster release, it was the bestselling album worldwide of 1987 and 1988. By 1991, it stood as the second bestselling album of all time, behind ''Thriller'', having sold 25 million copies worldwide. The Bad tour, which was Jackson's first solo world tour, grossed $125 million (equivalent to more than $291 million in 2021), making it the highest-grossing solo concert tour of the 1980s. Jackson performed 123 concerts in 15 countries to an audience of 4.4 million. It was also Jackson's last tour where he performed on the mainland United States.

With over 35 million copies sold worldwide, ''Bad'' is one of the best-selling albums of all time. In 2021, it was certified 11× Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in the United States. The album has been named by several publications as one of the greatest albums of all time. It was nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year, and won Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Best Music Video (for "Leave Me Alone"). In 1988, Jackson received the first ''Billboard'' Spotlight Award, in recognition of the record-breaking chart success on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. For his ''Bad'' videos and previous videos throughout the 1980s, Jackson received the MTV Video Vanguard Award. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the documentary film, ''Bad 25'', and album, ''Bad 25'', were released in 2012.

Background

Jackson's sixth solo album, ''Thriller'', was released in 1982, and by 1984 it was certified 20× platinum for sales of 20 million copies in the United States alone. Jackson was widely considered the most powerful African American in the history of the entertainment industry, whose popularity was comparable only to Elvis Presley in the 1950s and the Beatles in the 1960s. Jackson aimed to sell 100 million copies with his next album.

The years following ''Thriller'' were marred by Jackson's rifts with his family and the Jehovah's Witnesses, broken friendships with celebrities, and the pressure of celebrity. He also spent 1985 out of the public eye, while reports spread of eccentric behavior. According to some associates, Jackson was nervous about completing his next album. In 2017, ''Newsweek'' said "Has there ever been a more difficult album to make than Michael Jackson's ''Bad''? ..How the hell do you follow up ''Thriller''? It's like following up the Bible."

Production and recording

''Bad'' was Jackson's final collaboration with co-producer Quincy Jones, who had produced ''Off the Wall'' and ''Thriller''. After Jackson had written a handful of the tracks on ''Off the Wall'' and ''Thriller'', Jones encouraged him to write more for his followup. Jones recalled: "All the turmoil n Jackson's lifewas starting to mount up, so I said I thought it was time for him to do a very honest album."

Jackson wanted to move in a new musical direction, with a harder edge and fiercer sound. According to guitarist Steve Stevens, who featured on ''Bad'', Jackson asked about rock bands including Mötley Crüe. Jackson began recording demos in November 1983 while recording ''Victory'' with the Jacksons. He spent much of 1985 to 1987 writing and recording at his home studio in Encino, Los Angeles, with a group of musicians and engineers including Bill Bottrell known as the "B team". The demos were brought to Westlake Studio to be finished by the "A team", with Jones and engineer Bruce Swedien. Jones said the team would stay up for days on end when they "were on a roll": "They were carrying second engineers out on stretchers. I was smoking 180 cigarettes a day."

Jackson was eager to find innovative sounds and was interested in new music technology. The team made extensive use of new digital synthesizers, including FM synthesis and the Fairlight CMI and Synclavier PSMT synthesizers. They sometimes combined synthesizers to create new sounds. Other instruments include guitars, organs, drums, bass, percussion and saxophones, washboard and digital guitars.

Work was disrupted in July 1984, when Jackson embarked on the Victory Tour with his brothers. Work resumed in January 1985 after the tour ended and after Jackson had recorded "We Are the World". In mid-1985, work paused again so Jackson could prepare for Disney's 4D film experience ''Captain EO'', which featured an early version of the ''Bad'' song "Another Part of Me". Work resumed in August and continued until November 1986, when Jackson filmed the " Bad" music video. Recording resumed in January 1987, and the album was completed in July.

Jackson wrote a reported 60 songs, and recorded 30, wanting to use them all on a three-disc set. Jones suggested that the album be cut down to a ten-track single LP. Jackson is credited for writing all but two songs; other writing credits include Terry Britten and Graham Lyle for "Just Good Friends" and Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard for "Man in the Mirror".

Songs

Bad

"Bad" was recorded and written by Jackson in as late as October 1986. It features drums played by John Robinson who had previously worked with Jackson and Jones on ''Off the Wall'' (1979). According to Jackson, it was inspired by a true story that he had read about in a newspaper article about a boy who 'was from the ghetto' and went up to a private school in Upstate New York. When he came back, his friends got so jealous of him that they killed him. It was originally planned as a duet between Jackson and Prince, after producer Jones suggested they record a song together. However, Prince said in an interview with Chris Rock in 1997 that he had declined the invitation, because of disputes he had with the opening line of the song, that contained the lyrics 'Your butt is mine'. He instead offered Jackson "Wouldn't You Love To Love Me", a song he wrote, but Jackson rejected it. With "Bad", Jackson adopted an edgier, harder and different sound.

The Way You Make Me Feel

"The Way You Make Me Feel" was developed by Jackson in 1985 with a different title, "Hot Fever". Jackson revisited the song in 1987 and recorded it into the final version it is. It was also solely written by him and he also co-produced it with Jones. It features notable horn arrangements by Jerry Hey of Seawind and other members of the group who had also previously worked on '' Off the Wall'' and '' Thriller''.

Speed Demon

"Speed Demon" was written and co-produced by Jackson in 1986 during the '' Bad'' recording sessions. According to Jones, Jackson wrote the song after he received a traffic ticket, which caused him to arrive late to the recording studio session. The song begins with a racing-car intro, which was proposed by Christopher Currell, who plays the synclaiver on the song; he is credited for the sound effects. Other musicians on the song iinclude Greg Phillinganes on synthesizer and Paulinho da Costa on percussion.

Liberian Girl

Jackson wrote "Liberian Girl" as early as 1983 and it was originally set to be included on The Jacksons 1984 album ''Victory'' until it wasn't. Jackson then recorded the song for the album in 1986. Jackson stated in a 1987 interview, with Jet magazine, shortly after '' Bad'' was released, that the song came up to him while he was busy "playing pinball", then he "went quickly upstairs" to put it on a tape-record, as he had always done with songs he had written.Michael: In His Own Words
. Exclusive ''Ebony/Jet'' Showcase Bad Interview. Hulu.com. 1988. It features synthesizer played by Michael Boddicker, who had also played on several songs on ''Thriller'' and the charity single ''We Are the World''. The Toto members, David Paich and Steve Porcaro, who had also previously worked on ''Thriller'', provided synthesizer and synthesizer programming respectively. The song also features a Swahili chant from South African jazz singer, Letta Mbulu.

Just Good Friends

"Just Good Friends" is one of the two songs on the album which was not written by Jackson himself. It features Stevie Wonder and was written and composed by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, recorded in 1987. Wonder had previously worked on ''Off the Wall'' with Jackson and Jones, writing "I Can't Help It". Wonder also plays the synthesizer solo on the song.

Another Part of Me

"Another Part of Me" was written by Jackson in 1985 for the 3D science fiction short film, Captain EO, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which was released in 1986. "Another Part of Me" could be seen at the end of "Captain EO", as the title character and his crew triumphantly exit and fly off into space. Jackson re-recorded the song in 1986 and it was decided to include it on the ''Bad'' album.

Man in the Mirror

"Man in the Mirror" is also one of the two songs on the ''Bad'' album which was not written by Jackson. It was written by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard in 1987, after Jones invited a group of songwriters to a dinner at his home, asking them to 'write hits' for Jackson's new album. Garrett came up with a line about a man looking in the mirror and Ballard came up with the melody; then they recorded a demo within a week. The song, along with "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", was recorded in May of 1987. An excited Garrett called Jones while he was in a meeting, telling him that they had come up with a good song that would be a perfect fit for the album. At Jackson's request, Ballard and Garrett wrote a longer middle eight and modified the lyrics. Jones enlisted the Andraé Crouch choir to record gospel vocals.

I Just Can't Stop Loving You

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a ballad, written by Jackson and recorded by Jackson and Garrett in May 1987. Garrett was also the one who co-wrote ''Man in the Mirror''. According to Jones, Jackson initially wanted Whitney Houston or Barbra Streisand to sing the duet with him. Streisand took a pass on the invitation. Houston's label, Arista Records, thought it was "too risky" for her to do the collaboration, as she was in the process of promoting her then new album'' Whitney''. It was the first time since 1979's ''Off the Wall'' that Jackson had collaborated with a female artist on a duet, which was "It's the Falling in Love" with Patti Austin. Jones produced the song with Jackson receiving co-producing credits, like on the rest of the album.

Dirty Diana

"Dirty Diana" is a hard-rock song, written and recorded by Jackson in 1986. The last time Jackson had written a rock song was 1982's ''Thriller'' with "Beat It". 'Dirty Diana' was noted for having lyrical themes such as the ones of Billie Jean. Jackson sings about a woman who "likes the boys in the band", which may be a reference to the "groupies" he had previously said liked to hang out around him and his brothers, in the early days of the Jackson Five. The song has three verses and three bridges. It has, furthermore, a guitar solo by Billy Idol's guitarist, Steve Stevens. The song's outro ends with Jackson singing "come on" into a fade with "hey baby wontcha" in the ad-lib.

Composition and lyrics

Musically, ''Bad'' is a heavier and more "aggressive" record than ''Thriller'', with Jackson moving away from the heavy-groove sound and high-pitched vocals, which featured on both ''Off the Wall'' and ''Thriller''. ''Bad'' primarily incorporates pop, rock, funk and R&B, but also explores other genres such as soul and hard rock. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that ''Bad'' moved Jackson "deeper into hard rock, deeper into schmaltzy adult contemporary, deeper into hard dance – essentially taking each portion of ''Thriller'' to an extreme, while increasing the quotient of immaculate studiocraft."

The album's song lyrics relate to romance and paranoia, the latter being a recurring theme in Jackson's albums. " Bad" was originally intended as a duet between Jackson and Prince (and Jackson had also planned duets with Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand). The song was viewed as a revived "Hit the Road Jack" progression with lyrics that pertain to boasting. "Dirty Diana" was viewed by AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine as misogynistic and its lyrics describing a sexual predator do not aim for the "darkness" of "Billie Jean", instead sounding equally intrigued by and apprehensive of a sexual challenge, while having the opportunity to accept or resist it. "Leave Me Alone" was described as a "paranoid anthem". "Man in the Mirror" was seen as Jackson going "a step further" and offering "a straightforward homily of personal commitment", which can be seen in the lyrics, "I'm starting with the man in the mirror / I'm asking him to change his ways / And no message could have been any clearer / If you wanna make the world a better place / Take a look at yourself and then make a change."

The lyrics to "Liberian Girl" were viewed as "glistening" with "gratitude" for the "existence of a loved one," while those to "Smooth Criminal" recalled "the popcorn-chomping manner" of "Thriller". The track was thought of as an example of "Jackson's free-form language" that keeps people "aware that we are on the edge of several realities: the film, the dream it inspires, the waking world it illuminates". The music in "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", a duet with Siedah Garrett, consisted mainly of finger snaps and timpani. "Just Good Friends" is a duet with Stevie Wonder; Jones admitted later: "I made a mistake with Just Good Friends' That didn't work."

Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, wanted him to write an R&B song with a shuffle rhythm for the album, which came to be "The Way You Make Me Feel". The song consists of blues harmonies and a jazz-like tone, comparable to the classic Motown sound of the 1960s. The lyrics of "Another Part of Me" deal with being united, as "we". Critics Richard Cromelin (from the ''Los Angeles Times'') and Richard Harrington (from ''The Washington Post'') associated the song's lyrics with the Harmonic Convergence phenomenon that occurred around the time of the album's release, with Harrington highlighting the verse: "The planets are lining up / We're bringing brighter days / They're all in line / Waiting for you / Can't you see? / You're just another part of me".

Release and commercial reception

''Bad'' was released on August 31, 1987. A writer for the ''Miami Herald