"Dirty Diana" is a song by American singer-songwriter
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...
. It is the ninth track on Jackson's seventh studio album, ''
Bad'' (1987). The song was released by
Epic Records on April 18, 1988, as the fifth single from the album. It presents a harder rock sound similar to "
Beat It" from ''
Thriller
Thriller may refer to:
* Thriller (genre), a broad genre of literature, film and television
** Thriller film, a film genre under the general thriller genre
Comics
* ''Thriller'' (DC Comics), a comic book series published 1983–84 by DC Comics i ...
'' (1982) and a guitar solo played by
Steve Stevens. "Dirty Diana" was written and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
. The song's lyrics pertain to
groupies. "Dirty Diana" has a moderate
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
and is played in the
key of
G minor.
"Dirty Diana" received mixed reviews from contemporary music critics, but was a commercial success worldwide in 1988, charting at No. 1 on the United States
''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song also charted within the top ten in multiple countries, including the United Kingdom, France, Italy, and New Zealand. In 2009, after Jackson's death in June, the song re-entered charts, mainly due to digital download sales. A music video for "Dirty Diana" was filmed in front of a live audience and released in 1988.
Background
"Dirty Diana" was written by Michael Jackson. It was produced by
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
and Michael Jackson. It appeared on Jackson's seventh studio album, ''Bad''. The song was released by
Epic Records on April 18, 1988,
as the fifth single from ''Bad''. After "Beat It", "Dirty Diana" was the second
hard rock song of his solo career with lyrics about a persistent
groupie.
Jackson hired
Billy Idol's guitarist
Steve Stevens to back him on the track.
Initial reports at the time suggested the song was a poke at his close friend
Diana Ross. However, it was later denied. In fact, Ross started using the song as an overture at her concerts shortly before appearing on stage. In an interview from the special edition of ''Bad'', Jones later confirmed that the song's lyrics were about groupies. Jackson also confirmed the same during an interview with
Barbara Walters, adding that it was not about
Diana, Princess of Wales, though he was told personally by the Princess that it was her favorite among his songs.
Composition
Musically, "Dirty Diana" is a
pop rock
Pop rock (also typeset as pop/rock) is a fusion genre with an emphasis on professional songwriting and recording craft, and less emphasis on attitude than rock music. Originating in the late 1950s as an alternative to normal rock and roll, ear ...
and
hard rock song
similar to "Beat It",
with elements of
heavy metal.
TriniTrent of ''The Lava Lizard'', when talking about Michael and
Janet Jackson's "
Scream", evokes "Dirty Diana" along with Jackson's "pop/rock musical direction" he has previously experimented with.
John Tatlock of ''
The Quietus
''The Quietus'' is a British online music and pop culture magazine founded by John Doran and Luke Turner. The site is an editorially independent publication led by Doran with a group of freelance journalists and critics.
Content
''The Quietu ...
'' regards the song as an attempt to recreate "the pop-rock alchemy of 'Beat It'."
In his ''Bad'' review, ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the ...
'' Richard Cromelin describes "Dirty Diana" as a hard rock song, writing, "'Dirty Diana' is trying to be this year's 'Beat It' — a hard-rock song about a tenacious groupie that's sent into orbit by a Steve Stevens guitar solo."
Jon Pareles, a writer for ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'', viewed "Dirty Diana" as a song about a "groupie who latches onto the narrator, mixes the sexual fears of 'Billie Jean' with the hard-rock lead guitar of 'Beat It'."
In his ''Bad'' review, Thom Duffy, music critic for the ''
Orlando Sentinel
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company.
The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...
'', wrote that "Dirty Diana, a tale of a maliciously seductive fan, finds Jackson doing credible heavy-metal rock wailing," which, the critic said, was "accompanied by a solo from Steve Stevens, the guitarist from Billy Idol's band."
Jonathan Takiff of ''
The Philadelphia Inquirer
''The Philadelphia Inquirer'' is a daily newspaper headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper's circulation is the largest in both the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the Delaware Valley metropolitan region of Southeastern Penns ...
'' also noted elements of heavy metal in "Dirty Diana", writing, "Plus, to tap the rock crowd (in the style of the 'Thriller' crossover smash 'Beat It' with
Eddie Van Halen), Michael cut a heavy metal-tinged 'Dirty Diana' featuring Billy Idol's guitar sizzler Stevie Stevens."
"Dirty Diana" is written in
common time and moves at a moderate
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...
of 131
beats per minute. Jackson's vocals are sung on a range of B
3 to G
5.
The instrumentation consists of guitar and piano and is played in the key of
G minor.
Reception
Critical response
"Dirty Diana" received mixed reviews by contemporary music critics.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine felt that "Dirty Diana" and "Man in the Mirror" were "showcasing Jackson at his worst" on ''Bad''.
Music critic
Robert Christgau
Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...
viewed "Dirty Diana" as "misogynistic as any piece of metal suck-my-cock." Jon Pareles described "Dirty Diana" as 'reducing' Jackson to a "terrified whimper,"
while John Tatlock considered "Dirty Diana" as a "confused lumbering slog of a song," thinking that "Jackson was never convincing in this kind of role, a boy-child trying to write a song about the kind of woman he never meets in the kind of places he's certainly never been to."
Davitt Sigerson of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
'' gave the song a more positive review; though calling it a "filler," she still commented that the song, along with "
Speed Demon," is what makes ''Bad'' "richer, sexier, better than ''Thriller''s forgettables."
Sigerson noted that "Dirty Diana" was a "substantial recording" because of its "insubstantial melody."
Jennifer Clay of
Yahoo! Music commented that while Jackson's edgier image was a "little hard to swallow," the image, musically, worked on the songs "Bad", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana", but was not "to the degree of ''Thriller''."
Chart performance
"Dirty Diana", similar to ''Bad''s previous singles, charted within the top 20 and top 10 worldwide. It peaked at No. 1 on the United States
''Billboard'' Hot 100 on July 2, 1988, after nine weeks on the chart,
and exited the chart after its 14th week. Internationally, "Dirty Diana" charted within the top 30 positions on several music charts.
It charted within the top five in the Netherlands, Germany, and New Zealand, peaking at Nos. 2, 3 and 5, respectively.
It entered the United Kingdom charts on July 16, 1988, at No. 14 and the following week went to No. 4,
where it stayed for two weeks.
"Dirty Diana" peaked at No. 3 in Ireland,
No. 7 in Austria
and No. 9 in France.
It peaked at No. 30 in Australia.
Following Jackson's death in June 2009, his music experienced a surge in popularity. In July 2009, "Dirty Diana" saw a strong chart surge, mainly due to digital download sales. The song charted at No. 18 on the
French Digital Singles Chart on July 4, 2009.
On July 12, the song peaked at No. 13 on the
Swiss Singles Chart.
"Dirty Diana" re-entered the United Kingdom charts on July 4, 2009, at No. 50 and the following week peaked at No. 26.
Music video
The five-minute music video for the song was directed by
Joe Pytka and produced by Larry Stessel.
The music video was filmed in March 1988 in
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California.
Incorporate ...
.
It won the "Number-One Video in the World" at the first
World Music Awards held on April 14, 1989. It is featured on the DVD albums ''
Number Ones
A number is a mathematical object used to count, measure, and label. The original examples are the natural numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and so forth. Numbers can be represented in language with number words. More universally, individual numbers can ...
'', ''
Michael Jackson's Vision'', and the Target version DVD of ''
Bad 25''.
The woman who appears in the video is model Lisa Dean, chosen over hundreds of girls who auditioned for the role.
Live performance video
A second seven-minute long accompanying video of a live performance (which should not be confused with the actual music video) was filmed in early
1988 in front of a live audience during Jackson's show in Madison Square Garden (Steve Stevens playing guitar). The video starts with the screen saying "
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink manufactured by PepsiCo. Originally created and developed in 1893 by Caleb Bradham and introduced as Brad's Drink, it was renamed as Pepsi-Cola in 1898, and then shortened to Pepsi in 1961.
History
Pepsi was ...
Presents Michael Jackson Tour 1988" in front of a white background for forty seconds. After showing a black screen, Jackson can be seen from a distance performing in front of an audience with the only source of light being blue lights. During Jackson's performance he is dressed in a white button down shirt, black pants and has metal and leather belts on his pants while singing and dancing. In between Jackson's performance from a distance, there are clips of him performing up-close while singing into a microphone, as well as clips of his guitarist
Jennifer Batten
Jennifer Batten (born November 29, 1957) is an American guitarist who has worked as a session musician and solo artist. From 1987 to 1997 she played on all three of Michael Jackson's world tours, and from 1999 to 2001 she toured and recorded wi ...
performing behind him. Jackson then begins dancing and singing to the woman before walking down a cat-walk and dancing near guitarist Steve Stevens. Jackson's performance is then shown from a distance again and the video ends with Jackson finishing his performance and the lights turning blue.
Live performances
"Dirty Diana" was performed during Jackson's
''Bad'' World Tour concert series from 1987 to 1989, but only in the second leg, as the 10th song in the setlist. According to Jackson in an interview with Barbara Walters, "Dirty Diana" was scheduled for a live 1988 performance at Wembley Stadium during the Bad World Tour; however, Jackson felt the song would be an insult to
Diana, Princess of Wales, who was in attendance, so he had it removed. After Diana informed him the song was actually one of her personal favorites, Jackson re-added the song to the set list. This performance can be seen on the DVD ''
Michael Jackson: Live at Wembley July 16, 1988''.
This Is It concert series choreographer,
Kenny Ortega, stated in an interview that "Dirty Diana" was going to be performed by Jackson for the concerts from 2009 to 2010.
Ortega said that Jackson had planned to rehearse the song before he died. The set up for the song would include an expert pole dancer who would lure Jackson onto a giant steel bed on which she performed acrobatic feats.
Track listing
;7-inch single, 12-inch maxi
#"Dirty Diana" – 4:42
#"Dirty Diana" (instrumental) – 4:42
;3-inch CD single
#"Dirty Diana" (single edit) – 4:42
#"Dirty Diana" (instrumental) – 4:42
#"Dirty Diana" (album version) – 4:52
;CD-maxi single
#"Dirty Diana" – 4:42
#"Dirty Diana" (instrumental) – 4:42
#"Bad" (Dance Extended Mix Includes ''False Fade'') – 8:24
;CD side
#"Dirty Diana" – 4:40
#"Dirty Diana" (instrumental) – 4:40
;DVD side
#"Dirty Diana (music video) – 5:08
Credits and personnel
*Written and composed by Michael Jackson
*
Produced
Producer or producers may refer to:
Occupations
*Producer (agriculture), a farm operator
*A stakeholder of economic production
*Film producer, supervises the making of films
**Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...
by
Quincy Jones
Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
*Co-produced by Michael Jackson
*Michael Jackson – solo and background vocals, Clave' clapstick
*Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson, John Barnes and
Jerry Hey
*
Synthesizer
A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis ...
arrangements by Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones and John Barnes
*String arrangement by John Barnes
*Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
*
John Robinson John Robinson may refer to:
Academics
*John Thomas Romney Robinson (1792–1882), Irish astronomer and physicist
* John J. Robinson (1918–1996), historian and author of ''Born in Blood''
*John Talbot Robinson (1923–2001), paleontologist
*John ...
– drums
*Douglas Getschal – drum programming
*
Paul Jackson, Jr. and
David Williams – guitars
*Christopher Currell – Synclavier
*Denny Jaeger – Synclavier synthesis
*John Barnes,
Michael Boddicker and
Randy Waldman – synthesizers
*
Steve Stevens – guitar solo
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
See also
*
List of ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles of 1988
*
List of Cash Box Top 100 number-one singles of 1988
These are the singles that reached number one on the Top 100 Singles chart in 1988 as published by ''Cash Box'' magazine.
See also
*1988 in music
*List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1988 (U.S.)
References
*https://web.archive.org/web/20110 ...
*
List of European number-one hits of 1988
*
List of number-one hits of 1988 (Flanders)
*
List of number-one singles of 2006 (Spain)
References
Bibliography
*
*
*
{{authority control
Songs about groupies
1987 songs
1988 singles
Epic Records singles
Michael Jackson songs
American hard rock songs
American pop rock songs
Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Cashbox number-one singles
European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
Number-one singles in Spain
Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles
Songs written by Michael Jackson
Song recordings produced by Michael Jackson
Song recordings produced by Quincy Jones