| Bad | |||||
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| Studio album by Michael Jackson | |||||
| Released | August 31, 1987 | ||||
| Recorded | November 1986–July 1987 (except Another Part of Me: recorded 1985) | ||||
| Genre | Soul, R&B, Dance-pop, Urban, Pop rock[1] | ||||
| Length | 48:16 | ||||
| Label | Epic EK-40600 | ||||
| Producer | Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones[2] | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
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| Michael Jackson chronology | |||||
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| Alternate covers | |||||
| Special Edition | |||||
| Singles from Bad | |||||
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Bad is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on August 31, 1987 by Epic/CBS Records. The record was released nearly five years after his previous studio album. Twenty years after its release, the album has sold over 30 million copies worldwide, and shipped 8 million units in the United States. Bad is the first, and currently only, album ever to feature five Billboard Hot 100 #1 singles.[3]
This album also saw Jackson have even more freedom over his album than he did with the two previous albums, Off the Wall and the world's best selling album of all time, Thriller, as he wrote and composed 9 of the album's 11 tracks, and co-wrote and produce another; "Man in the Mirror". This album also saw the squeaky clean pop idol turn "Bad" as he went through a surprising new image change. The album continued its success in the late '80s and won 2 Grammys, one for Best Music Video - Short Form for Leave Me Alone and one for Best Engineered Album - Non Classical won by Bruce Swedien & Humberto Gatica.[4] Bad was also ranked number 43 in the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time of the MTV Generation in 2009 listed by VH1.[5] It was ranked number 202 on the Rolling Stone magazine 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[6]
History
Recording
Jackson began recording demos for the anticipated follow-up to Thriller a few months after the 1984 Victory Tour with The Jacksons. Recording took place between November 1986 and July 9, 1987[7] (except for "Another Part of Me" which was recorded for Captain EO in 1986). Jackson wrote a reported sixty songs for the new album and recorded thirty, wanting to use them all on a three-disc set. Longtime producer Quincy Jones cut these down to a ten-track single LP. The CD release also contained a bonus 11th track, "Leave Me Alone".
Jackson wrote nine of the eleven tracks himself. Terry Britten (writer of Tina Turner's "What's Love Got to Do With It") and Graham Lyle wrote "Just Good Friends". Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard wrote "Man in the Mirror". Stevie Wonder sings co-lead vocal on "Just Good Friends", and Steve Stevens contributes the guitar solo for "Dirty Diana".
However, while recording the tracks for Bad, there was some debate between Jackson and Jones on which songs would be put on the album. For example, they both had a hard time deciding on either "Streetwalker" or "Another Part of Me" (which was recorded for Captain EO in 1986) to be put on the album. Jackson wanted "Streetwalker", whereas Jones wanted "Another Part of Me". Ultimately, it was decided by Jackson's manager Frank Dileo. According to Quincy Jones from "Bad: Special Edition", there was a meeting among the three. In the meeting, Jackson played "Streetwalker" first, and Dileo was not impressed. But Dileo started to dance when "Another Part of Me" came on. This is what eventually put "Another Part of Me" onto the album.
"Bad" was originally intended as a duet between Jackson and Prince. A rivalry had developed between the two over the years, and Jackson's plan was to leak stories to the media about rising tensions between himself and Prince, culminating in the release of the song. Prince turned down the project, explaining to Jones that the song "would be a hit without (him) on it".
"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" was supposed to feature a famous female singer. Reportedly Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin and Whitney Houston all turned down the offer, before Jones chose R&B singer-songwriter Siedah Garrett.
Reception
By the time Jackson released this album, sales of its predecessor, Thriller, had already reached forty million, raising expectations for Bad. Bad became the first of Jackson's albums to debut at number-one on the Billboard 200 where it remained for the next six consecutive weeks. The RIAA certified Bad for having sold eight million copies in the U.S. alone.[8] In the U.K, the album sold 500,000 copies in just five days and is currently certified 13x platinum, for sales of 3.9 million making it Jackson's biggest-selling album in the UK. Globally, it's Jackson's overall third best-selling recording, behind Thriller and Dangerous, with 30 million copies sold.[9]
Jackson set another record with this album, becoming the first, and currently only, artist to have five songs to hit number-one from one album.[10] In July 2006, it was announced by the The Official UK Charts Company that Bad was the ninth biggest selling album in British history.[11] It turned out to be the last collaborative effort by Jackson and Jones, as Jackson moved on to write and produce more of his own records, particularly with Teddy Riley, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis and Rodney Jerkins.
Rolling Stone stated that "even without a milestone recording like "Billie Jean", Bad is still a better record than Thriller."[12] The magazine further went on to say that the "filler" content in Bad - including songs such as "Speed Demon", "Dirty Diana" and "Liberian Girl" - is written by Jackson himself, making Bad "richer, sexier and better than Thriller's forgettables."[12]
Despite the records success, in a poll of 23,000 US citizens, released by Rolling Stone, Jackson won "worst album" for Bad and "worst single" for "Bad". TIME gave the opinion that the singer was suffering a backlash in certain parts of the US. The publication suggested that the singer's media image was triggering the poll, not the music.[13]
In 2001, a special edition was released with three new songs and a new booklet containing lyrics and never-before-seen photos.
In 2003, the album was ranked number 202 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.[14]
Marketing
During the Bad period was one of the first times Jackson used marketing to his advantage, more so than he had with Thriller. A year before Bad, Jackson used several tactics to get the media interested in his short film, Captain EO, during the recording of Bad. Jackson played a space captain in the mini-film, which was produced by George Lucas. By the time Jackson released Bad, he produced a commemorative special on his life, "The Magic Returns", which aired on CBS. At the end of the documentary, the channel debuted Jackson's "Bad" short film, which featured then up-and-coming actor Wesley Snipes. Jackson's marketing strategy, mastered by Frank DiLeo among others, also included Jackson producing another mini-movie around the time of the Bad World Tour. That film, Moonwalker, included performances of songs from "Bad" including "Speed Demon", "Leave Me Alone" and "Smooth Criminal", the latter two released as sole videos at the end of the film. Jackson also used the opportunity to write about his life up until that point releasing 1988's Moonwalk. Jackson's tour for Bad did well, grossing $125 million by the end of its tenure. Though Jackson furthered his stance as a global pop superstar, in America, he failed to match to the sales of Thriller, the greatest selling album of all time, having some in the media calling it a "disappointment" compared to Thriller.[citation needed]
[edit] Track listing
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bad" | Michael Jackson | 4:07 |
| 2. | "The Way You Make Me Feel" | Jackson | 4:58 |
| 3. | "Speed Demon" | Jackson | 4:03 |
| 4. | "Liberian Girl" | Jackson | 3:53 |
| 5. | "Just Good Friends" (duet with Stevie Wonder) | Terry Britten, Graham Lyle | 4:08 |
| 6. | "Another Part of Me" | Jackson | 3:54 |
| 7. | "Man in the Mirror" | Glen Ballard, Siedah Garrett | 5:19 |
| 8. | "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (duet with Siedah Garrett) | Jackson | 4:13 |
| 9. | "Dirty Diana" | Jackson | 4:41 |
| 10. | "Smooth Criminal" | Jackson | 4:17 |
| 11. | "Leave Me Alone" | Jackson | 4:40 |
| 2001 Special Edition [15] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 12. | "Interview with Quincy Jones #1" | 4:03 | |||||||
| 13. | "Streetwalker" (previously unreleased) | Jackson | 5:49 | ||||||
| 14. | "Interview with Quincy Jones #2" | 2:53 | |||||||
| 15. | "Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu" (Spanish version of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", previously unavailable) | Jackson, Rubén Blades | 4:05 | ||||||
| 16. | "Interview with Quincy Jones #3" | 2:30 | |||||||
| 17. | "Spoken intro to Fly Away" | 0:08 | |||||||
| 18. | "Fly Away" (previously unreleased) | Jackson | 3:26 | ||||||
Re-issues of Bad feature a number of changes when compared to the original 1987 release:[16]
- "Bad" has a modified horn arrangement.
- "The Way You Make Me Feel" has richer vocalizations and background vocals.
- "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" omits Jackson's spoken intro.
- "Dirty Diana" is replaced with the 7-inch edit of the song.
- "Smooth Criminal" omits the dramatic breathing within the intro.
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