Bad is the seventh studio album by the American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on August 31, 1987, by Epic Records. Highly anticipated, the album took two years to produce between 1985 and 1987, and was Jackson's third and final collaboration with producer Quincy Jones. A dance-pop and R&B album, it captures Jackson with greater artistic freedom, as he composed and co-produced all but two of its tracks, discussing celebrity, romance, world peace, and self-improvement. The album features appearances from Siedah Garrett and Stevie Wonder.
Following the enormous success of his previous album, Thriller (1982), Jackson faced greater expectations than ever before. He adopted an edgier sound, incorporating new digital synthesizer technology and elements of hard rock and funk, among other styles. He reinvented his look to evoke a tougher image, but his lighter complexion and plastic surgery sparked controversy in the US. The Bad tour, Jackson's first solo world tour, grossed $125 million to become one of the highest-grossing concert tours at the time. Nine commercial singles were released along with a promotional single.
Bad received acclaim from critics, particularly for Jackson's vocals and its musical arrangements, though some felt it failed to match Thriller. It remained atop the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart for six consecutive weeks and produced a record five number-one hits on the Billboard Hot 100: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana", while "Smooth Criminal" was a Top 10 hit. Worldwide, it became the fastest-selling album in its first week, topped the charts in twenty-four other countries, and was the best-selling album of both 1987 and 1988.
Bad is one of the best-selling albums of all time, with official sales of over 35 million copies worldwide, and is certified 11× platinum in the US. The album earned Grammy Awards for Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Best Music Video (for "Leave Me Alone"), and was nominated for Album of the Year. Jackson received the special Award of Achievement at the 1989 American Music Awards for the album's commercial successes. It has been included in numerous lists of the greatest albums of all time and is praised as part of Jackson's influence on contemporary music.
Background
Michael Jackson released his sixth studio album, Thriller (1982), on November 29, 1982. By the end of 1983, it became the best-selling album of all time, with 32 million copies sold worldwide. The success gave Jackson a cultural significance greater than any African American in the history of the entertainment industry. The years that followed were marred by personal turmoil, including strained family ties, broken friendships with celebrities, a break with the Jehovah's Witnesses, and the pressures of global stardom. Jackson withdrew from the public eye for much of 1985 and 1986 but remained in headlines due to his eccentric behavior, including his adoption of a chimpanzee named Bubbles. Several rumors also circulated, including a false claim that he slept in a hyperbaric chamber.
According to those close to him, Jackson was anxious about finishing the follow-up to Thriller. Ken Tucker of NPR Music noted that it was nearly impossible for any album to replicate the unprecedented commercial success or cultural phenomenon of Thriller. In 2017, Newsweek described the challenge as "like following up the Bible". Despite the doubts of Jackson ever matching the impact and commercial success that Thriller achieved, he aimed to sell 100 million copies with his next album.
Production and recording Bad was Jackson's final collaboration with producer Quincy Jones, who had also worked on Off the Wall (1979) and Thriller. While Jackson had contributed a few songs to those albums, Jones encouraged him to write more for his next project. Reflecting on Jackson's growing personal struggles, Jones recalled: "All the turmoil [in Jackson's life] was starting to mount up, so I said I thought it was time for him to do a very honest album." Jackson wanted to pursue a new direction, aiming for a harder-edged and more aggressive sound. Guitarist Steve Stevens recalled him expressing interest in rock bands like Mötley Crüe. Jackson was eager to find innovative sounds and was interested in new music technology. As a result, the production team used digital synthesizers, including FM synthesis, the Fairlight CMI, and the Synclavier PSMT, often layering synthesizers to create new sounds. The sessions also incorporated guitars, organs, drums, bass, percussion, saxophones, washboards and digital guitars. In Lily Rothman of Times view, Jackson was more involved than ever in the artistic process of Bad.
Jackson began recording demos and ideas for the album in 1983, while simultaneously working on Victory (1984) with his brothers, the Jacksons. Throughout 1985 and 1986, he focused on writing and recording at his Hayvenhurst home studio in Encino, Los Angeles, alongside a group of musicians and engineers—comprising Bill Bottrell, Matt Forger, John Barnes, and Christopher Currell—referred to as the "B team". These demos were brought to Westlake Studios, where such producers as Jones and engineer Bruce Swedien— the "A team"—completed the tracks. According to Jones, the sessions were so intense that the team would often work for days without rest: "They were carrying second engineers out on stretchers. I was smoking 180 cigarettes a day." Jackson continued working with the "B team" at Hayvenhurst at the same time as the "A team" at Westlake, much to Jones' frustration; the B team was dissolved by early 1987.
Progress was interrupted in July 1984 when Jackson joined his brothers on the Victory Tour. Recording resumed in January 1985 following his work on the charity single "We Are the World". Later that year, production paused again as Jackson worked on Disney's 4D film Captain EO (1986), which included an early version of the track "Another Part of Me". Recording began with Jones and the "A team" at Westlake in August 1986, which continued through to November, pausing while Jackson filmed the "Bad" music video. After the video was completed, recording at Westlake resumed in January 1987 and was completed by July. Jackson reportedly wrote around sixty songs and recorded thirty-three, wanting to release them all on a three-disc set. However, Jones encouraged him to narrow it to an eleven-track album. Jackson wrote all but two tracks: "Just Good Friends" was written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, and "Man in the Mirror" by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard.
Title and artwork To represent Jackson's shift from a youthful image to a tougher, streetwise persona, the title Bad was chosen, evoking the street slang meaning "great", as well as "tough" and "courageous". Jackson reinvented his look with black clothing, buckles, and metal-studded belts, projecting an edgier style. However, his changed appearance—including a lighter complexion and plastic surgery—sparked significant controversy, especially among American audiences. Jackson's skin had begun lightening as a result of vitiligo (which occurs in patches but was obscured by makeup) in the early 1980s, but the album was the first major release of his catalog to showcase his altered appearance.
Jackson chose photographer Sam Emerson to shoot the album cover. The initial design was inspired by a 1924 photograph of actress Gloria Swanson behind black lace, but company executive Walter Yetnikoff rejected it and suggested a more urban depiction. As a result, Emerson chose a photograph of Jackson in his wardrobe from the music video for the title track, which had been taken during the video's production. Emerson was paid $5,000 for the use of the photo. The photo showed Jackson against a white background wearing light brown contact lenses (adding a glossy look to his eyes) to make his black wardrobe stand out. The graffiti style of the album title was also inspired by the music video. It became a frequently reproduced and iconic image, and was parodied on the cover of "Weird Al" Yankovic's 1988 album Even Worse.
Songs Side one
"Bad" was written and recorded by Jackson in November 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 he had read in a newspaper about a boy from "the ghetto" who went to a private school in Upstate New York. When he returned, his friends were so jealous that they killed him.Michael: In His Own Words . Exclusive Ebony Jet Showcase Bad Interview. Hulu.com. 1988. Various Jackson biographers have concluded that the story he was referring was that of Edmund Perry. However, Perry was not killed by children in his neighborhood; he was killed by a plainclothes police officer when Perry and his brother allegedly attacked and badly beat the officer in a mugging attempt.Jackson 1988
Originally conceived under the working title of "P", "Who's Bad" was planned as a duet between Jackson and Prince, after Jones suggested they record a song together. Prince said in 1997 that he declined because of reservations he had with the opening line of the song, "Your butt is mine." Instead, he (allegedly) reworked the track to how he personally envisioned it, as well as offering Jackson "Wouldn't U Love 2 Love Me", a song he wrote that dates back to 1978, but Jackson rejected it.
"The Way You Make Me Feel" was first created by Jackson in September 1985 under the working title "Hot Fever". The final version of the track was recorded and worked on between late 1986 and early 1987. It was written by him and co-produced with Jones. It features horn arrangements by Jerry Hey of Seawind and other members of the group who had worked on Off the Wall and Thriller.
"Speed Demon" was written by Jackson in May 1986 and recorded in early 1987. According to Jones, Jackson wrote the song after he received a traffic ticket, which caused him to arrive late to the recording studio session. Upon his explanation to the studio crew, Quincy implored Michael to write about how he felt about it, to which Jackson starts writing "Speed Demon". The song begins with a racing-car intro, which was proposed by Christopher Currell, who plays the Synclavier on the song; he is credited for the sound effects. Other musicians on the song include Greg Phillinganes on synthesizer and Paulinho da Costa on percussion.
"Liberian Girl" was originally written and recorded in November 1983 for inclusion on the Jacksons' 1984 album Victory however it didn't make cut. Jackson then re-recorded the song for Bad in late 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 record it to tape, as he had always done with songs he had written. It features synthesizer played by Michael Boddicker, who had also played on several songs on Thriller and the charity single "We Are the World". David Paich and Steve Porcaro of the band Toto, 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" is one of the two songs on the album which was not written by Jackson himself. Written and composed by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, It is a duet featuring Stevie Wonder and was recorded on June 18, 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. Jackson returned the compliment to Stevie Wonder in September 1987 by recording "Get It" for Wonder's 1987 Characters album.
Side two