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| Bad | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Michael Jackson | ||||
| Released | August 31, 1987 | |||
| Recorded | January 5 – July 9, 1987 | |||
| Genre | R&B, pop, rock | |||
| Length | 48:16 | |||
| Label | Epic EK-40600 | |||
| Producer | Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones | |||
| Michael Jackson chronology | ||||
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| 2001 Special Edition | ||||
 The slipcover for the Special Edition of the album. Current pressings of the special edition do not include the slipcover. | ||||
| Singles from Bad | ||||
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Bad was recorded throughout 1987. The lyrical themes on the record relate to paranoia, romance and self-improvement. Bad is widely regarded as having cemented Jackson's status as one of the most successful artists of the 1980s, as well enhancing his solo career and being one of the best musical projects of his career. Despite the album's commercial success, it has been viewed as a relative failure when compared to the sales of Thriller.
Ten of the eleven songs on Bad were released as singles; one was a promotional single and another was released outside of the United States and Canada. One of the singles charted within the top-ten, and another charted within the top-twenty on the Hot 100. The single that was released outside of the United States and Canada was commercially successful, charting within the top ten and top twenty in multiple territories. Bad peaked at number one in seven countries, as well as charting within the top twenty in other territories.
Bad saw Jackson exercise even more artistic freedom than he did with his two previous Epic releases (Off the Wall and Thriller). On Bad, Jackson composed nine of the album's eleven tracks and received co-producer credit for the entire album. The album continued Jackson's commercial success in the late 1980s and garnered six Grammy Award nominations, winning two. Aside from commercial success the album also received positive reviews from contemporary critics. Bad was ranked number forty three in the 100 Greatest Albums of All Time of the MTV Generation in 2009 by VH1. It was ranked number 202 in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. The album marked the final collaboration between Jackson and producer Quincy Jones.
Background and production
For the majority of Jackson's career as a member of The Jackson 5, he and his brothers did not have creative control and were not allowed to write material for any of their musical projects. When Jackson began work on solo music projects, while still a member of the band, he received more creative freedom on his studio albums Off the Wall (1979) and Thriller (1982); both albums were commercial successes. Bad echoed the same option of Jackson being given creative freedom on the albums music.[1]One of Jackson's previous albums, Off the Wall, was a critical success, receiving generally favorable reviews.[2][3] It was also a commercial success worldwide, eventually selling over 20 million copies worldwide. Jackson's next studio album, Thriller, was similar to Off the Wall; it was a critical and commercial success. Thriller has reportedly sold 110 million units worldwide,[4] the best-selling album since its release in the early 1980s.[5]
Bad was the first studio album Jackson released after leaving The Jackson 5 and the first in an almost 5-year period following Thriller.[5] Bad was the third, and final, musical collaboration between Jackson and Quincy Jones. The album was produced by Jones, with co-production credit given to Jackson.[6] 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 January 5, 1987, and July 9, 1987.[6]
Jackson wrote a reported 60 songs for the new album and recorded 30, wanting to use them all on a three-disc set.[1] Jones had suggested that the album be cut down to a 10-track single LP.[1] When the album was released on CD, a bonus 11th track, "Leave Me Alone" was included.[6] It was later released as a single. Jackson was credited for writing nine out of eleven of the songs on the album.[1] Other writing credits included Terry Britten and Graham Lyle for "Just Good Friends" and Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard for "Man in the Mirror".[6]
Composition
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"Dirty Diana" was viewed by critics as a "misogynistic",[8] and its lyrics pertaining to a sexual predator, do not aim for the "darkness" of "Billie Jean"; but instead, sounds equally intrigued by an apprehensive of a sexual challenge, while having the opportunity to accept or resist it.[7] "Leave Me Alone" was described as being a "paranoid anthem".[8] On "Man in the Mirror," the song was described 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 clearer/If you wanna make the world a better place/Take a look at yourself and then make a change."[7] The lyrics to "Speed Demon" are about driving fast.[9] "Bad" was viewed as a rived "Hit the Road, Jack" progression with lyrics that pertain to 'boasting'.[7]
"Liberian Girl"s lyrics were viewed as a "glisten" with "gratitude" for the "existence of a loved one.[7] "Smooth Criminal"s music showed resemblance to "the popcorn-chomping manner" of "Thriller."[7] "Smooth Criminal" was thought of as an example to "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".[7] The music in "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", a duet with Siedah Garrett, consisted mainly of finger snaps and timpani.[7] "Just Good Friends", a duet with Stevie Wonder, was view by critics as sounding good at the beginning of the song, but eventually becomes a "chin-bobbing cheerfulness".[7] "The Way You Make Me Feel"'s music consisted of blues harmonies.[5] "Another Part of Me"s lyrics deal with being united, as "we".[5]
Release and marketing
By the time Jackson released this album, Thriller had already sold millions, raising expectations for Bad. On September 26, 1987, Bad debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.[13] The album charted at number one on the chart for the next six weeks,[14] Bad also debuted at number three on the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Albums Chart on the issue date September 26, 1987,[15] before peaking at number one the following week on October 3, 1987.[16] The album stayed at the top position for eleven consecutive weeks, before being succeeded by Stevie Wonder's album Characters on the issue date December 19, 1987,[17] the following week the album regained the top position, which lasted another four weeks before being replaced by Wonder's album again.[18] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified Bad eight time platinum for having sold eight million copies in the United States alone.[19]
Internationally, Bad was commercially successful. In the United Kingdom, the album sold 500,000 copies in its first five days of release, and is currently certified 13× platinum, for sales of 3.9 million, making it Jackson's second biggest-selling album in the United Kingdom.[20] Bad peaked at number one on the Canadian,[21] Japanese,[22] United Kingdom,[23] Swiss,[24] New Zealand, Austrian, Swedish and Norwegian charts.[25] The album charted at number three in Italy and number thirteen in Spain, Mexico and Australia, as well as number twenty two in Puerto Rico.[25] Bad has received various certifications worldwide. Bad was certified 7× platinum for the shipment of over 700,000 units in Canada by the Canadian Recording Industry Association.[26] In Europe, Bad was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) for the sales of one million units.[27] The album was also certified platinum by the IFPI for the shipment of over 20,000 units in Hong Kong.[28] Globally, Bad is Jackson's overall third best-selling album, behind Thriller and Dangerous, with a reported sales of 30 million units.[29]
The lead single "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" became the first of five of the album's singles to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song reached number one on September 19, 1987, and also charted on Billboard's R&B/Hip Hop Songs Chart and the Adult Contemporary Chart, peaking at number one and number two respectively.[30] Internationally, the song also peaked at number one, in three territories, United Kingdom, for two weeks,[31] and nine weeks in both Norwegian and New Zealand.[32] The album's second single peaked at number one on the Billboard 100 on October 16, 1987.[33] The song topped the Spanish charts, as well as charting within the top-ten internationally.[34] "The Way You Make Me Feel" became the album's third consecutive single to peak at number one on Billboard's Hot 100.[35] The song primarily charted within the top ten and twenty internationally.[36] "Man In The Mirror" charted at number one on Billboard's Hot 100,[37] and charted at number four, eight, and ten in New Zealand, Australia, and Austria.[38] On July 2, 1988, "Dirty Diana" became the fifth consecutive, and final, single to peak at number one on the Hot 100.[39] "Dirty Diana" was successful internationally, charting within the top ten in eight territories.[40]
"Another Part Of Me" charted at number eleven on the Billboard Hot 100, while topping the Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Songs Chart.[41] Internationally, "Another Part Of Me" was a mid success compared to its previous singles, peaking at number five, fourteen and thirty two in the Netherlands, New Zealand and France.[42] "Smooth Criminal" became the sixth top ten single on the Billboard 100,[43] and saw similar success internationally, charting within the top ten in five territories, and within the top forty in all its international countries.[44] Released outside the United States and Canada, "Leave Me Alone" topped the Spanish charts, as well as peaking within the top ten in five other countries.[45] The album's last official single was "Liberian Girl", which did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but was generally successful internationally, charting mainly within the top twenty.[46] "Speed Demon" was released the album's final single, and as a promotional single, but did not chart in any territory due to lack of radio airplay.
Critical reception
Bad was generally well received by contemporary critics, thought critics noted that Bad did not not measure up to Thrillers success. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, of Allmusic, stated that Jackson "approached" Bad much the same way he approached Thriller, which was to "take the basic formula of the predecessor, expand it slightly, and move it outward."[8] Erlewine, who gave the album four out of five stars, commented that while the album "rebounds with songs that prove mechanical can be tolerable if delivered with hooks and panache," it still made Bad feel like an artifact of its time instead a piece of music that transcends it."[8] Davitt Sigerson, of Rolling Stone, stated that "even without a milestone recording like "Billie Jean", Bad is still a better record than Thriller."[7] Sigerson commented that we a "filler" content in Bad, listing songs such as "Speed Demon", "Dirty Diana" and "Liberian Girl", made Bad "richer, sexier and better than Thriller's forgettables."[7]Music critic Robert Christgau gave Bad a "B+" grade, remarking the "closest thing to genius" is the album's song "Leave Me Alone," and that the record "damn near wrecks perfectly good dancin' and singin' with subtext."[47] Jennifer Clay, of Yahoo Music noted that while Bad was good, it was not up to "the degree of Thriller."[48] Jon Pareles of The New York Times described Bad as being a "gleaming, high-tech dance record that's just a little eccentric at the edges".[5] Parales also noted that Bad "sounds up-to-the-minute" and that the album also has a "concocted synthesizer-driven arrangements" that are "clear" and can "carry a solid kick."[5] Richard Cromelin of The Los Angeles Times commented that the record was "not bad" and was more "reminiscent of Off the Wall's uniform strength than Thriller's peaks and valleys."[49] Cromelin felt that it would be "disappointing" if this album's "creative level" is where Jackson wants to stay.[49]
Richard Harrington of The Washington Post commented on the expectations of Bad to Thriller that, "splashy though its prime-time introduction may be, the album begs to be judged by its music, not by its sales figures."[50] Richard felt that while the album could not live up to post-Thriller expectations, it would be "considerably fairer to compare" Bad with Off the Wall.[50] His overall opinion on Bad was that it was "a very good record" that is "immaculately produced and with some scintillating vocal performances from Jackson".[50] Edna Gundersen of USA Today described Bad as being Jackson's "most polished effort to date," that is "calculated but not sterile."[51] Thom Duffy of The Orlando Sentinel noted that some of the album's material "draws on even older musical roots".[52] Bad was the recipient of six Grammy Award nominations, winning two. In 1988, Bad was nominated for "Album of the Year", "Best Pop Vocal Performance - Male", "Best R&B Vocal Performance - Male"[53] and "Record of the Year" for "Man in the Mirror" the following year.[54] Bad won "Best Engineered Recording - Non Classical" in 1988,[53] and "Best Music Video - Short Form" for "Leave Me Alone" in 1990.[55]
Legacy
Understandably, the expectations for the album were ridiculously high, and grew even higher after Jackson planned duets with the likes of Prince (on the title track) and Whitney Houston (and Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand). None of those collaborations ended up happening, but they only increased the hype for the album. Bad was a deeply personal project for Jackson — he wrote nine of the 11 songs — one that saw him gain further independence and debut a harder-edged look and sound.[1]Jim Farber of The New York Daily News felt that Bad "streamlined the quirks" of Jackson's two previous albums to "create his most smooth work of pop to date."[56] A writer for The Daily Telegraph commented that while Bad was another worldwide commercial success, the album "inevitably failed to match the success of Thriller despite Jackson's massive and grueling world tour".[57] In 2009, a writer for the The Miami Herald reflected on the anticipation for Bad, describing the album's release as being the "most hotly anticipated album in history".[58] Stephen M. Silverman, a writer for People magazine, viewed Bad as being "when some slippage" in Jackson's "popularity began to show".[59]
In November 2006, it was announced by the The Official UK Charts Company, after tracking album sales for six months, that Bad was the ninth best-selling album in British history with sales of 3.5 million units; Bad charted behind Jackson's Thriller.[60] Bad, along with other studio albums released by Jackson, are among the best selling albums of all-time.[61] In 2003, the album was ranked number 202 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".[62] The album is included in the book entitled 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[63] In 2009, VH1 listed the album at number 43 on their list of "100 Greatest Albums of All Time of the MTV Generation", in 2009.[64] The album's songs have been covered and parodied by multiple recording artist since their releases in the late 1980s. Notable cover versions include Alien Ant Farm's cover of "Smooth Criminal" and Shakaya's cover of "The Way You Make Me Feel". Notable parody versions include "Weird Al" Yankovic, who had previously recorded a parody of Jackson's song "Beat It".[65] Yankovic parodied "Bad", entitling his version "Fat" in 1988; the song won a Grammy Award the same year for "Best Concept Music Video".[65]
Accolades
| Organization | Country | Accolade | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grammy Awards | United States | Best Engineered Recording - Non Classical (Bad) | 1988 | [53] |
| Grammy Awards | United States | Best Music Video - Short Form ("Leave Me Alone") | 1990 | [55] |
| Quintessence Editions Ltd. | United Kingdom | 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (No rank) | 2003 | [63] |
| Rolling Stone | United States | 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (Ranked 202nd) | 2003 | [62] |
| VH1 | United States | 100 Greatest Albums of All Time of the MTV Generation (Ranked #43) | 2009 | [64] |
Track listing
Standard edition
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Bad" | Michael Jackson | 4:07 |
| 2. | "The Way You Make Me Feel" | Michael Jackson | 4:57 |
| 3. | "Speed Demon" | Michael Jackson | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Liberian Girl" | Michael Jackson | 3:53 |
| 5. | "Just Good Friends" (featuring Stevie Wonder) | Terry Britten, Graham Lyle | 4:06 |
| 6. | "Another Part of Me" | Michael Jackson | 3:54 |
| 7. | "Man in the Mirror" | Glen Ballard, Siedah Garrett | 5:20 |
| 8. | "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (featuring Siedah Garrett) | Michael Jackson | 4:11 |
| 9. | "Dirty Diana" | Michael Jackson | 4:41 |
| 10. | "Smooth Criminal" | Michael Jackson | 4:17 |
| 11. | "Leave Me Alone" | Michael Jackson | 4:40 |
| 2001 Special Edition | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Title | Writer(s) | Length | ||||||
| 12. | "Quincy Jones Interview #1" (about "Bad" video and choosing songs) | 4:03 | |||||||
| 13. | "Streetwalker" (previously unreleased) | Michael Jackson | 5:49 | ||||||
| 14. | "Quincy Jones Interview #2" (favourite tracks) | 2:53 | |||||||
| 15. | "Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu" (Spanish version of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"; previously unavailable) | Michael Jackson, Rubén Blades | 4:05 | ||||||
| 16. | "Quincy Jones Interview #3" (about "Speed Demon", "Liberian Girl" and "Dirty Diana") | 2:30 | |||||||
| 17. | "Spoken intro to Fly Away" | 0:08 | |||||||
| 18. | "Fly Away" (previously unreleased) | Michael Jackson | 3:26 | ||||||
- Re-issues of Bad feature a number of changes when compared to the original 1987 release:[66]
- "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 Michael 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.
Personnel
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Chart performance
Charts | Certifications
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