Bad (album)

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Bad
Bad cover
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
Michael Jackson chronology
Thriller
(1982)
Bad
(1987)
Dangerous
(1991)
Alternate covers
Special Edition
Singles from Bad
  1. "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"
    Released: July 20, 1987
  2. "Bad"
    Released: September 7, 1987
  3. "The Way You Make Me Feel"
    Released: November 9, 1987
  4. "Man in the Mirror"
    Released: January 9, 1988
  5. "Dirty Diana"
    Released: April 18, 1988
  6. "Another Part of Me"
    Released: July 11, 1988
  7. "Smooth Criminal"
    Released: October 24, 1988
  8. "Leave Me Alone"
    Released: February 13, 1989
  9. "Liberian Girl"
    Released: July 3, 1989

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 nine of the album's eleven tracks, and co-wrote and produced 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].

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] 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.

[edit] 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]

[edit] 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 4:40
10. "Smooth Criminal"   Jackson 4:17
1988 CD issue
# Title Writer(s) Length
11. "Leave Me Alone"   Jackson 4:38
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.

[edit] Singles

  1. July 1987 - "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" U.S. #1 / UK #1
  2. September 1987 - "Bad" U.S. #1 / UK #3
  3. November 1987 - "The Way You Make Me Feel" U.S. #1 / UK #3
  4. January 1988 - "Man in the Mirror" U.S. #1 / UK #21
  5. April 1988 - "Dirty Diana" U.S. #1 / UK #4
  6. July 1988 - "Another Part of Me" U.S. #11 / UK #15
  7. September 1988 - "Smooth Criminal" U.S. #7 / UK #8
  8. January 1989 - "Leave Me Alone" UK #2
  9. June 1989 - "Liberian Girl" UK #13[17]

[edit] Chart performance

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australia 2
Austria 1
Brazil 1
Canada 1
France 1
Germany 1
Italy 1
Japan 1
Netherlands 1
New Zealand 1
Norway 1
Sweden 1
Switzerland 1
UK Albums Chart 1
U.S. Billboard 200 1
U.S. R&B/Hip-Hop Albums 1

[edit] Certifications

Country Certification Shipments
Australia 5x Platinum 350,000
Austria 4x Platinum 80,000 [18]
Brazil Diamond 1,100,000
Canada 7x Platinum 700,000
France Diamond 1,400,000
Germany 4x Platinum 2,000,000
Japan Diamond 1,000,000
Spain 7x Platinum 500,000
UK 13x Platinum 3,600,000
U.S. 8x Platinum 8,100,000

[edit] U.S. sales

Period RIAA award U.S. shipments Total
Aug 31, 1987 - Nov 9, 1987 Gold, Platinum & 3x Platinum on Nov 9, 1987 3,000,000 3,000,000
Nov 10, 1987 - Dec 31, 1987 4x Platinum on Dec 31, 1987 1,000,000 4,000,000
Jan 1, 1988 - Mar 21, 1988 5x Platinum on Mar 21, 1988 1,000,000 5,000,000
Mar 22, 1988 - Jun 1, 1988 6x Platinum on Jun 1, 1988 1,000,000 6,000,000
Jun 2, 1988 - Aug 25, 1993 7x Platinum on Aug 25, 1993 1,000,000 7,000,000
Aug 26, 1993 - Sep 29, 1994 8x Platinum on Sep 29, 1994 1,000,000 8,000,000

[edit] Credits

"Bad"

  • Written and composed by Michael Jackson
  • Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
  • Hammond B3 Midi organ solo: Jimmy Smith
  • Synthesizer solo: Greg Phillinganes
  • Drums: John Robinson
  • Drum programming: Douglas Getschal
  • Guitar: David Williams
  • Saxophones: Kim Hutchcroft and Larry Williams
  • Trumpets: Gary Grant and Jerry Hey
  • Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
  • Synclavier keyboards, digital guitar and rubboard: Christopher Currell
  • Synthesizers: John Barnes, Michael Boddicker and Greg Phillinganes
  • Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson, Christopher Currell and Quincy Jones
  • Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey
  • Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson

"The Way You Make Me Feel"

  • Written and composed by Michael Jackson
  • Solo and background vocals and finger snaps: Michael Jackson
  • Drums: John Robinson
  • Drum programming: Douglas Getschal
  • Saxophones: Kim Hutchcroft and Larry Williams
  • Trumpets: Gary Grant and Jerry Hey
  • Percussion: Ollie E. Brown and Paulinho Da Costa
  • Synclavier and finger snaps: Christopher Currell
  • Synthesizers: John Barnes, Michael Boddicker and Greg Phillinganes
  • Synthesizer programming: Larry Williams
  • Rhythm and vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
  • Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey

"Speed Demon"

  • Written and composed by Michael Jackson
  • Solo and background vocals and vocal synthesizer: Michael Jackson
  • Midi saxophone solo: Larry Williams
  • Drums: Miko Brando, Ollie E. Brown and John Robinson
  • Drum programming: Douglas Getschal
  • Guitars: Bill Bottrell and David Williams
  • Saxophone: Kim Hutchcroft
  • Trumpets: Gary Grant and Jerry Hey
  • Percussion: Ollie E. Brown and Paulinho Da Costa
  • Synclavier and effects: Christopher Currell
  • Synthesizers: John Barnes, Michael Boddicker and Greg Phillinganes
  • Synthesizer programming: Eric Persing
  • Sounds engineered by Ken Caillat and Tom Jones
  • Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones
  • Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson
  • Synthersizer and horn arrangements by Jerry Hey

"Liberian Girl"

  • Written and composed by Michael Jackson
  • Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
  • Drums: Miko Brando, Ollie E. Brown and John Robinson
  • Drum programming: Douglas Getschal
  • Percussion: Ollie E. Brown and Paulinho Da Costa
  • Synclavier and effects: Christopher Currell
  • Synthesizers: John Barnes, Michael Boddicker, David Paich and Larry Williams
  • Synthesizer programming: Steve Porcaro
  • Swahili chant: Letta Mbulu
  • Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson, John Barnes and Quincy Jones
  • Synthesizer arrangement by Jerry Hey, John Barnes and Quincy Jones
  • Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson and John Barnes
  • Swahili chant arrangement by Caiphus Semenya

"Just Good Friends"

  • Written and composed by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle
  • Vocal duet with Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder
  • Synthesizer solo: Stevie Wonder
  • Drums: Ollie E. Brown, Humberto Gatica and Bruce Swedien
  • Drum programming: Cornelius Mims
  • Guitar: Michael Landau
  • Saxophones: Kim Hutchcroft and Larry Williams
  • Trumpets: Gary Grant and Jerry Hey
  • Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
  • Synclavier: Christopher Currell
  • Synthesizers: Michael Boddicker, Rhett Lawrence, Greg Phillinganes and Larry Williams
  • Rhythm, synthesizer and vocal arrangements by Terry Britten, Graham Lyle and Quincy Jones
  • Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey

"Another Part of Me"

  • Written and composed by Michael Jackson
  • Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson
  • Guitars: Paul Jackson, Jr. and David Williams
  • Saxophones: Kim Hutchcroft and Larry Williams
  • Trumpets: Gary Grant and Jerry Hey
  • Synclavier: Christopher Currell
  • Synthesizers: Rhett Lawrence and John Barnes
  • Rhythm and vocal arrangements by Michael Jackson and John Barnes
  • Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey

"Man in the Mirror"

  • Written and composed by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard
  • Solo and background vocals: Michael Jackson featuring Siedah Garrett, the Winans and the Andrae Crouch Choir
  • Clap: Ollie E. Brown
  • Guitar: Dann Huff
  • Keyboards: Stefan Stefanovic
  • Synthesizers: Glen Ballard and Randy Kerber
  • Background vocals: Siedah Garrett, The Winans (Carvin, Marvin, Michael and Ronald Winans), The Andrae Crouch Choir (Sandra Crouch, Maxi Anderson, Rose Banks, Geary Faggett, Vonciele Faggett, Andrew Gouche, Linda Green, Francine Howard, Jean Johnson, Perry Morgan and Alfie Silas)
  • Rhythm arrangements by Glen Ballard and Quincy Jones
  • Synthesizer arrangement by Glen Ballard, Quincy Jones and Jerry Hey
  • Vocal arrangement by Andrae Crouch

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You"

  • Written and composed by Michael Jackson
  • Vocal duet with Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett
  • Bass: Nathan East
  • Drums: N'dugu Chancler
  • Guitar: Dann Huff
  • Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
  • Piano: John Barnes
  • Synclavier: Christopher Currell
  • Synthesizers: David Paich and Greg Phillinganes
  • Synthesizer programming: Steve Porcaro
  • Rhythm arrangement by Quincy Jones
  • Synthesizer arrangement by David Paich and Quincy Jones
  • Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson and John

"Dirty Diana"

  • Written and composed by Michael Jackson
  • Solo and background vocals and clave' clapstick: Michael Jackson
  • Guitar solo: Steve Stevens
  • Drums: John Robinson
  • Drum programming: Douglas Getschal
  • Guitar: Paul Jackson, Jr. and David Williams
  • Synclavier: Christopher Currell
  • Synclavier synthesis: Denny Jaeger
  • Synthesizers: John Barnes, Michael Boddicker and Randy Waldman
  • Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson, John Barnes and Jerry Hey
  • Synthesizer arrangement by Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones and John Barnes
  • String arrangement by John Barnes
  • Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson

"Smooth Criminal"

  • Written and composed by Michael Jackson
  • Solo and background vocals and clap: Michael Jackson
  • Drums: Bill Bottrell, John Robinson and Bruce Swedien
  • Guitar: David Williams
  • Saxophones: Kim Hutchcroft and Larry Williams
  • Trumpets: Gary Grant and Jerry Hey
  • Muted Steinway piano: Kevin Maloney
  • Synclavier: Christopher Currell
  • Certain Synclavier effects by Denny Jaeger and Michael Rubini
  • Synthesizers: John Barnes and Michael Boddicker
  • Chief of Police announcement by Bruce Swedien
  • Michael Jackson's heartbeat recording by Dr. Eric Chevlan digitally processed in the synclavier
  • Rhythm arrangement by Michael Jackson and John Barnes
  • Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey
  • Vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson

"Leave Me Alone"

  • Written and composed by Michael Jackson
  • Solo and background vocals and vocal synthesizer: Michael Jackson
  • Drum programming and synthesizers: Larry Williams
  • Guitar: Paul Jackson, Jr.
  • Synclavier and synthesizer programming: Casey Young
  • Synthesizer: Greg Phillinganes
  • Rhythm and vocal arrangement by Michael Jackson

"Streetwalker"

  • Written and composed by Michael Jackson

"Todo Mi Amor Eres Tú (I Just Can't Stop Loving You)"

"Fly Away"

  • Written and composed by Michael Jackson

[edit] Other credits

  • Produced by Quincy Jones
  • Co-produced by Michael Jackson
  • Recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien
  • Additional engineering by Humberto Gatica
  • Technical director: Craig Jonhnson
  • Additional recording by Claudio Ordenes, Bill Bottrel, Matt Forger, Craig Johnson, Gary Olazabal and Brian Malouf
  • Assistant engineers: Debbie Johnson, Claudio Ordenes, Brad Sundberg and Laura Livingstone

[edit] Special edition interviews

  • Interview with Quincy Jones was done by David Wild
  • Pre-production research by Matt Forger and Al Quagelieri
  • Voice-over announcer: Jason Deitz

[edit] Notes

  1. "Bad". AllMusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:g9foxq95ld6e. Retrieved on 2009-04-27. 
  2. "Album Credits for Bad". Artists Direct. http://www.artistdirect.com/nad/store/artist/album/0,,1570944,00.html. Retrieved on February 3 2006. 
  3. MTV - Michael Jackson Biography
  4. "Grammy for Bruce Swedien & Humberto Gatica". Grammy. http://www.grammy.com/GRAMMY_Awards/Winners/Results.aspx. Retrieved on 2009-02-25. 
  5. Bowman, Edith. "VH1 - Greatest Albums Ever". VH1. http://www.mtv.co.uk/channels/vh1/chart/greatest-albums-ever. Retrieved on April 09, 2009. 
  6. "The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5938174/the_rs_500_greatest_albums_of_all_time. Retrieved on November 18, 2003. 
  7. Bad (Special Edition), liner notes
  8. "Gold and Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America. http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Michael%20Jackson&format=ALBUM&go=Search&perPage=100. Retrieved on 2008-04-27. 
  9. Savage, Mark (2008-08-29). "Pop Superstars turn 50". http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7448908.stm. Retrieved on 2008-11-25. 
  10. Michael Jackson's History in the 1980s
  11. http://www.mirror.co.uk/northernireland/news/tm_method=full%26objectid=18104022%26siteid=94762-name_page.html
  12. 12.0 12.1 "Album Reviews: Bad". Rolling Stone. 2001. http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/michaeljackson/albums/album/259584/review/6067877/bad. Retrieved on 2007-07-02. 
  13. TIME Monday, Feb. 29, 1988 http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,966810,00.html
  14. "The RS 500 Greatest Albums of All Time", Rolling Stone (2003-11-18).
  15. "Bad/Dangerous". www.amazon.co.uk. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bad-Dangerous-Michael-Jackson/dp/tracks/B0002W1ANC/ref=dp_tracks_all_1#disc_1. Retrieved on 2008-08-25. 
  16. Michael Jackson: For The Record. Chris Cadman, Michael Haystead.
  17. Michael Jackson , The Ultimate Collection, Booklet
  18. IFPI Austria - Verband der Österreichischen Musikwirtschaft

[edit] References

[edit] See also

Preceded by
La Bamba: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Various artists
Billboard 200 number-one album
September 26 – November 6, 1987
Succeeded by
Tunnel of Love by Bruce Springsteen
Preceded by
Hits 6 by Various Artists
UK number one album
September 12 – October 16, 1987
Succeeded by
Tunnel of Love by Bruce Springsteen
Preceded by
True Blue by Madonna
UK Albums Chart biggest selling album of the year
1987
Succeeded by
Kylie by Kylie Minogue


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