This article is about the album. You may have been looking for the song.
Bad is Michael Jackson's seventh studio album, released on August 31, 1987, and recorded in 1985-1987. It is Jackson's third and final album co-produced with Quincy Jones. Bad is one of the most iconic and best-selling albums of all time, having sold 35 million copies worldwide.
The record was nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year in 1988. Ultimately, it only won Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical (for the works of Bruce Swedien and Humberto Gatica).
Background[]
Following the success of Thriller, Michael wanted to create the next album beating all the records set by the previous release in mind. The first demos were crafted between 1983 and 1984 at Hayvenhurst. Most notably, Jackson was working on two tracks, "Liberian Girl" and "Dirty Diana", with initial hopes being, that these would end up on the Victory album with the Jacksons.[1][2]
Michael Jackson in the studio during the Bad album sessions
After spending the second half of '84 with his brothers on stage, now as a true solo artist, the King of Pop returned to planning out the future release.[3] From the Spring of 1985 to December 22, 1986, Michael recorded what would be initial ideas and beats, creating such gems as "Al Capone" or "Hot Fever". In July, Jackson worked on his science fiction short film, Captain EO. Its soundtrack featured an early incarnation of "Another Part of Me", a song that would later create a divide between the singer and Jones, as the latter wanted the aforementioned track on the album, while Michael insisted on releasing "Streetwalker" in its place instead.[4] Having finished filming, the artist returned to the studio in August. Until polishing the tracks with Jones, Michael crafted the music with what was known as the "B-Team", consisting of such as Bill Bottrell, John Barnes, and Matt Forger.
Michael Jackson in the studio during the Bad album sessions
The works continued until August 11, 1987, with a few breaks within between the sessions. Prior to its release, Michael wanted Bad to be a 3-disc album, although Quincy suggested to keep it 1-disc, as it would become too expensive otherwise.[5]
Artwork[]
The first album cover was shot by Gerg Gorman. The big inspiration behind it was a portrait of actress Gloria Swanson, originally taken in 1924. However, this cover was scrapped after Sony stated it didn't present Michael in a "positive light" enough.[6]
- Main article: 1987 Greg Gorman Photoshoot
The final artwork was shot by Sam Emerson and features Jackson in a black jacket and the title being spray painted in red. The cover art was actually slightly edited, making Michael's skin look smoother.
- Main article: 1987 Sam Emerson Bad Photoshoot
Bad photoshoot (shot by Greg Gorman)
Unedited Bad pose
Track list[]
| LP | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 1. | "Bad" | 4:07 |
| 2. | "The Way You Make Me Feel" | 4:58 |
| 3. | "Speed Demon" | 4:02 |
| 4. | "Liberian Girl" | 3:52 |
| 5. | "Just Good Friends" (featuring Stevie Wonder) | 4:06 |
| 6. | "Another Part of Me" | 3:54 |
| 7. | "Man in the Mirror" | 5:18 |
| 8. | "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" (featuring Siedah Garrett) | 4:11 |
| 9. | "Dirty Diana" | 4:40 |
| 10. | "Smooth Criminal" | 4:17 |
| Total length: | 43:59 | |
| CD | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 11. | "Leave Me Alone" | 4:40 |
| Total length: | 48:10 | |
| Special Edition | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 12. | "Voice-over Intro Quincy Jones Interview # 1/Quincy Jones Interview #1" | 4:03 |
| 13. | "Streetwalker" | 5:49 |
| 14. | "Voice-over Intro Quincy Jones Interview # 2/Quincy Jones Interview #2" | 2:53 |
| 15. | "Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu" | 4:10 |
| 16. | "Quincy Jones Interview #3" | 2:30 |
| 17. | "Voice-over intro "Fly Away"" | 0:08 |
| 18. | "Fly Away" | 3:26 |
| Total length: | 1:10:19 | |
| Bad 25 | ||
|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length |
| 12. | "Don't Be Messin' 'Round" | 4:19 |
| 13. | "I'm So Blue" | 4:07 |
| 14. | "Song Groove (a.k.a. Abortion Papers)" | 4:26 |
| 15. | "Free" | 4:25 |
| 16. | "Price of Fame" | 4:33 |
| 17. | "Al Capone" | 3:34 |
| 18. | "Streetwalker" | 5:53 |
| 19. | "Fly Away" | 3:27 |
| 20. | "Todo Mi Amor Eres Tu" | 4:10 |
| 21. | "Je Ne Veux Pas La Fin De Neous" | 4:07 |
| 22. | "Bad" (featuring Pitbull) | 4:24 |
| 23. | "Speed Demon (Remix by Nero)" | 4:08 |
| 24. | "Bad (Remix by AfroJack - Club Mix)" | 7:31 |
| Total length: | 1:47:33 | |
Singles[]
July 20, 1987
September 7, 1987
November 9, 1987
February 6, 1988
April 18, 1988
July 11, 1988
November 14, 1988
February 13, 1989
July 3, 1989
Promotional singles[]
1989
Notes[]
- The only track to not have been released as a single is "Just Good Friends".
- Tracks: "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Just Good Friends" and "Smooth Criminal" had to be sped up for the final release, due to the limitations of a 12" LP record at the time.
- Elements of some of the songs were also removed in pressings released after 1987. Biggest differences being: trumpet removed from Bad.
Cut songs[]
|
Re-releases[]
Bad: Special Edition[]
On October 16, 2001, a special edition of the album was released. This included "Streetwalker", "Fly Away" and the spanish version of "I Just Can't Stop Loving You". Along with these, interviews with Quincy and Rod Temperton were included.
Bad 25[]
On September 18, 2012, the most recent reissue being Bad 25 was released. This included a much bigger amount of outtakes, in comparison to the previous reissue. Most notably, the release featured "Don't Be Messin' 'Round", "I'm So Blue", "Al Capone" and "Price of Fame".
- Main article: Bad 25 (album)
Tour[]
Michael Jackson (Bad World Tour, 1988)
In support of his seventh studio album, Michael's first solo world tour was announced in June 1987, which eventually began in following months. It was sponsored by Pepsi, started in Tokyo, September 12, 1987 and finished in Los Angeles, January 27, 1989. At the time, the Bad World Tour held the status of the highest grossing concert tour in history, having grossed $125 million. Initially, these were meant to be Jackson's final live shows due to his exhaustion from touring, although it was eventually followed by the Dangerous World Tour to raise funds for charity.
The songs from Bad featured on the set list include "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "Another Part of Me", "Smooth Criminal", "Dirty Diana" and "Man in the Mirror". Additionally, songs like "Workin' Day and Night" and "Thriller" made their live debuts. Rest of the set list featured tracks Michael made with his brothers, and other previously performed solo songs.
- Main article: Bad World Tour
Trivia[]
- At Perth TV Telethon from October 19, 1985, Michael claimed the follow-up to Thriller would be released during the Summer of following year.[7]
References[]
- ↑ https://publicrecords.copyright.gov/detailed-record/8509421?query=Dirty%20Diana.%20Michael%20Jackson&field_type=Keyword&records_per_page=10&page_number=0&date_field=representative_date
- ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5WcH6o-sBo&t=592s
- ↑ https://www.amazon.pl/Making-Michael-Inside-Career-Jackson/dp/1910782513
- ↑ https://youtu.be/5xwr25foihY?t=2919
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20110604141950/http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/1615214/20090702/jackson_michael.jhtml
- ↑ https://www.artofdesignonline.com/bad
- ↑ https://youtu.be/dZIty7A-Wb8