# Bad (album)

Bad is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson. It was released on August 31, 1987, by Epic Records. Written and recorded between 1985 and 1987, Bad was Jackson's third and final collaboration with the producer Quincy Jones. Jackson adopted a more aggressive sound for the album, departing from his signature groove-based style and falsetto. Primarily featuring pop, dance, and R&B, as well as elements of funk, soul, jazz, rock, and hard rock, Bad incorporated new recording technology, including digital synthesizers. Jackson co-produced and composed all but two tracks, and the lyrical themes include self-improvement, romance, world peace, media bias, paranoia, and racial profiling. The album features appearances from Siedah Garrett and Stevie Wonder.
Prior to the release of Bad, Jackson's new image drew much controversy, particularly in the US. Nine singles (and a promotional single, ''Speed Demon'') were released to promote the album, including the record-breaking five US number ones, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana", and the top-10 hit "Smooth Criminal". The film Moonwalker (1988), which included the music videos for several Bad songs, was used to promote the album. Jackson also embarked on his first solo world tour, performing 123 concerts across 15 countries for his Bad tour, attracting 4.4 million people as the tour grossed $125 million (equivalent to $332 million in 2024), making it the highest-grossing concert tour ever at the time.
Released nearly five years after Jackson's previous album, Thriller (1982), anticipation for Bad was high. The album sold more than 2.25 million copies in its first week in the US as it reached number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, and went on to be certified 11× platinum. It also reached number one in 24 other countries and was the best-selling album globally of both 1987 and 1988, being an enormous commercial success around the world. Bad received positive reviews, particularly for Jackson's vocals and the more sophisticated production. It has since been acclaimed as a staple of 1980s popular music, solidifying Jackson's status as a global superstar and being an extension of his influence on contemporary music.
Bad is one of the best-selling albums of all time having sold over 35 million copies worldwide. Numerous publications have ranked it in lists of the greatest albums of all time; some critics have noted aspects of the album, particularly the songwriting and pop sentiments, as being the best of Jackson's career. The album was nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year. It won Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Best Music Video (for "Leave Me Alone"). "Bad" won an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Song. Jackson also received several special awards in recognition of the album's success. In 2012, an expanded reissue album, Bad 25, and a documentary film also titled Bad 25 were released to celebrate the album's 25th anniversary.

## Background

By 1984, Jackson's sixth solo album, Thriller (1982), had been certified 20× platinum for sales of 20 million copies in the United States alone. Jackson was considered the most powerful African American in the history of the entertainment industry, whose popularity was comparable only to Elvis Presley in the 1950s and the Beatles in the 1960s. The years following were marred by Jackson's rifts with his family and the Jehovah's Witnesses, broken friendships with celebrities, and the pressure of celebrity. He spent 1985 out of the public eye, but remained in the press due to eccentric behavior, including the adoption of Bubbles the chimpanzee. Other rumors were false; this included the rumor that Jackson slept in a hyperbaric chamber.
According to some associates, Jackson was nervous about completing his next album. Ken Tucker of NPR Music claimed that there was almost no chance of Jackson's follow-up to Thriller selling as many records as Thriller did, and that the level of mass pop phenomenon experienced by Jackson during the Thriller era was unlikely to occur again. In 2017, Newsweek wrote that following Thriller was "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.
The album's title reference to the slang word, bad, signified Jackson's departure from his previous boyish image to a more streetwise, mature persona. American dramatist Charles Fuller, who once met Jackson, commented that Jackson's use of the word bad denotes to 'great' and also 'tough' and 'courageous'. Jackson reinvented his image for the Bad era, wearing black, heavy buckle-designed clothing and metal-studded belts, which gave him a notably edgier look. However, Jackson's widely publicized use of plastic surgery, as well his lighter skin complexion, resulted in much controversy—particularly amongst his American fans.

## Production and recording

Bad was Jackson's final collaboration with producer Quincy Jones, who had produced Off the Wall and Thriller. After Jackson had written a handful of the tracks on Off the Wall and Thriller, Jones encouraged him to write more for his followup. 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 move in a new musical direction, with a harder edge and fiercer sound. According to guitarist Steve Stevens, who featured on Bad, Jackson discussed about rock bands, including Mötley Crüe. Jackson was eager to find innovative sounds and was interested in new music technology; the production team made extensive use of new digital synthesizers, including FM synthesis and the Fairlight CMI and Synclavier PSMT synthesizers, sometimes combining synthesizers to create new sounds. Other instruments used during the recording include guitars, organs, drums, bass, percussion and saxophones, washboard and digital guitars. In Lily Rothman's view of Time magazine, despite the task of matching Thriller being difficult, Jackson was more involved than ever in the artistic process of Bad.
Jackson began recording demos in November 1983 while recording Victory with his brothers, the Jacksons. He spent much of 1985 and 1986 writing and recording at his home studio in Encino, Los Angeles, with a group of musicians and engineers including Bill Bottrell known as the "B team". The demos were brought to Westlake Studio to be finished by the "A team", with Jones and engineer Bruce Swedien. Jones said the team would stay up for days on end when they "were on a roll": "They were carrying second engineers out on stretchers. I was smoking 180 cigarettes a day."
Work was disrupted in July 1984, when Jackson embarked on the Victory Tour with his brothers. Work resumed in January 1985 after Jackson had recorded his contributions to the charity single "We Are the World". In mid-1985, work paused again so Jackson could prepare for Disney's 4D film experience Captain EO, which featured an early version of the Bad song "Another Part of Me". Work resumed in August and continued until November 1986, when Jackson filmed the "Bad" music video. Recording resumed in January 1987, and the album was completed in July. Jackson wrote a reported 60 songs, and recorded 30, wanting to release them all on a three-disc set. Jones suggested that the album be cut down to a ten-track single LP. Jackson is credited for writing all but two songs; other writing credits include Terry Britten and Graham Lyle for "Just Good Friends" and Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard for "Man in the Mirror".

## Songs
### "Bad"

"Bad" was recorded and written by Jackson in as late as October 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 that he had read about in a newspaper article about a boy who 'was from the ghetto' and went up to a private school in Upstate New York. When he came back, his friends got so jealous of him that they killed him; Jackson stated that the student's death was not included in the music video. Various Jackson biographers have concluded that the story he was referring was that of Edmund Perry. However, Perry was not killed by kids 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.
"Bad" was originally 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'. He instead offered Jackson "Wouldn't You Love to Love Me", a song he wrote, but Jackson rejected it.

### "The Way You Make Me Feel"

"The Way You Make Me Feel" was developed by Jackson in 1985 under the working title "Hot Fever". It was also solely 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"

"Speed Demon" was written and co-produced by Jackson in 1986. According to Jones, Jackson wrote the song after he received a traffic ticket, which caused him to arrive late to the recording studio session. The song begins with a racing-car intro, which was proposed by Christopher Currell, who plays the synclaiver 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"

Jackson wrote "Liberian Girl" as early as 1983 and it was originally set to be included on the Jacksons' 1984 album Victory until it was cut. Jackson then recorded the song for Bad. 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". The Toto members David Paich and Steve Porcaro, 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"

"Just Good Friends" is one of the two songs on the album which was not written by Jackson himself. It features Stevie Wonder and was written and composed by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle, recorded in 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. Michael Jackson returned the compliment to Stevie Wonder in September 1987 by recording "Get It" for Wonder's 1987 Characters album.

### "Another Part of Me"

"Another Part of Me" was written by Jackson in 1985 for the 3D science fiction short film Captain EO, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, which was released in 1986. "Another Part of Me" could be seen at the end of "Captain EO", as the title character and his crew triumphantly exit and fly off into space. Jackson revisited and edited the song in 1986 and it was decided to include it on the Bad album.

### "Man in the Mirror"

"Man in the Mirror" is also one of the two songs on the Bad album which was not written by Jackson. It was written by Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard in 1987, after Jones invited a group of songwriters to a dinner at his home, asking them to 'write hits' for Jackson's new album. Garrett came up with a line about a man looking in the mirror and Ballard came up with the melody; then they recorded a demo within a week. The song, along with "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", was recorded in May 1987. An excited Garrett called Jones while he was in a meeting, telling him that they had come up with a good song that would be a perfect fit for the album. At Jackson's request, Ballard and Garrett wrote a longer middle eight and modified the lyrics. Jones enlisted the Andraé Crouch choir to record gospel vocals.

### "I Just Can't Stop Loving You"

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is a ballad style song, written by Jackson and recorded by Jackson and Garrett in May 1987. Garrett was also the one who co-wrote Man in the Mirror. According to Jones, Jackson initially wanted Whitney Houston or Barbra Streisand to sing the duet with him. Streisand declined and Houston's label, Arista Records, thought it was "too risky" for her to do the collaboration, as she was in the process of promoting her then new album Whitney. It was the first time since 1979's Off the Wall that Jackson had collaborated with a female artist on a duet, which was "It's the Falling in Love" with Patti Austin. Jones produced the song with Jackson receiving co-producing credits, like on the rest of the album.

### "Dirty Diana"

"Dirty Diana" is a hard rock song written and recorded by Jackson. The last time Jackson had written a rock song was 1982's Thriller with "Beat It". 'Dirty Diana' was noted for having lyrical themes such as the ones of "Billie Jean". Jackson sings about a woman who "likes the boys in the band", which may be a reference to the "groupies" he had previously said liked to hang out around him and his brothers, in the early days of the Jackson Five. The song has three verses and three bridges. It has, furthermore, a guitar solo by Billy Idol's guitarist, Steve Stevens. The song's outro ends with Jackson singing "come on" into a fade with "hey baby wontcha" in the ad-lib.

### "Smooth Criminal"

"Smooth Criminal" is noted as sinister and has been described by writers as one of Jackson's most captivating songs in his career. It was produced by Jones and co-produced by Jackson, with Swedien being the engineer. The song begins with a eerie heartbeat-like sound, setting the tone for the recurring theme of the track, and the lyrics immediately launch into a depiction of a crime scene, where a woman is assaulted in her apartment by a mysterious "smooth criminal." Jackson's repeated line, "Annie, are you OK?" draws inspiration from Resusci Anne, a mannequin used in CPR training. Jackson combined the common training question, "Are you OK?" with the mannequin's name, giving rise to this would be iconic lyric.

## Composition and lyrics

Bad primarily incorporates pop, dance, and R&B. The album also explores other genres such as funk, soul, jazz, rock, and hard rock. Jon Pareles of The New York Times describes the album as a "gleaming, high-tech dance record". The album is heavier and more "aggressive" than Thriller, with Jackson moving away from the heavy-groove sound and high-pitched vocals of his prior records. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic noted that Bad moved Jackson "deeper into hard rock, deeper into schmaltzy adult contemporary, deeper into hard dance – essentially taking each portion of Thriller to an extreme, while increasing the quotient of immaculate studiocraft." Upon listening to the album prior to its release, Howard Applebaum, who was one of 50 people invited to Jackson's Encino home to listen to it, described it as "kind of a stretch within the genre of contemporary hit radio and urban music. It's cooler sounding, a little more jazzy in spots".
The lyrics relate to romance and paranoia, the latter being a recurring theme in Jackson's albums. "Bad" was originally intended as a duet between Jackson and Prince (and Jackson had also planned duets with Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand). The song was viewed as a revived "Hit the Road Jack" progression with lyrics that pertain to boasting. "Dirty Diana" was viewed by AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine as misogynistic and its lyrics describing a sexual predator do not aim for the "darkness" of "Billie Jean", instead sounding equally intrigued by and apprehensive of a sexual challenge, while having the opportunity to accept or resist it. "Leave Me Alone" was described as a "paranoid anthem". "Man in the Mirror" was seen 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 any clearer / If you wanna make the world a better place / Take a look at yourself and then make a change."
The lyrics to "Liberian Girl" were viewed as "glistening" with "gratitude" for the "existence of a loved one", while those to "Smooth Criminal" recalled "the popcorn-chomping manner" of "Thriller". The track was thought of as an example of "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". The music in "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", a duet with Siedah Garrett, consisted mainly of finger snaps and timpani. "Just Good Friends" is a duet with Stevie Wonder; Jones admitted later: "I made a mistake with ['Just Good Friends']. That didn't work."
Jackson's mother, Katherine Jackson, wanted him to write an R&B song with a shuffle rhythm for the album, which came to be "The Way You Make Me Feel". The song consists of blues harmonies and a jazz-like tone, comparable to the classic Motown sound of the 1960s. The lyrics of "Another Part of Me" deal with being united, as "we". Critics Richard Cromelin (from the Los Angeles Times) and Richard Harrington (from The Washington Post) associated the song's lyrics with the Harmonic Convergence phenomenon that occurred around the time of the album's release, with Harrington highlighting the verse: "The planets are lining up / We're bringing brighter days / They're all in line / Waiting for you / Can't you see? / You're just another part of me".

## Release and commercial reception

The anticipation for Bad was extremely high, with journalists from Slant Magazine and Miami Herald, respectively, asserting it as the most anticipated album in history. Michael Goldberg and David Handelman had predicted that "If Bad sells 'only' 10 million copies, that will be more than virtually any other record but could be viewed as a failure for Michael Jackson". Released on August 31, 1987, a brief second wave of 'Michaelmania' took place as fans around the US rushed to purchase Bad. A manager at a US record store compared the intense demand for Bad to the demand that Bruce Springsteen's Live 1975–85 experienced the previous year and the Beatles' debut album Please Please Me experienced in July 1987 (released in the US for the first time).
In the US, Bad debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart and remained there for six consecutive weeks, selling over 2.25 million copies in its first week, which made it the fastest-selling album in US history at the time. Sales slowed down and by January 1989 (a year and 5 months after its release) its sales were at 6 million copies, equalling the US sales of Off the Wall. Despite Bad generating five number-one singles in the US, many in the American media labelled the album a disappointment due to it largely falling short of the sales that Thriller achieved in the country, which sold 12 million copies by December 1983 (a little over a year after its release) according to Billboard. In 2021, Bad was certified 11× platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it Jackson's second-most successful album in the US.
Jackson suffered a hefty decline in popularity in the US, caused by his controversial new image. In some of Washington's neighborhoods where Bad posters hung on utility poles, the pictures were mutilated with spray paint and knives. Na'im Akbar, an African American psychologist, condemned Jackson: "As far as I'm concerned, Michael Jackson engaged in a form of self-mutilation that was a rejection of his cultural self". In a 1988 Rolling Stone readers poll of 23,000 readers, Jackson was voted the worst male singer, worst male rock artist, worst dressed, worst album (Bad), worst single ("Bad"), worst video ("Bad"), worst album cover (Bad), worst hype of the year and most unwelcome comeback. Editor David Wild remarked that the backlash to Jackson in the US was more to do with his "quirky personality" than his music. In 1989, Jackson's manager, Frank DiLeo, said that he and Jackson were happy with the results of Bad. In DiLeo's view, "Americans like to build 'em up and tear 'em down", further saying "I'm sure that affected us. But we did the best we could."
Whilst the hysteria of 'Michaelmania' diminished in the US, overseas it was still in full bloom. Bad became the fastest-selling album of all time following its release, with sales of over 7 million copies worldwide in its first week. Besides the US, the album reached number one in 24 other countries, including Austria, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. It also charted at No. 13 in Mexico and at No. 22 in Portugal. Within a year of its release, Bad was established as a blockbuster, selling around 18 million copies; this made Jackson the top-selling artist worldwide of 1988. It was the best-selling album worldwide of 1987 and of 1988. By 1989, sales of Bad reached 20 million, and by 1991 it was the second-best-selling album of all time, behind Thriller, having sold 25 million copies. As of today, the album has sold over 35 million copies worldwide, which ranks it within the top 10 best-selling albums ever.
In the UK, Bad was greatly successful; it debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart with 350,000 copies sold in first week sales, a record at that time. Bad achieved sales of 1.6 million copies under four months in UK, and in the following year it sold 980,000 copies. It was the UK's best-selling album of 1987 and third best-selling album of 1989. Bad was also the UK's second best-selling album of the 1980s, surpassing Thriller. Today, Bad is certified 14 times platinum in the UK with sales of 4.2 million, making it Jackson's second best-selling album there. Bad was also a standout success in France, selling 1.4 million copies; this makes it Diamond certified in the country. The album was certified Diamond by the Canadian Recording Industry Association for shipments exceeding 1,000,000 copies in Canada.
In Europe, the 2001 reissue was certified platinum by the IFPI for the sales of one million units. The album was also certified platinum by the IFPI for the shipment of over 20,000 copies in Hong Kong.

## Promotion

The marketing strategy for Bad was modeled on that for Thriller. Like the first Thriller single, "The Girl Is Mine", the first Bad single, "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", was a ballad duet, followed by two "more obvious modern pop knockouts" backed by music videos.
A commemorative special on Jackson's life, The Magic Returns, aired on CBS during prime time on the day of the release of Bad. At the end of the documentary, the channel debuted the short film for "Bad", directed by Martin Scorsese and featuring Wesley Snipes. The marketing strategy, mastered by DiLeo among others, also included Jackson producing another mini-movie around the time of the Bad world tour. That film, Moonwalker (1988), included performances of songs from Bad: "Speed Demon", "Leave Me Alone", "Man in the Mirror", and "Smooth Criminal", the latter two released as sole videos at the end of the film. The film also included the music video for "Come Together", with the song featuring seven years later on HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I. It became the bestselling home video of all time.
Sponsored by Pepsi, the Bad tour began in Japan, marking Jackson's first performances there since 1972 with the Jackson 5. Attendance figures for the first 14 dates in Japan totaled a record-breaking 450,000. Jackson performed seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium, beating the previous record held by Madonna, Bruce Springsteen and Genesis. The third concert on July 16, 1988, was attended by Diana, Princess of Wales and Prince Charles. Jackson was entered into the Guinness World Records three times from the tour alone. The Bad tour was a major financial success, grossing $125 million. Jackson performed 123 concerts in 15 countries to an audience of 4.4 million. The tour set records for both the largest grossing tour in history and the largest paid attendance.
Jackson performed two songs – "The Way You Make Me Feel" and "Man in the Mirror" – at the 1988 Grammy Awards, having declined to perform during the Thriller era in 1984. According to Paul Grein of Billboard, Jackson's performance at the show stands as "Exhibit A to anyone who wants proof of his artistry and command when he was at the peak of his powers." Robert Hilburn of the Los Angeles Times described it as "one of the most striking performances ever by a pop performer on national television", a performance that "overshadowed everything else" in the ceremony. "Man in the Mirror" was nominated for Record of the Year a year later at the 1989 Grammy Awards.

## Singles

"I Just Can't Stop Loving You", a duet with Siedah Garrett, was the lead single. It peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and also reached number one in Belgium, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, the UK and Zimbabwe.
"Bad" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and remained there for two weeks, becoming the album's second number-one single, and Jackson's eighth number one entry on the chart. It also peaked at number one on the Hot R&B Singles, Hot Dance Club Play and Rhythmic chart. Internationally, the song was also commercially successful, charting at the top of the charts in seven other countries including Ireland, Italy, Norway, Spain, and the Netherlands.
"The Way You Make Me Feel" was the third consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number-one and reached number one in Ireland and Spain. "Man in the Mirror" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and in Italy, as well as top 5 in Canada.
On July 2, 1988, "Dirty Diana" became the record-breaking fifth Billboard Hot 100 number-one single from Bad. Jackson was the first artist in history to achieve five number-one singles on the Hot 100 from one album. In recognition of this achievemnent, Epic Records released a promotional poster including the text 'NO ONE'S EVER BEEN THIS BAD'. Before the start of the Wembley Stadium show during the Bad tour in 1988, Diana, Princess of Wales, who was in attendance, informed Jackson that it was one of her favorite songs.
"Another Part of Me" achieved less success, reaching number 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, but topped the R&B singles chart. Like Jackson's earlier songs in his career such as "Can You Feel It" and "We Are the World", the lyrics of the song emphasize global unity, love and outreach.
"Smooth Criminal" became the sixth top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number seven. The song reached number one in Belgium, Iceland, the Netherlands and Spain. Though it was not one of the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, in retrospective reviews it has been acclaimed as one of the best songs on Bad and one of Jackson's signature songs.
Released outside the United States and Canada, "Leave Me Alone" topped the Irish charts and reached the top ten in five other countries. "Leave Me Alone" was Jackson's response to negative and exaggerated rumors about him that frequently appeared in the tabloids post-1985 after the success of Thriller. The music video was the recipient of Best Music Video at the 1990 Grammy Awards.
The album's final single, "Liberian Girl", did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but reached the top 20 in various countries and reached number one in Ireland. The song has been sampled and covered by various artists including Chico Freeman, 2Pac and MC Lyte.
"Speed Demon", written and co-produced by Jackson in 1986, was released as a promotional single on September 4, 1989, as part of the campaign around his 1988 film Moonwalker.
Bad's record of five number-one singles was tied by American singer Katy Perry's Teenage Dream in 2012; Perry remains the only artist to have matched this feat. In the UK, seven of the Bad singles reached the UK top ten which was a record for any studio album for over 20 years.

### Notable covers

In 1988, "Weird Al" Yankovic recorded "Fat", a parody of "Bad", which won a Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video at the 1989 Grammy Awards.
In 2001, hard rock band Alien Ant Farm released a cover of "Smooth Criminal" for their second album, Anthology. Their cover peaked at no. 1 in Australia, where it remained for eight weeks. It also peaked in the top ten of 14 European countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, and Switzerland, and peaked at no. 23 on the Hot 100.

## Critical reception

Professional ratings :
| Review scores ||
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic | |
| Blender | |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+ |
| Los Angeles Times | |
| MusicHound R&B | |
| The Philadelphia Inquirer | |
| Rolling Stone | |
| The Rolling Stone Album Guide | |
| The Village Voice | B+ |
Bad received generally strong reviews upon its release. Jay Cocks for Time drew attention to Jackson's vocals on Bad, lauding Jackson as a great singer and that his vocal stunts on tracks like "Dirty Diana" or "Speed Demon" are as "nimble and fanciful" as any of his dance moves. Cocks also highlights "Man in the Mirror" vocally as a "remarkable dramatic performance", considering it one of the finest achievements in Jackson's career. The Village Voice critic Robert Christgau was also of high praise, writing that Bad is "the strongest and most consistent black pop album in years", attributing this to its "studio mastery" and Jackson's "rhythmic and vocal power". However, Christgau lamented the album's lack of "genius" in the vein of "Beat It" or "Billie Jean".
In USA Today, Edna Gundersen had a highly positive view, calling Bad Jackson's "most polished effort to date", that is "calculated but not sterile". Rolling Stone's Davitt Sigerson viewed the album as better than Thriller, noting that despite it not featuring a milestone recording like "Billie Jean", the filler, such as "Speed Demon", "Dirty Diana" and "Liberian Girl", made it "richer, sexier and better than Thriller's forgettables." In a contemporary review for The New York Times, Pareles called Bad "a well-made, catchy dance record by an enigmatic pop star". He said while nothing on the record compared to "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'", the music's "concocted synthesizer-driven arrangements" were "clear" and carried "a solid kick". Writing for NPR Music, Ken Tucker also called Bad a good album, noting that the best aspect of the album is the "rough, upbeat" music, especially in comparison to Jackson's previous releases.
Some critics were not as favorable; Richard Cromelin of the Los Angeles Times called Bad "a fair-to-strong array of soul and rock blends" but felt that it would be "disappointing" if this album's "creative level" is where Jackson wants to stay. Cromelin further said that the record was "not bad" and was more "reminiscent of Off the Wall's uniform strength than Thriller's peaks and valleys". Richard Harrington of The Washington Post felt that the album could not live up to post-Thriller expectations and that it would be "considerably fairer to compare" Bad with Off the Wall. 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". In a retrospective comment in 1991, Richard W. Stevenson of the Tampa Bay Times considered the album a letdown for Jackson, and claimed that the album's music was largely derivative of Thriller, leading to speculation within the recording industry that Jackson had lost his creative edge.

### Awards

At the 1988 Grammy Awards, Jackson was the tied-most nominated artist (outside of the classical field), as Bad was nominated for Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance – Male, Best R&B Vocal Performance – Male, and Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical. Although the album won Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical, this went to the producers.
Jackson's zero wins was the subject of media attention; American entertainer Little Richard, who was at the ceremony, said "I'm shocked. I'm stunned [...] I think a lot of people are. Oooh, Michael!". Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Hilburn said Jackson deserved to win at least one of the Vocal Performance awards, but not Album of the Year, which U2's The Joshua Tree (1987) won. The following year Bad was nominated for Record of the Year for "Man in the Mirror", and in 1990 won for Best Music Video – Short Form (for "Leave Me Alone").
Despite the lack of Grammy Awards for Jackson, he won numerous other awards for Bad. "Bad" won an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Song at the 1988 American Music Awards. At the 1988 Soul Train Music Awards, the album won Best R&B/Soul Album – Male and "Bad" won Best R&B/Soul Single – Male. The following year, "Man in the Mirror" also won Best R&B/Soul Single – Male. The album won Outstanding Album at the 1988 NAACP Image Awards. At the 1988 Brit Awards, Jackson was also awarded the International Solo Artist award. At the 1989 Brit Awards, Jackson was awarded the inaugural International Male Solo Artist award, and "Smooth Criminal" won British Video of the Year.
Jackson received several special awards in recognition of his success during the Bad era. In 1988, he was honored with Billboard's first Spotlight Award for being the first artist in history to achieve five number one singles on the Hot 100 from a single album. The record-breaking Bad tour, as well as the album's chart and commercial achievements, earned Jackson the Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Music Awards of 1989 and the Heritage Lifetime Achievement Award at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. Before awarding Jackson the Heritage Lifetime Achievement Award, Elizabeth Taylor dubbed him the "true king of pop, rock, and soul". Following the appraisal of the music videos of the singles from Bad, along with his previous music videos throughout the 1980s, Jackson was awarded the MTV Video Vanguard Artist of the Decade Award. On April 5, 1990, Jackson arrived at the White House, where he was congratulated by U.S. President George H. W. Bush on being named as the "Artist of the Decade" by the Capital Children's Museum following his continued dominance during the Bad era.

### Rankings

Having been ranked ranked number 202 on Rolling Stone's 2003 list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and 203 in a 2012 revised list, Bad moved up to a ranking of 194 in a 2020 list. In NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list, Bad was ranked number 204. It was also included in the book titled 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. In 2009, VH1 listed Bad at number 43 on their list of 100 Greatest Albums of All Time of the MTV Generation. In 2012, Slant Magazine ranked the album at number 48 on its list of The 100 Best Albums of the 1980s. In 2017, Bad was named the best album of 1987 by Consequence Of Sound. Billboard ranked Bad at number 138 on its list of the Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums. It was ranked number 30 in Billboard's list of the Greatest of All Time R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, out of 100 albums. Billboard's critics ranked it the 41st best album on its list of all 92 diamond-certified albums.

### Accolades

| Organization | Country | Accolade | Year |
| Grammy Awards | United States | Best Engineered Recording – Non-Classical for Bruce Swedien (1988) and Best Music Video for "Leave Me Alone" (1990) | 1988/90 |
| American Music Awards | United States | Favorite R&B Song for "Bad" | 1988 |
| Billboard | United States | Spotlight Award | 1988 |
| Quintessence Editions | United Kingdom | 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die | 2003 |
| VH1 | United States | 100 Greatest Albums of All Time of the MTV Generation (Ranked No. 43) | 2009 |
| NME | United Kingdom | The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (Ranked No. 204) | 2013 |
| Billboard | United States | Greatest of All Time Billboard 200 Albums (Ranked No. 138) | 2015 |
| Rolling Stone | United States | 500 Greatest Albums of All Time (Ranked No. 194) | 2020 |

## Legacy
### Reappraisals

In the decades since its release, Bad has received overwhelming praise, with particular arguments being that Jackson was at his peak in vocal performance and showmanship during the album's era. In a retrospective review for BBC Music, Mike Diver regards Bad as a standout event of 1980s pop culture, comparing its importance to the rise of the Walkman, the Back to the Future movies, and the shooting of JR. According to Diver, it was an album that was popular in all record collections, from "rockers and poppers" to "punks and poets". Diver also praised the album for being the "best of the best [of its time]" and an "essential pop masterpiece". Newsweek credits Bad with defining the sound of pop music in the late 1980s, along with Madonna's Like a Prayer (1989) and Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989). Writing for Billboard, Gail Mitchell views Bad as one of the most important pop albums of the late 1980s, and one of the most successful albums in Billboard chart history.
In an article for The Root, Matthew Allen claimed that Bad was the start of Jackson's "three-year prime" in his vocals, songwriting, producing, performing and video output. Smooth Radio named Bad as Jackson's greatest album and credited the album for transforming Jackson into his peak as an entertainer. Ranked as the best album of 1987 by Consequence Of Sound, the publication asserts that Bad captured a "bigger, bolder, and far more vital" Jackson who emphasised important topics, including racial injustices and world peace. In similar praise, Erika Ramirez of Billboard highlighted "Another Part of Me" and "Man in the Mirror" for showcasing Jackson as a "caring humanitarian" and emphasizing world unity.
According to Jayson Rodriguez of MTV, following Off the Wall and Thriller was not an easy task, but Jackson's Bad was "formidable by all accounts". Rodriguez also felt that during the Bad era, Jackson's vocal hiccups and stammered "shamone" would become staples in his music that were "heightening and highlighting the emotion of his lyrics." In a retrospective comment in 2009, VH1 said that the expectations for Bad were "ridiculously high", noting that there was also further hype after Jackson planned duets with the likes of Prince; Whitney Houston; Aretha Franklin and Barbra Streisand. VH1 credited Bad for being a "deeply personal project" for Jackson – he wrote nine of the 11 songs – and one that saw him gain further independence and debut a harder-edged look and sound. Jim Farber of the Daily News wrote that Bad took aspects of Off the Wall and Thriller to create Jackson's "most smooth work of pop to date". Writing for Albumism, Chris Lacy's view is that "Comparisons with Off the Wall and Thriller are unimportant, except for this one: Bad is a pure pop masterpiece that stands parallel with—and, at times, eclipses—its classic predecessors." Lacy also stated that Bad set a "new gold standard for pop music and entertainment".
   "On Bad, Jackson's music is largely about creating moods, visceral emotions, and fantastical scenarios....[with] each song work[ing] as a dream capsule, inviting the listener into a vivid new sound, story, space."
Like Thriller, the album also improved the standard for innovation in music videos following the success of the music videos for "Bad", "Smooth Criminal" and "Leave Me Alone". The music video for "The Way You Make Me Feel" was also influential; the American rapper Ludacris, who featured in the Canadian singer Justin Bieber's hit song "Baby", said that the "Baby" music video was intended to be "a 2010 version" of "The Way You Make Me Feel". MTV noted that the choreography used "a few of Jackson's less-suggestive moves". A professor at Louisiana State University asserts that the "Bad" music video revolutionized the traditional understanding of masculinity, particularly amongst Black American men. According to the professor, Jackson embraced dominant hyper-aggressiveness, yet simultaneously challenged this traditional position by creating an alternative form of masculinity. Jackson emphasized a sense of optimism about the future and distorted conventional notions of sexuality by presenting a dual image: a masculine self, indicated by clothing that suggested toughness, alongside a feminine aspect, expressed through his effeminate hairstyle and use of make-up.

### 21st-century appeal

Writing for The Quietus, David Bennun argues that Bad "changed pop music forever" and claims that in the decades since its release, "we have never ceased to hear things that sound like Bad", highlighting the likes of Usher, Justin Timberlake, and Bruno Mars as examples. Kendall Fisher of E! Online was of similar view, as she credited the album for having an impact on contemporary artists; "Essentially, [Bad] epitomized the massive influence [Jackson] had on many of today's biggest artists."
Twenty-five years after its release, the filmmaker Spike Lee said that Bad sounds the "freshest" compared to other Billboard 200 number-one albums released in 1987, such as U2's The Joshua Tree, Bruce Springsteen's Tunnel of Love and Whitney Houston's Whitney: "Go to the charts ... and see what were the top albums 25 years ago, play those albums now and then play Bad, and then see which one still sounds fresh and doesn't sound dated." Reflecting in 2022, 35 years after its release, Marcus Floyd wrote for Renowned for Sound that "you can still hear why Bad was the singer's [Jackson] second best selling album [...] Bad will always be a fan favourite and one of Michael Jackson's most influential and ear-tantalising albums released over his extraordinary career."
The American musician Kanye West claimed that Jackson's outfit in the "Bad" video is "far more influential" than Jackson's outfit in the "Thriller" video. West also said "I almost dress like that [Jackson's outfit in the "Bad" video] today." In 2018, Jackson's worn jacket from the video sold for $298,000 at a New York auction, about three times its original asking price.

## Bad 25

It was announced on May 3, 2012, that Jackson's estate and Epic Records would be releasing a 25th anniversary album of Bad. The album was named Bad 25 and was released on September 18, 2012. Since the release of Bad 25, there has been a discontinuation of the 2001 special edition.

## Track listing

All tracks are produced by Quincy Jones and co-produced by Michael Jackson.
All tracks are written by Jackson except where noted.

## Personnel

Personnel as listed in the album's liner notes are:
* Lead and backing vocals: Michael Jackson
* Background vocals: Siedah Garrett (tracks 7–8), The Winans (7), and The Andraé Crouch Choir (7)
* Bass guitar: Nathan East (track 8)
* Hammond organ: Jimmy Smith (track 1)
* Drums: John Robinson (tracks 1–4, 9–10), Miko Brando (3), Ollie E. Brown (3, 5), Leon "Ndugu" Chancler (8), Bill Bottrell (10), Bruce Swedien (5, 10), Humberto Gatica (5)
* Programming: Douglas Getschal (tracks 1–4, 9), Cornelius Mims (5), Larry Williams (11)
* Guitar: David Williams (tracks 1–3, 5, 6, 9–10), Bill Bottrell (3), Eric Gale (2), Danny Hull, Steve Stevens (solo, 9), Dann Huff (7–8), Paul Jackson Jr. (6, 9, 11)
* Trumpet: Gary Grant, Jerry Hey (tracks 1–3, 5–6, 10)
* Sounds engineered: Ken Caillat and Tom Jones
* Percussion: Paulinho da Costa (tracks 1–5, 8), Ollie E. Brown (2, 7)
* Keyboards: Stefan Stefanovic, Greg Phillinganes (track 7)
* Saxophone: Kim Hutchcroft (tracks 1–3, 5–6, 10), Larry Williams (1–2, 5–6, 10)
* Synclavier (tracks 1–6, 8–10), digital guitar (1), finger snaps (2), sound effects (3): Christopher Currell
* Synthesizer: John Barnes (tracks 1–4, 6, 9–10), Michael Boddicker (1–5, 9–10), Greg Phillinganes (1–3, 5, 8, 11, solo–1), Rhett Lawrence (5–6), David Paich (4, 8), Larry Williams (4–5, 11), Glen Ballard (7), Randy Kerber (7), Randy Waldman (9)
* Piano: John Barnes (track 8), Kevin Maloney (10)
* Rhythm arrangement: Michael Jackson (tracks 1–4, 6, 9–11), Quincy Jones (1, 3–5, 7–8), Christopher Currell (1), John Barnes (4, 6, 9–10), Graham Lyle (5), Terry Britten (5), Glen Ballard (7), Jerry Hey (9)
* Horn arrangement: Jerry Hey (tracks 1–3, 5–6, 10)
* Programming: Larry Williams (track 2), Eric Persing (3), Steve Porcaro (4, 8), Casey Young (11)
* Midi saxophone: Larry Williams (track 3)

## Certifications and sales

| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
| Australia (ARIA) | 6× Platinum | 420,000$^^$ |
| Austria (IFPI Austria) | 4× Platinum | 200,000$^*$ |
| Brazil sales as of 1991 | — | 1,000,000 |
| Canada (Music Canada) | Diamond | 1,000,000$^‡$ |
| China | — | 500,000 |
| Denmark (IFPI Danmark) | 4× Platinum | 80,000$^‡$ |
| Finland (Musiikkituottajat) | Gold | 51,287 |
| France (SNEP) | Diamond | 1,400,000 |
| Germany (BVMI) | 4× Platinum | 2,000,000$^^$ |
| Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong) | Platinum | 20,000$^*$ |
| India | — | 200,000 |
| Ireland | — | 120,000 |
| Israel | Gold | 20,000 |
| Italy sales as of 1995 | — | 1,000,000 |
| Italy (FIMI) sales since 2009 | 2× Platinum | 100,000$^‡$ |
| Japan (RIAJ) | Gold | 1,300,000 |
| Mexico (AMPROFON) | Platinum+Gold | 350,000$^^$ |
| Netherlands (NVPI) | Platinum | 500,000 |
| New Zealand (RMNZ) | 9× Platinum | 135,000$^^$ |
| Norway (IFPI Norway) | Platinum | 100,000 |
| Portugal (AFP) | Platinum | 40,000$^^$ |
| Singapore 1987 sales | — | 30,000 |
| Singapore (RIAS) | Gold | 5,000$^*$ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE) | 3× Platinum | 300,000$^^$ |
| Sweden (GLF) | 2× Platinum | 200,000$^^$ |
| Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) | 2× Platinum | 100,000$^^$ |
| United Kingdom (BPI) | 14× Platinum | 4,200,000$^‡$ |
| United States (RIAA) | 11× Platinum | 11,000,000$^‡$ |
| Summaries |||
| Europe 1987 sales | — | 6,700,000 |
| Europe (IFPI) For sales in 2009 | Platinum | 1,000,000$^*$ |
| Worldwide 1987-1991 Sales | — | 25,000,000 |
| Worldwide | — | 35,000,000 |
| $^*$ Sales figures based on certification alone. $^^$ Shipments figures based on certification alone. $^‡$ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |||