Claim: Michael Jackson released an album.

`` Bad '' is a song by an American artist Michael Jackson . `` Bad '' was released by Epic Records on September 7 , 1987 , as the second single from Jackson 's third major-label and seventh studio album of the same name . The song was written and composed by Jackson and co-produced by Quincy Jones and Jackson . Jackson stated that the song was influenced by a real-life story he had read about .   `` Bad '' was well received by contemporary music critics , with some critics noting that `` Bad '' helped Jackson 's image become edgier during the Bad-era . The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 , and remained at the top position of the chart for two weeks , becoming the album 's second number one single , and Jackson 's eighth number one entry on the chart . Internationally , the song was also commercially successful , charting within the top in eleven countries as well as charting within the top five in the United Kingdom , France , Italy , Norwegian , Switzerland and Swedish charts . The song also peaked at number one on the Netherlands and European charts .   The full version of the music video for `` Bad '' , released in August 1987 , and broadcast as a CBS prime time special , was directed entirely by Martin Scorsese and co-starred Wesley Snipes in one of his first appearances prior to being discovered as an actor . The video portrays Michael Jackson and various backup dancers shown performing complex choreography in a subway station . `` Bad '' has been covered and parodied by many different artists since its release and has become a song used frequently in tributes to Jackson after his death in June 2009 .