Bad (Michael Jackson album)

***Bad*** is the seventh studio album by American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson, released on August 31, 1987. It was released nearly five years after Jackson's previous solo studio album, Thriller (1982). Bad was recorded during the first half of 1987. The lyrical themes include media bias, paranoia, racial profiling, romance, self-improvement and world peace. The album cemented Jackson's status as one of the most successful artists of the 1980s.

Bad saw Jackson exercise even more artistic freedom than he did with his two previous Epic releases (Off the Wall and Thriller); Jackson composed nine of the album's eleven tracks, and received co-producer credit for the entire album. Nine 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. Five of the singles hit No. 1 in the United States, while a sixth charted within the top ten, and a seventh charted within the top twenty on the Hot 100. Bad peaked at No. 1 in thirteen countries and charted within the top twenty in other territories. The only songs on the album which were not released as commercial singles were "Speed Demon" and "Just Good Friends".

The album marked the final collaboration between Jackson and producer Quincy Jones.

Internationally, Bad was commercially successful. In the United Kingdom, the album sold 500,000 copies in its first five days of release, and as of 2008 is certified 13× platinum, for sales of 3.9 million, making it Jackson's second biggest-selling album in the United Kingdom. It reached No 1 in the UK Albums Chart on September 12, 1987.

Listen to Bad on Deezer.

#### Singles

***"I Just Can't Stop Loving You"*** is a 1987 duet ballad by Michael Jackson and Siedah Garrett. The song was written by Jackson, and co-produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It reached No 1 on the UK Singles Chart on August 15, 1987 for two weeks.

***"Bad"*** was released by Epic Records in 1987 as the second single. 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. It peaked at No 3 in the UK.

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.

***"The Way You Make Me Feel"*** was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. Released by Epic Records in November 1987, it was the third single and peaked at No 3 in the UK Singles Chart.

A music video for "The Way You Make Me Feel" was released at the time showing Jackson pursuing and dancing with former model Tatiana Thumbtzen.

***"Man in the Mirror"*** is a song written by Glen Ballard and Siedah Garrett and produced by Jackson and Quincy Jones. It peaked at No 2 in the UK when released in January 1988 as the fourth single.

***"Dirty Diana"*** was released by Epic Records on April 18, 1988 as the fifth single from the album. It presents a harder rock sound similar to "Beat It" from Thriller and a guitar solo played by Steve Stevens. "Dirty Diana" was written and co-produced by Jackson, and produced by Quincy Jones. The songs lyrics pertain to groupies. "Dirty Diana" has a moderate tempo and is played in the key of G minor. The song peaked at No 4 in the UK.

***"Another Part of Me",*** co-produced by Quincy Jones and Jackson, was released as the sixth single on July 11, 1988. The song was originally featured in Jackson's 1986 3D film Captain EO. As with earlier songs in his career such as "Can You Feel It" and "We Are the World", the lyrics emphasize global unity, love and outreach.

The song was also featured in the trailer for Jackson's 1988 film Moonwalker.

It peaked at No 15 in the UK.

***"Smooth Criminal"*** was first broadcast on television as a video in early October 1988, and was released as the album's seventh single on October 21, 1988, and peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart.

The song contains a fast-paced beat intertwined with Jackson's lyrics about a woman named Annie, who has been violently attacked in her apartment by a smooth assailant. The song serves as the theme song to Jackson's 1988 film Moonwalker.

***"Leave Me Alone"*** was released as the eighth single from the album, though only outside of the United States and Canada. "Leave Me Alone" was recorded during the original album sessions but the song only appeared on the CD editions of Bad as a bonus track. The song was written and composed by Jackson and produced by Quincy Jones (with Jackson as co-producer).

Internationally, the song was a success, peaking at No. 1 and two in Ireland and the United Kingdom respectively and reaching the top 10 in Belgium, New Zealand and Spain. "Leave Me Alone" was generally well received by contemporary music critics. A short film was released for the song. In the film, Jackson pokes fun at the rumours about him.

***"Liberian Girl"*** was the ninth single released from Bad. The song was written as early as 1983 and was among those considered for The Jacksons' Victory album. It was reworked and rewritten for Bad. The song was released as a single in Europe and Australia and peaked at No 13 in the UK.