Bad (album)

Bad is the seventh studio album by American singer Michael Jackson. It was released on August 31, 1987, by Epic Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous album, Thriller (1982). It was also written and recorded in nearly a year, and was the third and final collaboration between Jackson and producer Quincy Jones. Jackson co-produced it and composed all but two tracks. Vocally, Jackson moved away from his trademark groove sound and high-pitched vocals. Instead, Bad's edgier sound incorporates pop, rock, funk, R&B, dance, soul and hard rock. Jackson experimented with modern technology, including digital synthesizers and drum machines, resulting in a sleeker and more aggressive sound on the album. Lyrical themes include media bias, paranoia, racial profiling, romance, self-improvement, and world peace. The album features appearances from Siedah Garrett and Stevie Wonder.

Among the most anticipated albums in popular music, Bad debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, selling over 2 million copies in its first week in the US. The album also reached number one in 24 other countries, including the UK, where it sold 500,000 copies in its first five days and became the country's best-selling album of 1987. Nine songs were released as official singles, and one as a promotional single. Seven charted in the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, including a record-breaking five number ones: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror" and "Dirty Diana". By 1991, the album was the second-bestselling album of all time at the time, behind Thriller, having sold 25 million copies worldwide.

The album was promoted with the film, Moonwalker (1988), which included the music videos of songs from the album, including "Speed Demon", "Leave Me Alone", "Man in the Mirror" and "Smooth Criminal". The film became the best-selling home video of all time. The Bad tour, which was Jackson's first solo world tour, grossed $125 million (equivalent to more than $291 million in 2021) making it the highest-grossing solo concert tour of the 1980s. Jackson performed 123 concerts in 15 countries to an audience of 4.4 million including a record seven sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium. It was also Jackson's last tour where he performed in the United States.

With sales of over 35 million copies sold worldwide, Bad is one of the best-selling albums of all time. In 2017, it was certified Diamond by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album has been named by several publications as one of the greatest albums of all time. It was nominated for six Grammy Awards, winning Best Engineered Recording – Non Classical and Best Music Video (for "Leave Me Alone"). In 1988, Jackson received the first Billboard Spotlight Award, in recognition of the record-breaking chart success on the Billboard Hot 100. For his Bad videos and previous videos throughout the 1980s, Jackson received the MTV Video Vanguard Award.