Michael Jackson, Bad | Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶

In the 98^th edition of Throwback Vibez (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Bad” by the late, great King of Pop, Michael Jackson.   

The vibes, the vibes, those Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶! Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 is a column that celebrates awesome songs from the past.  The records that grace this column are older, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re ancient – no fossils 🦴! All genres of music are welcome. In the 98th edition of Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 (2024), we recollect and reflect on “Bad” performed by Michael Jackson.

“Ah, your butt is mine, gon’ tell you right, ah / Just show your face in broad daylight.” The butt lyric from “Bad” is one of the most famous butt lyrics of all time.  Adding to the fame, Michael Jackson, the late, great King of Pop, sings one of the most recognized opening lines of all time.  How bad is he on this former no. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100? “Because I’m bad, I’m bad, Shamone, ah (Bad, bad, really, really bad).” He adds on the edgy, minor-key opener from his 1987 LP, also titled, Bad, “And the whole world has to answer right now / Just to tell you once again / Who’s bad?” Fun fact, “Bad” was conceived as a duet with Prince 🤯, but, unsurprisingly, The Purple One turned down the collaboration.  As a solo track, in addition to topping the pop charts for two weeks, “Bad” was certified platinum.

“Your talk is cheap, you’re not a man, ah / You’re throwin’ stones to hide your hands.” Oh, snap, Michael! “Bad” was written solely by Jackson.  He and Quincy Jones produced.  The instrumental is sleek – 80s production at its finest! It begins with a distinct, opening riff. The rhythm section is locked in. The programming, synths, and keys are colorful – key to the musical excellence.  The horns, in all their articulated glory, ‘up the ante.’ Jackson is on autopilot, bringing a fierce, ‘bad’ attitude in the fast-paced, tuneful melodies.  He is a bit more poised in the verses, even the butt lyric, but rises to the occasion in the chorus.  The extended chorus that concludes “Bad” is nothing short of epic.  Jackson’s ad-libs and riffs are stellar.  Perhaps Michael Jackson wouldn’t have said this, at least through much of his career, but “Bad” is nothing short of badass.

Michael Jackson // Bad // MJJ Productions // 1987

Michael Jackson, Bad: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 98 (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; MJJ Productions; OpenClipart-Vectors, Speedy McVroom from Pixabay]