November 30, 2023 – Bad

It’s another Throwback Thursday here on Legends 102.7! Today we’re featuring the year 1987, the year Michael Jackson released his highly anticipated 7th studio album Bad! It was released on August 31, 1987, debuting at number 1 on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, selling over 2 million copies in its first week in the U.S.
Bad was released 5 years after Jackson’s record-breaking Thriller. Those 5 years were tumultuous for Jackson, with rifts among his family, broken friendships with celebrities, and dealing with the overall pressure of celebrity. He spent most of 1985 out of the public eye, with reports spreading about eccentric behavior.
Bad was written and recorded between January 1985 and July 1987 and was the third and final collaboration between Jackson and music producer Quincy Jones. Jackson wrote and produced all but 2 songs on the album. Jackson wanted to move in a different musical direction with this album, exploring a harder edge and fiercer sound. He was also interested in using new technology, like digital synthesizers, to find innovative sounds.
On the day of the album’s release, CBS ran a commemorative special on Jackson’s life called The Magic Returns. It had an audience of around 85 million. At the end of the documentary was the debut of the short film for Bad, directed by Martin Scorsese and featuring Wesley Snipes.
Jackson embarked on the “Bad World Tour” in September 1987. It was his first solo tour and earned him 2 Guinness World Records. It broke the record for the highest-grossing concert tour with gross revenue of over $124 million. The tour sold out 7 nights at Wembley Stadium in London, which set the record for the most successful concert series.
Bad was a blockbuster release, becoming the best-selling album worldwide of 1987 and 1988. It was the first album to produce 5 number one singles, a record that has yet to be broken. By 1991, it was the second best-selling album of all time, behind Thriller, which made Jackson the first artist to hold the 2 top-selling albums simultaneously. In 2021, Bad was certified 11x Platinum by the RIAA. With over 35 million copies sold worldwide, it’s one of the best-selling albums of all time. Learn more here.