Bad (album) - Production

Production

Jackson's previous albums, Off the Wall and Thriller, were critically and commercially successful, eventually selling over 20 million and 100 million units worldwide, respectively. Jackson's aim for Bad was that it would sell 100 million copies.

Bad was the second studio album Jackson released after leaving The Jackson 5, and the first in almost five years since Thriller. Bad was the third, and final, musical collaboration between Jackson and Quincy Jones. The album was produced by Jones, with co-production credit given to Jackson. Jackson began recording demos for the anticipated follow-up to Thriller a few months after the 1984 Victory Tour with The Jacksons. Development began in November 1986 and recording took place between January 5, 1987, and July 9, 1987, at Westlake Audio, where a special wooden stage was built to allow Jackson to dance while recording. Jackson wrote a reported sixty songs for the new album and recorded thirty, wanting to use them all on a three-disc set. Jones had suggested that the album be cut down to a ten-track single LP. When the album was released on CD, a bonus 11th track, "Leave Me Alone" was included. It was later released as a single. Later reissues of the LP also include this song. Jackson was credited for writing nine out of eleven of the songs on the album. Other writing credits included Terry Britten and Graham Lyle for "Just Good Friends" and Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard for "Man in the Mirror".