I read in a magazine, the story for Bad was based around Edmund Perry, a young African American student returning home one day and encountering his own ex gang members in a train station in New York and they challenged him to commit crimes for his rep. Perry then mugged a plainclothes police officer against his will and was shot by the Policeman no doubt whe Perry botched the mugging(Michael read this in Newsweek) and the message of Police Brutality and too many Black youngsters being shot and killed by Police led him to a video in which he plays Daryl, a young man who is coerced into commiting similar crimes by his old gang led by Wesley Snipes as the head gangster.
Now in 2016 with all the Black men being murdered by racist and violent cops and Donald Trump as President, this message seems more relevant than ever. The video is amazing in transformation in Daryl from being threatened and scared, he drops this, starts dancing and becomes very intimidating to our gangsters by the end. The same meek characterisation happensin the next Video, The way you make me feel, incredible song and video too, Michael is Michael now, but he is shy and meek, a good boy and not a hoodlum like the other cats, wanting a vixen like woman, he can't get her, but does not give up singing her praises and wooing her with incredible dancing and singing, by the end of the song, she still is not biting. Michael is acting again, in real life by 1987 Michael Jackson could have nearly any woman he wanted.
Michael dances his way through a stand off and prevails, meanwhile the song promotes the need for change, yet while he is annoucing how Bad he "We could change the world tomorrow, this could be a better place, if you don't like what I'm saying - then won't you slap my face, because I'm Bad, i'm Bad, you know real real Bad" The dancing is incredible and Michael of course is amazing, the song itself is incredibly funky and Michael knew this was going to be a huge hit. It is reminiscent of Beat It, but there he is dancing between the gangs and getting them to declare a truce, in Bad, Michael is dancing to prevent his butt from being severely whopped by the gangstas.
The video was taped in late 1986, as by March 1987 Right On Magazine had an image of Michael in a Kangol Hat and gold chains and the lines of " Michael takes his music to the streets". The same magazine also had an article, called "Is Prince's kingdom crumbling" and we have all heard the story about Quincy Jones wanting Prince to duet with MJ on the song. Prince turned it down politely, knowing it would be a huge hit with or without his input, in reality Prince was put off by the ambiguity of some of the lyrics that suggested down low homosexuality (Your butt is mine). Also Prince was incredibly busy at the time finishing Sign o the Times and writing albums for Mavis Staples, Sheila E and Madhouse amongst other projects of his own.
The video and song had many firsts, Michael's new Jheri curled mullet, his fascination with black and white clothes (And chains for that matter), grabbing his crotch and going "Aoowwwww" and of course the word "Shamone". Released in the same week as the album, the song was a surefire #1 smash and sealed his bid to have the hottest video, song and album of the week.
I love it and still love it now, 30 years ago, Michael Jackson was making history.
