Bad: 5/5 (9/10)
The Way You Make Me Feel: 5/5 (9/10)
Speed Demon: 4/5 (7/10)
Liberian Girl: 5/5 (10/10)
Just Good Friends: 3/5 (6/10)
Another Part of Me: 5/5 (10/10)
Man in the Mirror: 5/5 (10/10)
I Just Can't Stop Loving You: 4/5 (8/10)
Dirty Diana: 4/5 (8/10)
Smooth Criminal: 5/5 (10/10)
Leave Me Alone: 5/5 (9/10)
Will expound on all these later, when I got time.
Bad: This song deserves kudos. Of all the title tracks, this one is an anthem. It has a meaning. It's a new beginning and a finale in many ways. It definitely informed his arc for the remainder of his career. That along with the video, which, truly, it is a special entity. The most cinematic of all MJs engagements, the most distinguished of his career as showcasing the man making "art", serious art worthy of discussion as educational, not just entertainment at it's peak or an environmental plea.
The Way You Make Me Feel: This song alienates a lot of people for some reason. But I do get it actually. There was a time I did not enjoy it whatsoever. Eventually, I got the appeal though. It's one of the highlights.The rhythm of it, the
shuffle. It's very addictive actually, with the horns of the original contributing a lot also; the single mix is a little stark, too sparse. That's the case for most of Bad actually, the best pressing was early on. But I love the song now, the harmonies and the way it's so dynamic from beginning to end.
Speed Demon: This song is so great to play racing games to. To drive to. It's a vibe in those times. And pretty much only in those times, I can't say I enjoy it most other times. It is a catchy song but I just vibe to it explicitly in those moments, which is not the case with, say, Sunset Driver. But, a fun and catchy tune in any case.
Liberian Girl: This is MJs best composition in so many ways, actually. It came together just as well on the production side. It's as sonically put together as the best Thriller tracks. And as a ballad goes, it's so unique and yet almost as endearing as a Human Nature or a Stranger in Moscow. And yet all of that pales in comparison to just the mystique and quality of his voice. The harmonies of this track are invigorating. To hear the original pressing version where you can hear Every, Single, Note, just tingles the spine. An incredible song enhanced entirely by a completely incredible singer.
Just Good Friends: I always have a hard time remembering the order of tunes on Bad at this point, and it starts here. But I do enjoy this tune. I enjoy it quite a lot actually, the casual mastery of both singers is not easy to disregard, and the melody itself works very well. As a duet, it's probably the most even keeled and balanced in his record tbh, a point I'll make more clear when I get to I Just Can't Stop. But, it's not a highlight of the record and it isn't one of the best songs. I begrudgingly give it the lowest score. But it fits the album and to replace it would throw off the pH balance so I say, it's good. Not great, just good. Doesn't deserve more but it earned its place in the catalogue.
Another Part of Me: It's my favorite song off the album. Probably my favorite of his songs entirely. It's pure peak MJ. It's super sci-fi but it just cuts right through with that funk. The 80s almost Sega Genesis energy really adds to the appeal for me anyway. I find music that was made for 16 bit to sound, quite entertaining most times, and this song helps highlight why. Really very dynamic.
Man In The Mirror: I just recently heard the song for the first time in a while, not having played it very much just for fun. I prefer Earth Song on the average, and I actually think Heal The World and We Are The World capture the earnestness far more, and yet, this song is still so perfect. Again it comes down to his voice, the way he enunciates words, as his voice warbles with emotion at points, while also growling and entrusting the choir to do his every bidding. MAKE THAT CHANGE. It's staggering. It's such a powerful vocal you get wrapped up in it even as he does lip sync the first half at times, it's so enrapturing every time. This is what is meant when it "sounds just like the record". Though the way he would overtake the ad-libs immediately shows why his live singing was equally incredible and compelling, in moments like the 88 Grammys. A tour de force experience all together, all around, is my point. It deserved it's place as his most popular song and it will always deserve that.
I Just Can't Stop Loving You: As a ballad, it's strong. It's strong in its simple beauty. It is better without the intro, one of the few single edits that I wholesale approve of. Because the song is quite sparse, and it's quick and to the point. And MJ sings it quick. He sings it with spirit and rhythm, like a dance track almost. It's theatrical but it's so slick too. The real problem is, it's a duet. And it's meant to be. But that just, doesn't come through. Siedah is a talent. A great talent, in the mold of MJ. Which is the problem. It didn't advance past the feeling of a solo recording to become a duet, in order to do that it'd need a wholly different counterpart. So in that sense it does miss the mark. But as a tune, it does in fact carry. And it's quite an engaging and forward thinking tune.
Dirty Diana: My actual least favorite from the record. Uncanny, I know. I prefer the driving pulse of Beat It and the darker plunging anguish of Give In To Me. But, this songs presence is effective. It's a Rock ballad, and it's a dramatic one. It's intended as a show piece, and for the focus to rest with the lyrical prose, which is steady and powerful. Whether based in reality or not, MJs conviction makes it feel real. And his performance heightens and increases the power of the song, and that's where I really take the whole song in.
Smooth Criminal: Probably the best song of the record. Man, what a song. What a video. What an artist. Every piece works, and it works all together, yet it all works independent. And the songs independence carries all of that. Because it just starts with being an incredible anti - Billie Jean, a song that takes unspoken paranoia and transplants it straight into noir grit, theatrical and pulsing and just painting a picture that you hear play out every time. It was made to imprint into your mind and stay there and it does just that. And no one else has ever been able to since.
Leave Me Alone: The "bonus track". Ultimately, the closer, the prelude to Dangerous and what MJs 90s career entails. As a piece of music, it's Stevie Wonder 101, but lyrically it's just a tyrade that you're meant to personify, relate to, all of that. And it does, culminating with a hook that could be your personal anthem for all time. It certainly embodied much of MJs up-tempo work later on, for better or worse. And so it earns its place as a staple, not just a bonus, of Bad.
