One of the most anticipated albums of its time, Bad debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Pop Albums chart, selling over 2.25 million copies in its first week in the United States, and stayed atop for six consecutive weeks. The album features appearances from Siedah Garrett and Stevie Wonder. Lyrical themes on the album include media bias, paranoia, racial profiling, romance, self-improvement, and world peace. Jackson wrote nine of the eleven songs on the album. Jackson also experimented with newer recording technology, including digital synthesizers and drum machines, resulting in a sleeker and more aggressive sound. The album incorporates pop, rock, funk, R&B, dance, soul, and hard rock styles.
Jackson adopted an edgy look and sound with Bad, departing from his signature groove-based style and high-pitched vocals. Written and recorded between January 1985 and July 1987, Bad was the third and final collaboration between Jackson and producer Quincy Jones, with Jackson co-producing and composing all but two tracks.
It was released on August 31, 1987, by Epic Records, nearly five years after Jackson's previous album, Thriller (1982). Bad is the seventh studio album by the American singer and songwriter Michael Jackson.
