CLEVELAND - After the runaway, historic success of the Thriller album and era, Michael Jackson faced an uphill battle when he geared up for his follow-up.And that is a major understatement.
It was 22 years ago today that Michael's long awaited Bad album debuted. Not only did the iconic entertainer return with a new record (his first in nearly five years), he also sported a new look and style. His skin was about two shades lighter, his face more oval shaped and his chin had a new cleft in it. He also had longer hair, shoulder length this time and a more street-wise wardrobe. His first music video from the new album showcased his new style, but more importantly his evolution as a creative innovator.
The "Bad" video was actually a 17-minute film starring Michael as Darryl, a young man returning home to New York City for school break. When he returns to his urban neighborhood as an educated, on-the-right-path guy, his old buddies meet up with him but haven't evolved at all, contrary to Darryl. The buddies live a life of crime with no focus in life at all and become angry and insulted at Darryl's intelligence and straight and narrow lifestyle. When the leader of the group (a young Wesley Snipes) nearly comes to blows with Darryl, the music portion of the flick begins and suddenly Darryl is clad in an elaborate black outfit adorned with buckles and straps and can amazing move and dance like Michael Jackson!
After the dance number (West Side Story-style with several dancers moving in sync to Jackson), Michael again becomes the more modest, soft-spoken Darryl and comes to an understanding with Snipes' character about being "bad" in a good way.
Michael followed his own lofty pattern of video making with this slick production. He enlisted iconic film director Martin Scorsese to helm the project and insisted on a script, rather than just a song video. The full version of the "Bad" video is almost never shown, rather the five minute song portion is. That's unfortunate because it illustrates once again the amazing innovation of Michael.
Watching the flick, one can't help but think about the stupendous "Thriller" film. That was when MJ took his innovation to another level and set the stage for his trademark film-style videos. The fact that he wanted a storyline and real Hollywood directors to bring his vision to fruition says a great deal about his ingenuity and originality, which were in prime form during the 1980's.
The "Bad" movie wasn't the runaway freight train that the "Thriller" flick was, but it was a tremendous success and brilliant showcase for Michael's relentless innovation.
Who's Bad?
No comments:
Post a Comment