Bad

How does one follow up a masterpiece? What were the expectations of the next painting of da Vinci's after his Mona Lisa? There was a reason J. D. Salinger became a recluse after Catcher In The Rye, and why Prince went in a complete opposite direction sonically after Purple Rain. Following up a masterpiece is one of the most formidable tasks any artist has to deal with. The expectations can be overwhelming and some artists run and hide from the spotlight, some try to destroy what they've created, and some embrace the expectations and aim even higher. That's what Michael Jackson did with Bad.

Releasing a 16+ minute mini movie introducing the first single off of his follow up to his all time best selling album Thriller was a huge move. It showed though that Michael wasn't shying away from Thriller's success and that made me an even bigger fan of his. He went from John Landis' Thriller mini movie to Martin Scorsese's Bad, and he stayed with Quincy Jones instead of heading off for another producer, looking for a different sound. He went bigger, he wanted better and for the hardcore fan, they were rewarded.

Bad was a groovy jam, the bass line was gripping, and the horn section was on fire. His lyrics seemed like they could have been left over from Beat It because the song was pure attitude. While the album Bad wasn't the commercial success that Thriller was, Michael gave that project everything he had, and this video is evidence of that. It still gives me chills to this day. Today would have been his 55th birthday and despite his troubles off the stage and away from music, he was and will forever be an icon.

To the Baddest motherfucker on the planet, Happy Birthday Michael!