Amidst the tabloid drama, Jackson was faced with the difficult task of recording the follow-up album to Thriller. The pop star channeled his insecurities into the creative process and attempted to write his most personal album to date.
After two years and 60 completed tracks, Jackson finished the new album, titled BAD. The project was meticulously edited down to the best 11 songs, nine of which Jackson had a hand in writing. Upon the album’s completion, Jackson made it a goal for the album to sell 100 million copies, doubling the sales of Thriller.
Jackson’s attention soon shifted to the packaging of BAD. Celebrity photographer Greg Gorman was hired for the cover shoot and was given Edward Steichen’s portrait of Gloria Swanson as reference.
Gorman’s photo of Jackson is a near replica of the Steichen image. Despite the artist’s approval, the cover was rejected by the label for portraying Jackson in such an effeminate manner.
The final photograph, taken by Sam Emerson, features Jackson dressed head-to-toe in black, presenting him as the tough guy from the album’s title track.
What makes the album cover memorable, however, is not just the photograph, but also the logo scrawled in red graffiti lettering…
The graphic was drawn by Jeffrey Spear, a cartoonist based in LA who at the time was quickly gaining a reputation in Hollywood for his lettering and design. He sketched with an airbrush and photocopier, iterating on several variations until landing on “the one.”
BAD was met with widespread acclaim featuring an unprecedented five #1 hits. Today, the album has sold over 35 million copies, each one donning the memorable BAD graffiti tag.
“I was quite proud of the piece early on,” states Spear. “Now, considering how controversial Michael became, and how old the album is, it’s not as big a deal. It will, however, always be an important part of my creative history.”
