№ 10 · COLLABORATION
The Bad Duet That Never Was
Quincy Jones offers Prince the duet, 1986
MICHAEL JACKSON
The King of Pop
★ RARE
← MICHAEL JACKSON
CARD N° 10 · COLLABORATION · ★ RARE
The Bad Duet That Never Was
Quincy Jones offers Prince the duet, 1986
№ 10 COLLABORATION
The Bad Duet That Never Was
Bad was originally written as a duet between Michael and Prince. Quincy Jones flew to Minneapolis to pitch the song. Prince listened to it once, looked at Quincy, and said: 'The very first line of that song is — your butt is mine. Now I ask you: who's gonna sing that to whom?'
▶ THE MOMENT
Michael Jackson — Bad (Official Video, 1987)
www.youtube.com/watch?v=dsUXAEzaC3Q
MICHAEL JACKSON · B·SIDE · VOL.I
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THE FACT
Bad was originally written as a duet between Michael and Prince. Quincy Jones flew to Minneapolis to pitch the song. Prince listened to it once, looked at Quincy, and said: 'The very first line of that song is — your butt is mine. Now I ask you: who's gonna sing that to whom?'
WHAT MOST DON'T KNOW
Quincy Jones told this story many times in interviews — Prince also confirmed it on Larry King in 1999, adding that he'd politely declined to step into a duet that would have been very flattering to him commercially but where Michael would 'always be the one singing the title'. Prince also said he didn't think the song would be a hit, which he later admitted was 'the worst musical prediction I ever made'. Michael ended up singing both parts. He and Prince did, in the years following, develop a curious rivalry that produced no studio collaborations but inspired some of the most ferocious music of the 80s — most notably the Bad and Sign o' the Times albums released within months of each other in 1987. They were photographed together exactly twice in their lives, both times at James Brown concerts.
▶
THE MOMENT
Michael Jackson — Bad (Official Video, 1987) — Directed by Martin Scorsese. 18 minutes long. Filmed in a real NYC subway station.