Song#: 3594
Date: 07/23/1988
Debut: 54
Peak: 11
Weeks: 13
Genre: R&B
Pop Bits: By this point in time, Jackson's Bad album had spawned a record-setting five Pop #1 singles. It was quite the accomplishment for an artist that already had several chart records to his name. Yet Jackson and his label were not content to just settle for that accomplishment and move on. They decided to roll the dice and try to extend Jackson's #1 streak. This track was selected to get the job done, but it fell short of the anticipated goal. Not only did it not get to #1, but it just missed the Pop Top 10. Because of that, the single also ended Jackson's streak of thirteen Pop Top 10s (excluding an old cash-in Motown single and a guest spot on a Stevie Wonder single). However, the song did top the R&B chart becoming the fifth #1 from Bad and sixth Top 10. It also made it to #18 Dance and #44 AC. All the #1s kept sales of the album going, but it wouldn't get close to sales of his mega-hit Thriller, which eventually sold over 30 million copies. Bad would end up hitting the 10 million mark.
ReduxReview: Here it is. The song that halted Jackson's Pop #1 and Top 10 streaks. And frankly, rightly so. While far from being the worst song on the album, I wasn't a fan of it. The groove itself was fine, but besides the title, there were no hooks in the tune. It just kind of chugged along without really going anywhere. I remember being surprised when it got released as a single, especially over "Smooth Criminal," which to me seemed like the next logical choice, however I can see where having another dark, mysterious song to follow-up "Dirty Diana" may have seemed like a bad idea. Still, had "Smooth Criminal" been released instead, at minimum Jackson's Top 10 streak would have remained intact. Ah well. It was bound to end sometime.
ReduxRating: 5/10
Trivia: As the final tracklisting for Bad was being determined, producer Quincy Jones questioned one of Jackson's choices. Originally, the album was to feature a song Jackson wrote called "Streetwalker." However, Jones thought that "Another Part of Me," which Jackson also wrote, was a better choice for the album. Michael disagreed and lobbied for "Streetwalker." To try and settle the impasse, Jackson and Jones decided to sit down with Jackson's manager Frank DiLeo and freshly listen to each song setting aside any bias. They heard "Streetwalker" first, which didn't garner a strong reaction from the trio. However, when "Another Part of Me" came on, it prompted DiLeo to get out of his chart and start dancing. His reaction to the song settled the issue and "Another Part of Me" was the final song selected for the album. "Streetwalker" would later be issued out on the 2001 25th anniversary edition of Bad.
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