Michael Jackson – Smooth Criminal

“Smooth Criminal” – Single by Michael Jackson from the album Bad
B-side: “Smooth Criminal” (instrumental)
Released on November 14, 1988.
Songwriter: Michael Jackson
Producers: Quincy Jones and Michael Jackson.
Charted No.7 in US and No.8 in UK

The music video for “Smooth Criminal”, which premiered internationally on MTV on October 13, 1988, is the centerpiece of the 1988 film Moonwalker.

THE SHORT FILM
Director: Colin Chilvers
Primary Production Location: Los Angeles, California

Michael Jackson’s short film for “Smooth Criminal” was the sixth of nine short films produced for recordings from Bad, one of the best selling albums of all time. The “Smooth Criminal” single hit No. 1 in Spain and The Netherlands and reached the Top 10 in the UnitedStates, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Ireland and Switzerland. In the United States, “Smooth Criminal” reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100-the sixth single from Bad to do so-as well as Billboard’s Hot Dance Club Play and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles charts.

In addition to being a standalone short film, “Smooth Criminal” became the centerpiece of Michael’s most ambitious film project at the time, Moonwalker, a feature-length film that was released theatrically in various countries outside of the United States. In the “Smooth Criminal” portion of the film, Michael and his friends face off against the notorious drug lord Mr. Big (Joe Pesci) and attempt to foil his plot to get the children of the world hooked on drugs-but of course, in the end, Michael defeats the villain.

The musical portion of “Smooth Criminal” takes place in the magical “Club ’30s,” where Michael instructed his friends to meet him. While Katie (Kellie Parker), Zeke (Brandon Adams) and Sean (Sean Lennon) find the club to belong abandoned, Club ’30s springs to life when Michael shows up, wearing a blue and white pinstripe suit and fedora.

As the kids watch through the window, Michael flips a coin into the jukebox and leads the club patrons through a dazzling performance to “Smooth Criminal.” Here, Michael shows off updated versions of his signature dance moves. He also debuts one of his most iconic dance moves: the “anti-gravity lean,” a seemingly impossible move.

This song was a highlight of Jackson’s live shows, where he performed variations of the 45-degree lean popularized in the video, often leaving the crowd wondering how it was done. The routine grew more elaborate over time; on the Dangerous tour (1992-1993), he basically reenacted the video with four dancers. The HIStory tour (1996-1997) brought a more theatrical performance, with Jackson dressed like a 1930s Chicago gangster. He would appear on stage with a prop machine gun and blast away six or so rival gangsters, whose bodies were then dragged off stage to great applause.

The lean was accomplished with specially designed shoes that could lock into an anchor on the floor. Jackson patented the system.

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