| "Just Good Friends" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder | |
| from the album Bad | |
| Released | August 31, 1987 |
| Recorded | 1987 [1] |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:06 |
| Label | Epic |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) |
|
"Just Good Friends" is a song from American recording artist Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad. The song is one of two duets on the album, the other being " I Just Can't Stop Loving You". The song features Jackson and Stevie Wonder quarrelling over a girl in a light, cheerful manner. "Just Good Friends" is the fifth track on Bad with a duration of 4:06. It is the only song from the album to have never been released as a single. "Just Good Friends" is one of only two songs on Bad which were not written by Jackson himself, the other being " Man in the Mirror". The song was written and composed by the '80s song writing-partnership of Terry Britten and Graham Lyle.
Reception
Richard Cromelin of The Los Angeles Times liked what he called a relaxed and charming nature of Jackson and Wonder's vocal performances in the duet. He noted the song's "early Jackson 5 charge" and Motown links. He was impressed with both Just Good Friends and " Man in the Mirror" and thought they stood out in comparison to other tracks from Bad. [2] On the other hand, Rolling Stone criticized "Just Good Friends" as being "the only mediocrity" on Bad. [3] The reviewer attributed this to the fact that "Just Good Friends" is one of only two songs not actually written by Jackson on the album. [3] Rolling Stone commented that the Stevie Wonder-duet starts well, but "devolves into a chin-bobbing cheerfulness that is unforced but also, sadly, unearned." [3] Quincy Jones was also very critical of the song: “I made a mistake on the duet with him and Stevie [“Just Good Friends,” written by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle]. That didn’t work.” [4]
Credits
- Written and composed by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle
- Vocal duet with Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder
- Synthesizer solo: Stevie Wonder
- Drums: Ollie E. Brown, Humberto Gatica and Bruce Swedien
- Drum programming: Cornelius Mims
- Rhythm guitar and wah-wah guitar solo: Michael Landau
- Saxophones: Kim Hutchcroft and Larry Williams
- Trumpets: Gary Grant and Jerry Hey
- Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
- Synclavier: Christopher Currell
- Synthesizers: Michael Boddicker, Rhett Lawrence, Greg Phillinganes and Larry Williams
- Rhythm, synthesizer and vocal arrangements by Terry Britten, Graham Lyle and Quincy Jones
- Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey
See also
- " The Girl Is Mine" – a 1982 song by Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney with similar subject matter
References
- ^ Lecocq, Richard (2018). Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England: Cassell. p. 1134. ISBN 9781788400572.
- ^ Cromelin, Richard (August 31, 1987). "Michael Jackson has a good thing in 'Bad'". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b c "Album Reviews: Bad". Rolling Stone. 2001. Archived from the original on February 5, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2007.
- ^ "Quincy Jones on the Making of Michael Jackson's 'Bad'". Rolling Stone. August 30, 2017.
