# 1902  Michael Jackson with Siedah Garrett -                    I JUST CAN'T STOP LOVING YOU


                                                         Bad, Epic Records, 1987

         BILLBOARD CHART ACHIEVEMENTS:

                        Hot 100 Singles:  # 1
                          Black Singles:  # 1
                      Adult Contemporary:  # 1
               Latin Tracks (Spanish version):  # 11

               GLOBAL CHART ACHIEVEMENTS:

                   # 1  in the UK       # 1  in Norway
                    # 2 in Switzerland     # 2 in Germany
                                  # 5  in Austria

                           # 1 at  MATT RADIO




This track was a one-off collaboration: Michael never recorded another song with Siedah.

Though it sold in the eight-figure range worldwide, to some ears Bad suffered in comparison to its predecessor, Thriller.  While not as visionary as that record-breaker and Off the Wall, the 1987 album does find Jackson and producer Quincy Jones continuing to work their craft at a high level.  As it had with Thriller, radio embraced nearly every cut.  Airplay saturation helped make the likes of "The Way You Make Me Feel," "Smooth Criminal," and the title track major hits in their day; they ring with confidence and good feeling more than a decade and a half later.  The self-involvement that would make the new material on History (1995) sound so curdled had yet to overtake Jackson; even his plea to "Leave Me Alone" displayed a sure wit, particularly in its video version.

"We wanted a tough album," producer Quincy Jones recalls in a bonus interview on the special edition of Bad.  Though the 1987 blockbuster would appear to be Michael Jackson's most personal statement to date-- 9 of its 11 cuts were written solely by him-- its appeal also rested more on craft than the idiosyncratic art of Thriller and Off the Wall.  At the same time, most of Bad has aged well in spite of its digital brittleness and MIDI treatments of gems like Jimmy Smith's organ solo on the title track.  While the third best of his first three Epic solo discs, Bad carries a lot of what people love about Jackson's music. This disc also benefits from two fine outtakes, the exciting, uptempo "Streetwalker" and the Carpenters homage "Fly Away." Either could easily have extended the record's run of hit singles.

source:   Rickey Wright, awesome80s.com

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August 8, 1987
“I Just Can’t Stop Loving You,” a duet with Siedah Garret, is released in advance of the forthcoming album Bad.  This single becomes the seventh #1 single of Michael's solo career.

August 28, 1987
Michael releases Bad.  It tops the charts for eight weeks and spawns seven hit singles.

September 12, 1987
Michael launches his Bad Tour on which he spends over a year visiting 15 countries.

September 28, 1987
"I Just Can't Stop Loving You" is certified Gold and hits #1 for 2 weeks.

source:  hiponline.com