"Smooth Criminal" is a song by the American singer-songwriterMichael Jackson, released on November 14, 1988, as the seventh single from his seventh studio album,Bad (1987). It was written by Jackson and produced by Jackson andQuincy Jones. The lyrics describe a woman who has been attacked in her apartment and the search for the attacker, who is "smooth" because he leaves no evidence as to his identity.
The music video for "Smooth Criminal", which premiered internationally onMTV on October 13, 1988,[5] is the centerpiece of the 1988 filmMoonwalker. The 1930s setting and Jackson's white suit andfedora pay tribute to theFred Astaire musical comedy filmThe Band Wagon. In the video, Jackson and the dancers perform an apparently physically impossible "anti-gravity lean".
Retrospective reviews have praised "Smooth Criminal" as a standout track on theBad album and one of Jackson's best songs.[7]Rolling Stone wrote that it was "his best blend of R&B groove and rock edginess, and a turning point in his shift toward darker, harder-edged material".[7] It has appeared on numerous greatest hits albums and was performed on all of Jackson's solo tours. "Smooth Criminal" was re-released in 2006 as a single as a part of Jackson'sVisionary: The Video Singles boxset. In 2001, a version byAlien Ant Farm became an international hit.
"Smooth Criminal" evolved from an earlier song written by Jackson, "Al Capone" (named after real life gangsterAl Capone), released on the 2012 reissueBad 25.[8] It is in the key ofA minor,[9] and Jackson's vocal spans from G3 to C6.[9] The lyrics describe a narrator who finds a bloodstained carpet and an unconscious body.[10] The chorus refrain, "Annie, are you OK?", was inspired byResusci Anne, a dummy used incardiopulmonary resuscitation training. Trainees learn to say "Annie, are you OK?" while practicing resuscitation on the dummy.[11] The original mix of the song includes the sound of Jackson's fast-thumping heart and heavy breathing, which travel from left to right thanks to Hugo Zuccarelli'sHolophonics system.[12]
In the video, Jackson and the other dancers perform a lean that appears physically impossible.[18] The dancers lean forward 45 degrees with their backs straight and feet flat on the floor, and hold the pose before returning upright.[18] The lean moves the body'scenter of mass further than it can support.[18] The illusion was achieved using cables and a harness.[19][20] In October 1993, Jackson's team patented a method of performing the lean in concert using specially designed shoes that hook into pegs that rise from the stage.[18] Even with the shoes, the move requires good athleticcore strength.[20]
The video won Best Music Video at the 1989Brit Awards[21] and the Critic's Choice awarded Jackson the "Best Video" award and the People's Choice Awards for "Favorite Music Video" for that same year.[22]
In 2019, American television personalityKim Kardashian bought Jackson's "Smooth Criminal" fedora, which still had his makeup on it, for her daughter North West.[23]
The style of clothing as well as mannerisms Jackson portrayed were reused in the numerous adaptations of the video gameMichael Jackson's Moonwalker. The song serves as the background music for the "Club 30s" stage, the nightclub seen in the music video, that appears in the game.[24] The video is the centerpiece of the 1988 filmMoonwalker.[25]
Jason Elias ofAllMusic wrote that "Smooth Criminal" was "a gorgeous and exhilarating record ... [it] presents Michael Jackson at his most captivating and it never fails to impress".[27]Rolling Stone named it the sixth best Jackson song, writing that it was "his best blend of R&B groove and rock edginess, and a turning point in his shift toward darker, harder-edged material."[28] In a retrospective review ofBad,Newsweek wrote: "[Smooth Criminal] is a sleek, exhilarating action sequence of a song that's unlike anything else in Jackson's catalog ... an urgent and inspired highlight.Bad is at its best when it explores the darker, more paranoid side that began to consume Jackson's life in the late '80s, and this song captures that impulse."[29]Entertainment Weekly wrote: "If there was one song onBad that truly captured the sense of artistic freedom that Jackson felt afterThriller, it was this track ... This is pop music as suspense drama."[30]
In May 2001, the American rock bandAlien Ant Farm released a "funky metallic"[86] cover of "Smooth Criminal" as the second single from their second studio album,Anthology (2001). According to the band's lead singer, Dryden Mitchell, the band would play a few riffs of the song while warming up before gigs and audience members would request the entire song.[87]
The cover became a number-one hit on the USBillboardModern Rock Tracks chart and was also a number-one hit in Australia for eight weeks. In Europe, it reached number three in the United Kingdom and charted within the top 10 in 11 other countries. Alien Ant Farm's 1999 albumGreatest Hits includes a hidden track, "Slick Thief", which is an early version of "Smooth Criminal".[citation needed]
Mitchell said he came to resent how popular the cover was, and did not want to perform it, thinking: "We're a better band than just this song." However, he accepted that fans wanted to hear it and decided he was being immature. He described it as a "fun party song" like theBeastie Boys' "Fight for Your Right".[88]
The music video was directed byMarc Klasfeld and shot in San Fernando, California.[89] It features the band performing in a wrestling ring and in front of a suburban house. The video also references various Michael Jackson music videos and elements of his personal life, including the original "Smooth Criminal" video, theMoonwalk, and Jackson's pet chimpanzeeBubbles.[90][91]
Before its release, Alien Ant Farm sent the video to Jackson for his approval. At his request, they reshot some scenes to remove a child wearing a surgical mask, a reference to how Jackson wore them in public to allegedly cover cosmetic surgeries. However, Jackson decided he preferred the video with the mask. Reflecting on the video in 2022, Mitchell said, "We went through quite a bit of money and bullshit to make sure that we were appeasing Michael Jackson."[88]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^Lecocq, Richard; Allard, François (2018)."Bad".Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England:Cassell.ISBN9781788400572.Archived from the original on May 16, 2021. RetrievedMarch 9, 2020.
^Lecocq, Richard (2018).Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England: Cassell. p. 1201.ISBN9781788400572.
^Shipley, Al (January 16, 2025)."Every Michael Jackson Album, Ranked".Spin. RetrievedJuly 8, 2025.The steely, syncopated synth funk of "Smooth Criminal" and "Speed Demon" has aged better than some of the album's stilted state-of-the-art updates of more traditional R&B styles, though.
^Lecocq, Richard; Allard, François (2018)."Bad".Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England:Cassell.ISBN9781788400572.Archived from the original on June 12, 2020. RetrievedNovember 26, 2019.
^Hedges-Stock, Zoah (May 22, 2018)."The Science of Smooth Criminal: Michael Jackson's Gravity-Defying Dance Moves Explained".The Telegraph.Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 26, 2019.In the Smooth Criminal video, Jackson just used wires to support himself in that impossible position, but he wanted to be able to perform the move live. Being hooked on and off a fishing line by stagehands would rather ruin the spectacle.
^ab"Doctors Explain Michael Jackson's Impossible Dance Move". BBC. May 22, 2018.Archived from the original on January 26, 2019. RetrievedJanuary 26, 2019.Prior to the patented footwear invention, Michael had relied on supporting cables and a harness around his waist to create the illusion.
^Lewis, Jel (2005).Michael Jackson, the King of Pop: The Big Picture : the Music! the Man! the Legend! the Interviews!. Amber Books Publishing. p. 113.ISBN0-974977-90-X.
^abStavenes Dove, Siri (September 29, 2001)."Airborne"(PDF).Music & Media. Vol. 19, no. 40. p. 14.Archived(PDF) from the original on August 25, 2020. RetrievedSeptember 29, 2020.
^"CHR/Pop: Going for Adds"(PDF).Radio & Records. No. 1415. August 17, 2001. p. 39.Archived(PDF) from the original on March 9, 2021. RetrievedApril 24, 2021.
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