You'll Hear It

The Impossible follow-up: Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad. Five years after Thriller changed everything, Michael returned with a record that would become one of the best-selling of all time, win two Grammys, feature some of the greatest musicians in the world (hey, Stevie Wonder!) ... and somehow still gets called a letdown. 
We've covered two of Michael's albums produced by Quincy Jones: Off the Wall and Thriller. What about Bad? Could it actually be better than its predecessor? Jazz pianists Peter Martin and Adam Maness deliver their final verdict on this 80s pop sensation.
Along the way, you'll hear behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the album. Plus - we break down the tracks (with keyboards) to highlight the music theory behind this album's most compelling moments. 
“Annie, are you OK?” Sometimes the best hooks come from the strangest places - find out where in the YHI newsletter: https://youllhearit.com/newsletter
00:00 - Intro: "Smooth Criminal" - Michael Jackson
01:30 - Michael Jackson's Bad (1987)
6:40 - Quincy's Smaller Role on Bad
7:50 - The Quincey Jones Brain Trust
11:00 - "Bad" - Tough Guy Michael
15:00 - Too Much Programming?
18:40 - That Organ Solo? Jimmy Smith!
22:40 - The Tragedy Behind Bad
23:45 - "The Way You Make Me Feel" - Sweet Michael
29:15 - How WE Really Feel (About Bad vs Thriller)
30:30 - "Speed Demon" - A Nostalgic Track
31:55 - Can We Be Honest?
32:50 - "Liberian Girl" - The Mid-Album Dip
35:30 - "Just Good Friends" - Stevie Can't Save It
41:00 - "Another Part of Me" - Pure Joy
45:00 - How "Man in the Mirror" Got Its Name
45:55 - "Man in the Mirror" - The Apex
53:00 - Why We Don't See Songs Like This Today
57:30 - "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" - Rejected By Babs
1:01:00 - "Dirty Diana" - Phil Collins Vibes
1:02:50 - "Smooth Criminal" - That's MJ's Heartbeat!
1:06:25 - "Leave Me Alone" - The Shuffle
1:09:15 - Apex Moments: Phillinganes and That "Woo!" 
1:10:55 - Final Verdict: Bad vs Thriller
1:14:05 - Open Studio Plays "Smooth Criminal"

Carole King’s Tapestry is so cozy, you'll want to hug it; sit with it. It sounds simple, warm, and totally unassuming. But it’s way more impressive than it seems at first.
Adam and Peter break down what’s actually going on beneath the surface of Tapestry ... and what most people miss. Carole King was already an elite songwriter long before this album. You know Aretha Franklin's “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”? Carole wrote that. “Will You Love Me Tomorrow” by The Shirelles? She wrote that, too. When she was just 17!
Listen closely and you hear it everywhere: in the chord choices, in the way the she actually PLAYS the piano instead of just accompanying her vocals, and in the way her melodies and lyrics lock together so naturally you barely notice how intentional it all is.
Add in that soulful, sweet voice, and you start to understand how this unassuming record became a chart-topping, Grammy-dominating classic when it came out in 1971.
Tapestry sounds easy, but it's not. Check out this episode, and you'll never hear this album the same way again.
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00:00 - Opening Tune: It's Too Late
01:25 - Introducing Carole King's Tapestry
05:00 - That Time Young Paul Simon and Carole Played Together
07:10 - Carole's Early Doo-wop Sound
10:20 - "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" - Aretha Franklin
13:30 - When Songwriter Became Performer
16:30 - B.B. and Carole 
18:00 - "I Feel the Earth Move"
22:00 - "So Far Away"
30:45 - "It's Too Late"
40:50 - "Home Again"
44:00 - "Beautiful"
45:35 - "Way Over Yonder" 
50:00 - "You've Got a Friend"
58:20 - "Where You Lead"
1:02:30 - "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"
1:04:40 - "Tapestry"
1:08:45 - "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman"
1:13:10 - Apex Moments of Tapestry
1:21:20 - Coming Up On on You'll Hear It
1:22:00 - Outro: "It's Too Late"

We're looking at the best jazz releases of January 2026! Listen with pianist Adam Maness as he breaks down and reacts to these great tracks.
Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: 
https://osjazz.link/yhi   
00:00 - Intro
00:50 - Why Don't You - Sam Fribush, Corey Fonville, Charlie Hunter
03:09 - Talking Drum - Julian Lage
04:58 - Flim - Winderman, Colman, Kimock
06:53 - Nacho Supreme - Motion II
08:51 - Wisdom Is Eternal (For Barry Harris)
10:49 - Unpersuadable Extern - N∆BOU
12:11 - Free Walk - Vladko
14:17 - Fireball - John Ellis & Double Wide
15:52 - Giant Steps - Billy Hart
18:50 - Parks Lope - Aaron Parks

New episode drops February 2, 2026! Keep your eyes on the feed for episodes on artists like Carole King, Michael Jackson, Ornette Coleman, Miles Davis, Radiohead, Tears for Fears, D'Angelo and so much more!

We're looking back at the best jazz releases of 2025. Listen with pianist Adam Maness as he breaks down and reacts to these great tracks.
This is a new segment from the team behind You'll Hear It, and we're looking to continue this music discovery pod as a weekly series in 2026. Help us shape this series and leave us a comment with your feedback.

Start your free Open Studio trial for ALLLLL your jazz lesson needs: 
https://osjazz.link/yhi   
00:00 - The Best New Jazz of 2025
00:55 - "Spiral Dance" - Branford Marsalis Quartet
02:30 - "Minor Blues Redux" - Kenny Barron
4:54 - "Icarus" - Joshua Redman
6:55 - "Thou Swell" - Gillian Margot, Geoffrey Keezer
9:30 - "Southern Nights" - Sullivan Fortner
12:30 - "Anything but now" - Cécile McLorin Salvant
16:30 - "Everything Means Nothing to Me" - Brad Mehldau
22:00 - "Over (feat. Yebba)" - Robert Glasper
24:40 - "Carved From" - Mary Halvorson
26:45 - "Old Folks" - Christian McBride
29:00 - "Windows" - Chick Corea, Christian McBride, Brian Blade
33:00 - "Mood Indigo" - Dee Dee Bridgewater, Bill Charlap