Queen guitarist Brian May has recalled how Freddie Mercury once proposed naming a Queen album “Good” as a playful response to Michael Jackson’s hugely successful album “Bad”.
Speaking in a recent interview with Planet Rock, May explained that Mercury was usually excellent at coming up with song and album titles, but this particular suggestion did not receive quite the enthusiastic reaction he might have expected from his bandmates.
“He was very good at coming up with titles,” May recalled, explaining how Mercury would often keep his ideas secret until he was ready to reveal them.
According to May, Mercury introduced his proposal by pointing out that Michael Jackson had called his album “Bad” before suggesting that Queen should do something nobody had done before.
“I think we call our album ‘Good’,” Mercury reportedly suggested.
The idea was met with an awkward silence. May remembered that the band considered the suggestion but ultimately felt it was probably not the right choice.
However, the guitarist was quick to emphasise that this was an exceptionally rare misstep from Mercury, whose creativity and ideas were usually met with enthusiasm.
“Most of Freddie’s ideas were excellent,” May explained.
Michael Jackson released “Bad” on August 31, 1987, five years after “Thriller” transformed the music industry. The album went on to produce several major hits, including “Bad”, “The Way You Make Me Feel”, “Man in the Mirror”, “Dirty Diana” and “Smooth Criminal”.
Queen’s next studio album after “Bad” was “The Miracle”, released in 1989. Although May did not specify which album Mercury had in mind when he suggested “Good”, the story offers a fascinating glimpse into the humour and creative discussions behind one of rock music’s most celebrated bands.
The anecdote also highlights the impact Michael Jackson’s music had on his contemporaries. Even a band as successful and influential as Queen could not ignore the cultural phenomenon surrounding the King of Pop and his record-breaking releases.
In the end, Queen never released an album called “Good”. But Mercury’s playful idea remains a memorable example of how Michael Jackson’s “Bad” inspired a little friendly musical competition, even if the proposed response was ultimately left on the drawing board.
