Smooth Criminal - Background and Composition

Background and Composition

Smooth Criminal was a song written by Michael Jackson and co-produced with Quincy Jones. Two early versions of the song were written by Jackson in 1985 and the original demo was recorded in 1986. The first song was called "Chicago 1945" which evolved into "Al Capone" (which was later released on the Bad 25th anniversary edition of the album). This version didn't make the album and was re-worked and re-written as "Smooth Criminal". This song is played in the key of C major. Jackson's vocal spans from G3 to E5. It has a moderate tempo and metronome of 118 beats per minute.

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