Just Good Friends (song)

"Just Good Friends"
Song by Michael Jackson & Stevie Wonder
from the album Bad
Released	August 31, 1987
Recorded	1987^[1]
Genre	Synth-funk R&B pop
Length	4:06
Label	Epic
Songwriter(s)	Terry Britten Graham Lyle
Producer(s)	Quincy Jones Michael Jackson (co-producer)

"Just Good Friends" is a song from American recording artist Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad. The song is one of two duets on the album, the other being "I Just Can't Stop Loving You". The song features Jackson and Stevie Wonder quarrelling over a girl in a light, cheerful manner. "Just Good Friends" is the fifth track on Bad with a duration of 4:06. It is the only song from the album to have never been released as a single."Just Good Friends" is one of only two songs on Bad which were not written by Jackson himself, the other being "Man in the Mirror". The song was written and composed by the 80's song writing-partnership of Terry Britten and Graham Lyle.

Reception[]

Rolling Stone criticized "Just Good Friends" as being "the only mediocrity" on Bad.^[2] The reviewer attributed this to the fact that "Just Good Friends" is one of only two songs not actually written by Jackson on the album.^[2] Rolling Stone commented that the Stevie Wonder-duet starts well, but "devolves into a chin-bobbing cheerfulness that is unforced but also, sadly, unearned."^[2]

Credits[]

Written and composed by Terry Britten and Graham Lyle
Vocal duet with Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder
Synthesizer solo: Stevie Wonder
Drums: Ollie E. Brown, Humberto Gatica and Bruce Swedien
Drum programming: Cornelius Mims
Rhythm guitar and wah-wah guitar solo: Michael Landau
Saxophones: Kim Hutchcroft and Larry Williams
Trumpets: Gary Grant and Jerry Hey
Percussion: Paulinho Da Costa
Synclavier: Christopher Currell
Synthesizers: Michael Boddicker, Rhett Lawrence, Greg Phillinganes and Larry Williams
Rhythm, synthesizer and vocal arrangements by Terry Britten, Graham Lyle and Quincy Jones
Horn arrangement by Jerry Hey

References[]

^ Lecocq, Richard (2018). Michael Jackson All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. London, England: Cassell. p. 1134. ISBN 9781788400572.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b ^c "Album Reviews: Bad". Rolling Stone. 2001. Archived from the original on February 5, 2007. Retrieved July 2, 2007.

show v t Michael Jackson: Bad
Side one	"Bad" "The Way You Make Me Feel" "Speed Demon" "Liberian Girl" "Just Good Friends"
Side two	"Another Part of Me" "Man in the Mirror" "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" "Dirty Diana" "Smooth Criminal" "Leave Me Alone"
Related articles	Bad (tour) Moonwalker Michael Jackson's Moonwalker Bad 25 (film) Live at Wembley July 16, 1988 Even Worse

show v t Michael Jackson songs
Singles Songs
1970s	"Got to Be There" "Ain't No Sunshine" "I Wanna Be Where You Are" "Rockin' Robin" "Love Is Here and Now You're Gone" "You've Got a Friend" "Ben" "Everybody's Somebody's Fool" "My Girl" "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" "We've Got a Good Thing Going" "With a Child's Heart" "Morning Glow" "All the Things You Are" "Happy" "Too Young" "Doggin' Around" "Music and Me" "We're Almost There" "Just a Little Bit of You" "You Can't Win" "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" "Rock with You" "Working Day and Night" "It's the Falling in Love"
1980s	"Off the Wall" "Girlfriend" "She's Out of My Life" "One Day in Your Life" "The Girl Is Mine" "Billie Jean" "Beat It" "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'" "Human Nature" "P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)" "Thriller" "You've Really Got a Hold on Me" "Here I Am (Come and Take Me)" "Lonely Teardrops" "That's What Love Is Made Of" "Farewell My Summer Love" "Girl You're So Together" "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" "Bad" "The Way You Make Me Feel" "Speed Demon" "Liberian Girl" "Just Good Friends" "Another Part of Me" "Man in the Mirror" "Dirty Diana" "Smooth Criminal" "Leave Me Alone" "Twenty-Five Miles"
1990s	"Black or White" "Jam" "In the Closet" "Remember the Time" "Heal the World" "Who Is It" "Give In to Me" "Will You Be There" "Gone Too Soon" "Dangerous" "Come Together" "Scream" "Childhood" "They Don't Care About Us" "Stranger in Moscow" "This Time Around" "Earth Song" "D.S." "You Are Not Alone" "Tabloid Junkie" "HIStory" "Smile" "Mind Is the Magic" "Blood on the Dance Floor" "Ghosts" "Is It Scary" "On the Line"
2000s	"Speechless" "You Rock My World" "Heaven Can Wait" "Butterflies" "Cry" "One More Chance" "Cheater" "The Way You Love Me" "Fall Again" "This Is It"
2010s	"Hold My Hand" "Hollywood Tonight" "(I Can't Make It) Another Day" "Behind the Mask" "Don't Be Messin' 'Round" "Price of Fame" "Love Never Felt So Good" "Chicago" "Loving You" "A Place with No Name" "Slave to the Rhythm" "Blue Gangsta"
Other	"We Are the World" "What More Can I Give/Todo Para Ti" "We Are the World 25 for Haiti" "She's Trouble" "Blood on the Dance Floor x Dangerous" "Diamonds Are Invincible"
Featured	"Ease on Down the Road" "A Brand New Day" "Night Time Lover" "Papa Was a Rollin' Stone" "State of Independence" "Muscles" "Say Say Say" "Somebody's Watching Me" "Don't Stand Another Chance" "Centipede" "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin' (Too Good to Be True)" "Eaten Alive" "Get It" "2300 Jackson Street" "Do the Bartman" "Whatzupwitu" "Why" "I Need You" "Girls, Girls, Girls (Part 2)" "All Eyez on Me" "All in Your Name" "There Must Be More to Life Than This" "Low" "Don't Matter to Me"
Category

show v t Stevie Wonder
Discography
Studio albums	The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie Tribute to Uncle Ray With a Song in My Heart Stevie at the Beach Up-Tight Down to Earth I Was Made to Love Her Someday at Christmas Eivets Rednow For Once in My Life My Cherie Amour Signed, Sealed & Delivered Where I'm Coming From Music of My Mind Talking Book Innervisions Fulfillingness' First Finale Songs in the Key of Life Hotter than July In Square Circle Characters Conversation Peace A Time to Love
Live albums	Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius Stevie Wonder Live Live at the Talk of the Town Natural Wonder
Soundtracks	Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" The Woman in Red The Last Dragon: Original Soundtrack Album Jungle Fever
Compilations	Looking Back Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection At the Close of a Century The Definitive Collection 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Stevie Wonder The Complete Stevie Wonder
Singles	"Fingertips" "Hey Harmonica Man" "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" "With a Child's Heart" "Blowin' in the Wind" "A Place in the Sun" "Someday at Christmas" "Hey Love" "I Was Made to Love Her" "I'm Wondering" "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" "Alfie" "For Once in My Life" "I Don't Know Why" "My Cherie Amour" "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" "Never Had a Dream Come True" "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" "Heaven Help Us All" "We Can Work It Out" "Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" "If You Really Love Me" "What Christmas Means to Me" "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" "Superstition" "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" "Higher Ground" "Living for the City" "Don't You Worry 'bout a Thing" "He's Misstra Know-It-All" "You Haven't Done Nothin'" "Boogie On Reggae Woman" "I Wish" "Sir Duke" "Another Star" "As" "Pops, We Love You (A Tribute to Father)" "Send One Your Love" "Master Blaster (Jammin')" "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" "Lately" "Happy Birthday" "That Girl" "Ebony and Ivory" "Do I Do" "Ribbon in the Sky" "Front Line" "I Just Called to Say I Love You" "Love Light in Flight" "Part-Time Lover" "That's What Friends Are For" "Go Home" "Overjoyed" "Skeletons" "You Will Know" "Get It" "Gotta Have You" "We Didn't Know" "For Your Love" "So What the Fuss" "From the Bottom of My Heart" "All About the Love Again" "Faith" "Can't Put It in the Hands of Fate"
Featured singles	"My Love" "How Come, How Long" "California Roll"
Other songs	"You and I (We Can Conquer the World)" "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" "Golden Lady" "All in Love Is Fair" "They Won't Go When I Go" "Knocks Me Off My Feet" "Pastime Paradise" "Isn't She Lovely" "Black Man" "We Are the World" "Just Good Friends" "Seasons of Love" "True to Your Heart"
Tours	Songs in the Key of Life Tour
Related articles	Lula Mae Hardaway Syreeta Wright KJLH SuperEgo Wonderin' "Wonder-ful"
Category