"The Way You Make Me Feel" is the third single from Michael Jackson's album, Bad. Released on November 9, 1987, and written by Jackson and Quincy Jones, the song was part of the album's larger mission of changing Jackson's public persona a bit, to make him better appeal to a more adult audience. While the other songs on the album focused on giving Jackson more of an edge, this song focuses on Jackson's appeal as a sex symbol and ability to pick up girls. Lyrically, the song is about Jackson professing his love and adoration for a woman and describes the pure bliss he feels being in love with her, as well as the things he's willing to do to keep her by his side.
The song was accompanied by a music video released on October 31st of the same year, directed by Joe Pytka (of Space Jam fame, who would later collab with Jackson again on a video for "Dirty Diana"). There are two versions of it. The shortened, nearly 7 minute version focuses just on Jackson pursuing a woman who is seen being catcalled by a group of Gangbangers, appealing to her with his singing and dancing, while she coyly ignores him until he wins her over and the two kiss at the end. The longer 9 minute version includes a theatrical bit at the beginning in which Jackson is actually shown to be with the gangbangers when they try to get the woman's attention. Striking out himself, an elderly man tells Jackson to just be himself, thus leading to the rest of the video shown in the shortened version.
Tropes in this work:
- The Cameo: In the longer cut of the video, one of Jackson's sisters, Latoya Jackson has a brief cameo as one of the woman's friends.
- Gangbangers: The video sees Jackson trying to fit in with a gang of cat-calling Crips, but is warned off by the elders in his neighborhood, and is ultimately convinced to be himself, instead of hanging around a bad crowd. The gangbangers in the video were real Crips Jackson hired, and he even took a photo
throwing up the C-sign with them. - Lighter and Softer: Bad the album is Darker and Edgier in comparison to what Jackson had been making prior to then, making use of heavier rock sounds like the guitar. This is best demonstrated by comparing "Beat It" from Thriller—a song against gang violence—to "Bad" off this album, which sees Jackson actively trying to adopt a harder, gang image while boasting about how hard he is. "The Way You Make Me Feel", in comparison to the rest of the songs on the album however is much softer, being a much more typical pop love song.
- Playful Pursuit: The video features Jackson following a woman who is walking alone in the city. Later, he is joined by a group of guys who had been catcalling the woman nearby in his pursuit as backup dancers.
- Silly Love Songs: Barring the line about how the girl the narrator pursues "really turns [him] on," the song is a straight-forward and chaste love song, featuring lyrics like "You knock me off my feet now. My lonely days are gone!" and "I never felt so in love before. Promise baby you'll love me forevermore."
- Stalking is Love: Jackson following some random woman walking alone in the city at night around a city block, singing about how much he loves her, and performing lewd dance moves towards her is portrayed as romantic. Rather than being annoyed or creeped out by this behavior, the woman in question is amused and the video ends with them embracing.
- Stock Sound Effects: The song starts with a generic car engine revving.
