Sources : My personal research, Wikipedia, Michael Jackson: For The Record by Chris Cadman & Craig Halstead, Twitter account of Damien Shields and the amazing archives of the MJCast.
RECORDING DATE
Streetwalker (demo 1/1986 aka Florida Groove) recorded at Hayvenhurst
March 23, 1986 : Recording session at Michael’s Hayvenhurst home studio. MJ, Bill Bottrell, John Barnes and Matt Forger work on the song “Florida Groove”
May 21, 1986 : Recording session at Michael’s Hayvenhurst home studio. MJ, Bill Bottrell, John Barnes and Matt Forger work on the songs “Florida Groove” and “Trash Can Song”.
May 23, 1986 : Recording session at Michael’s Hayvenhurst home studio. MJ, Bill Bottrell, John Barnes and Matt Forger work on the song “Florida Groove”.
July 8, 1986 : Recording session at Michael’s Hayvenhurst home studio. MJ, Bill Bottrell, John Barnes and Matt Forger work on the song “Florida Groove” aka “Streetwalker”.
July 9, 1986 : Recording session at Michael’s Hayvenhurst home studio. MJ, Bill Bottrell, John Barnes and Matt Forger work on the song “Florida Groove” aka “Streetwalker”.
October 4, 1986 : Recording session at Michael’s Hayvenhurst home studio. MJ, Bill Bottrell, John Barnes and Matt Forger work on the song “Streetwalker”.
October 11, 1986 : Recording session at Michael’s Hayvenhurst home studio. MJ, Bill Bottrell, John Barnes and Matt Forger work on the song “Streetwalker”.
Streetwalker (demo 2/1987) : New mix recorded in January-June 1987 at Westake studio. The song was very close to making it on the album, although it was ultimately decided to include “Another Part of Me” instead.
Bill Bottrell on X (March 26, 2025) : “Quincy working during Bad at Westlake with some minimalist arrangements and reverb like thriller era. MJ adding new chorus “Never Met a Girl” a new vocal, some new lyrics, and adding my drum programming during Bad at Westlake, probably when Q wasn’t there.”
Streetwalker (demo 3/1988) : Bill Bottrell did further work on Streetwalker at Smoketree Studio in California in 1988. The 1988 mix was released on October 16, 2001 (Bad Special Edition).
Bill Bottrell on X (December 8, 2024) : “Streetwalker is a chaos in my muddled memory. There was no SW a Hayvenhurst. None. This version has my drum program? The mix is Bruce, very Thriller, and the Voc recording is Bruce? This version has no chorus? My journals say I went to Westlake and recorded vocals Jan. 12-13, 1987 which DID have the chorus, because I never heard this without that? Of these Westlake sessions I have zero memory? Then jump to 1988, MJ is on BAD tour, calls me and asks me to “re-do” Streetwalker. I spend a week at Smoketree by myself totally changing it, new tempo, new key, send to MJ, he said “Billy that’s country”. I thought he didn’t like it, story over. Then jump several years and I hear SW released version on YT. I see Q listed as producer so I call Q and say I think I produced that and he says “yeah, ok”. 15 years later I hear Q had a finished SW that he left off BAD and put APOM on instead. And I’m just very confused. Do people have the final Q version? I don’t care just curious.”
Bill Bottrell on X (March 26, 2025) : “My post-Bad versions made at Smoketree during Bad tour with new tempo, arrangements, guitars, horns, new vocals, strange “street scene” intro. (This version eventually released). MJ called me from his Bad tour and asked me to re-invent SW. I worked alone at Smoketree only bringing in Jasun Martz to play harp, did a rough mix and sent it to MJ. Early in Dangerous sessions, he only said about SW, “Billy, that’s country!”
STUDIO(S)
Hayvenhurst (Encino, California)
Westlake Recording Studios ( Los Angeles, California)
Smoketree Ranch (Palm Springs, California)
SONGWRITER(S)
Michael Jackson
PRODUCER(S)
Quincy Jones
Bill Bottrell
Michael Jackson
RELEASE DATE :
Streetwalker (demo 1/1986 aka Florida Groove) : First leaked online on July 18, 2018, as a 2:21 snippet. In 2020, the same demo was leaked in full as a low-quality recording from Brad Sundberg’s seminars was leaked online. On January 27, 2023, it was leaked in HQ after Sundberg’s laptop was stolen. Remains unreleased.
Streetwalker (demo 2/1987) : New mix with Western intro recorded in January 1987 at Westake studio. A low-quality phone recording of the 1987 demo leaked online in 2020. It’s much closer to what was eventually released. The full 1987 demo leaked in HQ on June 24, 2025. Remains unreleased.
Streetwalker (demo 3/1988) : released on October 16, 2001 (Bad, Special Edition)
LABEL
Sony
LENGTH
5:53 (final version)
6:20 (1986 demo)
4:36 (unconfirmed) (1987 demo)
ALTERNATE VERSIONS RECORDED BY MJ (covers and remixes by other artists are not included)
MUSICIANS
PEAK ON HOT 100 BILLBOARD :
Not released as a single
SHORT FILM
No short film
LIVE PERFORMANCES ON TV SHOWS
Never performed on TV
LIVE PERFORMANCES IN CONCERTS
Never performed in concerts
Jackson Dynasty 