Bad Boys (Wham! song)

Last updated
"Bad Boys"
Bad Boyswham.jpg
Original UK 7-inch vinyl release
Single by Wham!
from the album Fantastic
B-side "Bad Boys" (instrumental)
Released6 May 1983 [1]
Studio Maison Rouge (London) [1]
Genre Teen pop [2]
Length3:19
Label CBS
Songwriter(s) George Michael
Producer(s)
  • Steve Brown
  • George Michael
Wham! singles chronology
"Young Guns (Go for It)"
(1982)
"Bad Boys"
(1983)
"Club Tropicana"
(1983)
Music video
"Bad Boys" on YouTube

"Bad Boys" is a song by English pop duo Wham! released on 6 May 1983. It was written and co-produced by George Michael, one half of the duo, and released on Innervision Records.

Contents

The song was an energetic but endearing tale of a rebellious teenage lad's struggle against his parents who are concerned about his late-night activities. Although Michael wrote and sang it from the teenager's perspective (he was himself only 19 when he composed it and the character refers to being that age in the song), he also penned a middle eight in which the "parents" (Michael putting on more "adult" voices) aired their concerns, which included late nights and cigarettes and ultimately asking, "Why do you have to be so cruel?". Michael's father was played by Anthony Souter who was 18 and made up to look older.

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Smash Hits not rated [3]

Chart performance

It was the third single to be taken from Wham!'s debut album, Fantastic , and reached number 2 in the UK Singles Chart, going on to become the 26th best selling single of 1983. At the time, Wham! was projecting a hard, politically motivated image, with "Bad Boys" one of a number of songs projecting a stance of mood and youthful independence, a "soul boy – dole boy" theme. [4] The single was also released in the United States, peaking at number 60. It was the duo's first time on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US, although they were listed as Wham!-UK.

"Bad Boys" became the biggest hit from the debut album, although it would be usurped by "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" from the album Make It Big in 1984, which became the first of four UK number-one singles the duo would enjoy. Michael quickly denounced "Bad Boys" as a song he hated, stating it was "like an albatross round my neck". The song was famously omitted from the 1997 compilation album The Best of Wham!: If You Were There... , despite the album including tracks that were not released as singles.

Track listing

All tracks are written by George Michael

7″: Innervision / A 3143 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."Bad Boys"3:20
2."Bad Boys" (instrumental)3:25
12″: Innervision / TA 3143 (UK)
No.TitleLength
1."Bad Boys" (12″ mix)4:58
2."Bad Boys" (instrumental)3:25

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Bad Boys"
Chart (1983)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [5] 9
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) [6] 8
Finland (Suomen virallinen singlelista) [7] 5
Germany (Official German Charts) [8] 12
Netherlands (Single Top 100) [9] 26
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) [10] 10
Norway (VG-lista) [11] 8
Paraguay (La Opinion) [12] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan) [13] 11
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [14] 6
UK Singles (OCC) [15] 2
US Billboard Hot 100 [16] 60

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Bad Boys"
Chart (1983)Position
Australia (Kent Music Report) [17] 86

Certifications

Certifications for "Bad Boys"
RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [18] Silver250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

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References

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