Bad Boys (Wham! song)
Encyclopedia
"Bad Boys" was a song by British
pop duo Wham!
which was a hit in 1983. It was written by George Michael
, one half of the duo, and released on Innervision Records
.
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 George 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" (George putting on more "adult" voices) aired their concerns, which included late nights and cigarette
s and ultimately asking"Why do you have to be so cruel?"
It was the third single to be taken from Wham!'s debut album, Fantastic, and reached #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. The single was also released in the United States, peaking at #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 #1 singles the duo would enjoy. George 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 If You Were There (The Best of Wham)
, despite the album including tracks that weren't even released as singles.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop duo Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
which was a hit in 1983. It was written by George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
, one half of the duo, and released on Innervision Records
Innervision Records
Innervision Records was an independent record label distributed by CBS Records. The label was established around 1981 by Mark Dean and Shamsi Ahmed which included Wham! on their artist roster, who scored four top-ten hits while signed to Innervision...
.
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 George 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" (George putting on more "adult" voices) aired their concerns, which included late nights and cigarette
Cigarette
A cigarette is a small roll of finely cut tobacco leaves wrapped in a cylinder of thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end and allowed to smoulder; its smoke is inhaled from the other end, which is held in or to the mouth and in some cases a cigarette holder may be used as well...
s and ultimately asking"Why do you have to be so cruel?"
It was the third single to be taken from Wham!'s debut album, Fantastic, and reached #2 in the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, 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. The single was also released in the United States, peaking at #60. It was the duo's first time on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
in the US, although they were listed as Wham!-UK
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
.
"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 #1 singles the duo would enjoy. George quickly denounced "Bad Boys" as a song he hated, stating it was "like an albatross
Albatross
Albatrosses, of the biological family Diomedeidae, are large seabirds allied to the procellariids, storm-petrels and diving-petrels in the order Procellariiformes . They range widely in the Southern Ocean and the North Pacific...
round my neck". The song was famously omitted from the 1997 compilation album If You Were There (The Best of Wham)
If You Were There (The Best of Wham)
-DVD:# "Wham Rap!" - 3:15 # "Club Tropicana" - 4:31 # "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" - 3:45 # "Last Christmas" - 4:20 # "The Edge Of Heaven" - 4:25 # "Where Did Your Heart Go?" - 5:10 # "I'm Your Man" - 5:40 # "Everything She Wants" - 6:30...
, despite the album including tracks that weren't even released as singles.
12": Innervision / TA 3143 (UK)
- "Bad Boys" [12" mix] – 4:58
- "Bad Boys" [instrumental] – 3:25
Chart performance
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Sweden | 11 |
| Switzerland | 6 |
| Norway | 8 |
| Australia | 9 |
| UK | 2 |
| US | 60 |