Bad Boys (Wham! song)

"Bad Boys"
Single by Wham!
from the album Fantastic
Released May 13, 1983
Format 12", 7"
Recorded 1982
Genre Post-disco, Dance-Pop
Length 3:19
Label CBS
Writer(s) George Michael
Producer(s) Steve Brown, George Michael
Wham! singles chronology
"Young Guns (Go for It)"
(1982)		 "Bad Boys"
(1983)		 "Club Tropicana"
(1983)

"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 cigarettes 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, a "soul boy - dole boy" theme.[1] 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.

Track listing

All tracks written by George Michael. 

7": Innervision / A 3143 (UK)
No. Title Length
1. "Bad Boys"   3:20
2. "Bad Boys" (Instrumental) 3:25
12": Innervision / TA 3143 (UK)
No. Title Length
1. "Bad Boys" (12" Mix) 4:58
2. "Bad Boys" (Instrumental) 3:25

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1983) Peak
Position
Australia (ARIA)[2] 9
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[3] 8
Germany (Official German Charts)[4] 12
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[5] 26
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[6] 10
Norway (VG-lista)[7] 8
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[8] 11
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[9] 6
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[10] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 60

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[12] Silver 250,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ Ellis, Lucy; Bryony Sutherland (1998). The Complete Guide to the Music of George Michael & Wham!. Music Sales Group. p. 12. ISBN 9780711968226.
  2. ↑ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  3. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Wham! – Bad Boys" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Wham! – Bad Boys". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  5. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Wham! – Bad Boys" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  6. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Wham! – Bad Boys". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Wham! – Bad Boys". VG-lista. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Wham! – Bad Boys". Singles Top 100. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Wham! – Bad Boys". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  10. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1983-06-04" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  11. ↑ "Wham! – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Wham!. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  12. ↑ "British single certifications – Wham! – Bad Boys". British Phonographic Industry. Enter Bad Boys in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Silver in the field By Award. Click Search
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