"Bad Boys"
Original UK 7-inch vinyl release
Single by Wham!
from the album Fantastic
Released6 May 1983[1]
StudioMaison Rouge (London)[1]
GenreTeen pop[2]
Length3:19
LabelCBS
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.

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 Hitsnot 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
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[12] 11
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[13] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 2
US Billboard Hot 100[15] 60

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Bad Boys"
Chart (1983) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] 86

Certifications

Certifications for "Bad Boys"
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Silver 250,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 "History". Wham! World. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  2. ↑ Molanphy, Chris (April 14, 2023). "The British Are Charting Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  3. ↑ Tennant, Neil (12 May 1983). "Review: Wham! — "Bad Boys"" (PDF). Smash Hits. Vol. 5, no. 10. Peterborough: EMAP National Publications, Ltd. p. 34. ISSN 0260-3004. Archived from the original on 6 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022 – via World Radio History.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. ↑ Ellis, Lucy; Bryony Sutherland (1998). The Complete Guide to the Music of George Michael & Wham!. Music Sales Group. p. 12. ISBN 9780711968226.
  5. ↑ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. ↑ "Wham! – Bad Boys" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  7. ↑ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Wham!". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 280. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  8. ↑ "Wham! – Bad Boys" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  9. ↑ "Wham! – Bad Boys" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  10. ↑ "Wham! – Bad Boys". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  11. ↑ "Wham! – Bad Boys". VG-lista. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  12. ↑ "Wham! – Bad Boys". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  13. ↑ "Wham! – Bad Boys". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  14. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  15. ↑ "Wham Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  16. ↑ "Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
  17. ↑ "British single certifications – Wham! – Bad Boys". British Phonographic Industry.
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