Bad Boys (Wham! song)

"Bad Boys"
"Bad Boys"
	Original UK 7-inch vinyl release
Single by Wham!
from the album Fantastic
B-side	"Bad Boys" (instrumental)
Released	6 May 1983
Studio	Maison Rouge (London)
Genre	Teen pop; synth-pop;
Length	3:19
Label	CBS
Songwriter(s)	George Michael
Producer(s)	Steve Brown; George Michael;
Wham! singles chronology
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 is sung from the perspective of a rebellious teenager whose parents are concerned about his late-night activities. Michael, who was only 19 when he composed it (and the character refers to being that age in the song), also penned a middle eight in which the "parents" (Michael putting on more "adult" voices) air their concerns, which include late nights and cigarettes and ultimately asking, "Why do you have to be so cruel?" Michael's father was played by Anthony Souter in the music video, who was 18 and made up to look older. English model Gail Lawson also appears in the video, playing the blonde girl Michael and Andrew Ridgeley are with in a convertible car.

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Smash Hits	not rated^[4]

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,behind “Every Breath You Take” by The Police, 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.^[5] 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.	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

Charts

Weekly charts

Weekly chart performance for "Bad Boys"
Chart (1983)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[6]	9
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[7]	8
Finland (Suomen virallinen singlelista)^[8]	5
Germany (GfK)^[9]	12
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[10]	26
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[11]	10
Norway (VG-lista)^[12]	8
Paraguay (La Opinion)^[13]	1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)^[14]	11
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[15]	6
UK Singles (OCC)^[16]	2
US Billboard Hot 100^[17]	60

Year-end charts

Year-end chart performance for "Bad Boys"
Chart (1983)	Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[18]	86

Certifications

Certifications for "Bad Boys"
Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)^[20]	Silver	464,096^[19]

References

^ ^a ^b "History". Wham! World. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
^ Molanphy, Chris (April 14, 2023). "The British Are Charting Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
^ Simpson, Mark (14 February 2014). "1983: The Last Great Year of Pop". Out. Retrieved 9 March 2025. Other 1983 synthpop singles that got played to death either in the common room or in my bedroom included...the surprisingly political "Bad Boys" by Wham...
^ 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)
^ Ellis, Lucy; Bryony Sutherland (1998). The Complete Guide to the Music of George Michael & Wham!. Music Sales Group. p. 12. ISBN 9780711968226.
^ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Wham! – Bad Boys" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
^ 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.
^ "Wham! – Bad Boys" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
^ "Wham! – Bad Boys" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
^ "Wham! – Bad Boys". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
^ "Wham! – Bad Boys". VG-lista. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
^ "Éxitos mundiales de actualidad". La Opinión (Los Angeles) (in Spanish). 30 September 1983. p. 15. Retrieved 13 June 2024.
^ "Wham! – Bad Boys". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
^ "Wham! – Bad Boys". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
^ "Wham Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
^ "Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.
^ "George Michael on the charts". Music Week. Intent Media. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
^ "British single certifications – Wham! – Bad Boys". British Phonographic Industry.

[Wham_world-1] "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.

[Simpson_2014-3] Simpson, Mark (14 February 2014). "1983: The Last Great Year of Pop". Out. Retrieved 9 March 2025. Other 1983 synthpop singles that got played to death either in the common room or in my bedroom included...the surprisingly political "Bad Boys" by Wham...

[SHReview-4] 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)

[5] Ellis, Lucy; Bryony Sutherland (1998). The Complete Guide to the Music of George Michael & Wham!. Music Sales Group. p. 12. ISBN 9780711968226.

[6] David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[sc_Flanders_Wham!-7] "Wham! – Bad Boys" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 March 2016.

[8] 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.

[sc_Germany_Wham!-9] "Wham! – Bad Boys" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 6 March 2016.

[sc_Dutch100_Wham!-10] "Wham! – Bad Boys" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2016.

[sc_New_Zealand_Wham!-11] "Wham! – Bad Boys". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 March 2016.

[sc_Norway_Wham!-12] "Wham! – Bad Boys". VG-lista. Retrieved 6 March 2016.

[13] "Éxitos mundiales de actualidad". La Opinión (Los Angeles) (in Spanish). 30 September 1983. p. 15. Retrieved 13 June 2024.

[sc_Sweden_Wham!-14] "Wham! – Bad Boys". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2016.

[sc_Switzerland_Wham!-15] "Wham! – Bad Boys". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2016.

[sc_UK_-16] "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 March 2016.

[sc_Billboardhot100_Wham-17] "Wham Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 6 March 2016.

[aus83-18] "Kent Music Report – National Top 100 Singles for 1983". Kent Music Report. Retrieved 22 January 2023 – via Imgur.com.

[UK_sales-19] "George Michael on the charts". Music Week. Intent Media. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2024.

[United_KingdomWham!Bad_BoyssingleCertRef-20] "British single certifications – Wham! – Bad Boys". British Phonographic Industry.

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v t e Wham!
George Michael Andrew Ridgeley
Studio albums	Fantastic Make It Big Music from the Edge of Heaven
Compilations	The Final The Best of Wham!: If You Were There... The Singles: Echoes from the Edge of Heaven
Singles	"Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" "Young Guns (Go for It!)" "Bad Boys" "Club Tropicana" "Club Fantastic Megamix" "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" "Careless Whisper" "Freedom" "Everything She Wants" "Last Christmas" "I'm Your Man" "The Edge of Heaven" "Where Did Your Heart Go?"
Concerts and tours	Club Fantastic The Big Tour Whamamerica! The Final
Filmography	Wham! in China: Foreign Skies Wham!
Related articles	Discography Deon Estus Dee C. Lee Pepsi & Shirlie Tommy Eyre Whamageddon Last Christmas soundtrack
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