Bad Girls (Donna Summer song)
| "Bad Girls" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpg) | ||||
| Single by Donna Summer | ||||
| from the album Bad Girls | ||||
| B-side | "On My Honor" | |||
| Released | June 23, 1979 | |||
| Format | 7" single, 12" single | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
4:55 (album version) 3:56 (radio edit) | |||
| Label | Casablanca | |||
| Writer(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Certification | Platinum | |||
| Donna Summer singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Bad Girls" is a song by American singer Donna Summer, co-written by Summer and the Brooklyn Dreams.
The song hit the spot on the Billboard pop, R&B and disco singles charts simultaneously becoming, alongside "Hot Stuff", her most successful single. Bad Girls the single, spent 5 weeks on the top of the "Hot 100 chart" and sold over 2 millions copies in the US. The song helped the album of the same name to reach the multi-platinum status in the United States. A 12" single of the song was released as a medley with "Hot Stuff".
Although "Hot Stuff" was extended for the 12" single, "Bad Girls" remained in the 4:55 album version. A "Bad Girls" 12" single with a time of 6:55 was produced but never released commercially. A demo version of the song was released on the "Deluxe Edition" of the "Bad Girls" CD.
Background
The inspiration for her to write the song came after one of her assistants was offended by a police officer who thought she was a street prostitute. A rough version of the song had originally been written a couple of years before its release. Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart, upon hearing it, wanted Donna to give it to Cher for her upcoming album.[1] Donna refused and put it away for a couple of years. The song won favourite Pop/Rock single at the American Music Awards, and Donna won both Favourite Soul/R & B Female Artist and Favourite Pop/Rock Female Artist for the song. She was also nominated for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for the song at the 22nd Grammy Awards in 1980.
Chart performance
The song was a huge hit, making it number one on the Billboard Hot 100, R&B and disco singles charts simultaneously becoming, alongside "Hot Stuff", her most successful single. Bad Girls the single, spent 5 weeks on the top of the "Hot 100 chart" and sold over 2 millions copies in the US. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1979.[2] The song helped the album of the same name to reach the multi-platinum status in the United States. A 12" single of the song was released as a medley with "Hot Stuff".
Cover versions
- Trinu and the Burger Queens covered the song.
- A remix of this song by Juliet Roberts appears in the 1999 music video game arcade Dance Dance Revolution 2ndMix.[3] She covered this song as a no. 17 UK hit.
- Jeffree Star covered the song in 2010 for the MTV original movie Turn the Beat Around soundtrack extended play.
- Sasha Allen sung the song on The Voice
Sampling
- Its "toot-toot, beep-beep" chant would be sampled by hip hop artists, most notably Aaliyah, in her album track, "Ladies in Da House", from her 1996 release, One in a Million.
- The "toot-toot, beep-beep" chant was also used for Miranda!'s Mirandamix from their 2008 Album 'El Templo Del Pop'.
- The chorus was sampled in Lil Kim's unreleased song 'Bad Girl' in which RuPaul takes Donna Summers part.
- The last missive from Late Nite Tuff Guy in 2015 is a Disco edit of Donna Summer‘s “Bad Girls”, entitled “Do U Wanna Get Down”.[4]
Appearances in other media
- A segment of the song was used on the Homicide: Life on the Street episode "A Many Splendored Thing."
- In 1999, John Cleese danced to the song's tune wearing ladies clothes in the remake of The Out-of-Towners.
- In 2000, Cheryl Chase, Kevin Michael Richardson, Billy West, and Tim Curry covered the song in the animated movie Rugrats in Paris. Chase did the voice of Angelica singing the song and most of the lyrics were changed in order to make the song appropriate for kids. Instead of street hookers, the theme of it was misbehaved and spoiled children.
- The song was also featured in a scene of the 2000 movie The Replacements.
- The song was also featured in a scene of the TV series Sex and the City in the third season episode " Where There's Smoke...".
- The song was also featured in a scene of the TV series Ugly Betty in the first season episode "Four Thanksgivings and a Funeral".
- In 2004, the song was the theme to the TV show Bad Girls Most Wanted on ITV 1 hosted by Jack Ellis aka Jim Fenner.
