"Bad Guy" (stylized in all lowercase) is a song by American singer-songwriter Billie Eilish and the fifth single from her debut studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? (2019). It was released on March 29, 2019, by Darkroom and Interscope Records. The song was described by media as dance-pop, electropop, and pop-trap, with minimalist instrumentation. In the lyrics, Eilish taunts someone for being tough while suggesting that she is a more resilient bad guy than he is. Eilish wrote "Bad Guy" with its producer and her brother Finneas O'Connell. Different versions of the song include a collaboration with the Canadian singer Justin Bieber and a cover by Dove Cameron.
Upon release, "Bad Guy" received positive reviews and topped the US Billboard Hot 100 and 16 other international charts including Australia, Canada and New Zealand, while peaking at number two on the UK Singles Chart. In the US, it ended the record-breaking 19-week run of "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. "Bad Guy" has received several certifications, including a tenfold platinum award from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and a Diamond certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). "Bad Guy" is the tenth most streamed song in Apple Music history. The song received several awards, including Record and Song of the Year at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
Dave Meyers directed the music video, which depicts Eilish involved in several activities such as wild dancing, suffering a nosebleed and sitting on the back of a man doing push-ups. Reviewers noted the video for its camp elements and eccentric imagery.
Background and release
Eilish released her first studio album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, on March 29, 2019.- "Bad Guy" was simultaneously issued as the record's fifth single. The song was co-written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O'Connell, with the latter also produced the track and Eilish providing additional production. It was mastered by John Greenham and mixed by Rob Kinelski, both of whom also served as studio personnel. In August 2019, the single was made available for pre-order on cassette and scheduled to ship in October; selected cassettes were signed by Eilish. Additionally, a flexi disc was similarly released for pre-order to ship in the following 4–6 weeks. Each of the two releases came with a digital single delivered via email for US customers.
Composition and lyrical interpretation "Bad Guy" is divided into two-halves; the first is fast at 135 beats per minute (BPM) and the latter is slower at 120 BPM. The song is played in the key of G minor following a chord progression of Gm–Cm–D7, while Eilish's vocals span a range of F3 to C6. The track was called dance-pop, electropop, pop-trap, and "nu-goth pop" in media articles; it features a minimalist production consisting of synth bass, a kick drum, amplified finger snaps and 808 bass. Furthermore, the single's hook uses a synthesizer riff, which has been described as both "goofy carnival" and "cartoony". In an interview with Rolling Stone, the use of a Sydney pedestrian traffic light sound in the song was revealed; it originates from a phone recording made by Eilish in February 2017. Eilish cited "Never" by JID and "Stuck In The Mud" by Isaiah Rashad as influences on the song's composition. Vanity Fair Louie XIV labeled it "dance music through a fun house mirror". Alongside humorous cadences, Eilish uses several tongue-in-cheek lyrics. "Bad Guy" was inspired by Selena Gomez's "Everything Is Not What It Seems" (2007), the theme song for the teen sitcom Wizards of Waverly Place, alongside Laura Shigihara's video game music theme for Plants vs. Zombies (2009).
In the lyrics, Eilish taunts a lover for being a bad guy; as the song progresses she suggests she is tougher than him, singing in a "nonchalant, self-effacing murmur". According to reviewers, the song also discusses themes such as misandry, gloating, sarcasm and naughtiness. During the track's half-spoken chorus, the singer elaborates on her relationship with fellow men and women, rejecting their expectations of her; "I'm that bad type / Make your mama sad type / Make your girlfriend mad type / Might seduce your dad type / I'm the bad guy, duh". Other lyrics include: "My mommy likes to sing along with me / But she won't sing this song / If she reads all the lyrics / She'll pity the men I know". Analyzing the lyrics of "Bad Guy", Caitlin White of Uproxx wrote that they see "a woman's teenage voice boast of its power, assert her sexual dominance, and use men as playthings instead of sing about being used as one by them". She continued; "'Bad Guy' positions a young female pop star in a role that's usually reserved for men working in rock or hip hop". AJ Longabaugh of V likened the lyrics to the later work of Amy Winehouse.
Critical reception Upon its release, "Bad Guy" received mainly positive reviews, with several critics praising its lyrics. White of Uproxx likened the song to material released by the White Stripes, writing, "It's the kind of song that builds power as it unfolds, an anthem imbued with casual fearlessness". Labeling "Bad Guy" as a "low-key banger", Stereogum Chris DeVille drew comparisons between the song and the work of Lorde and Fiona Apple. Writing for PopBuzz, Sam Prance said "Bad Guy" is "iconic" and dubbed the "duh" lyric as "already one of the standout musical moments of 2019". He continued; "It's the perfect anthem for anyone who likes to get in touch with their dark side". Vanity Fair Louie XIV included the track in the magazine's list of "9 Songs From 2019 That Might Predict the Future of Pop", writing; "Billie has remade the look of pop success: ironic, self-aware, intimate, DIY, and paying little mind to dated standards for teen-pop idol-dom". Suzy Exposito of Rolling Stone said Eilish recalled DC Comics' character Harley Quinn during the song, "playing a comic book villain in a voice that suggests Lorde's rascal kid sister". In a negative review, Pitchfork Stacey Anderson criticized Eilish for "bragging about statutory rape" and said she found the song "stale". Billboard included "Bad Guy" in their list of 100 songs that defined the 2010s.
+Critics' year-end rankings of "Bad Guy" Publication List Rank BBC The 20 Best Songs of 20191Billboard The 100 Best Songs of 20191Complex The 50 Best Songs of 201910Consequence The 50 Best Songs of 20192 Entertainment Weekly The 10 Best Songs of 20191 NME The 50 Best Songs of 20192 Paste The 50 Best Songs of 2019 9 Pitchfork The 100 Best Songs of 201910Rolling Stone The 100 Best Songs of 20191 Slant Magazine The 50 Best Songs of 20197The Guardian The 20 Best Songs of 20194 The Ringer The 10 Best Songs of 20192Uproxx The Best Songs of 20191Vulture The 10 Best Songs of 20195
In 2021, it was listed at number 178 on Rolling Stones Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list.
In 2025, "Bad Guy" was listed at number 18 on Rolling Stones Top 250 Greatest Songs of the 21st Century so far.
+Awards for "Bad Guy" Year Organization Award Result American Music Awards Favorite Music Video MTV Millennial Awards Global Hit MTV Video Music Awards Video of the Year Best Pop Video Best Direction Best Editing Song of the Summer LOS40 Music Awards Best International Video Teen Choice Awards Choice Song: Female Artist Q Awards Best Track Rockbjörnen Foreign Song of the Year BBC Radio 1's Teen Awards Best Single MTV Europe Music Awards Best Song Best Video MTV Millennial Awards Global Hit MTV Video Music Awards Japan Best New International Artist Video Video of the Year Melon Music Awards Best Pop Song Best Song NRJ Music Awards Video of the Year Telehit Awards Best Anglo Video Best Anglo Song People's Best Video People's Choice Awards Song of 2019 Music Video of 2019 ASCAP Pop Music Awards Award Winning Songs GAFFA Awards (Denmark) International Hit of the Year GAFFA Awards (Sweden) International Hit of the Year Hit FM Music AwardsTop Ten Singles TEC Awards Outstanding Creative Achievement – Record Production/Single or Track Grammy Awards Record of the Year Song of the Year Best Pop Solo Performance iHeartRadio Music Awards Song of the Year Alternative Rock Song of the Year Best Lyrics Best Music Video NME Awards Best Song in the World RTHK International Pop Poll Awards Top Ten International Gold Songs Super Gold Song Queerty AwardsAnthem
Commercial performance Upon the release of When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, "Bad Guy" debuted at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending April 13, 2019, as Eilish's first top ten entry on the chart. It later occupied number two for a total of nine weeks, before ultimately reaching number one on the week ending August 24, 2019. "Bad Guy" ended the record-breaking 19-week run of "Old Town Road" by Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus. At 17, she further became the first artist born in the 2000s to achieve this feat and the youngest since then-16-year-old Lorde topped the ranking with "Royals" in 2013. Internationally, "Bad Guy" reached number one in Australia, Canada, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, and Russia. The song has been awarded multiple certifications, including a tenfold platinum award from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and a Diamond one from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). becoming the first song from a female artist born this century to go Diamond in the US "Bad Guy" was the best-performing global single of 2019 with combined sales and track-equivalent streams of 19.5 million units according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). By 2022, "Bad Guy" was streamed over 2 billion times worldwide through Spotify, her first song to do so.
Music videos
A music video for "Bad Guy" was directed by Dave Meyers and was uploaded to Eilish's official YouTube channel on March 29, 2019. Additionally, Eilish released a vertical video on August 15, 2019. The video begins with a yellow backdrop while the opening track "!!!!!!!" from When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? plays. Eilish discusses taking out her Invisalign dental brace before laughing. She eventually kicks her way through a wall while wearing a yellow sweatshirt and sweatpants, and hands her dental brace to a man, Eric Lutz, on her right. Scenes showing Eilish dancing wildly are interspersed with her feeding pigeons, getting a nosebleed while wearing a white outfit in a blue room with a clock, pouring milk and cereal into a suited man's mouth against the backdrop of a red desert, riding on a miniature car with a gang of men on tricycles, wearing snorkel gear while men's heads float in plastic bags above her, and sitting on a wall in front of a group of overweight men who flex their bellies to the beat. The video ends sinisterly with Billie in a dark, red room, sitting on the back of a man who does push-ups. One comment to the clip on YouTube posted by Seth Everman, reading "I'm the bald guy", became the most-liked on the platform, gathering over three million likes and also surpassed one billion views in November 2020, which made Google celebrate the milestone created an 'Infinite Bad Guy' interactive site that allowed users to switch between over 15,000 different covers of the song available on YouTube.