"Bad Boys" is a 1987 song by the Jamaican

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

band Inner Circle, which gained high popularity in the United States after its re-release in 1993, peaking at number eight on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number seven on the

Top 40 Mainstream Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the U ...

. It is the opening theme to the American TV show '' Cops'' and the theme song of the film '' Bad Boys''.

History

The song was originally released on the week of 18–24 October 1987 on the album ''One Way''. In 1992, it was also included on the '' Bad to the Bone'' album, and the song was released as a single in 1993, after the unexpected success of their previous international hit single "

Sweat (A La La La La Long) "Sweat (A La La La La Long)" is a song by Jamaican reggae fusion band Inner Circle, released in July 1992 by Warner Records as the lead single from their twelfth album, '' Bad to the Bone'' (1992). It was written by the band's Ian and Roger Le ...

". "Bad Boys" reached number 52 in the United Kingdom and number eight in the United States. In the latter territory, it was certified

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

and sold 600,000 copies. The song was also released as B-side on Inner Circle's 1992 single, "Sweat (A La La La La Long)". The song was also released as a single in mid-1991 in Norway and Finland, where it peaked at number one.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

In popular culture

"Bad Boys" was selected as the theme song for '' Cops'' because a field producer for the show happened to be a fan of Inner Circle. The song, which was very popular during the 1990s, is also used in the

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, rapper, and film producer. Known for his work in both Will Smith filmography, the screen and Will Smith discography, music industries, List of awards and nominations re ...

and

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Lawrence began his career doing comedy shows, including in '' The Improv''. After his first acting role in t ...

action/comedy film series '' Bad Boys'', which was named after the song. A parody of the song was used in a fourth season episode of

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...

's ''

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'' where the chorus goes "Good boys, good boys; whatcha gonna do?" Another parody of the song is used in the 125th episode of ''Your Grammar Sucks'' where Jack Douglass goes "Bad boys, bad boy; Was you gonna do? What you gonna do if it's come for you?" Another parody of this song is used in a

Wendy's Wendy's International, LLC, is an American international fast food restaurant chain founded by Dave Thomas (businessman), Dave Thomas on November 15, 1969, in Columbus, Ohio. Its headquarters moved to Dublin, Ohio, on January 29, 2006. As of D ...

commercial for the new Biggie Bag, the song goes, "Bag boys, bag boys, what you gonna do, what you gonna do when we bring your food?" It follows with Bad Boys being played in the background near the end of the commercial. The song was parodied in the Simpsons episode Homer's Triple Bypass, and is depicted as the title song for the fictional TV series ''COPS: In Springfield''. After the titular phrase is repeated several times, the lyrics are heard, "''Springfield Cops are on the take, But what do expect for the money we make? Whether in a car or on a horse, We don't mind using excessive force!''" The song was parodied in

The Office ''The Office'' is the title of several mockumentary sitcoms based on a British series originally created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant as '' The Office'' in 2001. The original series also starred Gervais as manager and primary charac ...

episode Scott's Tots, where the students chant "Hey Mr. Scott, What you gonna do, What you gonna do make our dreams come true. Hey Mr. Scott, What you gonna do, What you gonna do make our dreams come true."

References

{{Authority control 1987 songs 1993 singles Inner Circle (band) songs Island Records singles Number-one singles in Finland Number-one singles in Norway Songs about crime Songs about police officers