Bad Idea

Album: Thank U, Next (2019)
Charted: 27
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Ariana Grande wrote the songs for her Thank U, Next album following the breakup with her fiancé Pete Davidson just a month after the death of her ex, Mac Miller. She said a lot of the record "mourns failed yet important beautiful relationships in my life."

    Here, the singer sings of a need to try to "numb the pain" by hanging out with someone she knows she shouldn't.
  • I got a bad idea
    How 'bout we take a little bit of time away?
    I got a bad idea
    Forget about it, yeah, forget about him, yeah


    Grande acknowledges it is a "bad idea" to hook up with this guy but sees him as somebody who can help him escape her pain.
  • The trappy new wave track was produced by Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh. The Swedish pair previously collaborated with Grande on another track with the theme of being drawn to someone you know is bad for you - the Dangerous Woman cut "Bad Decisions."
  • Ariana Grande is passionate about Japanese culture. She has a tattoo on her palm, intended to say "seven rings" in Japanese kanji (it has a spelling error), and the cover art for her single "Imagine" is a close-up of Grande's open mouth with the Japanese word for "imagination" in the middle. During this song's chorus, Grande calls herself "Ari-chan" as another reference to her admiration of Japanese culture.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Chris Tomlin

Chris TomlinSongwriter Interviews

The king of Christian worship music explains talks about writing songs for troubled times.

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About Transgenderism

Trans Soul Rebels: Songs About TransgenderismSong Writing

A history of songs dealing with transgender issues, featuring Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Morrissey and Green Day.

Phone Booth Songs

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

Ramones

RamonesFact or Fiction

A band so baffling, even their names were contrived. Check your score in the Ramones version of Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: '80s EditionMusic Quiz

You know the scenes - Tom Cruise in his own pants-off dance off, Molly Ringwald celebrating her birthday - but do you remember what song is playing?

Bryan Adams

Bryan AdamsSongwriter Interviews

What's the deal with "Summer of '69"? Bryan explains what the song is really about, and shares more of his songwriting insights.