Songfacts®:

• This disco-pop ode to juvenile delinquents and parental guilt finds Gaga crooning, "I'm a wrack, I'm a selfish punk, I really should be smacked." Though Gaga had a spell as a cocaine addict after dropping out of her university arts course, the song does not reflect her background. In particular, the lyric "My parents lied till they got divorced, cause I ruined their lives" indicates she is not writing about her own past - Gaga's mom and dad are still married.
• The song was co-penned by Danish singer-songwriter Jeppe Laursen who also co-wrote and co-produced "Born This Way." Performing under the name "Senior," Laursen was the lead vocalist for the dance-rock duo Junior Senior who had a worldwide hit in 2003 with "Move Your Feet."
• Like many of the tracks on Born This Way, this song is about accepting and celebrating perceived flaws. It was co-written by Fernando Garibay and the Mexican producer recalled to MTV News: "'Bad Kids' is something that we all collaborated with — Gaga, White Shadow [and me]. Gaga came offstage one night, I remember, and she said, 'I have this idea for a song, Bad Kids.'"
• Gaga sings on the breakdown, "Don't be insecure/ If your heart is pure/ You're still good to me/ If you're a bad kid, baby." Garibay told MTV News that sentiment sums up what Mother Monster and all of her little monsters are about. "Just because you're a bad kid growing up, doesn't mean you're a bad person," he said. "And a lot of bad kids end up being extraordinary people, like Lady Gaga, and she wanted to make people who had a rough start or maybe not the most ideal circumstances have a voice and a message. And it's basically about staying true to yourself and if you're bad, so what? You can still be great. There's good, bad and I think that's pretty much what it's talking about."
• On her Facebook page, Gaga explained, "Bad Kids is inspired by stories many monsters shared with me on the road. I wanted a song to tribute their stories. ImABadKidToo."