"Bad Idea Right?" (stylized in all lowercase) is the second track and second single from Olivia Rodrigo's sophomore studio album, GUTS. It was released on August 11, 2023.
Background[]
Early on in the creation process of GUTS in 2022, Rodrigo and Nigro started writing the chorus of "Bad Idea Right?" as "a joke" about her rekindling with an ex-partner. They liked it so much that it was converted into a full song.
| “ | bad idea right?’ started with us making a joke song about me hooking up with an ex-boyfriend, but then we realized we were actually onto something.
We were throwing the weirdest things at the wall — in one of choruses there’s a part that sounds like an instrument in the background, but it’s me gradually screaming louder and louder |
” |
According to Rodrigo, they experimented with the most unconventional ideas on it, incorporating her voice gradually getting louder and louder as a section in one of the choruses, which ended up sounding like an instrument. Nigro considered "Bad Idea Right?" his favorite song and pushed for it to be released as the lead single from the album, enthusiastic to show people the "more sarcastic side" of Rodrigo, but others involved in the decision preferred "Vampire".
| “ | I wrote it in New York. Me and my friend, Dan, were at Electric Lady Studios, and I was telling him about one of my fun escapades. I sent this guy a text: “seeing you tonight, it’s a bad idea, right?,” and I was, like, “Ooh, that rhymes.” And so I told Dan about it the next day, and he was like, “Oh, that’s fun,” talking about it. The refrain started as a joke, he was just making fun of me, he was just going, “My brain goes, ‘Ah’.” And we were like, “Wait, maybe we’re onto something there, maybe there’s something in there.” And so we wrote the song “bad idea right?,” and I really like it, I think it’s kind of funny and tongue-and-cheek, and the music is fun and upbeat and makes me want to dance. | ” |
Rodrigo announced the album title on June 26, 2023, and "Vampire" was released as the lead single four days later. On August 1, 2023, Rodrigo revealed the album's tracklist, which featured "Bad Idea Right?" as the second track.
Six days later, she e-mailed her fans that the song sounded disparate from "Vampire" and would showcase "a little more fun & playful" side of Guts. Its artwork, a hazy image of Rodrigo posing behind a glass wall with the song title scrawled in red lipstick in front of her face, was shared the same day.
| “ | hiii
hope everyone is doing super well!!! I am just writing to inform you that I have a new song coming out august 11th! its called “bad idea right?” & im so stoked about it. the song is pretty different from vampire & shows another side of GUTS thats a little more fun & playful. cannot wait to share it with you alllllll. love to ya always |
” |
| “ | I had such a fun time making this song with @dan_nigro in nyc last year. we wrote the chorus as a joke but we loved it so much we made it into a full fledged song lol! I had a ball making the music video with my friends @petrafcollins @madisonhu @tatemcrae @irisapatow and I’m so happy it’s out in the world. u can listen and watch now!!!!! | ” |
The song was released as the second single from GUTS on August 11. Geffen Records promoted the song to contemporary hit radio stations in the United States four days later, and it was also released as a 7-inch vinyl single in some countries with the demo as its B-side.
Track listing[]
Streaming[]
- Bad Idea Right?
7” vinyl[]
- Bad Idea Right? (A-side)
- Bad Idea Right? (Demo) (B-side)
Critics[]
Pitchfork named “bad idea right?” Best New Track in their review of the song. Shaad D’Souza wrote:
The second single from GUTS is hammy, blasé, and brilliant.
Olivia Rodrigo is a masterful chronicler of pivotal “firsts”: first love, first heartbreak, first time you heard “Uptown Girl”. On “bad idea right?,” the second single from her forthcoming album, GUTS, she explores an equally significant moment in any young person’s life: first backslide. Wry and motor-mouthed, it adds some waggish comedy into Rodrigo’s music, the seed of wounded irony planted on the SOUR track “brutal” sprouting into hammy, blasé brilliance.
Were the person performing “bad idea right?” even slightly less committed to the bit, it likely wouldn’t have worked. But Rodrigo, a capital-P performer, barrels into the song with profound commitment to playing the role of sloppy main character. Chattering over the song’s strutting bassline, Rodrigo narrates her decision to link up with an ex-boyfriend like she’s relaying the information in real time: “I’m out right now and I’m all fucked up/And you’re callin’ my phone and you’re all alone/And I’m sensing some undertone!”
Aesthetically, the track exists miles away from “vampire”, GUTS’ soaring and bitter first single. But there’s still a thread of musical theater in there: “bad idea right?” manages to recall the narrative punk of “Drama Queen (That Girl)”, the centerpiece of the early-aughts Lindsay Lohan teen musical Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and draws from the squared-off new wave synths of The Cars as well as Weezer’s chunky pop-rock. The glue holding this genre Frankenstein together is Rodrigo, whose cheekily feigned innocence (“I just tripped and fell into his bed!”) provides one of the best pop performances of the year.
Music Video[]
The video begins with a house party, where Rodrigo, Hu, Apatow, and McRae meet in a bathroom. Ignoring several attendees who warn her that it is a bad idea to see her ex-boyfriend, Rodrigo crowd-surfs and then leaves to go to his house. She rides in the back of a pickup truck while it rains and boards a bus where someone throws a slushy filled with plastic instead of ice at her. Rodrigo reaches the ex's house and gets into bed with him as it catches on fire.
Commercial performance[]
Bad Idea Right? debuted at number 10 on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Rodrigo's sixth top 10 single and GUTS's second consecutive one after the chart topper "Vampire". "Bad Idea Right?" eventually peaked at number seven on the chart issued for September 23, 2023. In Canada, it reached number nine on the Canadian Hot 100 on the chart issued for the same date and was certified platinum by Music Canada. Bad Idea Right? charted at number three on the UK Singles Chart and became Rodrigo's sixth top 10 single. The song received a platinum certification in the United Kingdom from the British Phonographic Industry, and the Official Charts Company reported that it was her 11th-biggest song in the country in February 2024.
Theme[]
Described as ‘fun and playful’, “bad idea right?” serves as the second single for GUTS. The cover art has a more complex design compared to the sophomore albums lead single, “vampire”; it features Olivia staring through a steamy glass pane, with the track title written in lipstick on the glass, along with red kiss marks.
“bad idea right?” is an indie pop, pop rock, post-punk revival, and indie rock song that follows the events of Olivia lying to her friends—who would otherwise object to Rodrigo’s eponymous bad idea—about leaving a party to see her ex-boyfriend. Her emotive lyrics ponder on whether the pair can rekindle their love for each other and she decides to see the outcome.
The song was announced as the second single from the album on August 7, and later released on August 11, four weeks ahead of GUTS' September 8 release.
Official Versions[]
| Version | Released on | Release date | Producer(s) | Creation date | Length | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▶ | Final | Single • GUTS | August 11, 2023 | Dan Nigro | 2022 | 3:24 |
| Clean version | GUTS | August 11, 2023 | Dan Nigro | 2022 | 3:24 | |
| Instrumental | Unreleased | Unknown | Nigro | 2022 | 3:05 | |
| Demos | ||||||
| Demo 1 | Unreleased | Unleaked | Nigro | 2022 | Unknown | |
| Demo 2 | Unreleased | Unleaked | Nigro | 2022 | Unknown | |
| "Bad Idea, Right (v3.2 DN short intro)" (demo 3) | Unreleased | Unleaked | Nigro | 2022 | Unknown | |
| ▶ | Voice Memo | 7 Inch Vinyl | November 20, 2023 | Nigro | 2022 | 1:00 |
Lyrics[]
[Intro]
(Hey)
[Verse 1]
Haven't heard from you in a couple of months
But I'm out right now, and I'm all fucked up
And you're calling my phone and you're all alone
And I’m sensing some undertone
And I'm right here, with all my friends
You're sending me you're new address
And I know we're done, I know we're through
But, God, when I look at you
[Refrain]
My brain goes ah
Can't hear my thoughts (I cannot hear my thoughts)
Like, blah, blah, blah (Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah)
Should probably not (I should probably, probably not)
(I should probably, probably not)
[Pre-Chorus]
Seeing you tonight
It's a bad idea, right?
Seeing you tonight
It's a bad idea, right?
Seeing you tonight
It's a bad idea, right?
Seeing you tonight
Fuck it, it's fine
[Chorus]
Yes, I know that he's my ex
But can't two people reconnect?
I only see him as a friend
(The biggest lie I ever said)
Oh, yes, I know that he's my ex
But can't two people reconnect?
I only see him as a friend
(Just tripped and fell into his bed)
[Verse 2]
Now I'm getting in the car, wreckin' all my plans
I know I should stop
But I can’t
And I told my friends I was asleep
But I never said where
Or in whose sheets
And I pull up to your place on the second floor
And you're standing, smiling, at the door
And I'm sure I've seen much hotter men
But I really can't remember when
[Refrain]
My brain goes ah
Can't hear my thoughts (I cannot hear my thoughts)
Like, blah, blah, blah (Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah)
Should probably not (I should probably, probably not)
(I should probably, probably not)
[Pre-Chorus]
Seeing you tonight
It's a bad idea, right?
Seeing you tonight
It's a bad idea, right?
Seeing you tonight
It's a bad idea, right?
Seeing you tonight
Fuck it, it's fine
[Chorus]
Yes, I know that he's my ex
But can't two people reconnect?
I only see him as a friend
(The biggest lie I ever said)
Oh, yes, I know that he's my ex
But can't two people reconnect?
I only see him as a friend
(I just tripped and fell into his bed)
[Break]
Oh, yes, I know that he's my ex
Can't two people reconnect?
(The biggest lie I ever said)
(Just tripped and fell into his bed)
My brain goes ah
Can't hear my thoughts
(The biggest lie I ever said)
My brain goes ah
Can’t hear my thoughts
(I just tripped and fell into his bed)
[Outro]
(Thoughts)
(Blah)
(Thoughts)
(Blah)
[Intro: Olivia Rodrigo, Dan Nigro]
Good
It's fun and silly
We're fun and silly people
Okay, ready?
[Verse 1]
Haven't heard from you in a couple of months
But I'm out right now and I'm all fucked up
And you're callin' my phone 'cause you're all alone
And I'm sensing some undertones
And I'm right here with all my friends
But you're sending your new address
And I know we're done, I know we're through
But, God, when I look at you
[Refrain]
My brain goes, "Ah"
Should probably not
Can't hear my thoughts
Like blah-blah-blah
[Pre-Chorus]
Seeing you tonight
It's a bad idea, right?
Seeing you tonight
It's a bad idea, right?
Seeing you tonight
It's a bad idea, right?
Seeing you tonight
You know what? Fuck it, it's fine
Gallery[]
Vinyl[]
Behind The Scenes[]
Videos[]
Charts[]
Certifications[]
Trivia[]
- Chappell Roan recorded background vocals for the song but it didn't make the final version of the song.
- The music video was directed by Petra Collins, which would be her fourth to direct after brutal, good 4 u, and vampire.
- Within the song’s clean version, "fucked up" and "fuck it, it’s fine," are replaced with "wrecked up" and "whatever, it’s fine."
- The music video features some of Olivia's friends such as Madison Hu, Tate McRae and Iris Apatow.
References[]
[]
v • e  | |
|---|---|
| Featured Tracks | all-american bitch • bad idea right? • vampire • lacy • ballad of a homeschooled girl • making the bed • logical • get him back! • love is embarrassing • the grudge • pretty isn't pretty • teenage dream |
| Bonus Tracks | obsessed • girl i've always been • scared of my guitar • stranger • so american |
| Scrapped Tracks | Fantasy • Hate Ur Guts • Lights • Loveable • She's All That |
| Related Tracks | Santa Monica Mountains |
| Producers | Olivia Rodrigo • Daniel Nigro • Alexander 23 • Ryan Linvill • Ian Kirkpatrick |
| Tour | Guts World Tour • Guts World Tour: Spilled |
| Misc | Can't Catch Me Now |
| Extras | Merchandise • The Secret Tracks • Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour |