Bad Things (Machine Gun Kelly and Camila Cabello song)

"Bad Things" is a song by American rapper Machine Gun Kelly and Cuban-American singer Camila Cabello. The song was released on October 14, 2016 and was produced by The Futuristics. Its music video was directed by Hannah Lux Davis and premiered on December 1, 2016. The song features an interpolation of Fastball's 1999 single "Out of My Head". The single peaked at number four on the US "Billboard" Hot 100, becoming both Machine Gun Kelly and Cabello's first top ten single as solo artists.
The song was nominated for Top Rap Collaboration at the 2017 "Billboard" Music Awards, and won Best Collaboration at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards.
Composition.
"Bad Things" is a mid-tempo ballad that features an interpolation of the 1999 Fastball single "Out of My Head". Lyrically, the song incorporates themes of pain-is-pleasure type of love.
Critical reception.
Gil Kaufman from "Billboard" called it an "instant earworm four-minute ode to dark pleasure." For Fuse TV's Bianca Gracie the song shows rapper's "softer side", and highlights Cabello's "delicate vocals". She described the song opens with Cabello "softly crooning" the hook, and MGK then comes in with a "naughty rap flow that cruises over the piano melody." In Idolator, Rachel Sonís described it as a "sleek" ballad with a "dreamy" hook. "Time" staff opined “Camila Cabello’s vocal hook is just fine. But if Cabello wants to make it big as a solo star, she’ll need more wattage than she finds with Machine Gun Kelly, whose milquetoast contribution takes this promising concept and deflates it.”
Chart performance.
"Bad Things" debuted at number 80 on the US "Billboard" Hot 100 issued for November 5, 2016. On December 24, 2016, the song moved from number 17 to number 10 and became Kelly's first top-10 entry, and Cabello's first as a soloist, selling 58,000 digital downloads and earning 11.4 million streams. It peaked at number four in its 13th week on the chart and spent 23 weeks in total. The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) certified the single 4× Platinum, which denotes four million units based on sales and track-equivalent on-demand streams. On the Canadian Hot 100, "Bad Things" peaked at number 11.
The song reached number 22 in Australia and was certified Platinum. In New Zealand, it peaked at number 11 and was certified Gold. "Bad Things" reached number 16 in the United Kingdom and was certified Gold. In Belgium, the song peaked at number 23 and was certified Gold. It reached number 47 in Italy and attained a Gold certification. "Bad Things" charted within the top 20 of national record charts, at number six in Malaysia, number 13 in the Netherlands, number 14 in Scotland, number 16 in Czech Republic, and number 19 in Finland, Lebanon, Portugal.
Music video.
Directed by Hannah Lux Davis, the music video premiered on December 1, 2016 on Vevo. It follows the pair as they lead a somewhat adventurous lifestyle, where they burn trash in barrels, steal, and make out in a barren apartment. MGK is the resident bad boy, getting into fights and racing cars while Cabello stays faithfully by his side. At one point in the video, flashbacks to younger versions of the musicians appear reassuring that their bond really has been unbreakable from the start. MGK and Cabello can be seen enjoying late nights at diners, gathering with friends and getting into trouble all while snuggling and fighting along the way. Their rebellious ways as the pair are chased by police after attempting to steal a car. Stuck at the top of a building with the police hot on their trail and nowhere else to go, the pair decide to die together by committing lover's suicide. As MGK looks longingly at Cabello, the police and their helicopters arrive to apprehend the couple and the lovers join hands and the video ends, leaving the outcome unknown.
As of October 2019, the music video has over 300 million views on YouTube.
Live performances.
MGK and Cabello performed the song on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" on November 23, 2016, and on December 1, 2016 for "The Late Late Show with James Corden". They later performed the song on January 30, 2017 on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" following Cabello's exit from girl group Fifth Harmony.
The song was then performed at the 30th Annual Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on Nickelodeon on March 11, 2017.
Credits and personnel.
Credits adapted from the liner notes of "bloom".
Publishing
Recording
Personnel