TORONTO — Taylor Swift got a reminder this week that bad is good.
The 25-year-old pop star’s reworked version of “Bad Blood” — featuring hip hop artist Kendrick Lamar — is No. 1 on charts around the world, including the Canadian Hot 100 and Billboard Hot 100.
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The original version of the song, which appears on Swift’s album 1989, barely registered on the charts last November.
The video for the updated version set a Vevo record this month with 20.1 million views in its first 24 hours. The video is expected to top 100 million views within days.
Written by Swift and Swedish hitmakers Max Martin and Shellback, “Bad Blood” is reportedly about Katy Perry (Swift will only say it’s about a female artist who tried to sabotage her tour by hiring some of her people).
Of course, Swift isn’t the first singer to discover the benefits of having a “bad” song.
Neil Sedaka had a hit in 1975 with “Bad Blood” and artists ranging from The Osmonds to Canada’s Daniel Powter have had success with singles that have “bad” in the titles.
Here’s a look at 10 good “bad” songs that did well:
“Big Bad John” – Jimmy Dean (1961)
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“One Bad Apple” – The Osmonds (1970)
“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” – Jim Croce (1973)
“Bad Blood” – Neil Sedaka & Elton John (1975)
“Bad Girls” – Donna Summer (1979)
“You Give Love A Bad Name” – Bon Jovi (1986)
“Bad” – Michael Jackson (1987)
“Bad Medicine” – Bon Jovi (1988)
“U Got It Bad” – Usher (2001)
“Bad Day” – Daniel Powter (2006)
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