I'm Good at Being Bad


"I'm Good at Being Bad" is a song recorded by American girl group TLC for their third album FanMail. It was released as a promotional single when "No Scrubs" was distributed to radio. Despite not being commercially released, the track peaked within the top 40 on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.

Background and composition

"I'm Good at Being Bad" was recorded at Flyme Tyme Studios in Edina, Minnesota with producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis in 1998. While writing the song, member Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins was inspired by grunge band Nirvana's use of loud and soft dynamic shifts in their discography, which she wanted the group to incorporate. Jam encouraged her to hum the melody while playing the beat in the recording booth, which was different from her routine of listening to the beat and writing out the lyrics. Watkins admitted that the technique influenced her as a songwriter. She also attempted to convince Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes to rap the pre-chorus herself, but Lopes insisted that Watkins' thicker voice was better suited for the track. It is an R&B song containing a rap verse. The song's original title was "Bitch Like Me", which was described to "crank up the raunch level". The lyrics refer to "A 10-inch or bigger / A lick-it-from-the-back-type nigga."
The original album version samples the Donna Summer song "Love to Love You Baby". Later pressings of the album removed the sample, shortening the song's length by a minute. The song also used a sample by American funk band War's 1972 song "Slippin' Into Darkness". Lopes' rap verse was included in the uncut version of the "Unpretty" music video.

Commercial performance

The song was distributed to radio stations as a promotional single during the release of their first single "No Scrubs" on January 23, 1999. On the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart dated July 3, 1999, "I'm Good at Being Bad" peaked at number 38, where it spent 18 weeks on the chart.

Track listing

Promotional US mini CD single and maxi single
  1. "I'm Good at Being Bad" – 4:33
  2. "I'm Good at Being Bad" – 4:33
  3. "I'm Good at Being Bad" – 4:36
  4. "I'm Good at Being Bad" – 0:10
Promotional US 12-inch single
  1. "I'm Good at Being Bad" – 4:39
  2. "I'm Good at Being Bad" – 4:42
  3. "I'm Good at Being Bad" – 4:35

    Charts