I Did Something Bad

I Did Something Bad
General
Release Date	November 10, 2017
Length	3:58 minutes
Writer(s)	Taylor Swift Max Martin Shellback
Producer(s)	Max Martin Shellback
Album	reputation
Label	Big Machine Records
reputation Chronology
← Previous Track	End Game
Next Track →	Don't Blame Me
Audio

I Did Something Bad is the third track of Taylor Swift's sixth album reputation. It was released on November 10, 2017.

Meaning and Background

Taylor said the following about the making of the song:

"This was the first song where Max and I felt like we really did something different from 1989. We were like, "Ohhhh, that is alright. Okay." This song is called 'l Did Something Bad' and I wrote this song on piano - it's not going to sound like it though. You're not going to say that after you hear it, its not that kind of song. I brought it into them and I was trying to explain the production. I had had a weird dream, you're like "Here we go again." I had woken up with this sound that was a sound that was so hooky and so catchy that I knew it had to be in a song. It was that annoying, it wouldn't stop going around in my head. The sound was "La da da da da da da da." It will always get your attention. Like after the chorus that's what I want to hear but I don't want it to be my voice, I want it to be an instrument. So what instrument is that? So I was playing the voice memo to Max and he's like, "There'ss not, like, an instrument that can do that but what we can do is take your voice and pitch it down so that it sounds like an enchantress/dude." So that's what you're hearing after the chorus. Anyway, this is called I Did Something Bad and this is when we kind of knew we might be onto something with the album."

- Taylor about I Did Something Bad

The song is also influenced by the series Game of Thrones; Taylor wrote it after seeing the scene of Arya and Sansa conspiring to kill Littlefinger.

Taylor recorded the making of the song and released it on Taylor Swift Now. Part of it was also shown in Miss Americana.

Trivia

• This is the first time Taylor swears in a song (If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing).
• Taylor opened the 2018 American Music Awards with this song (despite it not even being single).

Lyrics

[Verse 1] I never trust a narcissist But they love me So I play 'em like a violin And I make it look oh-so-easy 'Cause for every lie I tell them They tell me three This is how the world works Now all he thinks about is me [Pre-chorus] I can feel the flames on my skin Crimson red paint on my lips If a man talks shit, then I owe him nothing I don't regret it one bit, 'cause he had it coming [Chorus] They say I did something bad, ah Then why's it feel so good? They say I did something bad, ah But why's it feel so good? Most fun I ever had, ah And I'd do it over and over and over again if I could It just felt so good, good [Post-chorus] Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap Death trap, trap, trap [Verse 2] I never trust a playboy But they love me So I fly 'em all around the world And I let them think they saved me They never see it comin' What I do next This is how the world works You gotta leave before you get left [Pre-chorus] I can feel the flames on my skin He says, "Don't throw away a good thing" But if he drops my name, then I owe him nothin' And if he spends my change, then he had it comin' [Chorus] They say I did something bad, ah Then why's it feel so good? They say I did something bad, ah But why's it feel so good? Most fun I ever had, ah And I'd do it over and over and over again if I could It just felt so good, good [Post-chorus] Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap (It just felt so good) Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap Death trap, trap, trap [Bridge] They're burning all the witches, even if you aren't one They got their pitchforks and proof Their receipts and reasons They're burning all the witches, even if you aren't one So light me up (light me up), light me up (light me up) Light me up, go ahead and light me up (light me up) Light me up (light me up), light me up (light me up) Light me up (light me up), light me up [Chorus] They say I did something bad, ah (Oh) Then why's it feel so good? (So good) They say I did something bad, ah But why's it feel so good? (Good) Most fun I ever had (Most fun I ever had) And I'd do it over and over and over again if I could It just felt so good (good), good [Post-chorus] Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta, death trap Death trap, trap, trap [Outro] Oh, you say I did something bad (You say I did something bad) Then why's it feel so good, good? So bad, why's it feel so good? Why's it feel, why's it feel so good? (Bad) It just felt so good, good

Videos

I Did Something Bad

I Did Something Bad (Karaoke Version)