A chance encounter on the streets of West Hollywood set off a chain of events that would ultimately inspire a late ’70s anthem from the “Queen of Disco.”
Donna Summer recorded “Bad Girls” during sessions for her seventh studio album, Bad Girls. The LP was recorded at Rusk Sound Studios in Los Angeles, California.
Released in 1979, the Bad Girls LP is often viewed as a defining moment in Summer’s career and a major pop culture landmark. The album cemented her reputation as the undisputed queen of the genre and reinforced her dominance at the height of its popularity.
However, the song “Bad Girls” had a backstory that was inspired by a shocking case of mistaken identity. According to The Los Angeles Times, the song hailed from a chance encounter of a Casablanca Records employee, reportedly humiliated by police who accused her of being a Sunset Strip prostitute.
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This event sparked Summer’s empathy for women working on the streets. The story motivated Summer, Pete Bellotte, Harold Faltermeyer, and Keith Forsey to create a song that challenged societal judgments and stereotypes.
Summer told the outlet, “I was mentally ready for fame but not emotionally. You start to lose yourself. ‘Bad Girls’ had the message that, in a way, we’re all hookers to somebody.” The tune’s iconic “toot-toots” and “beep-beeps” were supposed to represent the sounds of car horns used to attract prostitutes.
“Bad Girls” peaked at No. 1 on June 2, 1979 and remained at the top spot for three weeks. It remained on the charts for 21 weeks.
In a 2003 interview with NPR, Summer revealed that Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart had originally considered giving “Bad Girls” to another major star—Cher—to record.
“He just thought it was too rock ‘n’ roll. He didn’t think it was dance enough at the time, the way it was recorded originally,” Summer explained.
“And I had gone in and recorded it with my husband Bruce [Sudano] and the Brooklyn Dreams. When he said he wanted to give it to Cher, I told him, I don’t think so.”
She concluded, “This is my song. And I keep Cher – I love Cher, but she can’t have my song right now.”
Donna Summer died on May 17, 2012, at the age of 63.
Related: 1979 Disco-Funk Anthem Became a Breakthrough Hit for All-Female Family Band
This story was originally published by Parade on Jun 15, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.yahoo.com ’
