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How Bad Do U Want Me

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"How Bad Do U Want Me"
Song by Lady Gaga
from the album Mayhem
ReleasedMarch 7, 2025 (2025-03-07)
Studio
GenreSynth-pop
Length3:58
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Official audio
"How Bad Do U Want Me" on YouTube

"How Bad Do U Want Me" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga released on her eighth studio album Mayhem, through Interscope Records on March 7, 2025.[1][2] Described as a synth-pop track, it was produced by Lady Gaga, Andrew Watt, and Cirkut, with Michael Polansky contributing additional writing.

Background and release

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Co-writers Andrew Watt (left) and Henry Walter, also known as Cirkut (right)

In an interview for Las Culturistas with Bowen Yang and Matt Rogers, Lady Gaga admitted that she started to write "How Bad Do U Want Me" on her own in home, before being joined by her fiancé Michael Polansky. Polansky was interested in the song's lyrical content, asking whether she is singing about him, which she denied.[3] The two finished the track with Andrew Watt and Cirkut, who also served as its producers alongside Gaga.[4] Paul Lamalfa recorded the track at Shangri-La Studios in Malibu, California and Henson Recording Studios in Hollywood, Los Angeles; Marco Sonzini provided additional engineering, while Tyler Harris and Tommy Turner worked as assistant engineers. The song was mixed by Serban Ghenea at Mixstar Studios in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and mastered by Randy Merrill at Sterling Sound Studios in Edgewater, New Jersey. Gaga additionally played keyboards; Watt played drums, electric guitar, and keyboards; and Cirkut played synthesizer and keyboards and provided drum and bass programming. Bryce Bordone worked as the assistant mixing engineer, and Marc VanGool served as the studio technician.[5]

Lady Gaga announced her eighth studio album on January 27, 2025, by revealing its title and cover art, setting its release date on March 7.[6] Next month, she unveiled the track listing, including "How Bad Do U Want Me" as the project's ninth track.[7] Following the album's release, the singer admitted that she almost scrapped "How Bad Do U Want Me" from the track listing.[8] Gaga said that when she creates "super pop" songs, she gets anxious about them, pointing out that she almost removed "Just Dance" from The Fame (2008) for the same reason.[9]

Composition

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"How Bad Do U Want Me" is a 1980s-inspired "dreamy" synth-pop song.[10][11]

Reception

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Journalists compared the song to the works of Taylor Swift (pictured).

Following Mayhem's release, various fans and music critics noted strong resemblance between "How Bad Do U Want Me" and Taylor Swift's input, with some fans theorizing that the latter recorded backing vocals to the track.[12][13][14] Comparisons were made mainly to Swift's fifth studio album 1989 (2014)[12][10][15][16] and "Gorgeous" from the following album, Reputation (2017).[4][17][18][19][20] Some listeners also drew the parallels to Midnights (2022) tracks "Snow on the Beach" and "Hits Different"–the former gathered comparisions due to similarly distant backing vocals, which Lana Del Rey provided to "Snow on the Beach",[14] while RTL likened "How Bad Do U Want Me" sonicscape to the latter one's.[4] Her Campus writer Makalah Wright, said that "How Bad Do U Want Me" and "Gorgeous" sound alike, however lyrically they are completely different.[14] Stephen Daw, writing for Billboard found it to be the worst song of the album, and compared its lyrics and instrumental to those from Taylor Swift's discography, elaborating that the song "feels like one of the only songs that doesn't fit her vision".[21]

Live performances

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Gaga first performed "How Bad Do U Want Me" live during her headlining set at Coachella 2025, wearing lace-up stiletto boots reminiscent of those she wore in the 2020 "Rain on Me" music video.[22]

Credits and personnel

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Credits are adapted from the liner notes of Mayhem.[5]

  • Lady Gaga – songwriter, producer, lead vocals, background vocals, keyboards
  • Andrew Watt – songwriter, producer, drums, electric guitar, keyboards
  • Cirkut – songwriter, producer, synthesizer, keyboards, drum programming, bass programming
  • Michael Polansky – songwriter
  • Paul Lamalfa – recording engineer
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing engineer
  • Randy Merrill – mastering engineer
  • Marco Sonzini – additional engineer
  • Tyler Harris – assistant engineer
  • Tommy Turner – assistant engineer
  • Bryce Bordone – assistant mixing engineer
  • Marc VanGool – studio technician

Charts

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Chart performance for "How Bad Do U Want Me"
Chart (2025) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[23] 55
France (SNEP)[24] 153
Global 200 (Billboard)[25] 52
Greece International (IFPI)[26] 44
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[27] 6
Portugal (AFP)[28] 97
UK Singles Downloads (OCC)[29] 31
UK Singles Sales (OCC)[30] 32
UK Streaming (OCC)[31] 64
US Billboard Hot 100[32] 69

References

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  1. ^ Muir, Ellie (March 7, 2025). "Lady Gaga fans divided over Taylor Swift 'appearance' on new album". The Independent. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  2. ^ Viswanath, Jake (March 7, 2025). "Lady Gaga's Sexy New Bop Is So Taylor Swift-Coded". Bustle. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  3. ^ Watts, Marina (March 12, 2025). "Lady Gaga Almost Cut This Song from Mayhem. Her Fiancé Michael Polansky Made Sure She Didn't". People. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Parthonnaud, Aymeric (March 11, 2025). "'How Bad Do U Want Me' de Lady Gaga: hommage ou collaboration secrète avec Taylor Swift?" (in French). RTL. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Gaga, Lady (2025). Mayhem (vinyl liner notes). Interscope Records. 602475451099.
  6. ^ Spanos, Brittany (January 25, 2025). "Everything We Know About Lady Gaga's Seventh Album". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 24, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  7. ^ Garcia, Thania; Aswad, Jem (February 18, 2025). "Lady Gaga Reveals 'Mayhem' Tracklist". Variety. Archived from the original on March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  8. ^ Daw, Stephen (March 12, 2025). "Lady Gaga Reveals That This Song Nearly Didn't Make the Cut on 'Mayhem'". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 13, 2025. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  9. ^ Tate, Sarah (March 13, 2025). "Lady Gaga Reveals Which Song Was Almost Cut From 'Mayhem'". iHeartRadio. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  10. ^ a b Wratten, Marcus (March 7, 2025). "Lady Gaga Mayhem review: 'Bold, versatile and never boring, Mayhem is a return to form'". PinkNews. Archived from the original on March 9, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  11. ^ Petridis, Alexis (March 6, 2025). "Lady Gaga: Mayhem review – a fabulous return to her freaky first principles". The Guardian. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  12. ^ a b Bailey, Alyssa (March 7, 2025). "A Source Reveals If Taylor Swift Secretly Worked on Lady Gaga's 'How Bad Do U Want Me'". Elle. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  13. ^ Calfee, Joel (March 9, 2025). "Is That Taylor Swift on Lady Gaga's New Song 'How Bad Do U Want Me'?". Harper's Bazaar. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  14. ^ a b c Wright, Makalah (March 7, 2025). "Did Lady Gaga Feature Taylor Swift On 'How Bad Do U Want Me'? Fans Think So". Her Campus. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  15. ^ Richards, Jared; Condon, Dan (March 13, 2025). "Lady Gaga causes Mayhem, The Cruel Sea return with their first album in 24 years: What to listen to in March". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  16. ^ "Lady Gaga Fans Think Taylor Swift Wrote a Track on Her Album—Here's What We Know". Glamour. March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  17. ^ Hoepfner, Fran (March 7, 2025). "Does Lady Gaga's New Song Really Sound Like Taylor Swift?". Vulture. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  18. ^ Georgi, Maya (March 7, 2025). "Is Taylor Swift on Lady Gaga's New Album 'Mayhem'?". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 8, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  19. ^ "Singt Taylor Swift mit Lady Gaga in 'How Bad Do U Want Me'?". Die Presse (in German). March 10, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  20. ^ Olson, Samantha (March 7, 2025). "FYI: Taylor Swift Is *Not* Actually on Lady Gaga's 'How Bad Do U Want Me,' Despite Fan Rumors". Cosmopolitan. Archived from the original on March 15, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  21. ^ Daw, Stephen (March 7, 2025). "Every Song From Lady Gaga's 'Mayhem' Album, Ranked". Billboard. Retrieved March 9, 2025.
  22. ^ Tannenbaum, Emily (April 12, 2025). "Lady Gaga Relived Some of Her Most Iconic Fashion Moments While Headlining Coachella 2025". Glamour. Archived from the original on April 12, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2025.
  23. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  24. ^ "Top Singles (Week 11, 2025)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Archived from the original on March 18, 2025. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  25. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
  26. ^ "Official IFPI Charts − Digital Singles Chart (International) − Εβδομάδα: 11/2025" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on March 19, 2025. Retrieved March 19, 2025.
  27. ^ "NZ Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. March 14, 2025. Retrieved March 15, 2025.
  28. ^ "Top 200 Singles Semana 11 de 2025" (PDF). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. March 20, 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 20, 2025. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  29. ^ "Official Singles Downloads Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  30. ^ "Official Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  31. ^ "Official Streaming Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  32. ^ "Lady Gaga Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved March 17, 2025.
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