I Want To Be Bad 1929
Vocals: Lou Abelardo
Band: Ambrose and His Orchestra
Songwriting: De Sylva / Brown / Henderson
If it’s naughty to rouge your lips
Shake your shoulders and twist your hips
Let a lady confess, I wanna be bad
If it’s naughty to vamp the men
Sleep each morning till after ten,
Then the answer is yes, I wanna be bad
This thing of being a good little goody is all very well
What can you do if you’re loaded with plenty of health… and vigour?
When you’re learning what lips are for
If it’s naughty to ask for more
Let a lady confess, I wanna be bad
The term ‘vamp’, short for vampire, was a well-known slang term for a woman who seduced men.
Originally bad for the play version, it was performed by a female character in the American 1930 romantic comedy play Follow Thru.
Ambrose and His Orchestra was one of the most popular British dance bands.
From Changing Their Tunes:
A specifically transgender reading is made possible and probable as male crooner Lou Abelardo’s vocals portray the main character. Unlike many songs that use “I” pronouns in which the singer’s gender is left open, the lyrics reveal that the narrator is the proudly seductive lady in the song.