“Bad” is a song about addiction. Though not stated explicitly in the song, Bono has made clear many times in interviews and at concerts that it was written about heroin addiction. The lyrics could be coming from several different character’s points of view – the addict themselves, a loved one viewing them going through the anguish, possibly a narrator. Viewed as coming from the friend or spouse of an addict, the words offer a compelling psychological portrait of codependency. Musically, there is a somber, but hopeful (almost reaching out) sound to the band that goes hand in hand with Bono’s lyric.

In the early 80s, there was a severe economic downturn in Ireland and heroin addiction became a serious problem in the inner cities there (and throughout the United Kingdom as well).

“Bad” is a very important song for the band on a number of levels. Their performance at Live Aid in 1985 was a highlight of the concert and brought U2 a broader audience and greater acclaim as artists.

U2 frequently perform this song in concert; when they do, Bono usually ad libs lyrics or other verses from other songs in the extended outro. This can make the song quite long—the “Live Aid” performance lasted 12 minutes, including lyrics from Lou Reed’s Satellite of Love and Walk on the Wild Side, and Ruby Tuesday and Sympathy for the Devil.