In an interview with Billboard, Lavigne described "Bad Girl" as one of the "darker and heavier" rock songs on her self-titled album. Lavigne also revealed that recruiting Manson for the track "was last minute." Lavigne was listening to the track with David Hodges when she decided that Manson would be perfect for it. She texted him at four o'clock in the morning asking him to lend his vocals to the song. Lavigne commented "It was meant to be. Things are never that easy when you're trying to get together with someone. He could have been anywhere in the world." Upon his arrival at the Henson Recording Studio in Los Angeles about a half hour later, Manson played Lavigne some of his new songs. Then Lavigne played Manson some of her new songs, including "Give You What You Like" (2013), which he loved, and "Bad Girl". The moment Manson heard "Bad Girl", he knew what he wanted to add to the track. The singer was honored to be able to work with Manson and was pleased with his vocal performance on the track; she told MTV News that "Bad Girl" is one of her favorite songs on the Avril Lavigne album.
