Bad Seed was released in November 1966 on Decca Records. It was originally distributed as a vinyl LP with six songs on each side of the record. It was the third studio album of Howard's recording career and her second for Decca. It was reviewed favorably by Cashbox magazine in 1966, commenting that the disc had "that hit groove, as well as a batch of hit songs from other sources." The album reached a peak of 13 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in January 1968. The disc's only single was the title track. It was originally issued by Decca in September 1966. It reached number 10 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, becoming Howard's second top ten song as a recording artist.
