Inner Circle - Bad Boys
"Bad Boys" is the title of a song by the reggae band Inner Circle, made popular by the television program COPS, where it is played during the opening title sequence. An instrumental version is also played during the end credits.
The song was originally released in 1987 on the album One Way, but was not released as a single in the United States until 1993. It reached #53 in the United Kingdom and #8 in the United States, going gold along the way. The song was also released as B-side on Inner Circle's 1992 single, "Sweat (A La La La La Long)."
"Bad Boys" was selected as the theme song to COPS because a field producer for the show happened to be a fan of Inner Circle.
The song, which enjoyed much popularity during the 1990s, was also used in the Will Smith and Martin Lawrence action/comedy film Bad Boys and the sequel Bad Boys 2 (some of the lyrics are sung by Smith and Lawrence in both films).
This song makes reference to "Sheriff John Brown," who was the sheriff killed in Bob Marley's song "I Shot the Sheriff."