'Bad Girls' By M.I.A.: A Brief History Of The Indignant Anthem's Prevalence In Pop Culture

The Most Prevalent Song In Pop Culture?

"Identity Thief" is as bad as the reviews indicate, but it does possess two moments of sublimity: At the beginning and end of the film, director Seth Gordon made the wise decision to use the song "Bad Girls" as a music cue, thus making the M.I.A. track his film's unofficial theme.

If hearing "Bad Girls" in a piece of popular culture seems familiar, that's because it is: Over the last year, "Bad Girls" -- released on Jan. 31, 2012 -- has been used in a wide variety of film and television properties. It's the "Paper Planes" of right now ("Paper Planes," of course, was the "Paper Planes" of 2008). To celebrate "Bad Girls," let your chain hit your chest and enjoy a brief history of the track in the timeline below.

Jan. 31, 2012: "Bad Girls" is released as a single.

March 12, 2012: "Skins" features "Bad Girls" in the Season 6 episode "Liv."

March 27, 2012: "90210" uses "Bad Girls" in the Season 4 episode "Blue Ivy."

April 9, 2012: "Gossip Girl" uses "Bad Girls" in "It Girl, Interrupted."

May 7, 2012: M.I.A. and "Bad Girls" are featured in an ad campaign for Beck's beer.

June 14, 2012: "Bad Girls" is featured in the red band trailer of "For a Good Time Call ..."

July 17, 2012: The soundtrack for "Step Up Revolution" features a remix of "Bad Girls."

Sept. 25, 2012: Mindy Kaling uses "Bad Girls" in the pilot episode of "The Mindy Project."

Nov. 16, 2012: The first trailer for "The Heat," with Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock, uses "Bad Girls."

Feb. 8, 2013: "Bad Girls" is used in "Identity Thief," also starring Melissa McCarthy. (No word yet if McCarthy also has the song as her ringtone.)

'Identity Thief' Photos

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