Bad Company (song)
Encyclopedia
"Bad Company" is a song from the hard rock
band Bad Company
. It was released as the third single from their debut album Bad Company
in 1974. Co-written by the group's lead singer Paul Rodgers
and drummer Simon Kirke
, the song's meaning comes from the movie of the same name
featuring Jeff Bridges
and Barry Brown. The introductory three chords of the song are also in the movie. The Joni Mitchell
song "Woodstock" from 1970 uses the same chords and piano figure.
It is also a rare instance of the artist, album and song names being the same. Other examples include "Black Sabbath
" and "Iron Maiden
".
, the terrorist responsible for the April 19, 1995 bombing
of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building
in Oklahoma City
, was quoted as saying as he fled the site of the bombing that he thought of a specific "Bad Company" lyric, "...dirty for dirty," heard towards the end of the song. Many websites describe this, but confuse that short phrase within a song as the title for another song.
This song is also heard in the 2006 episode of The CW series Supernatural
, titled "Scarecrow". It can also be heard on episode 20 of the sixteenth season of The Simpsons
where Ned Flanders
moves to a new town and becomes a "rebel" by keeping an untrimmed mustache.
Tori Amos
performed the song at a number of concerts in 1994 and 1996.
Bill Champlin
did a cover of the song that was featured in Season 2, episode 9 of The Young Riders
(1990). The title of the episode is "Bad Company".
In the beginning of the final book of his Dark Tower series, The Dark Tower
, Stephen King quotes the lines "I was born 6-gun in my hand, Behind a gun I'll make my final stand".
frequently performs a cover of this song live, and professionally recorded the song for their second album War Is the Answer
. They released the song as the fifth single from War Is the Answer, and their eighth single overall on May 17, 2010. A music video for the song was recorded while the band was performing for the United States troops in Iraq. The video premiered on June 11, 2010. The song has reached #7 on the Billboard Rock Songs
chart, #26 on the Alternative Songs chart and #2 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart, making it their first top-5 hit and their highest charting single to date. The song has a significantly heavier tone to it, along with several lyrical edits ("I was born a shotgun in my hands", "the death punch sound is our claim to fame"). The song is used by Washington Nationals closer Drew Storen
.
Hard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
band Bad Company
Bad Company
Bad Company were an English rock supergroup founded in 1973, consisting of two former Free band members — singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke — as well as Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who, in years prior, was a key component of...
. It was released as the third single from their debut album Bad Company
Bad Company (album)
Bad Company is the eponymous debut studio album by hard rock band Bad Company.The album was recorded at Headley Grange with Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio in November 1973....
in 1974. Co-written by the group's lead singer Paul Rodgers
Paul Rodgers
Paul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
and drummer Simon Kirke
Simon Kirke
Simon Kirke is an English rock drummer best known as a member of Free and Bad Company.-Biography:...
, the song's meaning comes from the movie of the same name
Bad Company (1972 film)
Bad Company is a 1972 American Western film directed by Robert Benton, who also co-wrote the film with David Newman. It stars Barry Brown and Jeff Bridges as two of a group of young men that flee the draft during the American Civil War to seek their fortune and freedom on the unforgiving American...
featuring Jeff Bridges
Jeff Bridges
Jeffrey Leon "Jeff" Bridges is an American actor and musician. He won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his role as Otis "Bad" Blake in the 2009 film Crazy Heart....
and Barry Brown. The introductory three chords of the song are also in the movie. The Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell
Joni Mitchell, CC is a Canadian musician, singer songwriter, and painter. Mitchell began singing in small nightclubs in her native Saskatchewan and Western Canada and then busking in the streets and dives of Toronto...
song "Woodstock" from 1970 uses the same chords and piano figure.
It is also a rare instance of the artist, album and song names being the same. Other examples include "Black Sabbath
Black Sabbath (song)
"Black Sabbath" is a song by British heavy metal band of the same name, written in 1969 and released on the band's debut album, Black Sabbath...
" and "Iron Maiden
Iron Maiden (song)
"Iron Maiden" is a song by Iron Maiden on their debut album Iron Maiden. It was written by Steve Harris, and recorded with Paul Di'Anno on vocals, Clive Burr on drums, and Dennis Stratton and Dave Murray on guitars...
".
In popular culture
Timothy McVeighTimothy McVeigh
Timothy James McVeigh was a United States Army veteran and security guard who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995...
, the terrorist responsible for the April 19, 1995 bombing
Oklahoma City bombing
The Oklahoma City bombing was a terrorist bomb attack on the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. It was the most destructive act of terrorism on American soil until the September 11, 2001 attacks. The Oklahoma blast claimed 168 lives, including 19...
of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building
Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building
The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was a United States Federal Government complex located at 200 N.W. 5th Street in downtown Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States. The building was the target of the Oklahoma City bombing on April 19, 1995, which killed 168 people, including 19 children...
in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
, was quoted as saying as he fled the site of the bombing that he thought of a specific "Bad Company" lyric, "...dirty for dirty," heard towards the end of the song. Many websites describe this, but confuse that short phrase within a song as the title for another song.
This song is also heard in the 2006 episode of The CW series Supernatural
Supernatural (TV series)
Supernatural is an American supernatural and horror television series created by Eric Kripke, which debuted on September 13, 2005 on The WB, and is now part of The CW's lineup. Starring Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester and Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester, the series follows the brothers as they...
, titled "Scarecrow". It can also be heard on episode 20 of the sixteenth season of The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
where Ned Flanders
Ned Flanders
Nedward "Ned" Flanders, Jr. is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Harry Shearer, and first appeared in the series premiere episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire". He is the next door neighbor to the Simpson family and is generally...
moves to a new town and becomes a "rebel" by keeping an untrimmed mustache.
Tori Amos
Tori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
performed the song at a number of concerts in 1994 and 1996.
Bill Champlin
Bill Champlin
William Bradford "Bill" Champlin is an American singer, guitarist, keyboard player, arranger, producer, and songwriter. His performance work is principally associated with the bands Chicago and the Sons of Champlin...
did a cover of the song that was featured in Season 2, episode 9 of The Young Riders
The Young Riders
The Young Riders is an American Western television series created by Ed Spielman that presents a fictionalized account of a group of young Pony Express riders based at the Sweetwater Station in the Nebraska Territory during the years leading up to the American Civil War...
(1990). The title of the episode is "Bad Company".
In the beginning of the final book of his Dark Tower series, The Dark Tower
The Dark Tower
Dark Tower may refer to:* The Dark Tower , an unfinished novel by C. S. Lewis* Barad-dûr the fortress of Sauron in the fantasy world of J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings* The Dark Tower , a 1933 comedy by George S...
, Stephen King quotes the lines "I was born 6-gun in my hand, Behind a gun I'll make my final stand".
Personnel
- Paul RodgersPaul RodgersPaul Bernard Rodgers is an English rock singer-songwriter, best known for his success in the 1970s as a member of Free and Bad Company. After stints in two less successful bands in the 1980s and early 1990s, The Firm and The Law, he became a solo artist. He has recently toured and recorded with...
– vocals, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, accordionAccordionThe accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist.... - Mick RalphsMick RalphsMichael Geoffrey "Mick" Ralphs is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was a founding member of rock bands Mott the Hoople and Bad Company.-Career:...
– guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Simon KirkeSimon KirkeSimon Kirke is an English rock drummer best known as a member of Free and Bad Company.-Biography:...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Boz BurrellBoz BurrellRaymond "Boz" Burrell was an English musician. Originally a vocalist, Burrell is best known for his bass playing and work with the rock bands King Crimson and Bad Company.-Career:...
– bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Five Finger Death Punch cover
Five Finger Death PunchFive Finger Death Punch
Five Finger Death Punch is an American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 2005, the group's name is derived from classic oriental martial arts cinema. The band originally consisted of vocalist Ivan Moody, guitarist Zoltan Bathory, guitarist Caleb Bingham, bassist Matt Snell,...
frequently performs a cover of this song live, and professionally recorded the song for their second album War Is the Answer
War Is the Answer
War Is the Answer is the second studio album by American heavy metal band Five Finger Death Punch. It was released on September 22, 2009 through Prospect Park Records. The album debuted at number 7 on the Billboard 200 selling approximately 44,000 copies in its first week...
. They released the song as the fifth single from War Is the Answer, and their eighth single overall on May 17, 2010. A music video for the song was recorded while the band was performing for the United States troops in Iraq. The video premiered on June 11, 2010. The song has reached #7 on the Billboard Rock Songs
Rock Songs
Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs...
chart, #26 on the Alternative Songs chart and #2 on the Mainstream Rock Songs chart, making it their first top-5 hit and their highest charting single to date. The song has a significantly heavier tone to it, along with several lyrical edits ("I was born a shotgun in my hands", "the death punch sound is our claim to fame"). The song is used by Washington Nationals closer Drew Storen
Drew Storen
Drew Patrick Storen is an American baseball relief pitcher for the Washington Nationals. The Nationals selected the 6'1" 170 lb. right-hander No. 10 overall in the 2009 Major League Baseball Draft...
.
Track listing
Chart performance
| Chart (2010) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Mainstream Rock Songs (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
2 |
| US Rock Songs Rock Songs Rock Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks the airplay of songs on alternative, mainstream rock and triple A radio stations. The first chart was published in the issue dated June 20, 2009. "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day was the first number-one song. The Rock Songs... (Billboard) |
7 |
| US Alternative Songs (Billboard) | 26 |
| US Heatseekers Songs (Billboard) | 11 |
Personnel
- Zoltan BathoryZoltan BathoryZoltán Báthory is a Hungarian-born musician. He is the co-founder and one of the main songwriters for the Los Angeles-based hard rock band Five Finger Death Punch.-Career:...
— guitars - Jason HookJason HookJason Hook is a Canadian guitarist, record producer, songwriter and session musician.-Biography and Career:...
— guitars - Ivan MoodyIvan L. MoodyIvan L. Moody, also known by the pseudonym Ghost, is the singer for American Heavy metal group Five Finger Death Punch from Sacramento, California. He had performed for several bands before settling down with FFDP...
— vocals - Matt Snell — bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Jeremy Spencer — drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....