Bad to the Bone

"Bad to the Bone" is a song by George Thorogood and the Destroyers released in 1982 on the album of the same name. While it was not widely popular during its initial release, its video made recurrent appearances on the nascent MTV, created a year before. Licensing for films, television, and commercials has since made the song more popular.

Structure and influences

The song's roots can be traced back to rock and roll musician Bo Diddley's song "I'm a Man", which uses a similar guitar riff and vocal rhythm, and has a similar overall structure, as well as Muddy Waters's "Mannish Boy" or "Hoochie Coochie Man", John Lee Hooker's "I'm Bad Like Jesse James", and Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Gangster of Love". The riff is also very similar to the one from Chuck Berry's song "No Money Down" as well as Elvis Presley's "Trouble".

Music video

The video intercuts a live performance by Thorogood and his band with his playing a lengthy game of pool with Bo Diddley. Pool player Willie Mosconi is summoned from another room by a spectator, and he wagers a large sum of money on Diddley. As Thorogood appears to be winning, a group of children outside celebrate while Diddley gets a dirty look from Mosconi.

Bad to the Bone (novel)

Bad to the Bone is a 2010 novel by Jeri Smith-Ready. It is an espionage-farce sequel to 2008's Wicked Game. The book received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

References

Bad to the Bone (Kool G Rap & DJ Polo song)

"Bad to the Bone" is the third single from American hip hop duo Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's 1990 album Wanted: Dead or Alive. It was later also featured on the compilation albums The Best of Cold Chillin' (2000), Greatest Hits (2002) and Street Stories: The Best of Kool G Rap & DJ Polo (2013).

Critical acclaim

Sputnikmusic rated "Bad to the Bone" at five out of five, calling the song a "classic".

Samples

"Bad to the Bone" samples the following songs:

And was later sampled on:

Track listing

12"

Cassette

CD

References

External links