Bad Bad Boy

Background

“Bad Bad Boy” is the final track on the 1997 release Blue Moon Swamp. The song is a Carlos Santana-esque, guitar screamer set against Spartan lyrics that paint a picture of an unidentified bad dude. The centerpiece of the song is John's wailing guitar which alternates between angrily answering the lyrics and storming off into searing solos The latin-flavored percussion work of Luis Conte together with the sprinkling of spot-on harmonies from the Lonesome River Band makes for an interesting arrangement that is slightly reminiscent of Centerfield’s "Vanz Kant Danz" and little else in Fogerty’s catalog. As the song fades away after four and a half minutes of anguish, Fogerty can still be heard tearing up the strings as if the song were wandering down a desolate alleyway. 

Personnel

Backing Vocals: John Fogerty

Drums: Chester Thompson

Bass: Phil Chen

Guitar: John Fogerty

Percussion: Luis Conte 

The Lonesome River Band 

Production notes

Fogerty has not elaborated on the inspiration for "Bad Bad Boy," but as he recalls in his recent autobiography, the tune held great importance for two reasons. For one, this song was where he "discovered the Gibson Goldtop," a gold-colored Les Paul signature guitar. After the recording, the Goldtop became a cherished and oft-used instrument in the studio and in concert.  Secondly, the song had a great influence on the mixing for the album on which it appeared. "Once Blue Moon Swamp was basically done, I thought we were going to mix it right there at the Lighthouse," Fogerty recalled in his autobiography. "But mixing is a really special deal, and I wasn't convinced that it could be done there." At this juncture, fate brought Bob Clearmountain into the picture. "Bob Clearmountain is my buddy," Fogerty wrote. "He got wind that I was done, and said in the sweetest way, 'John, I'd really like to mix your record.' Now, in my head I've kind of pegged him as Mr. Digital...he's worked on Bruce's records, Bryan Adams... I knew he was great. I just didn't know if he was the right 'great' for me."

John relented to Clearmountain's request to mix one song for free, and John gave him "Bad Bad Boy." John was very satisfied with the results, stating that Clearmountain had "found the essence of the song." From that point onward, John determined to have Clearmountain mix the entire album which eventually won a Grammy. Clearmountain has mixed other Fogerty albums since.

Trivia

Bassist for the song, Phil Chen, is one of the most well-known session musicians in terms of bass players. Chester Thompson also is a renowned session musician and mostly known as the tour drummer with the band Genesis for many years.

Collector's notes

“Bad Bad Boy” was also released as a promotional CD single (WB PRO CD 9138) in the USA in 1997. It's musically similar to the album version (Peter Koers, Green River, 1999). 

A CD single containing "Blueboy", "Bad Bad Boy" and "Searchlight" came out in Germany (WB 9362439422 WO423CD) and Australia (WB 9362439422). Both had a cover sleeve. 

"Blueboy" b/w "Bad Bad Boy" was also launched as a promotional cassette single with a picture sleeve (9-17283-4) (Peter Koers, CCR Fan Club Bulletin #47, February 1998). 

Live versions

The song has never been played in concert.

Essay written by Nick Linville. 

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