"Name of the Game" is the sixth track from power pop band Badfinger's 1971 album, ''

Straight Up Straight up is a bartending term referring to a chilled drink served in a stemmed glass without ice. Straight Up may also refer to: * ''Straight Up'' (book), by author, blogger, physicist and climate expert Joseph J. Romm * ''Straight Up'' (Ha ...

''. The song was written by Pete Ham.

Background

After the release of their album '' No Dice'', Badfinger began work on an untitled follow-up. Geoff Emerick produced sessions for the songs that were to be on the album, among them being "Name of the Game". "Name of the Game" was also intended to be released as the lead single from this album, backed with "Suitcase", a track written by

Joey Molland Joseph Charles Molland (born 21 June 1947, Edge Hill, Liverpool) is an English songwriter and rock guitarist whose recording career spans five decades. He is best known as a member of Badfinger, the most successful of the acts he performed wit ...

, but, despite efforts from

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

(who was impressed greatly by the track) to remix the song, the single, as well as the rest of the album, were canceled due to input from

Phil Spector Harvey Phillip Spector (born Harvey Philip Spector; December 26, 1939January 16, 2021) was an American record producer and songwriter, best known for his innovative recording practices and entrepreneurship in the 1960s, followed decades later by ...

. This single edit appeared on some reissues of ''

''. When

returned to produce a new album for Badfinger, one of the songs that he worked on was "Name of the Game". However, upon his departure due to The Concert for Bangladesh,

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, multimedia artist, sound engineer and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the band Ut ...

came to finish the album. Upon its completion, the album, now titled ''

'', featured "Name of the Game" at the end of side one. "Name of the Game" also appeared as the A-side of a single in the Philippines (backed with "Perfection".)

Reception

"Name of the Game" has generally received positive reviews from critics. ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

called "Name of the Game" a "note-perfect pop ballad," while Apple Records' overview of ''Straight Up'' said that "Name of the Game" was "epic both in sound and in sentiment." Chris Evans chose it as an example of a Badfinger that shows that "though lyrical profundity may have been beyond them, there was plenty of mileage to be got out of the

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

before Adrian Gurvitz and

Michael Bolton Michael Bolotin
, The Jewish Historical Society of New Haven, 1998. (born February 26, 1953), known professio ...

came along. ''Classic Rock'' critic Rob Hughes rated "Name of the Game" as Badfinger's 8th greatest song, saying "Pete Ham’s piano-led meditation is a prime example of his consummate artistry, replete with purring harmonies and a comely melody." ''Classic Rock History'' critic Janey Roberts rated it as Badfinger's 10th best song, calling it "a great Badfinger song written by Mr. Peter Hamm" despite being overshadowed by the singles released from the album. "Name of the Game" was also a favorite of the members of Badfinger. Guitarist

said that "We embers of Badfingerwere all knocked out by that.”

References

{{authority control Badfinger songs Rock ballads Songs written by Pete Ham Song recordings produced by Todd Rundgren Song recordings produced by George Harrison 1971 songs