Bad to the Bone (George Thorogood & The Destroyers album)
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"Bad to the Bone" is a song by American
blues rock Blues rock is a fusion music genre that combines elements of blues and rock music. It is mostly an electric ensemble-style music with instrumentation similar to electric blues and rock (electric guitar, electric bass guitar, and drums, sometimes w ...
band George Thorogood and the Destroyers, released in 1982 on the album of the same name by EMI America Records. The song adapts the hook and lyrics of Muddy Waters' 1955 song " Mannish Boy". While "Bad to the Bone" was not widely popular upon its initial release, its music video made recurrent appearances on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
, created a year before. Licensing for films, television, and commercials has since made the song more popular. Author Jim Beviglia opined that despite the song not landing on the Hot 100 chart, it "outstrips all other 80s songs in terms of the way it has essentially become cultural shorthand".


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 (played by Michael Fusco), 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. Thorogood smokes a
cigar A cigar is a rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco leaves made to be smoked. Cigars are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes. Since the 20th century, almost all cigars are made of three distinct components: the filler, the binder l ...
throughout the pool-playing sequence. The video ends with Thorogood making the 8 ball drop into a pocket by flicking a large quantity of cigar ash on the floor, apparently triggering the drop of the ball in the pocket.


Personnel

*
George Thorogood George Lawrence Thorogood (born February 24, 1950) is an American musician, singer and songwriter from Wilmington, Delaware. His "high-energy boogie-blues" sound became a staple of 1980s rock radio, with hits like his original songs "Bad to the ...
– vocals and electric guitar * Ian Stewart – piano *Hank Carter – saxophone *Billy Blough – bass *Jeff Simon – drums


In popular culture


Film and television

The song has been used in filmmaking and television productions, often as a tongue-in-cheek comedic device when a "bad guy" needs to be introduced or identified. An example of this is in the opening of the movie ''
Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' (1987 fil ...
'', where the song is played as the red and white 1958 Plymouth Fury rolls down the production line and injures an inspector, and again in the ending shot when a piece of Christine's grille moves. The song was used in the bar scene in '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' where the Terminator first is shown in his full leather outfit. It can also be heard in the card game scene from the remake of '' The Parent Trap''. The song was used in the 1988 drama film '' Talk Radio'' in the scenes where radio talk show host Barry Champlain's radio show, used as the opening and closing theme of his radio show. It was also used in the 2010 computer-animated superhero movie, ''
Megamind ''Megamind'' is a 2010 American computer-animated superhero comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Tom McGrath from a screenplay by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, the film stars the ...
''. It was the title theme to '' Problem Child'' and its sequel, and '' Major Payne''. It is also included in the ''South Park'' episode "
You're Not Yelping "You're Not Yelping" is the fourth episode of the nineteenth season and the 261st overall episode of the animated television series ''South Park'', written and directed by series co-creator Trey Parker. The episode premiered on Comedy Central on O ...
" while Cartman walks down a hallway. It is also played during ''
Shaun the Sheep Movie ''Shaun the Sheep Movie'' is a 2015 stop-motion animated adventure comedy film based on the 2007 British television series ''Shaun the Sheep'', created by Nick Park, in turn a spin-off of the ''Wallace and Gromit'' film, ''A Close Shave'' (1995). ...
'' after Shaun is caught by Animal Containment. The song was played in the episode of '' Who's the Boss?'', "The Two Tonys", when Tony Micelli was playing pool against another guy named Tony Petardi (husband of Darlene, Tony Micelli's ex-girlfriend) and tries to beat him. The song was used many times in '' Married... with Children'', when
Al Bundy Al Bundy is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television series '' Married... with Children''. Played by Ed O'Neill, Bundy is a misanthropic, working-class father of two who is portrayed as a somewhat tragicomedic figur ...
does something fun, usually followed by the line "Let's Rock." For example, in " Hot off the Grill", " A Man's Castle", " Heels on Wheels" episodes. The song was referenced in the episode of '' Family Matters'', "Crash Course", by Steve Urkel when Eddie Winslow crashed the family station wagon in the living room without a driver's license. Urkel stated that he is bad to the bone and that bad is his middle name. The song was referenced and background music was playing in the episode of '' Step By Step'', "Something Wild" when Mark Foster dressed up for their Halloween party as a rebel to impress the prettiest girl in his school he invited to the part. The song was played in the episode of '' The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'', "I Bowl Buster", when Will Smith and
Carlton Banks Carlton Banks is a fictional Character (arts), character portrayed by Alfonso Ribeiro on the NBC television sitcom ''The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air'' from September 1990 to May 1996, the preppy and politically conservative cousin, main foil, and even ...
go bowling to celebrate Carlton's acceptance to Princeton University and is played through the times Carlton struggles to bowl and causes multiple mishaps and injuries for him and Will.
Alvin and the Chipmunks Alvin and the Chipmunks, originally David Seville and the Chipmunks or simply The Chipmunks, are an American animated virtual band and media franchise first created by Ross Bagdasarian for novelty records in 1958. The group consists of three s ...
covered the song for the episode "Alvin's Oldest Fan" from their TV series. It was also featured in the episode "Endless Summer" of the series ''
Renegade Renegade or The Renegade may refer to: Aircraft *Lake Renegade, an American amphibious aircraft design *Murphy Renegade, a Canadian ultralight biplane design *Southern Aeronautical Renegade, an American racing aircraft design Games *'' Comman ...
''. Almost the entire record can be heard at the beginning of the episode "Nobody Lives Forever" on the TV series '' Miami Vice''. An episode of Disney's TV show '' 101 Dalmatians: The Series'' has an episode named after the song. In the ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'' episode "PeTerminator", a terminator resembling
Peter Griffin Peter Löwenbräu Griffin, born Justin Peter Griffin, is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''Family Guy''. He is voiced by the series' creator, Seth MacFarlane, and first appeared on television, alon ...
steals some clothes and a motorcycle. While the music in the background is "Bad to the Bone", the terminator instead says, "B-B-B-B-Bird... B-B-B-B-Bird... B-B-B-B-Bird... B-Bird is the word..." in reference to the running gag of Peter's love of " Surfin' Bird" by the Trashmen.
Rudy Giuliani Rudolph William Louis Giuliani (, ; born May 28, 1944) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 107th Mayor of New York City from 1994 to 2001. He previously served as the United States Associate Attorney General from 1981 to 198 ...
performed the song in Season 7, Episode 7 of ''
The Masked Singer ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
''. His performance led judge Ken Jeong to walk off set.


Uses in film

"Bad to the Bone" has been used in many films, such as: * ''
Slayground ''Slayground'' is a 1983 British crime thriller film directed by Terry Bedford. Starring Peter Coyote, Mel Smith and Billie Whitelaw, the film is adapted from ''Slayground'', the 14th Parker novel (although the main character has been renamed to ...
'' (1983) * ''
Christine Christine may refer to: People * Christine (name), a female given name Film * ''Christine'' (1958 film), based on Schnitzler's play ''Liebelei'' * ''Christine'' (1983 film), based on King's novel of the same name * ''Christine'' (1987 fil ...
'' (1983) * '' The Color Of Money'' (1986) * '' Lethal Weapon'' (1987) * '' Bull Durham'' (1988) * '' Talk Radio'' (1988) * '' Problem Child'' (1990) * '' Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (1991) * '' Problem Child 2'' (1991) * '' Flesh and Bone'' (1993) * '' Major Payne'' (1995) * '' The Parent Trap'' (1998) * ''
3000 Miles to Graceland ''3000 Miles to Graceland'' is a 2001 American heist black action comedy film directed, co-written, and co-produced by Demian Lichtenstein. Lichtenstein co-wrote the script with Richard Recco. The film stars Kurt Russell, Kevin Costner, Courte ...
'' (2001) * '' Joe Dirt'' (2001) * '' Firehouse Dog'' (2007) * ''
Beverly Hills Chihuahua ''Beverly Hills Chihuahua'' is a 2008 American comedy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures, the first in the ''Beverly Hills Chihuahua'' series. It is directed by Raja Gosnell and was released on October 3, 2008. The films stars Piper Perabo, Ja ...
'' (2008) * ''
Beautiful Kate ''Beautiful Kate'' is a 2009 Australian drama film directed by Rachel Ward and starring Ben Mendelsohn, Rachel Griffiths, Bryan Brown, Maeve Dermody and Sophie Lowe. Ward adapted the script from a 1982 novel of the same name by Newton Thornburg; ...
'' (2009) * '' Lucky Luke'' (2009) * ''
Transylmania ''Transylmania'' is a 2009 American comedy horror film directed by David and Scott Hillenbrand, and co-written by Patrick Casey and Worm Miller. The film did poorly at the box office, making it one of the biggest flops of 2009. Synopsis 16th ...
'' (2009) * '' Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore'' (2010) * ''
Megamind ''Megamind'' is a 2010 American computer-animated superhero comedy film produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Directed by Tom McGrath from a screenplay by Alan Schoolcraft and Brent Simons, the film stars the ...
'' (2010) * '' The Muppets'' (2011) * '' It Boy'' (2013) * ''
Shaun the Sheep Movie ''Shaun the Sheep Movie'' is a 2015 stop-motion animated adventure comedy film based on the 2007 British television series ''Shaun the Sheep'', created by Nick Park, in turn a spin-off of the ''Wallace and Gromit'' film, ''A Close Shave'' (1995). ...
'' (2015) * '' Man Up'' (2015) * '' Huevos: Little Rooster's Egg-cellent Adventure'' (2015) * '' It's For Your Own Good'' (2017)


Sporting events

The song is used by Dennis Anderson's
Grave Digger A gravedigger is a cemetery worker who is responsible for digging a grave prior to a funeral service. Description If the grave is in a cemetery on the property of a church or other religious organization (part of, or called, a churchyard), ...
monster truck as entrance music, and plays during his portion of the freestyle round at Monster Jam events, and as an entrance theme for closing pitcher
Takashi Saito is a Japanese former professional baseball pitcher who is currently the chief pitching coach for the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). Saito's professional career spanned 23 years. He spent his first 13 seasons pit ...
of the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was also played during every at bat of former Seattle Mariners slugger
Jay Buhner Jay Campbell Buhner (born August 13, 1964), nicknamed "Bone", is an American former professional baseball right fielder. At and , he was among the most recognizable players of his day, noted for his shaved head, thick goatee, and patch of pine t ...
and former Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres slugger
Ryan Klesko Ryan Anthony Klesko (born June 12, 1971) is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and corner outfielder who played for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants. He attended Westminster High School in Westminster, Calif ...
. The song is also used by 2-Time World Champion Professional bull rider J. B. Mauney. The song is also used as an entrance theme song in professional wrestling. Multiple wrestlers have used it as their theme song, such as
L. A. Park Adolfo Margarito Tapia Ibarra (November 14, 1965) is a Mexican ''luchador enmascarado'' ( masked professional wrestler), who currently performs as L. A. Park for Major League Wrestling in the United States, where he is a former MLW World Tag ...
in Mexico, Kevin Wacholz, who used the song in the 1980s as "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly while wrestling for the
American Wrestling Association The American Wrestling Association (AWA) was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 until 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo. The territory was originally part o ...
, and
Gino Hernandez Charles Eugene Wolfe Jr. (August 8, 1957 – February 2, 1986) was an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Gino Hernandez. He is perhaps best known for his appearances with the Dallas, Texas-based promotion World Class Ch ...
and Chris Adams as "The Dynamic Duo" in World Class Championship Wrestling in Texas. American mixed martial artist Phil Baroni used it as his entrance song at UFC 106. It was also used by The Bad Crew. The song is used in the home matches of
HIFK HIFK, the Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna, Helsingfors (IFK, Helsingfors) rf (officially abbreviated IFK Helsingfors, colloquially often Helsingfors IFK or Helsingin IFK ) is a multi-sport association based in Helsinki, Finland. Formed in 1897 on ...
(a Finnish professional ice hockey team competing in the Liiga) when HIFK acquires a penalty.


Other media

On October 7, 2008, the song was released as downloadable content for the music video game series ''
Rock Band A rock band or pop band is a small musical ensemble that performs rock music, pop music, or a related genre. A four-piece band is the most common configuration in rock and pop music. In the early years, the configuration was typically two guita ...
''. It also featured in '' Rock Band Track Pack: Classic Rock''. The video game ''
Rock 'n Roll Racing ''Rock n' Roll Racing'' is a vehicular combat-based racing video game developed by Silicon & Synapse (now known as Blizzard Entertainment) and published by Interplay Productions for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993 and the Mega ...
'' also uses it. The song has also been used as a theme song for
Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout their career, the band is best known for music created during their most experimental era. During this time, ...
. Talk show host Bill Cunningham uses the song as the opening intro to his afternoon talk show on WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio, and on his Sunday night radio show. The song " E.V.I.L. B.O.Y.S." from the hit Disney show '' Phineas and Ferb'' sampled the base melody of the song to give it a
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
sound. Thorogood appeared in a
UPS UPS or ups may refer to: Companies and organizations * United Parcel Service, an American shipping company ** The UPS Store, UPS subsidiary ** UPS Airlines, UPS subsidiary * Underground Press Syndicate, later ''Alternative Press Syndicate'' or ...
commercial, convincing NASCAR driver
Dale Jarrett Dale Arnold Jarrett (born November 26, 1956) is a former American race car driver and current commentator for NBC. He is best known for winning the Daytona 500 three times (in 1993, 1996, and 2000) and winning the NASCAR Winston Cup Series champio ...
to race the brown delivery truck, and rewriting the lyrics as "Brown to the Bone", in 2002.


Authorship claim

Chicago area musician James Pobiega, who goes by the stage name "Little Howlin' Wolf", has claimed that he wrote "Bad to the Bone" and that Thorogood stole it from him. The song is influenced by Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy". Thorogood initially offered the song to Waters, who rejected it outright.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bad To The Bone 1982 singles 1982 songs EMI America Records singles George Thorogood songs