Kid Rock
Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...
. Released in 1999 from his fourth studio album, '' Devil Without a Cause'' (1998), "Bawitdaba" helped push the success of the album. It became one of his most popular songs, receiving critical praise and entering the top 10 on the
New Zealand Singles Chart
The Official New Zealand Music Chart ( mi, Te Papa Tātai Waiata Matua o Aotearoa) is the weekly New Zealand top 40 singles and albums charts, issued weekly by Recorded Music NZ (formerly Recording Industry Association of New Zealand). The Music ...
.
Background
"Bawitdaba" has been described as having a
nu metal
Nu metal (sometimes stylized as nü-metal, sometimes called aggro-metal) is a subgenre of that combines elements of heavy metal music with elements of other music genres such as hip hop, alternative rock, funk, industrial, and grunge. Nu met ...
sound. Its chorus has been described as a "neo- gregorian drone"; this chorus was derived from hip hop chants, such as the refrain from the
Sugar Hill Gang
Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose, fructose, and galactose. Compound sugars, also called disaccharides or double s ...
Pantera
Pantera () is an American heavy metal music, heavy metal band from Arlington, Texas formed in 1981, and currently comprised of vocalist Phil Anselmo, bassist Rex Brown, and touring musicians Zakk Wylde and Charlie Benante. The group's best-kn ...
. The lyrics of the song are dedicated to "chicks with beepers", the
IRS
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory tax ...
, as well as "all the crackheads, the critics, the cynics / And all my heroes in the
methadone clinic
A methadone clinic, or substance use disorder services clinic (SUDS), is a clinic which has been established for the dispensing of medications used in the treatment of opiate dependence —historically and most commonly methadone, although buprenor ...
."
In the demo recording of the song, Kid Rock shouts, "Now get in the pit and try to kill someone!" On the album version, Kid Rock changed the lyrics, replacing the word "kill" with "love". Regarding the change, Kid Rock told ''
The Baltimore Sun
''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries.
Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...
'' that he was glad he changed the lyrics, explaining that
mosh pit
Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed to "aggressive" live music such as heavy metal and punk rock. Moshing usually happen ...
s are about coexistence.
Reception
"Bawitdaba" is considered to be one of Kid Rock's best songs. In 2009, "Bawitdaba" was named the 47th best hard rock song of all time by
VH1
VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...
.
Track listings
UK CD1
# "Bawitdaba" (radio edit) – 3:32
# "My Oedipus Complex" (Father edit) – 3:51
# "My Oedipus Complex" (Son edit) – 4:28
# "Bawitdaba" (enhanced video)
UK CD2
# "Bawitdaba" (radio edit) – 3:32
# "
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...
I Am the Bullgod
"I Am the Bullgod" is a song by Kid Rock, first released in 1993 on the vinyl release of '' The Polyfuze Method'', and later appearing on his 1998 breakout album ''Devil Without a Cause''.
Composition
"I Am the Bullgod", according to AXS, was a ...
" (album version) – 4:50
# "Paid" (album version) – 4:45
# "I Am the Bullgod" (video)
European and Australian CD single
# "Bawitdaba" (edit) – 3:32
# "Bawitdaba" (album version) – 4:25
# "I Am the Bullgod" (live, electro-acoustic version) – 5:28
Credits and personnel
Credits are lifted from the UK CD1 and '' Devil Without a Cause'' liner notes.
Studios
* Recorded at White Room Studios and Temple of the Dog (
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
)
* Mixed at
Abbey Road Studios
Abbey Road Studios (formerly EMI Recording Studios) is a recording studio at 3 Abbey Road, St John's Wood, City of Westminster, London, England. It was established in November 1931 by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of British music c ...
(London, England)
* Mastered at Masterdisk (New York City)
Musicians
*
Kid Rock
Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...
– writing (as R. J. Ritchie), vocals, production, mixing, engineering
*
Twisted Brown Trucker
Twisted Brown Trucker is the backing band for American musician Kid Rock. Formed in 1994, the band has contributed to nine of his twelve studio albums, as well as Uncle Kracker's '' Double Wide'' album.
History
Formation and establishment (1 ...
– additional engineering
** Uncle Kracker – writing (as Matthew Shafer), turntables
** Jason Krause – writing, metal guitar
** Kenny Olson – lead guitar
**
Jimmie Bones
Jimmie is a variation of the given name James.
Jimmie may refer to:
* Jimmie Adams (1888–1933), American silent film comedian
* Jimmie Åkesson (born 1979), Swedish politician
* Jimmie Allen (born 1986), American country music singer
* Jimmie A ...
– keyboards
**
Stefanie Eulinberg
Twisted Brown Trucker is the backing band for American musician Kid Rock. Formed in 1994, the band has contributed to nine of his twelve studio albums, as well as Uncle Kracker's '' Double Wide'' album.
History
Formation and establishment (1 ...
– drums
Other personnel
* John Travis – additional production, engineering
* David Bottrill – mixing
* Al Sutton – engineering
* Derek Matuja – additional engineering
*