Bad as Me (song)
Encyclopedia
"Bad as Me" is a song by American
rock
musician Tom Waits
, written collectively by Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan
. Written and recorded during the sessions for his studio album of the same name
, the song was released as Waits' seventeenth single
on August 23, 2011 and was the first new studio material by Waits in seven years, since Real Gone
(2004).
and musicME. According to Waits, in a YouTube
video announcing the release of Bad as Me, the leak of information "spoiled the surprise" of his announcement as the single was "going to go out everywhere, into the blood stream." The previous June, Waits posted a picture of a chalkboard, with the lyrics to the song's chorus, on his official web site and social media
pages. The song is also the eighth track on Bad as Me
that was released on October 24, 2011.
referred to the track as "as raw and unnerving as ever with this clattering, bluesy comeback track" and noted how there "[is] something deeply sinister about the chorus of 'You're the same kind of bad as me', creating an almost suffocating atmosphere." Stereogum
also described the song as "a characteristically unhinged caterwau," and SFWeekly further commented that the song was "pure, melodramatic Waits, with a dragging blues beat, stabbing, reverb-dipped guitars, and a horn section that plays accomplice to the gritty unfoldings [...] making the whole thing feel like the perfect soundtrack to some dusty bar full of misfits and killers in a Robert Rodriguez
film." Over a week after its release, "Bad as Me" was added to Rolling Stones Editors' Picks and was referred to as "a gloriously ramshackle thing, with pop's greatest living vaudevillian pushing his drunkard's bleat over a honking baritone sax and a clattering oompah beat" and called the lyrics "total nonsense, and pure genius."
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
musician Tom Waits
Tom Waits
Thomas Alan "Tom" Waits is an American singer-songwriter, composer, and actor. Waits has a distinctive voice, described by critic Daniel Durchholz as sounding "like it was soaked in a vat of bourbon, left hanging in the smokehouse for a few months, and then taken outside and run over with a car."...
, written collectively by Waits and his wife Kathleen Brennan
Kathleen Brennan
Kathleen Brennan is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and artist. She was born in Johnsburg, Illinois, as noted by her husband and musical collaborator Tom Waits, in the song of the same name. Brennan and Waits met in 1980 during the filming of the Francis Ford Coppola film One from...
. Written and recorded during the sessions for his studio album of the same name
Bad as Me
Bad as Me is the seventeenth studio album by American rock musician Tom Waits, released on October 21, 2011 by ANTI- Records. The album is known to have been recorded as early as February 2011 and was officially announced for release on August 23, 2011 on Waits' official web site and various social...
, the song was released as Waits' seventeenth single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
on August 23, 2011 and was the first new studio material by Waits in seven years, since Real Gone
Real Gone
Real Gone is an album by Tom Waits, released October 3, 2004 in Europe, and October 5 in United States on the ANTI- label.The album features some of the few political songs Waits has ever written, the most explicit being "Day After Tomorrow", a song Waits has described as an "elliptical" protest...
(2004).
Release
Following an announcement by Waits on his official web site on August 16, 2011 stating that he "will set the record straight," the artwork, track listing, song length and an audio clip of "Bad as Me" were released on AmazonAmazon.com
Amazon.com, Inc. is a multinational electronic commerce company headquartered in Seattle, Washington, United States. It is the world's largest online retailer. Amazon has separate websites for the following countries: United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, and...
and musicME. According to Waits, in a YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
video announcing the release of Bad as Me, the leak of information "spoiled the surprise" of his announcement as the single was "going to go out everywhere, into the blood stream." The previous June, Waits posted a picture of a chalkboard, with the lyrics to the song's chorus, on his official web site and social media
Social media
The term Social Media refers to the use of web-based and mobile technologies to turn communication into an interactive dialogue. Andreas Kaplan and Michael Haenlein define social media as "a group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations of Web 2.0,...
pages. The song is also the eighth track on Bad as Me
Bad as Me
Bad as Me is the seventeenth studio album by American rock musician Tom Waits, released on October 21, 2011 by ANTI- Records. The album is known to have been recorded as early as February 2011 and was officially announced for release on August 23, 2011 on Waits' official web site and various social...
that was released on October 24, 2011.
Critical reception
Upon its release, "Bad as Me" received positive critical acclaim. Michael Cragg of The GuardianThe Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
referred to the track as "as raw and unnerving as ever with this clattering, bluesy comeback track" and noted how there "[is] something deeply sinister about the chorus of 'You're the same kind of bad as me', creating an almost suffocating atmosphere." Stereogum
Stereogum
Stereogum was one of the first MP3 blogs. It was created by Scott Lapatine in January 2002 with a focus on independent and alternative music news, downloads, videos, and gossip. Stereogum has received several awards and citations, including the 2008 Plug Award for best music blog, Blender's...
also described the song as "a characteristically unhinged caterwau," and SFWeekly further commented that the song was "pure, melodramatic Waits, with a dragging blues beat, stabbing, reverb-dipped guitars, and a horn section that plays accomplice to the gritty unfoldings [...] making the whole thing feel like the perfect soundtrack to some dusty bar full of misfits and killers in a Robert Rodriguez
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodríguez is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, editor and musician. He shoots and produces many of his films in his native Texas and Mexico. He has directed such films as Desperado, From Dusk till Dawn, The Faculty, Spy Kids, Sin City, Planet...
film." Over a week after its release, "Bad as Me" was added to Rolling Stones Editors' Picks and was referred to as "a gloriously ramshackle thing, with pop's greatest living vaudevillian pushing his drunkard's bleat over a honking baritone sax and a clattering oompah beat" and called the lyrics "total nonsense, and pure genius."
Chart performance
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|