Bad to the Bone
Encyclopedia
"Bad to the Bone" is a song by George Thorogood
and the Destroyers released in 1982 on the album of the same name. While it was not a major hit on initial release, its video made recurrent appearances on the nascent MTV
, which was created a year before. Licensing for films, television, and commercials has since made "Bad to the Bone" better recognized.
's song "I'm a Man
", which uses a similar guitar riff and vocal rhythm, and has a similar overall structure, as well as Muddy Waters
's "She Moves Me" and "Mannish Boy" and Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Gangster of Love
". The riff is also very similar to the one from Chuck Berry's song "No Money Down".
is summoned from another room by a spectator, 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 fat cigar
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.
and television productions when a "bad guy" needs to be introduced or identified. The song was for instance used in the bar scene in Terminator 2: Judgment Day
where the Terminator first is shown in his full leather outfit. "Bad to the Bone" can also be heard in the remake of The Parent Trap
in the poker
scene, as well as a few trailers, the opening credits to Major Payne
, in the first scene and during the closing credits of Stephen King
's Christine, as well as multiple episodes of the sitcom Married... with Children
, in the Super Nintendo
game Rock 'n Roll Racing, and in the film Talk Radio
as the song that starts off the talk show. The song also served as the main theme to Problem Child
. The song also appears in the movie Joe Dirt
, albeit for a few seconds before winding down to a stop.
In 2004, "Bad to the Bone" also featured in the episode "Clothes Minded" of the Disney Channel Sitcom "That's So Raven", played while Raven, Alana, Loca and Muffy were walking down the school hallway, wearing new school uniform with black spectacles.
It was also featured in the episode "Endless Summer" of the series Renegade
. Almost the entire record can be heard at the beginning of the episode "Nobody Lives Forever" on the TV series Miami Vice
.
The song is used by Dennis Anderson
's Grave Digger
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
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
. It was also played during every at bat of former Seattle Mariners
slugger Jay Buhner
and former Atlanta Braves
and San Diego Padres
slugger Ryan Klesko
.
In 2008
, "Bad to the Bone" was used for a Wrangler Jeans
TV commercial featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. A similar commercial featuring Brett Favre
was released later that year.
The song is also used as an entrance theme song
in professional wrestling
. Multiple wrestlers have used it as their theme song. Such as Kevin Wacholz
, who used the song in the 1980s as "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly, while wrestling for the American Wrestling Association
. American Mixed Martial Artist Phil Baroni
used it as his entrance song at UFC 106
. It was also used by the Bad Crew
.
Alvin and the Chipmunks
covered the song for the episode "Alvin's Oldest Fan" from their TV series
.
A modified version of the song was used in a TV ad for the Buick Grand National
In advertisements for the TV show Lost
, the song was used as the theme music for the character James "Sawyer" Ford.
On October 7, 2008, the song was released as downloadable content for the music video game
series Rock Band
.
An episode of Disney's TV show 101 Dalmatians: The Series
has an episode named after the song.
One of the songs used in the D-TV
AMV Video by Disney "Doggone Valentine" as a tribute to the rivalry between Pluto
and Butch the Bulldog.
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 movie Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
, there's a scene near the start of the movie that features part of this song.
"Bad to the Bone" was also used briefly in the 2010
Dreamworks Animation
film, Megamind.
In The Amazing World of Gumball
episode "The Refund", whenever Richard grows a mustache, the guitar of "Bad to the Bone" plays.
George Thorogood
George Thorogood is an American blues rock vocalist/guitarist from Wilmington, Delaware, United States, known for his hit song "Bad to the Bone" as well as for covers of blues standards such as Hank Williams' "Move It On Over" and John Lee Hooker's "House Rent Boogie/One Bourbon, One Scotch, One...
and the Destroyers released in 1982 on the album of the same name. While it was not a major hit on initial release, its video made recurrent appearances on the nascent MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
, which was created a year before. Licensing for films, television, and commercials has since made "Bad to the Bone" better recognized.
Structure and influences
The song's roots can be traced back to rock and roll musician Bo DiddleyBo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
's song "I'm a Man
I'm A Man (Bo Diddley song)
"I'm a Man" is a song written and recorded by Bo Diddley in 1955. A moderately slow blues with a stop-time figure, it was inspired by an earlier blues song and became a #1 R&B chart hit. "I'm a Man" has been acknowledged by Rolling Stone magazine and has been recorded by a variety of artists,...
", which uses a similar guitar riff and vocal rhythm, and has a similar overall structure, as well as Muddy Waters
Muddy Waters
McKinley Morganfield , known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician, generally considered the "father of modern Chicago blues"...
's "She Moves Me" and "Mannish Boy" and Johnny "Guitar" Watson's "Gangster of Love
Gangster of Love
"Gangster of Love" is a blues song recorded by Johnny "Guitar" Watson in 1957. When Watson re-recorded the song in 1978, it became a hit. It has been identified as "his most famous song" and has been recorded by several artists.-Original song:...
". The riff is also very similar to the one from Chuck Berry's song "No Money Down".
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 MosconiWillie Mosconi
William Joseph Mosconi , best known as Willie Mosconi, was an American professional pool player from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Between the years of 1941 and 1957, he won the World Straight Pool Championship an unmatched fifteen times. For most of the 20th century, his name was essentially...
is summoned from another room by a spectator, 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 fat cigar
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
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.
Appearances in other media
The song has been used in filmmakingFilmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
and television productions when a "bad guy" needs to be introduced or identified. The song was for instance used in the bar scene in Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 science fiction action film directed by James Cameron and written by Cameron and William Wisher Jr.. It stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert Patrick, and Edward Furlong...
where the Terminator first is shown in his full leather outfit. "Bad to the Bone" can also be heard in the remake of The Parent Trap
The Parent Trap (1998 film)
The Parent Trap is a remake of the 1961 family film of the same name. It was directed and co-written by Nancy Meyers, and produced and co-written by Charles Shyer. It stars Dennis Quaid and Natasha Richardson as a couple who divorce soon after marrying, and Lindsay Lohan in a dual role as their...
in the poker
Poker
Poker is a family of card games that share betting rules and usually hand rankings. Poker games differ in how the cards are dealt, how hands may be formed, whether the high or low hand wins the pot in a showdown , limits on bet sizes, and how many rounds of betting are allowed.In most modern poker...
scene, as well as a few trailers, the opening credits to Major Payne
Major Payne
Major Payne is a 1995 comedy film, starring Damon Wayans. The film is a loose remake of the 1955 film The Private War of Major Benson, starring Charlton Heston....
, in the first scene and during the closing credits of Stephen King
Stephen King
Stephen Edwin King is an American author of contemporary horror, suspense, science fiction and fantasy fiction. His books have sold more than 350 million copies and have been adapted into a number of feature films, television movies and comic books...
's Christine, as well as multiple episodes of the sitcom Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
, in the Super Nintendo
Super Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
game Rock 'n Roll Racing, and in the film Talk Radio
Talk Radio (film)
Talk Radio is a 1988 American drama film, starring Eric Bogosian, Ellen Greene and Leslie Hope. Directed by Oliver Stone, the film was based on the play by Eric Bogosian and Tad Savinar. Portions of the film and play were based on the assassination of radio host Alan Berg in 1984...
as the song that starts off the talk show. The song also served as the main theme to Problem Child
Problem Child (1990 film)
Problem Child is a 1990 American comedy film. It stars John Ritter, Amy Yasbeck, Gilbert Gottfried, Jack Warden, Michael Richards and Michael Oliver. The film was directed by Dennis Dugan.-Plot:...
. The song also appears in the movie Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt
Joe Dirt is a 2001 American comedy film starring David Spade, Dennis Miller, Christopher Walken, Brian Thompson, Brittany Daniel, Jaime Pressly, Erik Per Sullivan, Adam Beach and Kid Rock. The film was written by Spade and Fred Wolf.-Plot:...
, albeit for a few seconds before winding down to a stop.
In 2004, "Bad to the Bone" also featured in the episode "Clothes Minded" of the Disney Channel Sitcom "That's So Raven", played while Raven, Alana, Loca and Muffy were walking down the school hallway, wearing new school uniform with black spectacles.
It was also featured in the episode "Endless Summer" of the series Renegade
Renegade (TV series)
Renegade is an American television series that ran for 110 episodes spanning 5 seasons between September 19, 1992 and April 4, 1997.The series stars Lorenzo Lamas as Reno Raines, a police officer who is framed for a murder he didn't commit. Raines goes on the run and joins forces with Native...
. Almost the entire record can be heard at the beginning of the episode "Nobody Lives Forever" on the TV series Miami Vice
Miami Vice
Miami Vice is an American television series produced by Michael Mann for NBC. The series starred Don Johnson and Philip Michael Thomas as two Metro-Dade Police Department detectives working undercover in Miami. It ran for five seasons on NBC from 1984–1989...
.
The song is used by Dennis Anderson
Dennis Anderson
Dennis Anderson is a professional monster truck driver. He is the creator and driver of "Grave Digger" on the USHRA Monster Jam circuit. Originally from Norfolk, Virginia, he now resides in Poplar Branch, North Carolina. In Poplar Branch, he has his own shop where he signs autographs and shoots...
's Grave Digger
Grave Digger (truck)
Grave Digger is the name of a team of monster trucks currently racing in the USHRA Monster Jam series. There are several Grave Diggers being driven by different drivers to allow them to make appearances at more events, but their flagship driver is creator Dennis Anderson...
monster truck as entrance music, and plays during his portion of the freestyle round at Monster Jam
Monster Jam
Monster Jam is a live motorsport event tour and television show operated by Feld Entertainment. The series is sanctioned under the umbrella of the United States Hot Rod Association and takes place primarily in the United States and around the world...
events, and as an entrance theme for closing pitcher Takashi Saito
Takashi Saito
is a Japanese professional baseball player.Saito previously pitched for the Yokohama BayStars in the Japanese Central League, compiling a record of 87–80 over 13 seasons...
of the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
. It was also played during every at bat of former Seattle Mariners
Seattle Mariners
The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...
slugger Jay Buhner
Jay Buhner
Jay Campbell Buhner , nicknamed "Bone", is a former Major League Baseball right fielder. He was among the most recognizable players of his day, noted for his shaved head, thick goatee, and patch of pine tar on the right hip of his uniform...
and former Atlanta Braves
Atlanta Braves
The Atlanta Braves are a professional baseball club based in Atlanta, Georgia. The Braves are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball's National League. The Braves have played in Turner Field since 1997....
and San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
slugger Ryan Klesko
Ryan Klesko
Ryan Anthony Klesko , is a former Major League Baseball first baseman and corner outfielder, who played for the Atlanta Braves, San Diego Padres, and the San Francisco Giants...
.
In 2008
2008 in television
The following is a list of events affecting American television in 2008. Events listed include television show debuts, finales, cancellations, and new channel launches.-January:-February:-March:-April:-May:-June:-July:-August:...
, "Bad to the Bone" was used for a Wrangler Jeans
Wrangler Jeans
Wrangler is a manufacturer of jeans and other clothing items. The brand is owned by the VF Corporation, who also own Lee, JanSport and The North Face, among others. Its headquarters is in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina, with production plants in a variety of locations throughout the world...
TV commercial featuring Dale Earnhardt Jr. A similar commercial featuring Brett Favre
Brett Favre
Brett Lorenzo Favre is a former American football quarterback who spent the majority of his career with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League . He was a 20-year veteran of the NFL, having played quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons , Green Bay Packers , New York Jets and Minnesota...
was released later that year.
The song is also used as an entrance theme song
Music in professional wrestling
Music in professional wrestling serves a variety of purposes. The most common uses of music in professional wrestling is that of the entrance theme, a song or piece of instrumental music which plays as a performer approaches the ring...
in professional wrestling
Professional wrestling
Professional wrestling is a mode of spectacle, combining athletics and theatrical performance.Roland Barthes, "The World of Wrestling", Mythologies, 1957 It takes the form of events, held by touring companies, which mimic a title match combat sport...
. Multiple wrestlers have used it as their theme song. Such as Kevin Wacholz
Kevin Wacholz
Kevin Wacholz is a former professional wrestler who once worked for the World Wrestling Federation in 1992 as Nailz. He was also known as "Mr...
, who used the song in the 1980s as "Mr. Magnificent" Kevin Kelly, while wrestling for the American Wrestling Association
American Wrestling Association
The American Wrestling Association was an American professional wrestling promotion based in Minneapolis, Minnesota that ran from 1960 to 1991. It was owned and founded by Verne Gagne and Wally Karbo...
. American Mixed Martial Artist Phil Baroni
Phil Baroni
Philip George Baroni is an American mixed martial artist. He has a professional MMA record of 14–14–0. Baroni has fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship where he holds a record of 3–7–0. Also he has fought in the PRIDE FC where he holds a record of 4–2–0...
used it as his entrance song at UFC 106
UFC 106
UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on November 21, 2009 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.-Background:...
. It was also used by the Bad Crew
Bad Crew
The Bad Crew was an American professional wrestling tag team consisting of Bad Crew #1 and Bad Crew #2 , who competed in North American regional and independent promotions throughout the 1990s including Extreme Championship Wrestling, Combat Zone Wrestling and World Xtreme Wrestling...
.
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated music group created by Ross Bagdasarian, Sr. in 1958. The group consists of three singing animated anthropomorphic chipmunks: Alvin, the mischievous troublemaker, who quickly became the star of the group; Simon, the tall, bespectacled intellectual;...
covered the song for the episode "Alvin's Oldest Fan" from their TV series
Alvin and the Chipmunks (TV series)
Alvin and the Chipmunks is an American animated television series featuring The Chipmunks, produced by Bagdasarian Productions in association with Ruby-Spears Enterprises from 1983–87, and DIC Entertainment from 1988-90....
.
A modified version of the song was used in a TV ad for the Buick Grand National
In advertisements for the TV show Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
, the song was used as the theme music for the character James "Sawyer" Ford.
On October 7, 2008, the song was released as downloadable content for the music video game
Music video game
A music video game, also commonly known as a music game, is a video game where the gameplay is meaningfully and often almost entirely oriented around the player's interactions with a musical score or individual songs...
series Rock Band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
.
An episode of Disney's TV show 101 Dalmatians: The Series
101 Dalmatians: The Series
101 Dalmatians: The Series is a animated television series produced by the Walt Disney Company based on the classic 1961 Disney animated feature of the same name and its 1996 live-action remake.-Premise:...
has an episode named after the song.
One of the songs used in the D-TV
D-TV
D-TV was a series of music videos created by Walt Disney Productions in 1984 using popular music and video footage from Disney videos, mostly cartoons, created out of the trend of music videos on cable channel MTV, which inspired the name of this series...
AMV Video by Disney "Doggone Valentine" as a tribute to the rivalry between Pluto
Pluto (Disney)
Pluto, also called Pluto the Pup, is a cartoon character created in 1930 by Walt Disney Productions. He is a light brown , medium-sized, short-haired dog. Unlike Goofy, Pluto is not anthropomorphic beyond some characteristics such as facial expression...
and Butch the Bulldog.
Talk show host Bill Cunningham uses the song as the opening intro to his afternoon talk show on WLW
WLW
WLW is a clear channel talk radio station located in Cincinnati, Ohio, run by Clear Channel Communications. The station broadcasts locally on 700 kHz AM...
in Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
, and on his Sunday night radio show.
The movie Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore
Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is a 2010 family action comedy film directed by Brad Peyton. The film stars Chris O'Donnell and Jack McBrayer. The film also stars the voices of James Marsden, Nick Nolte, Christina Applegate, Katt Williams, Bette Midler, and Neil Patrick Harris...
, there's a scene near the start of the movie that features part of this song.
"Bad to the Bone" was also used briefly in the 2010
2010 in film
The year 2010 saw many new films released worldwide. 2010 saw a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking and film releases after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, Jackass 3D, all animated films and...
Dreamworks Animation
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...
film, Megamind.
In The Amazing World of Gumball
The Amazing World of Gumball
The Amazing World of Gumball is a British/American animated television series created by Ben Bocquelet. It first aired on May 2, 2011 in the United Kingdom as a sneak preview and officially premiered on September 5, 2011. It premiered a week later on May 9, 2011 in the United States on Cartoon...
episode "The Refund", whenever Richard grows a mustache, the guitar of "Bad to the Bone" plays.