Big Bad John
Encyclopedia
"Big Bad John" is a country
song originally performed by Jimmy Dean
and composed by Dean and Roy Acuff
. Released in September 1961, by the beginning of November it went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100
and won Dean the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording
.
The song and its sequels tell a story typical of American folklore, reminiscent of Paul Bunyan
or John Henry
.
Big Bad John was also the title of a 1990 television movie
starring Dean.
who earned the nickname Big John because of his height, weight, and muscular physique ("He stood six foot six and weighed two forty-five"). He supposedly came from New Orleans, where he killed a man over a Cajun
Queen.
One day, a support timber cracked at the mine where John worked. The situation looked hopeless until John "grabbed a saggin' timber, gave out with a groan / and like a giant oak tree just stood there alone", then "gave a mighty shove", opening a passage and allowing the 20 other miners to escape the mine. Although the miners were about to reenter the mine with the tools necessary to save him, the mine fully collapsed and John died in the depths of the mine. The mine itself was never reopened, but a marble stand was placed in front of it, with the words "At the bottom of this mine lies one hell of a man---Big John". (Some versions of the song change the last line to "lies a big, big man" to replace what was at the time considered to be borderline profane language.)
Its 1962 sequel, "The Cajun Queen", describes the arrival of "Queenie", Big John's Cajun Queen, who rescues John from the mine and marries him. Eventually, they have "one hundred and ten grandchildren". The sequel's events are more exaggerated than the first, extending the story into the realm of tall tale
s.
In June 1962, the story continued (and evidently concludes) with the arrival of "Little Bitty Big John", (the flip side to "Steel Men" on Columbia 4-42483), learning about his Father's act of heroism.
In 1964, Dottie West
recorded a sequel to the song called "My Big John". This song was told from the point of view of the "Cajun Queen" that drove John away---her search for him, then discovering about his death.
, two weeks on the country chart
, and ten weeks on the Easy Listening chart. It was also a number-two hit in the United Kingdom.
The song received a Grammy
nomination for Record of the Year
, while Dean's performance of the song earned him a nomination for Best Male Solo Vocal Performance
.
Dean's LP
Big Bad John and Other Fabulous Songs and Tales, where the song first appeared, reached number twenty-three in the pop charts. The song was the B-side of "I Won't Go Huntin' with You Jake", but ended up becoming much more popular than the latter.
was considering dropping Dean before the release of this million-selling single, as he hadn't had a hit in years. Dean wrote the song on a flight from New York
to Nashville
because he realized he needed a fourth song for his recording session.
There are varying accounts as to who was the inspiration for the character of Big John. The fact is an actor he met in a summer stock play, John Minto (born in San Francisco) who was 6'5" was the inspiration for the song.
Country pianist Floyd Cramer
, who was hired to play piano on the song, came up with the idea to use a hammer and a piece of steel instead. This became a distinctive characteristic of the recording.
There are several known recordings of the song by Dean. Notably, there are two different versions of the inscription on the marble stand in front of the mine. The original, "At the bottom of this mine lies one hell of a man---Big John", was deemed too controversial, so in the version that was most often heard on the radio, one could hear "At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man---Big John" instead. (However, a verse earlier in the song, "Through the smoke and the dust of this man-made hell ..." remains intact in both versions, with no apparent controversey.)
The refrain was also used to end the Jimmy Dean song "PT-109
", referring to John F. Kennedy
.
In Texas Senator John Cornyn
's 2008 parody, he presented himself as a maverick politician, seeking a return to the Senate to fight to set things right. "You see I'm from Texas and we do things quick / And the way this place [the Senate] is run is about to make me sick", the ad states. Several ads were released by Democrats
refuting some of the claims made in the song.
In the same year, the Democratic National Committee
parodied the song in an ad that targeted presidential candidate John McCain
. The ad dubbed McCain "Exxon John" while highlighting $2 million in contributions by Exxon-Mobil to McCain's campaign, as well as the supposed role of Big Oil lobbyists in his campaign.
The song is also used in the closing credits of the UK politics show This Week when having discussed the leader of the House of Commons, John Bercow. It is used to humorous affects due to Bercow's short stature and deemed weak control in parliament.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song originally performed by Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Dean
Jimmy Ray Dean was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. Although he may be best known today as the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand, he became a national television personality starting in 1957, rising to fame for his 1961 country crossover hit "Big Bad...
and composed by Dean and Roy Acuff
Roy Acuff
Roy Claxton Acuff was an American country music singer, fiddler, and promoter. Known as the King of Country Music, Acuff is often credited with moving the genre from its early string band and "hoedown" format to the star singer-based format that helped make it internationally successful.Acuff...
. Released in September 1961, by the beginning of November it went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and won Dean the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording
Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording was awarded from 1959 to 1968. From 1959 to 1961 the award was presented as the Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Performance...
.
The song and its sequels tell a story typical of American folklore, reminiscent of Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan
Paul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
or John Henry
John Henry (folklore)
John Henry is an American folk hero and tall tale. Henry worked as a "steel-driver"—a man tasked with hammering and chiseling rock in the construction of tunnels for railroad tracks. In the legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam powered hammer,...
.
Big Bad John was also the title of a 1990 television movie
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
starring Dean.
Story
The song tells the story of a mysterious and quiet minerMiner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
who earned the nickname Big John because of his height, weight, and muscular physique ("He stood six foot six and weighed two forty-five"). He supposedly came from New Orleans, where he killed a man over a Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
Queen.
One day, a support timber cracked at the mine where John worked. The situation looked hopeless until John "grabbed a saggin' timber, gave out with a groan / and like a giant oak tree just stood there alone", then "gave a mighty shove", opening a passage and allowing the 20 other miners to escape the mine. Although the miners were about to reenter the mine with the tools necessary to save him, the mine fully collapsed and John died in the depths of the mine. The mine itself was never reopened, but a marble stand was placed in front of it, with the words "At the bottom of this mine lies one hell of a man---Big John". (Some versions of the song change the last line to "lies a big, big man" to replace what was at the time considered to be borderline profane language.)
Its 1962 sequel, "The Cajun Queen", describes the arrival of "Queenie", Big John's Cajun Queen, who rescues John from the mine and marries him. Eventually, they have "one hundred and ten grandchildren". The sequel's events are more exaggerated than the first, extending the story into the realm of tall tale
Tall tale
A tall tale is a story with unbelievable elements, related as if it were true and factual. Some such stories are exaggerations of actual events, for example fish stories such as, "that fish was so big, why I tell ya', it nearly sank the boat when I pulled it in!" Other tall tales are completely...
s.
In June 1962, the story continued (and evidently concludes) with the arrival of "Little Bitty Big John", (the flip side to "Steel Men" on Columbia 4-42483), learning about his Father's act of heroism.
In 1964, Dottie West
Dottie West
Dottie West was an American country music singer and songwriter. Along with her friends and co-recording artists Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn, she is considered one of the genre's most influential and groundbreaking female artists...
recorded a sequel to the song called "My Big John". This song was told from the point of view of the "Cajun Queen" that drove John away---her search for him, then discovering about his death.
Reception
In the US, "Big Bad John" spent five weeks at number one on the pop chartBillboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, two weeks on the country chart
Hot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
, and ten weeks on the Easy Listening chart. It was also a number-two hit in the United Kingdom.
The song received a Grammy
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
nomination for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
, while Dean's performance of the song earned him a nomination for Best Male Solo Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male
The Grammy Award for Best Vocal Performance, Male was awarded from 1959 to 1968. The award had several minor name changes:*From 1959 to 1960 the award was known as Best Vocal Performance, Male...
.
Dean's LP
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
Big Bad John and Other Fabulous Songs and Tales, where the song first appeared, reached number twenty-three in the pop charts. The song was the B-side of "I Won't Go Huntin' with You Jake", but ended up becoming much more popular than the latter.
Chart performance
| Chart (1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot C&W Sides | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
2 |
History
Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
was considering dropping Dean before the release of this million-selling single, as he hadn't had a hit in years. Dean wrote the song on a flight from New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Nashville
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
because he realized he needed a fourth song for his recording session.
There are varying accounts as to who was the inspiration for the character of Big John. The fact is an actor he met in a summer stock play, John Minto (born in San Francisco) who was 6'5" was the inspiration for the song.
Country pianist Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer
Floyd Cramer was an American Hall of Fame pianist who was one of the architects of the "Nashville sound." He popularized the "slip note" piano style where an out-of-tune note slides effortlessly into the correct note...
, who was hired to play piano on the song, came up with the idea to use a hammer and a piece of steel instead. This became a distinctive characteristic of the recording.
There are several known recordings of the song by Dean. Notably, there are two different versions of the inscription on the marble stand in front of the mine. The original, "At the bottom of this mine lies one hell of a man---Big John", was deemed too controversial, so in the version that was most often heard on the radio, one could hear "At the bottom of this mine lies a big, big man---Big John" instead. (However, a verse earlier in the song, "Through the smoke and the dust of this man-made hell ..." remains intact in both versions, with no apparent controversey.)
The refrain was also used to end the Jimmy Dean song "PT-109
PT-109 (song)
PT-109 was a song by Jimmy Dean about the adventures of John F. Kennedy and the crew of the PT-109. The boat was famous even before Kennedy ran for office because it was cut in two after being rammed by a Japanese destroyer, after which came a survival story, and rescue by native islanders Biuku...
", referring to John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
Political parodies
Political candidates have run ads that parody Big Bad John, retaining the music while substituting lyrics that support their particular political bids.In Texas Senator John Cornyn
John Cornyn
John Cornyn, III is the junior United States Senator for Texas, serving since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. He was elected Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 111th U.S. Congress....
's 2008 parody, he presented himself as a maverick politician, seeking a return to the Senate to fight to set things right. "You see I'm from Texas and we do things quick / And the way this place [the Senate] is run is about to make me sick", the ad states. Several ads were released by Democrats
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
refuting some of the claims made in the song.
In the same year, the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
parodied the song in an ad that targeted presidential candidate John McCain
John McCain
John Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
. The ad dubbed McCain "Exxon John" while highlighting $2 million in contributions by Exxon-Mobil to McCain's campaign, as well as the supposed role of Big Oil lobbyists in his campaign.
The song is also used in the closing credits of the UK politics show This Week when having discussed the leader of the House of Commons, John Bercow. It is used to humorous affects due to Bercow's short stature and deemed weak control in parliament.