Five Finger Death Punch - Bad Company - About the song
According to just about every bio on the band, this song, and the band name, came from Bad Company, a critically acclaimed Western starring Jeff Bridges that was released in 1972. Lead singer Paul Rodgers and drummer Simon Kirke, both formerly of Free, formed the band with Mick Ralphs of Mott The Hoople. Ralphs brought in three songs from his days with Mott: "Ready For Love," "Movin' On" and "Can't Get Enough." Rodgers and Kirke wrote the song "Bad Company," and decided to use it as the band name. How did it happen? The singer decided to go with a song with same name as the band as, "I think because it had never really been done, as far as I knew. I thought it was interesting to come out as a brand-new band with its own theme song."
The album was recorded at Headley Grange, a mansion in Hampshire, England that Led Zeppelin used as a studio, recording the tracks in a mobile unit parked outside. Bad Company, which didn't yet have a name (they were referred to as "the Paul Rodgers band") signed to Zeppelin's Swan Song label when Zeppelin was working on their album Physical Graffiti. Led Zeppelin had to leave Headley Grange for a while, so their manager, Peter Grant, had Bad Company record there using the same setup with Ron Nevison, who was working on Physical Graffiti, as engineer. They spent about two weeks recording at Headley Grange, then they did overdubs and mixing at Olympic Studios in London. The system worked: they captured a rich, organic sound and stayed focused throughout the process.
Rogers told Spinner:
"I wrote the song with that Western feel - with an almost biblical, promise-land kind of lawless feel to it. The name backed it up in a lot of respects."
The American metal band Five Finger Death Punch covered this on their 2009 album, War is the Answer. The band's guitarist Zoltan Bathory explained:
"It's one that we've played live from time to time but never really thought about recording, but we've had so many emails and messages from fans asking when we're going to record it that we thought we should give it a shot. I think it's really important when you cover a song that you try to make it your own rather than just playing the original, but it's definitely come out sounding like Five Finger Death Punch."
Bad company - Lyrics
A company, always on the run Our destiny, oh, it's the rising sun I was a born, a shotgun in my hand Behind the gun, I'll make my final stand, yeah And that's why they call me Bad company I can't deny Bad, bad company 'Til the day I die Until the day I die Until the day I die Rebel souls; "deserters," we've been called Chose a gun and threw away the sun Now these towns, well, they all know our name The Death Punch sound is our claim to fame And that's why they call me Bad company I can't deny Bad, bad company 'Til the day I die Until the day I die Until the day I die Eye for an eye Tooth for a tooth Blood for blood We've all gotta die We've all gotta die And that's why they call me Bad company I won't deny Bad, bad company 'Til the day I die Bad company I won't deny Bad, bad company 'Til the day I die Until the day I die Until the day I die Until the day I die Until the day I die Until the day I die
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