Born Under a Bad Sign (song)
| "Born Under a Bad Sign" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Albert King from the album Born Under a Bad Sign | |
| Released | 1967 |
| Genre | Blues, Blues rock |
| Length | 2:44 |
| Label | Stax Records |
| Writer | Bell/Jones |
"Born Under a Bad Sign" is a song written by Booker T. Jones (music) and William Bell (lyrics)[1] originally recorded by Albert King as the title track for the album Born Under a Bad Sign released in 1967. Several cover versions of the song exist, most notably by Chicago blues band Paul Butterfield Blues Band, British rock group Cream, Paul Rodgers, Canadian guitarist Pat Travers, and American rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix.
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[edit] Style and influence
The style of "Born Under a Bad Sign" is hallmark of Albert King in the late 60s. The lead guitar is bright, nasal and cutting, partly because of Albert King's choice of a custom Gibson guitar with neck pickup selected. The looping bass line is composed of a C# pentatonic or blues scale while the piano and horn accompaniment remains major in its tonality.[2] The unique mix of otherwise minor and major modes give the song a bright but harrowing sound.
The wide assortment of cover versions demonstrates Albert King's ability to influence not only blues guitar, but also rock guitar. It is notable that Jimi Hendrix's cover of "Born Under a Bad Sign" is essentially an extended guitar solo that explores King's unique phrasing.
[edit] Other versions
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- Paul Butterfield from The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw (1967)
- Booker T. and the M.G.s from Soul Limbo (1968)
- Cream from Wheels of Fire (1968), BBC Sessions (2003), Royal Albert Hall London May 2-3-5-6, 2005 (2005)
- Fear Itself with Ellen McIlwaine from Fear Itself (1969)
- Rita Coolidge from Rita Coolidge (1971)
- Pat Travers from Crash and Burn (1980)
- Peter Green from Little Dreamer (1980)
- Robben Ford from Talk to Your Daughter (1988)
- Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson from The Simpsons Sing the Blues (1990)
- Paul Rodgers from Muddy Water Blues: A Tribute to Muddy Waters (1993)
- Jimi Hendrix from Blues (1994)
- Blue Cheer from What Doesn't Kill You... (2007)
[edit] Use in media
Supernatural episode 2.14, "Born Under a Bad Sign", was named after this song.
[edit] Notes
- ^ "Booker T. Jones: Onions, Potatoes, Other Essentials (interview) at 13:30". Fresh Air from WHYY - National Public Radio. 2009-05-01. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=103709916. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
- ^ "Playing Born Under A Bad Sign". Between the Licks. 2008-04-08. http://betweenthelicks.com/blues-guitar/playing-born-under-a-bad-sign-with-jam-track. Retrieved 2008-05-13.
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Born Under a Bad Sign (song) |
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