Badge (song)

Infobox Single
Name = Badge


Artist = Cream
from Album = Goodbye
B-side = What a Bringdown
Released = April 1969
Format =
Recorded = October 1968
Genre = Rock, Pop
Length = 2:47
Label = Polydor
Writer = Eric Clapton
George Harrison
Producer = Felix Pappalardi / RSO
Certification =
Chart position =
Last single = "Crossroads"
(1969)
This single = "Badge"
(1969)
Next single = "Sweet Wine"
(1970)"Badge" is a rock song by Cream, penned by Eric Clapton and George Harrison during a collaborative effort between Clapton, Harrison and Ringo Starr. Badge was a major hit when it was released as a single in April of 1969, following release of the album "Goodbye" in January.

Composition

It was originally an untitled track. During the production transfer for the album "Goodbye", the original music sheet was used to produce the liner notes and track listing. The only discernible word on the page was "Bridge" — a notation intended to identify the transitional moment in the song. Clapton's handwriting, however, was so bad, that Ringo Starr looked at it and thought it said "Badge" — so the band named it "Badge".

Harrison told the story differently, however: "I helped Eric write 'Badge' you know. Each of them had to come up with a song for that "Goodbye Cream" album and Eric didn't have his written. We were working across from each other and I was writing the lyrics down and we came to the middle part so I wrote 'Bridge.' Eric read it upside down and cracked up laughing-- 'What's BADGE?' he said. After that Ringo walked in drunk and gave us that line about the swans living in the park."

A common legend or misconception is that the name came about because its chord progression is B-A-D-G-E (it is not)cite book | title = Cream: Selections From Cream - Those Were the Days | edition = | last = | first = | coauthors = | year = | publisher = Hal Leonard | id = ISBN 0793590841 | pages = p. 2] , or simply because an anagram of a guitar's string tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E) can spell "Badge".

The arpeggiated guitar part in the songs bridge is similar to some of Harrison contemporary efforts with the Beatles, including, "Here Comes the Sun", "You Never Give Me Your Money" and "Carry That Weight".

Original "Goodbye" performers

* Eric Clapton - lead guitar & vocals
* Jack Bruce - bass guitar & backing vocals
* Ginger Baker - drums
* Felix Pappalardi - piano & mellotron
* L'Angelo Misterioso (actually George Harrison) - rhythm guitar

External links

* [http://www.eric-clapton.co.uk/ecla/lyrics/badge.html Lyrics]

References