"Bloody Well Right" is a song by English rock band Supertramp from their 1974 album Crime of the Century. It appeared as the B-side of the single "Dreamer" in 1974. Listeners in the United States preferred it to the A-side, and "Bloody Well Right" became their breakthrough hit in the country, peaking at number 35 on the Billboard Hot 100.[1]
| "Bloody Well Right" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Supertramp | ||||
| from the album Crime of the Century | ||||
| A-side | "Dreamer" | |||
| Released | 1974 | |||
| Recorded | 1974 | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:32 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Rick Davies, Roger Hodgson | |||
| Producer(s) | Supertramp, Ken Scott | |||
| Supertramp singles chronology | ||||
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| Crime of the Century track listing | ||||
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| Official audio | ||||
| "Bloody Well Right" on YouTube | ||||
Lyrical content
editDavies consciously linked the song to the album's opening track "School" with the line "So you think your schooling is phoney", helping to perpetuate the false impression that Crime of the Century is a concept album. According to Hodgson, any unifying thread beyond that was left to the listener's imagination.[2] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso stated "Bloody Well Right" shares the theme with "School" of "questioning the education system."[3]
Reception
editDeRiso rated it as Supertramp's second best song, praising its "sharp anti-authoritarian streak."[3] Gary Graff of Billboard also rated it as Supertramp's second best song, calling it "an angry indictment of British economic caste systems couched with hard rock, jazz and Music Hall references."[4]
Live versions
editThis song appears on Paris, Live '88, It Was the Best of Times, and Is Everybody Listening?.
In June 1975 the song was performed by the band on the American late-night musical variety series The Midnight Special, but was broadcast mostly in negative.[5]
Personnel
edit- Rick Davies – Wurlitzer electronic piano, acoustic piano, lead vocals, handclaps
- Roger Hodgson – electric guitar, backing vocals, handclaps
- John Helliwell – tenor saxophone, backing vocals
- Dougie Thomson – bass
- Bob Siebenberg – drums
Charts
edit| Chart (1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] | 49 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[1] | 35 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Supertramp Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
- ^ The Mojo Collection. Canongate Books. November 2007. p. 335. ISBN 9781847676436. Retrieved 17 December 2011.
- ^ a b DeRiso, Nick (22 July 2013). "Top 10 Supertramp Songs". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 8 June 2022.
- ^ Graff, Gary (10 October 2017). "Supertramp's 10 Best Songs: Critic's Picks". Billboard. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ Lewrypublished, Fraser (4 September 2023). "If you can ignore the horrible special effects, the addition of Supertramp's Bloody Well Right to the Midnight Special archive is yet another cause for classic rock celebration". louder.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3975a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 12 February 2021.
