Just A Little Bit

Album: Outsideinside (1968)
Charted: 92
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Just a Little Bit" is one of two Blue Cheer singles to break the Billboard 100, and the only of their originals to do so (the other was their remake of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues").

    Blue Cheer will never be mistaken for poets with "Just a Little Bit" lyrics like:

    You have a strange desire
    When you walk across the ground
    Then you set the world on fire


    But poetry was never the band's calling card. Blue Cheer was all about volume, and "Just a Little Bit" stands as a proud testament. The song comes right out of the gate with distortion, frenetic drumming, and Dickie Peterson's snarling vocals. There's no softening or fade out at the end, either. It ends as it began, a sonic assault way ahead of its time.
  • The reliance on noise in this track wasn't always appreciated. In a particularly harsh review from the era, Mike Jahn of Pop Scene Service (November 1, 1968) wrote of Outsideinside, "Dick Peterson plays bass as though it was made out of a wash-tub and sings very much like an asthmatic frog... Blue Cheer is just not to be taken seriously, not by real musicians and certainly not by those who buy records."

    Despite the critics' feelings, Blue Cheer won their place in music history as one of the formative influences of the heavy metal genre. "Just a Little Bit" stands as one of their landmark songs.
  • In 2004, Rush made an album of covers titled Feedback. On that album, they did a version of "Summertime Blues" that combined the Who's version with Blue Cheer's, closing with the drum pattern from the latter.

Comments: 1

  • Dan Gillespy from Courtenay BcA good classic rock song that deserves more credit than it gets.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Andrew Farriss of INXS

Andrew Farriss of INXSSongwriter Interviews

Andrew Farriss on writing with Michael Hutchence, the stories behind "Mystify" and other INXS hits, and his country-flavored debut solo album.

Jethro Tull

Jethro TullFact or Fiction

Stage urinals, flute devices, and the real Aqualung in this Fact or Fiction.

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino Edition

Songs in Famous Movie Scenes: Tarantino EditionMusic Quiz

Whether he's splitting ears or burning Nazis, Quentin Tarantino uses memorable music in his films. See if you can match the song to the scene.

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)

Mike Rutherford (Genesis, Mike + The Mechanics)Songwriter Interviews

Mike Rutherford talks about the "Silent Running" storyline and "Land Of Confusion" in the age of Trump.

Donald Fagen

Donald FagenSongwriter Interviews

Fagen talks about how the Steely Dan songwriting strategy has changed over the years, and explains why you don't hear many covers of their songs.

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillian

Soul Train Stories with Stephen McMillianSong Writing

A Soul Train dancer takes us through a day on the show, and explains what you had to do to get camera time.