I'm Bad, I'm Nationwide

Album: Degüello (1979)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was inspired by Texas blues musician named Joey Long, who was good friends with the band. As Billy Gibbons tells it, Long didn't have a driver's license, but he always had new Cadillac that his beautiful wife Barbarella used to drive him to gigs.

    The song is confabulated so Long is enjoying the company of a few lovely ladies during this ride, all wearing nylons, spike-heeled shoes and smoking Lucky Strikes - he was living large!

    Long, who died in 1995, wasn't as rich or famous as he's made out to be in the song, but he was one of the most acclaimed blues guitarists in Texas and a mentor to Gibbons, who cites Long's playing on the Barbara Lynn track "We Got A Good Thing Going" as a formative influence.
  • Billy Gibbons played what he described as "a multi-stringed mandolin-like instrument from Parral, Mexico" that Joey Long gave him on this track. "If you listen closely, you can hear close-miked mandolin-sounding rhythm accompaniment," he told Guitar World. "The lead track was played on a custom-made, half-sized, real short-scaled guitar tuned to G. It was actually standard tuning cranked up three steps, which remained quite playable thanks to the guitar's short scale.

    The song's tail end alternates between three distinct effects created by two pedals: an Echoplex doubler and a Maestro octave box alternating every third bar between having the octave up and the octave down."

Comments: 2

  • Kurt from AlbertaI Got A Feeling by The Beatles and this song share a great turn around lick. Just had to share that.
  • AnonymousI'm Cyd Heard. I've told this story about Joey Long for more than 30 years as told to me by my good friend Marianne Longoria, Joey's niece. I met Billy Gibbons once by chance and he was very nice when I explained Joeysniece was my roommate. He asked me to sit down. I saw firsthand that there was a strong connection between them. I'm fascinated by their friendship and I'm searching out stories for Marianne. Joey's history and legacy is very important. I'd just love to write about some of the adventures while there's someone to tell the tales still.
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.