Английская Википедия:Bad, Bad Leroy Brown

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"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" is an uptempo, strophic story song written by American folk rock singer Jim Croce. Released as part of his 1973 album Life and Times, the song was a No. 1 hit for him, spending two weeks at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1973. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1973.

Croce was nominated for two 1973 Grammy Awards in the Pop Male Vocalist and Record of the Year categories for "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown". It was his only number-one single before his death on September 20 of that year.

Synopsis

The song's titular character is a Шаблон:Convert tall man from the South Side of Chicago whose size, attitude, and tendency to carry weapons have given him a reputation in which he is adored by women and feared by men. He is said to dress in fancy clothes and wear diamond rings, and to own a custom Lincoln Continental and a Cadillac Eldorado, implying he has a lot of money. He is also known to carry a .32 caliber handgun in his pocket and a razor in his shoe. One day in a bar he makes a pass at a pretty married woman named Doris, whose jealous husband engages Brown in a fight. Leroy loses badly, and is described as looking "like a jigsaw puzzle with a couple of pieces gone".

The story of a widely feared man being bested in a fight is similar to that of Croce's earlier song "You Don't Mess Around with Jim".

According to Billboard, it is "filled with humorous lines and a catchy arrangement." Cash Box described it as "a delightful new single in the same musical vein as his 'You Don't Mess Around with Jim' smash that started his career." Record World called it "another story-song similar to the one that started it all for [Croce], 'You Don't Mess Around With Jim.'"

Inspiration

Croce's inspiration for the song was a friend he met in his brief time in the US Army:

He told a variation of this story on The Helen Reddy Show in July 1973:

Croce explained the chorus reference to Leroy Brown being "meaner than a junkyard dog":

Track listing

North American 7" Single (ABC-11359)

1. "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" – 3:02
2. "A Good Time Man Like Me Ain't Got No Business (Singin' The Blues)" – 2:03

UK 7" Single (Vertigo 6073 258)

1. "Roller Derby Queen" – 3:28
2. "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" – 3:02

International 7" Single (Vertigo 6073 256)

1. "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" – 3:02
2. "Hard Time Losin' Man" – 2:24

Personnel

• Jim Croce – rhythm guitar, vocals
• Maury Muehleisen – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
• Tommy West – bass, piano, backing vocals
• Gary Chester – drums
• Joe Macho – bass
• Willie "Slim" McCoy - backing vocals
• Terry Cashman – backing vocals
• Ellie Greenwich – backing vocals
• Tasha Thomas – backing vocals

The recording session that produced the song was one of several for Croce which employed session drummer Gary Chester.

Chart history

"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" entered the charts in April 1973 and peaked at number one on the American charts three months later. It was still on the charts on September 20 when Croce died in a plane crash in Natchitoches, Louisiana. It was the second #1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart to include a curse word ("damn") in its lyrics, after the "Theme from Shaft".

Weekly charts

Шаблон:SinglechartШаблон:Singlechart

Chart (1973)	Peak position
Australia KMR	11
Australia Go-Set Top 40 Singles	19
Canadian RPM Top Singles	1
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary	3
German Media Control Charts	38
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary	9
U.S. Cash Box Top 100	1

Year-end charts

Chart (1973)	Rank
Australia	88
Canada RPM Top Singles	15
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	2
U.S. Cash Box Top 100	2

All-time charts

Chart (1958-2018)	Rank
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	293

Certifications

Country	Certification
United States	Gold (RIAA)

Cover version and tribute

• In 1974 Frank Sinatra included the song on his album Some Nice Things I've Missed. This version was released as a single by Reprise Records and peaked at #83 on the Hot 100 in June of that year.

• Queen recorded a sequel of sorts to the song called "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" on their 1974 album Sheer Heart Attack.

• Jerry Reed covered the song on his tribute album Jerry Reed Sings Jim Croce.

• In 1992, a memorable Chinese-language karaoke rendition of the song is heard in the restaurant scene of Phil Alden Robinson's film, Sneakers.