As others have said it's about the rock stars lost too soon. The band is a hard rock band but they are not strictly hard rock. They do ballads and sometimes have a little country and a little blues in their music too. Bad Company formed with the singer and drummer from the band Free (you should react to Free's song All Right Now) and the guitarist came from Mott the Hoople because he was not happy with the direction Mott was going (he was more into blues and Mott was going Glam as influence by David Bowie). The bass player came from Progressive rock group King Crimson and the band had audition a lot of guys but couldn't find someone they liked and then came this guy from King Crimson who is a band that the Bad Company members didn't like but he blew them away. Back to the band Free, they were very blues in their first few albums but you could hear a little of future Bad Company sound in later Free albums.
interview with Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke, he said, "It was a sort of homage to the pitfalls of being in the rock world. You can let the success go to your head and you can get strung out and you can die. It's very, very simple. And, unfortunately, it's happening with alarming frequency to this day. Addiction will always be with us. But 'Shooting Star' was based on a composite of musicians."
I always took it as a story of all the Rockers who flamed out due to the excesses of the Rock and Roll lifestyle that was so prevalent during the 60's and 70's . Granted it still goes on ( ie Layne Staley , Chris Cornell , Kurt Cobain among many others ) , but those first artists kinda stole the innocence of a generation .
No. If you're referring to Paul Kossoff, he was the guitarist of the earlier band Free, not Bad Company, and he was still alive when this song was released. He died the year after.
Two things about the comments. One, how can there be so many people who claim to be fans of Paul Rodgers but can't spell his name correctly? It's Rodgers, not Rogers. And two, this song is neither about Jimi Hendrix - who was not a schoolboy but a grown man when "Love me do" was released - nor Paul Kossoff - Rodgers' and Simon Kirke's former bandmate from Free who did indeed die of drug related causes but not until the year AFTER this song was released: more specifically on March 19th 1976. By the band's own admission, Johnny is a metaphor for prematurely deceased rock stars in general, not referencing any particular person.
I like what Phi had to say in many songs that create a character you need to listen through the character and then through the listener many bands do this and you guys are read on top of this by the way great report
While this song is a metaphor for multiple recording artists of the 60’s and 70’s and how they were only around for a few years before they died, the story lives on thru the 80’s, 90’s and is still true today. Not only whiskey and sleeping tablets but car wrecks, suicide, shootings and murders. Sometimes game and fortune don’t end well.
A shooting star (a divine being) that doesn’t die!!!! They try and tell you over and over and then at the end of the song they sing (Na na na na na na na na na) over and over trying to mock and say you still don’t get it
This song is about the fast rise to fame and how a number of rock musicians died young. Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin to name a few. This is still hard rock just a quieter side of it. You are right about the time period as well. We knew about the fragility of life. Things were much more organic back then.
@@Annonymous0283745 He's not underrated. He's one of the most legendary, most influential singers of all time. There is no doubt whatsoever that he has become every bit the historical figure he deserves to be,
@Geo Dio LOL, I was gonna say the thing! Swap out the cigar for some bud, and this is some music you'll enjoy relaxing with/rocking out to! The cigar might be for the record exec that signs the band up (and probably rips them off, behind their backs)!
" We are all Johnny"...Berto nailed that one !!!!!!....So freaking true. I think that really is the message....Just how fleeting life is. So live and love ....do not become so caught up in the chase of money & fame that you forget to really enjoy your short time on Earth.
It’s not soft rock just one of their calmer songs. And my grandpa and his brother used to smoke cigars and drink beer all the time haha sounds like it’s about people will love you as long as you’re in the limelight. When you’re not you lose a lot of the love
That's the sad part. They don't really love Johnny, they love the fantasy, the image, of rock & roll Johnny. Until they get tired of him, and move on to someone else, the "next big thing".
"Johnny" was a name Paul used... the song is about the musicians who passed before their time (namely Jimi Hendrix...Janis Joplin....Jim Morrison....) but whose influence remains to this day. Simon Kirk, Bad Company's drummer, told about how they were on tour promoting one of the albums (possibly "Burning Sky"?), and the rest of the band got word that Paul Kossoff, Simon and Paul Rodger's former Free bandmate, had died on a plane en route to a show his own band was booked to do. They performed, as Simon recalled, a very musically emotionally charged version of "Shooting Star" that night, before telling Paul what happened.
I watch a lot of these reaction channels because I enjoy seeing people experience these great songs for the 1st time. But since I grew up with these songs I hardly ever read or hear anything I didn't already know. I did not know this. Thanks.
According to Genius, this song was inspired by the young deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. All 3 are part of the famous, "27 Club". But through their music, they will never TRULY die. \m/
This song I believe is a tribute to the artists that we lost to the dreaded "27" club. Janice Joplin, Jim Morrison and Jimmi Hendrix are the founding members of the club. Sadly they wouldn't be the last artists to leave us at 27. This song is a beautiful reminder of that.
You've become a musician and you rise to fame , glowing like a shooting star but then you fade way , like all the musicians that has passed in those days , great song
I love the way you two always analyze your take on what the meaning of a song is. It always makes me rethink my own take of how I vision a song. You guys are the bomb when it comes to your critique of a song. Keep on keep'n on, good job. I watch every video of yours that I can get my hands on. And what I love best is that you have a wide range of music that you are willing to listen to, in a time when people are so narrow minded about what they want to listen to. 👋👋👋👍👍😎😎 !!!!!
a song written about all the rock stars who had died so young.........sadly Paul Kossoff, Paul Rodgers' guitarist in Free, died shortly after this was released
Johnny is a composite figure representing the rock and roll figures of that time who died at a young age. BTW, Berto has been doing a great job reacting with you guys.
Music world is full of shooting stars who died young: Janis Joplin, Jimmi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Tupac, Biggie, Amy Winehouse, Mac Miller, Kurt Cobain, and far too many more to list.
One of my all-time favorite songs. A cautionary tale for wannabe and future musicians wanting fame and fortune. Bad Company is another group that is diverse and can perform songs of many styles.
One of my son’s (14) favourite songs !! Another one is The Price by Twisted Sister. I’m a proud dad when I see his head rocking when he hears “real” music as opposed to the nowadays fluff.
If you haven’t reacted to it yet, the next Bad Co song you absolutely have to hit up is “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad”. That is one helluva rocker right there!
I saw "Bad Company" and "The Outlaws" at the Bayfront Center in St. Pete. FL. back in the day! THE 70s! Yes, I am an old fart now! But, we had some of the best music back then!
I cannot believe you guys didn't know what the song was all about. It's a story and it tells it from start to finish, dang y'all!!! LISTEN!!! GEEZ!! Makes y'all look " duh"!
No it isn't. Johnny is a composite of all the rock stars that died from the pitfalls of fame. Jimi was just one of the artists that inspired the song but he also attributed it to Janis Joplin, Brian Jones and others. Johnny was purely a fictional character inspired by many deaths not just Jimi's.
@@stephenmcalarney780 But other details don't fit. Jimi was not a schoolboy when "Love me do" was released, he turned 20 the month after. And he didn't have whisky by his bed, he had red wine.
It's about Paul Rodger's original guitar player Paul Kossoff, who died of a drug overdose. And it was dedicated to all the great musicians of the era who passed too soon.
Paul Kossof influenced many guitarists and is still held in high regard by musicians to this day. Try his amazing Tuesday Morning, a tremendous jam and one of his best.
No, it's not about Paul Kossoff. Paul Kossoff was still alive when this song was released. The song came out in 1975, Paul Kossoff died on March 19th 1976.
Think John Doe for Johnny. Bad Company are an English rock supergroup which was formed in Albury, Surrey in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and later adding bassist Boz Burrell.[1] Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also managed Bad Company until 1982.
let me help you understand the times when this song was written: Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morison, Keith Moon, Brian Jones, Buddy Holly, Karen Carpenter, Ritchie Valens, Ronnie Van Zant etc. all of them were being described in this song... all in there early 20's and 30's... the list is long, all through out the 50's60's70's80's90's.... thumbs up for the song and your channel!
Johnny overdosed and died after heavy rock style partying.....he rose up to fame fast and lived the lifestyle and couldn't handle it and made a mistake....kinda like Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley....etc....etc....etc....
Bad Company was a sort of supergroup. Their debut album was released in 1974. "Shooting Star" is a generic story of many rock musicians who rose up and burned out much too soon. I have been listening to Bad Company since 74. This song is off their sophomore release, 'Straight Shooter' from 1975, which was such a pivotal year in rock music. Many bands released recordings: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rush (who released TWO albums), Aerosmith, ZZ Top and others. I was just a 16 year old girl, but 1975 was when I first began to truly appreciate music. Bad Company has many, many good songs like "Ready for Love," "Rock Steady," "Moving On," Deal with the Preacher," "Feel Like Makin' Love," "Silver, Blue and Gold," "Burnin' Sky," "Rock and Roll Fantasy" and "Gone Gone Gone," to name a few. Soft rock?? No, however many in the day used to call it "P*ussy Rock" because it was mainly used to bring girls into record stores and to rock concerts. 😉✌🎸🎤🎹🥁🎼❤
Hey guys...I've commented a few times in the past, I'm a new subscriber though, I have a few requests. First...if you want some twangy country laughs, fo summers in Kentucky by Wheeler Walker Jr... Check out some new Pearl Jam or Eddie Vedder solo stuff. Also Bob Seger, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Rogers...ok done. Always a blast. Love when you guys break it down....even when you are WAY off. 🤣🤣
Paul Rogers is of the very best rock singers of all time. If you like his voice, also listen to some of his tracks of his former band "Free" like for example "Fire & Water", "Heavyload", "Be My Friend (Live version)", "Heartbreaker", "Soon I Will Be Gone", ....
@@leetroy3129 Strangely enough I don't think it's their best song - just their most popular one. It's like with the Rolling Stones: Satisfaction is imho clearly not their best song. It's probably rather "Gimme Shelter" or some of the tracks from Exile On Main St.
When you said what is this song about I was like "what?? Lol Did you even listen to the song. Couple of you look so deep in thought but I guess nothings going on haha. Let's recap -Johnny heard his first Beatles song -Didn't take him long, got himself a guitar -now he's in a rock and roll outfit -johnny died on night. Bottle of whiskey, sleeping tablets by his head. Now, the quiz, what's it about???!??
Not every song is categorized. Bad Company is just rock, plain and simple. Some songs are softer than others, but you don't necessarily categorize them differently.
I saw bad company 5 yrs ago in Houston Texas and Paul Rodgers sang even better than this and it was live! Probably one of the greatest rock singers ever! Great Reaction!
One of my favorites, also do Seagull. Just think of every musician, movie star, or sport star that died at the top of their game, that’s a shooting star.
Just sayin. Jimi Hendrixs name at birth was Johnny Allen Hendrix. He was certainly a short lived shooting star. I doubt this song is about him . It just sparked a thought.
Cool song _ but a very sad story. Don't you know that your a shooting star? Telling him, your'e gonna shine bright, then burn out. It's almost a warning to him, but just a sad story.😪
Johnny is not specific person. Just the stereotypical shooting star one hit wonder...who died of suicide either accidental or intentional...he thought he would be a star forever and could not handle when his star was dimming so quickly.
Please stop overthinking a song. Sometimes when they’re talking about dying, they are talking about dying. Bottle of whiskey sleeping tablets by his head, duh.
How fame and fortune can get to you. Whiskey & drugs cause it was affecting him. Rose too fast....fell just as fast. Johnny is just fictional.....talking n g bout the lifestyle of a rock n roller.
I was at Detroit dragway set in a private section and a limousine pulled up and I didn't know it but it was bad company and they sat down and we were smoking a joint we didn't even offer them any and they was looking at us and after they left we found out who they were
It still happens, always will, rise to the top and spiral out of control caught up in the whirl. The slower songs are important in a bands collection. It gives the listener a varied journey, especially at live shows.
Oh, this brings tears to my eyes! Makes me think of my uncle that passed a few years ago, he introduced me to Bad Company and this song! Loved them ever since(early 70s).
Great song! Great album!
Bad Company is not soft rock. It's just Rock.
Classic Rock, but yes
This song might be Slow Rock, but it's still Hark Rock as far as I'm concerned (like Slow Ride by Foghat).
I was thinking how could you ever say Bad Company was soft rock. But I get her comment.
Man, When this first came out the girls loved it! Great song!
Lucky to have such a sweet beautiful soul, sitting between you two guys.
Lex, you need to spread your wings. Brad is a nice simple guy but, YOU ARE ALIVE!!!.. LOL
As others have said it's about the rock stars lost too soon. The band is a hard rock band but they are not strictly hard rock. They do ballads and sometimes have a little country and a little blues in their music too. Bad Company formed with the singer and drummer from the band Free (you should react to Free's song All Right Now) and the guitarist came from Mott the Hoople because he was not happy with the direction Mott was going (he was more into blues and Mott was going Glam as influence by David Bowie). The bass player came from Progressive rock group King Crimson and the band had audition a lot of guys but couldn't find someone they liked and then came this guy from King Crimson who is a band that the Bad Company members didn't like but he blew them away. Back to the band Free, they were very blues in their first few albums but you could hear a little of future Bad Company sound in later Free albums.
Shooting star burns twice as bright but only half as long.
interview with Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke, he said, "It was a sort of homage to the pitfalls of being in the rock world. You can let the success go to your head and you can get strung out and you can die. It's very, very simple. And, unfortunately, it's happening with alarming frequency to this day. Addiction will always be with us. But 'Shooting Star' was based on a composite of musicians."
I always took it as a story of all the Rockers who flamed out due to the excesses of the Rock and Roll lifestyle that was so prevalent during the 60's and 70's .
Granted it still goes on ( ie Layne Staley , Chris Cornell , Kurt Cobain among many others ) , but those first artists kinda stole the innocence of a generation .
It's also about one of their band members
No. If you're referring to Paul Kossoff, he was the guitarist of the earlier band Free, not Bad Company, and he was still alive when this song was released. He died the year after.
Two things about the comments. One, how can there be so many people who claim to be fans of Paul Rodgers but can't spell his name correctly? It's Rodgers, not Rogers.
And two, this song is neither about Jimi Hendrix - who was not a schoolboy but a grown man when "Love me do" was released - nor Paul Kossoff - Rodgers' and Simon Kirke's former bandmate from Free who did indeed die of drug related causes but not until the year AFTER this song was released: more specifically on March 19th 1976.
By the band's own admission, Johnny is a metaphor for prematurely deceased rock stars in general, not referencing any particular person.
Thank you. My eyes also bled a little at ‘Mickey Ralph’. No ‘ey’ and add an ‘s’…and DON’T call him Mickey…he doesn’t like it!!
Also…Cossoff 🤦🏻♀️
I like what Phi had to say in many songs that create a character you need to listen through the character and then through the listener many bands do this and you guys are read on top of this by the way great report
While this song is a metaphor for multiple recording artists of the 60’s and 70’s and how they were only around for a few years before they died, the story lives on thru the 80’s, 90’s and is still true today. Not only whiskey and sleeping tablets but car wrecks, suicide, shootings and murders. Sometimes game and fortune don’t end well.
A shooting star (a divine being) that doesn’t die!!!! They try and tell you over and over and then at the end of the song they sing (Na na na na na na na na na) over and over trying to mock and say you still don’t get it
Paul Rogers has an incredible voice! He was also in the band Free and the Firm.
And Queen
And QUEEN
Mick Jagger was once quoted as saying Paul was a favorite singer of his.
That would be Rodgers, with a d.
I forgot he was in the Firm with Robert Plant. Going Radioactive was a cool freakin' song.
This song is about the fast rise to fame and how a number of rock musicians died young. Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin to name a few. This is still hard rock just a quieter side of it. You are right about the time period as well. We knew about the fragility of life. Things were much more organic back then.
👍
They got this song so wrong it's hilarious 😂
If you were a musician back in the day whos name started with the letter J you were f_cked
The guitar player for FREE Paul Kossoff
@@smithmark2773 Yes, another one gone too soon.
Bad Company! Great band. If you liked this, check out "Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy."
Edit: ah, no, this is not "Soft Rock," not even close.
No you can’t call Bad Company soft rock sorry. Classic rock to the core! Awesome song!
They still haven’t figured out genres yet.
@@jf2849 What genres :D We just had the greatest of all great Rock'n'Roll music! :D
That's fair not calling it soft rock, but what were they in their time? Obviously they weren't called classic rock when they debuted lol
@@tatsu280 they were considered rock. Now looking back it is classic rock .
@@tatsu280 there were less genres back then I’m guessing it was just rock music.
This song is about all the musicians who are taken from us early. Shooting stars shine bright, but they don't last long.
Precisely!
They burn out as they fall back to Earth and reality
Better to burn out than fade away...? ;)
Thank you for answering my question, about who this song was about. 60 years, my memory must be getting bad. LOL. BAD COMPANY ROCKS!!!!
Paul Rogers is without a doubt one of the greatest rock / blues voices of the 20th century.
criminally underrated.
Good. But Im not sure about all that....
@@Annonymous0283745 He's not underrated. He's one of the most legendary, most influential singers of all time. There is no doubt whatsoever that he has become every bit the historical figure he deserves to be,
That would be Rodgers, with a d.
You could put Paul Rogers in front of any decent band and they would instantly be epic. Check out The Firm - Radio Active.
Yes and satisfaction guaranteed. Very good songs.
Yes to both Radioactive and Satisfaction Gaurateed by The Firm.
Paul Rogers with Jimmy Page...
Rodgers even fronted Queen for almost 5 years (2004-2009). Now THAT takes a voice!
Midnight Moonlight by The Firm...that whole album was great
That would be Rodgers, with a d.
Johnny is all the Rock Stars who flashed and died way too young!
Yes Lex, this song and Bad Company in general is definitely beer and a cigar type of music. Just some good old Rock & Roll.
Yes sir. I miss the old days
@Geo Dio LOL, I was gonna say the thing! Swap out the cigar for some bud, and this is some music you'll enjoy relaxing with/rocking out to! The cigar might be for the record exec that signs the band up (and probably rips them off, behind their backs)!
Paul Rogers....Voted By His Peers...The Greatest Vocalist Of All Time...!!
That would be Rodgers, with a d.
" We are all Johnny"...Berto nailed that one !!!!!!....So freaking true. I think that really is the message....Just how fleeting life is. So live and love ....do not become so caught up in the chase of money & fame that you forget to really enjoy your short time on Earth.
It’s not soft rock just one of their calmer songs. And my grandpa and his brother used to smoke cigars and drink beer all the time haha sounds like it’s about people will love you as long as you’re in the limelight. When you’re not you lose a lot of the love
Okay, calm rock then!
Berto is a cool young dude. He should be a permanent part. He melds perfectly.
I agree, he's a welcome addition. Lex's Mom is cool too.
@@gertrudelaronge6864 Get a BIGGER COUCH! 🤩
"And all the world will love you - as long as you are." That second part is important - as long as you stay on top, everyone loves you.
That's the sad part. They don't really love Johnny, they love the fantasy, the image, of rock & roll Johnny. Until they get tired of him, and move on to someone else, the "next big thing".
Same as " New Kid In Town"
"Johnny" was a name Paul used... the song is about the musicians who passed before their time (namely Jimi Hendrix...Janis Joplin....Jim Morrison....) but whose influence remains to this day.
Simon Kirk, Bad Company's drummer, told about how they were on tour promoting one of the albums (possibly "Burning Sky"?), and the rest of the band got word that Paul Kossoff, Simon and Paul Rodger's former Free bandmate, had died on a plane en route to a show his own band was booked to do. They performed, as Simon recalled, a very musically emotionally charged version of "Shooting Star" that night, before telling Paul what happened.
I watch a lot of these reaction channels because I enjoy seeing people experience these great songs for the 1st time. But since I grew up with these songs I hardly ever read or hear anything I didn't already know. I did not know this. Thanks.
That would be Simon Kirke, with an e.
According to Genius, this song was inspired by the young deaths of Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. All 3 are part of the famous, "27 Club". But through their music, they will never TRULY die. \m/
Paul Kossoff.
Brian Jones was the first
Johnny represents all of the rockers who died tragically young in the late 60’s to early seventies. Hendrix, Morrison, Joplin,etc.
and still relevant each decade: Cobain, Winehouse, Prince, MJ, Chester (Linkin Park), Chris Cornell, Layne Staley, and many many many more.
This song I believe is a tribute to the artists that we lost to the dreaded "27" club. Janice Joplin, Jim Morrison and Jimmi Hendrix are the founding members of the club. Sadly they wouldn't be the last artists to leave us at 27. This song is a beautiful reminder of that.
You've become a musician and you rise to fame , glowing like a shooting star but then you fade way , like all the musicians that has passed in those days , great song
That's an impeccable solo, every note, not one too few nor too many.
Epic comment...I've said the exact same thing since 1977...
Perfect
I love the way you two always analyze your take on what the meaning of a song is. It always makes me rethink my own take of how I vision a song. You guys are the bomb when it comes to your critique of a song. Keep on keep'n on, good job. I watch every video of yours that I can get my hands on. And what I love best is that you have a wide range of music that you are willing to listen to, in a time when people are so narrow minded about what they want to listen to. 👋👋👋👍👍😎😎 !!!!!
a song written about all the rock stars who had died so young.........sadly Paul Kossoff, Paul Rodgers' guitarist in Free, died shortly after this was released
Paul Rogers is still alive
@@dougspinelli799 He was talking about Paul Kossoff. That's why there is a comma there.
@@dougspinelli799 Richard said Paul Rodgers guitarist in Free died shortly after the song release.
@@toddstevens13 you might want to take a course in reading comprehension, nowhere did i state or infer that Paul Rodgers died
Kossoff died just after frees breakup 1970s before bad company's time.
I have always loved this song. Rock on Brad & Lex with Berto.
Paul Rogers has one of the most underrated voices in rock
He's not underrated.
That would be Rodgers, with a d.
Johnny is a composite figure representing the rock and roll figures of that time who died at a young age.
BTW, Berto has been doing a great job reacting with you guys.
Music world is full of shooting stars who died young: Janis Joplin, Jimmi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Tupac, Biggie, Amy Winehouse, Mac Miller, Kurt Cobain, and far too many more to list.
One of my all-time favorite songs. A cautionary tale for wannabe and future musicians wanting fame and fortune. Bad Company is another group that is diverse and can perform songs of many styles.
One of my son’s (14) favourite songs !! Another one is The Price by Twisted Sister. I’m a proud dad when I see his head rocking when he hears “real” music as opposed to the nowadays fluff.
Makes me think of HENDRIX.. every time! Your life is as fleeting and quick as a shooting star.
If you haven’t reacted to it yet, the next Bad Co song you absolutely have to hit up is “Good Lovin’ Gone Bad”. That is one helluva rocker right there!
One of my fav Bad Co songs.We used to cover it.Too bad we sounded nothing like them.🙄
🎸🔥🥁💣Bad company is far from soft rock, check out “Good loving gone bad” or “Running with the pack” they rock!!🔥🎸💣🥁
I saw "Bad Company" and "The Outlaws" at the Bayfront Center in St. Pete. FL. back in the day! THE 70s! Yes, I am an old fart now! But, we had some of the best music back then!
I saw Bad Company and Kansas back in 1976. I am pretty old too.
I'm from Bradenton Florida we saw a lot of great bands at the bayfront center.
Now, you need to do "Rock Steady" by Bad Company. Should have done it after " Feel Like Making Love."
I cannot believe you guys didn't know what the song was all about. It's a story and it tells it from start to finish, dang y'all!!! LISTEN!!! GEEZ!! Makes y'all look " duh"!
Bad Company and soft rock do not belong in the same sentence.
In the song, Johnny is Jimi Hendrix
No it isn't. Johnny is a composite of all the rock stars that died from the pitfalls of fame. Jimi was just one of the artists that inspired the song but he also attributed it to Janis Joplin, Brian Jones and others. Johnny was purely a fictional character inspired by many deaths not just Jimi's.
@@FURTHER_ADO True, but it leans heavily in Jimi's direction imo. Guitar player that OD's on sleeping pills.
@@stephenmcalarney780 But other details don't fit. Jimi was not a schoolboy when "Love me do" was released, he turned 20 the month after. And he didn't have whisky by his bed, he had red wine.
Yes they finally did one of my requests... nice 😁
What is this song about? Lol. Sorry... but this is one of the least cryptic songs in all of rock history, there's almost zero mystery to the lyrics
Jimi Hendrix THE WIND CRIES MARY.
Is that Van Halen bandana Lex is wearing? I’ve never seen that in black and white!
A shooting star comes fast, burns out really quickly and is no more
Okay, the fact that she said that there was an awareness of mortality and fragility of life post war was mindblowing I love this channel.
It's about Paul Rodger's original guitar player Paul Kossoff, who died of a drug overdose. And it was dedicated to all the great musicians of the era who passed too soon.
Paul Kossof influenced many guitarists and is still held in high regard by musicians to this day. Try his amazing Tuesday Morning, a tremendous jam and one of his best.
I didn’t know that. Thank you!
No, it's not about Paul Kossoff. Paul Kossoff was still alive when this song was released. The song came out in 1975, Paul Kossoff died on March 19th 1976.
And, Kossoff didn't die of an overdose either, he died of a heart attack, albeit drug related.
Think John Doe for Johnny.
Bad Company are an English rock supergroup which was formed in Albury, Surrey in 1973 by singer Paul Rodgers, guitarist Mick Ralphs, drummer Simon Kirke and later adding bassist Boz Burrell.[1] Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also managed Bad Company until 1982.
let me help you understand the times when this song was written: Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morison, Keith Moon, Brian Jones, Buddy Holly, Karen Carpenter, Ritchie Valens, Ronnie Van Zant etc. all of them were being described in this song... all in there early 20's and 30's... the list is long, all through out the 50's60's70's80's90's.... thumbs up for the song and your channel!
Perfectly stated.
Johnny overdosed and died after heavy rock style partying.....he rose up to fame fast and lived the lifestyle and couldn't handle it and made a mistake....kinda like Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Layne Staley....etc....etc....etc....
Bad Company was a sort of supergroup. Their debut album was released in 1974. "Shooting Star" is a generic story of many rock musicians who rose up and burned out much too soon. I have been listening to Bad Company since 74. This song is off their sophomore release, 'Straight Shooter' from 1975, which was such a pivotal year in rock music. Many bands released recordings: Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen, Rush (who released TWO albums), Aerosmith, ZZ Top and others. I was just a 16 year old girl, but 1975 was when I first began to truly appreciate music.
Bad Company has many, many good songs like "Ready for Love," "Rock Steady," "Moving On," Deal with the Preacher," "Feel Like Makin' Love," "Silver, Blue and Gold," "Burnin' Sky," "Rock and Roll Fantasy" and "Gone Gone Gone," to name a few.
Soft rock?? No, however many in the day used to call it "P*ussy Rock" because it was mainly used to bring girls into record stores and to rock concerts. 😉✌🎸🎤🎹🥁🎼❤
"Everyone knows Rock attained perfection in 1974... It's a scientific fact!" - Homer Simpson
Johnnie's favorite album was Rush - 2112. You gotta get on that train - WITH LYRICS. You'll never be the same. Side one - giddyup!
@Brad & Lex: Whenever you hear heavily distorted electric guitars it is never soft rock, no matter what the beat or tempo is.
Good point!
Hey guys...I've commented a few times in the past, I'm a new subscriber though, I have a few requests. First...if you want some twangy country laughs, fo summers in Kentucky by Wheeler Walker Jr...
Check out some new Pearl Jam or Eddie Vedder solo stuff.
Also Bob Seger, Billy Joel, Bruce Springsteen, Kenny Rogers...ok done. Always a blast. Love when you guys break it down....even when you are WAY off. 🤣🤣
I notice a pattern...Lex makes a crazy insightful comment, Brad questions it and then at the end says, "I could be..." and they move on.
Paul Rogers is of the very best rock singers of all time. If you like his voice, also listen to some of his tracks of his former band "Free" like for example "Fire & Water", "Heavyload", "Be My Friend (Live version)", "Heartbreaker", "Soon I Will Be Gone", ....
You forgot one of Free’s best songs ~ ALRIGHT NOW.
@@leetroy3129 Strangely enough I don't think it's their best song - just their most popular one. It's like with the Rolling Stones: Satisfaction is imho clearly not their best song. It's probably rather "Gimme Shelter" or some of the tracks from Exile On Main St.
That would be Rodgers, with a d.
When you said what is this song about I was like "what?? Lol Did you even listen to the song. Couple of you look so deep in thought but I guess nothings going on haha.
Let's recap
-Johnny heard his first Beatles song
-Didn't take him long, got himself a guitar
-now he's in a rock and roll outfit
-johnny died on night. Bottle of whiskey, sleeping tablets by his head.
Now, the quiz, what's it about???!??
Wildfire Woman.. Ready for Love
Not every song is categorized. Bad Company is just rock, plain and simple. Some songs are softer than others, but you don't necessarily categorize them differently.
More like a blunt and some Jack Daniel
I saw bad company 5 yrs ago in Houston Texas and Paul Rodgers sang even better than this and it was live! Probably one of the greatest rock singers ever! Great Reaction!
One of my favorites, also do Seagull. Just think of every musician, movie star, or sport star that died at the top of their game, that’s a shooting star.
Paul Rodgers voice and Mick Ralphs guitar are amazing. Check out Wild fire woman.
It’s about all the big stars that left us too so. (I.e. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin) and Lynryd Skynyrd
Just sayin. Jimi Hendrixs name at birth was Johnny Allen Hendrix. He was certainly a short lived shooting star. I doubt this song is about him . It just sparked a thought.
Seriously? Even with the lyrics printed out you didn’t know what the song was about?!?! Worst part about that is that I wasn’t surprised.
Bad Company
Deal With The Preacher
Rock And Roll Fantasy
Wild Fire Woman
Cool song _ but a very sad story. Don't you know that your a shooting star? Telling him, your'e gonna shine bright, then burn out. It's almost a warning to him, but just a sad story.😪
Bad Company is great at relaxing you with a soft flow before they rock your face off.
Johnny is not specific person. Just the stereotypical shooting star one hit wonder...who died of suicide either accidental or intentional...he thought he would be a star forever and could not handle when his star was dimming so quickly.
I agree with all 3 of you. Brad likes a slowed down beat. Lex likes the guitar, and Berto likes storytelling. I like all that stuff.
Please stop overthinking a song. Sometimes when they’re talking about dying, they are talking about dying. Bottle of whiskey sleeping tablets by his head, duh.
Love some Bad Company....
How fame and fortune can get to you. Whiskey & drugs cause it was affecting him. Rose too fast....fell just as fast. Johnny is just fictional.....talking n g bout the lifestyle of a rock n roller.
It’s tragic how so any big stars self destruct. Same old story plays itself out over and over.
It’s classic rock but not any softer than the majority of other bands in this time period. I sure wouldn’t call it soft rock it’s just old school.
With those huge guitar sounds how could anyone mistake this for soft rock?, Uh it's the exact opposite of that 🤣
Lex was the kung fu master in this breakdown. You two bros were just grass hoppers.
A cautionary tale about the pitfalls of fame and fortune. A shooting star appears out of nowhere and disappears just as fast.
I was at Detroit dragway set in a private section and a limousine pulled up and I didn't know it but it was bad company and they sat down and we were smoking a joint we didn't even offer them any and they was looking at us and after they left we found out who they were
Great song by Bad Company and Rodgers is the greatest lead singer hands down one of if not the best southern rock singer every
My cousin committed suicide and this song was played at his funeral. He loved this song
Definitely not their best song. Check out Burning Sky. I know you’ll be into it!
It still happens, always will, rise to the top and spiral out of control caught up in the whirl. The slower songs are important in a bands collection. It gives the listener a varied journey, especially at live shows.
Good classic rock band and song. Love this song. Sad story tho.
Dang look like ur brother. Get that all the time. But smile of u both gives it away 100~
Johnny is the proverbial OD'd rock star ... Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Tommy Bolin... and too many more.
You should do a song from Free You could start with 'Whipping Post'
Oh, this brings tears to my eyes! Makes me think of my uncle that passed a few years ago, he introduced me to Bad Company and this song! Loved them ever since(early 70s).
I’m smoking a cigar and drinking whiskey 🥃 while watching this so ya you are right on lol
Lol bad company were never soft rock, just a slower more melodic tune from them