Bad, Bad Leroy Brown

"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 Croce's only number-one single before his death on September 20 of that year and his final single to be released during his lifetime. This song is also the last song Croce publicly sang in his lifetime.

Synopsis

The song's titular character is a tall man from the South Side of Chicago whose size, attitude, and tendency to carry weapons have given him a reputation for 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, '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

"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" – 3:02
"A Good Time Man Like Me Ain't Got No Business " – 2:03

UK 7" Single

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

International 7" Single

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

Personnel

According to liner notes of the album

Jim Croce – lead vocals, acoustic rhythm guitar
Maury Muehleisen – acoustic lead guitar
Tommy West – piano, backing vocals
Joe Macho – bass guitar
Gary Chester – drums
Ellie Greenwich – backing vocals
Tasha Thomas – backing vocals
Willie McCoy – 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 in its lyrics, after the "Theme from Shaft".

Weekly charts

Chart	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

Frank Sinatra version

In 1974, the song was covered by legendary singer and actor Frank Sinatra on his 1974 studio album Some Nice Things I've Missed, mostly consisting of covers of popular songs at the time, his second album since his brief retirement in the early 1970s, the album's title being a reference to his catching up on songs that came out during his retirement, with Sinatra's version being the closing track on the album. Sinatra's version was released as a single on Reprise Records in March 1974 and was a minor hit in the US, peaking at Number 83 on the Hot 100 that June. As with most tracks on the album, Sinatra's version was produced and conducted by Don Costa. Sinatra's version also reached Number 106 in the Cashbox charts and Number 31 on the US Adult Contemporary charts, the highest chart position for Sinatra's version.

Sylvie Vartan version (in French)

In 1974, the song was adapted into French as "Bye Bye Leroy Brown" by Michel Mallory and was recorded by French pop singer Sylvie Vartan and was released as a non-album single on RCA Records in June 1974. Vartan's version peaked at peaked at Number 17 on the French Belgian charts on September 14, 1974.

Other notable versions

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