Bad English was an American/British

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...

supergroup formed in 1987. It reunited Journey keyboardist Jonathan Cain with singer

John Waite John Charles Waite (born 4 July 1952) is an English musician. As a solo artist, he has released ten studio albums and is best known for the 1984 hit single "Missing You", which reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and the top ten on t ...

and bassist Ricky Phillips, his former bandmates in

the Babys The Babys are a British rock group best known for their songs " Isn't It Time" and "Every Time I Think of You". Both songs were composed by Jack Conrad and Ray Kennedy, and each reached No. 13 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 8 on t ...

, along with Journey guitarist

Neal Schon Neal (Neil) is a given masculine name and surname of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an Anglicisation of the Irish Niall which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "hon ...

and drummer

Deen Castronovo Deen J. Castronovo (born August 17, 1964) is an American drummer and singer, best known for being a member of classic rock band Journey and hard rock acts Bad English and Hardline. He currently plays drums and shares lead vocals for the bands ...

. The band is mainly known for their hit single "

When I See You Smile "When I See You Smile" is a song written by Diane Warren and performed by American-British glam metal band Bad English. It was released in September 1989 as the second single taken from their Bad English (album), self-titled debut album released ...

", which peaked at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in November 1989.

History

The members decided on a name for the band while playing pool. John Waite missed a shot and Jonathan Cain made a comment on how bad his "" was (referring to the spin a player puts on the cue ball), and the band decided to use the phrase. Jonathan Cain and guitarist Neal Schon, members of the successful rock band Journey, formed Bad English with Waite after Journey disbanded. They were joined by Ricky Phillips, who had played bass for

on two albums with Waite and Cain, and drummer Deen Castronovo.

First album

The band's first album, Bad English, was a big seller. It contained three top-40 hit singles: the number one hit "

", the top 10 hit " Price of Love", and "Possession". The album's first single, however, was "Forget Me Not." It stalled outside the Top 40 at #45, but the single peaked at #2 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The second single, "When I See You Smile", was their biggest hit, peaking at #1 on the Hot 100. The song is also notable for being the only song entirely written by an outside writer without help from at least one member in the band, besides "Don't Walk Away". "Best of What I Got" was released as a promotional single to Rock Radio, where the tune cracked the top 10. From March to June 1990, the band toured across the US with

band

Whitesnake Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...

in support of the album.

Second album

The band's second album, Backlash, came and went without any fanfare. The only single, "Straight to Your Heart," missed the Top 40, peaking at No. 42. Ricky Phillips writes on his website that the group had parted company before the second album had been mixed. Both Phillips and guitarist Neal Schon expressed frustration with the "pop" side of the band's songs and wanted a harder edge. In the end, it proved to be the band's undoing as everyone left to pursue other projects.

Breakup

In later interviews, Waite revealed that although he loved playing to stadium-sized audiences, he was uncomfortable with the corporate rock image that he felt the band had presented. He returned to working as a solo artist. Schon and Castronovo joined the fledgling rock band

Hardline In politics, hardline (or hard-line) is an adjective describing a stance on an issue that is inflexible and not subject to compromise. A hardliner is a person holding such views. The stance is usually far from the centrist view. People, policies ...

in 1991; however, both would leave the group not long after the release of its debut album, with Schon pursuing other projects and Castronovo joining

Ozzy Osbourne John Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne (born 3 December 1948) is an English singer, songwriter, and television personality. He rose to prominence during the 1970s as the lead vocalist of the heavy metal band Black Sabbath, during which period he adop ...

's band. In the mid-1990s, Schon rejoined Cain, who had released two solo albums in the interim, in a reformed Journey. Castronovo also joined Journey in 1998, eventually leaving in 2015. He later became a member of the Dead Daisies and Revolution Saints before returning to Journey in 2021. Meanwhile, Phillips returned to session work, recording with artists such as Coverdale/Page,

Bobby Kimball Robert Troy Kimball (born March 29, 1947) is an American singer and songwriter best known as the original and longtime frontman of the rock band Toto from 1977 to 1984 and again from 1998 to 2008. Kimball has also performed as a solo artist and ...

, and

Eddie Money Edward Joseph Mahoney (March 21, 1949 – September 13, 2019), known professionally as Eddie Money, was an American singer and songwriter who, in the 1970s and 1980s, had eleven Top 40 songs, including " Baby Hold On", " Two Tickets to Pa ...

, before joining

Styx In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, ...

in the early 2000s.

In popular culture

"Best of What I Got" from the band's first album, is featured during the credits to the 1989 movie '' Tango & Cash'', starring

Sylvester Stallone Sylvester Enzio Stallone (; born Michael Sylvester Gardenzio Stallone, ) is an American actor and filmmaker. After his beginnings as a struggling actor for a number of years upon arriving to New York City in 1969 and later Hollywood in 1974, h ...

and

Kurt Russell Kurt Vogel Russell (born March 17, 1951) is an American actor. He began acting on television at the age of 12 in the western series '' The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (1963–1964). In the late 1960s, he signed a ten-year contract with Th ...

Band members

- lead vocals *

- lead guitar, backing vocals * Jonathan Cain - keyboards, piano, rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Ricky Phillips - bass, backing vocals *

- drums, percussion, backing vocals

Discography

Studio albums

Compilation albums

Singles

References

{{Authority control 1987 establishments in California 1991 disestablishments in California Epic Records artists Glam metal musical groups from California Hard rock musical groups from California Heavy metal musical groups from California Heavy metal supergroups Musical groups established in 1987 Musical groups disestablished in 1991 Rock music supergroups