"Bloody Well Right" is a song by English rock band

Supertramp Supertramp were a British rock band formed in London in 1970. Marked by the individual songwriting of founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, keyboards and guitars) and Rick Davies (vocals and keyboards), the group were distinguished for blending p ...

from their 1974 album ''

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''. It appeared as the B-side of the single "

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" in December 1974. Listeners in the United States preferred it to the A-side, and "Bloody Well Right" became their breakthrough hit in the country, peaking at number 35 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Lyrical content

Davies consciously linked the song to the album's opening track "School" with the line "So you think your schooling is phoney", helping to perpetuate the false impression that ''

'' is a

concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...

. According to Hodgson, any unifying thread beyond that was left to the listener's imagination. ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Nick DeRiso stated "Bloody Well Right" shares the theme with "School" of "questioning the education system."

Reception

DeRiso rated it as Supertramp's second best song, praising its "sharp

anti-authoritarian Anti-authoritarianism is opposition to authoritarianism. Anti-authoritarians usually believe in full equality before the law and strong civil liberties. Sometimes the term is used interchangeably with anarchism, an ideology which entails opposing a ...

streak." Gary Graff of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' also rated it as Supertramp's second best song, calling it "an angry

indictment An indictment ( ) is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that use the concept of felonies, the most serious criminal offense is a felony; jurisdictions that do not use that concept often use that of an ind ...

of British economic

caste system A caste is a fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (endogamy), foll ...

s couched with

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

and

Music Hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was most popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850, through the World War I, Great War. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as Varie ...

references."

Live versions

This song appears on ''

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'', '' Live '88'', '' It Was the Best of Times'', and '' Is Everybody Listening?''. In June 1975 the song was performed by the band on the American late-night musical variety series '' The Midnight Special'', but was broadcast mostly in negative.

Personnel

Rick Davies Richard Davies (born 22 July 1944) is an English musician, singer and songwriter best known as founder, vocalist and keyboardist of the rock band Supertramp. Davies was its only constant member, and composed some of the band's best-known songs ...

–

Wurlitzer electronic piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from 1954 to 1983. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptually similar to ...

, acoustic piano, lead vocals, handclaps *

Roger Hodgson Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson (born 21 March 1950) is an English singer, musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman and founding member of the progressive rock band Supertramp. Hodgson composed and sang the majority of the ba ...

– electric guitar, backing vocals, handclaps * John Helliwell – tenor saxophone, backing vocals *

Dougie Thomson Douglas 'Dougie' Campbell Thomson (born 24 March 1951) is a Scottish musician, born in Glasgow and raised in the Rutherglen area of the city. He was the Bassist, bass guitarist of progressive rock band Supertramp from 1972 to 1988. Career Th ...

– bass * Bob Siebenberg – drums

Charts

References

External links

* {{authority control Supertramp songs 1974 songs Songs written by Rick Davies Songs written by Roger Hodgson Song recordings produced by Ken Scott A&M Records singles