About the Song
“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” is an upbeat, strophic narrative song by American folk rock singer Jim Croce, released as part of his 1973 album Life and Times. The song became a major hit, spending two weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1973, and was ranked as the No. 2 song of the year by Billboard.
The song tells the story of Leroy Brown, a tough, brash man in Chicago who is known as the “baddest man in the whole damn town.” With his fearsome reputation, Leroy is large, dangerous, and a ladies’ man, but his bravado leads to his downfall when he picks a fight with the wrong person: the husband of a woman he tries to impress. The song humorously details Leroy’s defeat, ending with him being “a jigsaw puzzle” with pieces missing, symbolizing his unexpected loss.
Inspiration Behind the Song
Jim Croce’s inspiration for the character of Leroy Brown came from his time in the U.S. National Guard. In 1966, while stationed at Fort Dix and Fort Jackson, Croce met two men who would leave a lasting impression. The character of Leroy Brown was partly based on a sergeant Croce encountered, but the story was inspired by a private who had gone AWOL (absent without leave) but returned to collect his paycheck and was subsequently caught.
Croce found the situation humorous, and the man’s name, Leroy Brown, seemed too perfect to ignore. In a later interview, Croce’s wife Ingrid confirmed that the real Leroy Brown was the sergeant, while the AWOL private’s story provided the context for the song’s theme.
Legacy
“Bad, Bad Leroy Brown” became one of Jim Croce’s most iconic hits, and its catchy melody and storytelling style have made it a staple of his music catalog. The song’s success helped solidify Croce’s place in the folk rock genre, and its narrative approach to songwriting set him apart from other musicians of the era. It remains one of his most beloved tracks, still popular with listeners for its vivid character portrayal and memorable chorus.
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Lyrics
Well, the south side of Chicago
Is the baddest part of town
And if you go down there
You better just beware
Of a man name of Leroy Brown
Now Leroy more than trouble
You see he stand ’bout six foot four
All those downtown ladies call him “Treetop Lover”
All the men just call him “Sir”
And he’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Now Leroy he a gambler
And he like his fancy clothes
And he like to wave his diamond rings
Under everybody’s nose
He got a custom Continental
He got an El Dorado too
He got a 32 gun in his pocket full a fun
He got a razor in his shoe
And he’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Well Friday ’bout a week ago
Leroy shootin’ dice
And at the edge of the bar
Sat a girl named Doris
And oh that girl looked nice
Well, he cast his eyes upon her
And the trouble soon began
And Leroy Brown had learned a lesson
‘Bout a-messin’ with the wife of a jealous man
And he’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than a-old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Well the two men took to fighting
And when they pulled them from the floor
Leroy looked like a jigsaw puzzle
With a couple of pieces gone
And it’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
And he’s bad, bad Leroy Brown
The baddest man in the whole damn town
Badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dog
Yeah, he was badder than old King Kong
And meaner than a junkyard dogAdvertisement
