Bad Company was known for their hard-driving rock originals, but one of the band’s most unexpected hits came from the past.
In 1976, Bad Company recorded a cover of the 1957 song “Young Blood,” putting a surprising new spin on The Coasters classic.
Written by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller and Doc Pomus, the original rhythm and blues classic featured playful vocals about young love with ‘50s doo-wop charm. Nearly 20 years later, Bad Company gave the song a ‘70s rock swagger, turning the youthful R&B number into a powerful blues rock performance that showcased Paul Rodgers’ unmistakable vocals.
When Bad Company first teased the cover of “Young Blood” for their album Run With the Pack, guitarist Mick Ralphs told Sounds magazine the song would be Bad Company, not an imitation of The Coasters.
The band certainly delivered with a rare reimagining of the song.
‘Young Blood’ was a hit twice.
The Coasters’ original version of the song hit No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the R&B singles chart, while Bad Company’s remake reached the Top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became one of the band’s highest-charting songs.
Still, it was an unusual move for a hard rock band in 1976 to cover a vintage R&B song, especially a band like Bad Company, which was known for writing original material—and finding massive success with it.
For Rodgers, the song wasn’t as random as it may have seemed. The singer had always been drawn to the early R&B music that shaped rock and roll. While he was best known as a hard rock vocalist, he was deeply influenced by soul and blues sounds that connected him to songs such as The Coasters’ “Young Blood.”
“I discovered Muddy Waters and started to dig the blues man, at a very early age,” Rodgers recalled in an interview with American Blues Scene. “[Blues and R&B artists] spoke of a different lifestyle altogether, but they spoke very emotively and very passionately.”
Rodgers once named Run With the Pack as his favorite Bad Company album aside from the band’s self-titled first release, in part due to the “Young Blood” cover, according to Rhino.
Decades later, Bad Company still celebrates their magical reimagination of “Young Blood.” A post on the band’s official Facebook page for the 50th anniversary of the Run With the Pack album featured a clip of The Coasters performing the song next to a still of Rodgers.
“Two eras, one song, same soul,” came the caption. “A rare cover for Bad Company.”
Related: Paul Rodgers Shares Surprising Truth About One of Bad Company’s Biggest Hits