- Album This song officially appears on the Flaming Pie Official album.
- Timeline This song has been written (or started being written) in 1995 (Paul McCartney was 53 years old)
Related sessions
This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions
Starting May 05, 1995
Related songs
Officially appears on Brave New World
Officially appears on Flaming Pie
Officially appears on Young Boy #2
Spread the love! If you like what you are seeing, share it on social networks and let others know about The Paul McCartney Project.
Song facts
“Used To Be Bad” is a song from 1997 album “Flaming Pie“. From the liner notes:
Having enjoyed ‘Young Boy’ Steve Miller was keen to extend the collaboration, wanting to get Paul singing some “Texas blues.” As a consequence, he arrived at their second set of session with dozens of guitar riffs; this prompted Paul to climb behind the drum kit and the pair played away for some time, kicking around ideas, until Miller began adding words to the jam, utilizing blues lines line, “I used to be bad but I don’t have to be bad no more”. Once the piece had gelled Paul overdubbed bass and Steve added some solos before the traded vocal lines.
This was just a jam, really. Steve whacked out these blues riffs, I got on the drums and we just went for it – a duet, sung on one mike. We did the vocal in one take.
Paul McCartney, from the liner notes of “Flaming Pie”
I like blues but don’t do a lot of it, so when Steve Miller said that he wanted to get me singing “Texas blues” it sounded like a good offer. I got on drums, he got on guitar, all live, and we had fun. Then Steve came up with some words, suggesting we use old blues lines like “I used to be bad but I don’t have to be bad no more”. I put bass on it, Steve did some solos, and we decided to sing alternate lines, singing at the same microphone. It was a jam, based on Steve’s riff and made up in the studio, and the vocal came in one take. Steve and I are donating our royalties on the track to LIPA.
Mark Lewisohn, in Club Sandwich n°82, Summer 1997:
Having enjoyed cutting ‘Young Boy’ with Paul, Steve Miller was keen to extend the collaboration, insisting that he wanted to get Paul singing some blues. As a consequence, Miller arrived at their second set of sessions with dozens of blues guitar riffs. This prompted Paul to climb behind the drum kit and the pair played away for some time, kicking around ideas, and later Miller began adding words to the jam. Once the live piece had gelled as ‘Used To Be Bad’ Paul overdubbed bass guitar and Steve added some solos before the crucial decision was made to alternate the lead vocal lines. This was not the only blues duet recorded by the pair this day; another may be released on Steve Miller’s next album. Additionally, the previous day, Paul and Steve cut ‘Broomstick‘, released in Britain on the second ‘Young Boy’ CD single.
After we’d done ‘Young Boy’ in America, I got him over in England and he came saying ‘I want to get you singing Texas blues’. That sounded like a good offer and he turned up with millions of little blues riffs.
I Used To Be Bad’ came out of that. It was just a jam, really, with Steve whacking out these riffs. I got on the drums and we just went for it, with Steve suggesting these old blues words… I used to be bad, but I don’t wanna be bad no more.
I hit on the idea that he should sing the first line and I’d sing the second, sort of like answering him, and we’d work through the whole song like that, alternating lines.
And when we did that, you could see the engineers’ faces light up in the control room – Oh, this’II work – so that was it; a little duet, sung on one mike, from a jam. And we did it in one take.
Paul McCartney, from Club Sandwich n°82, Summer 1997
I was trying to get Paul to do some Texas blues and stuff. It’s just me, that’s what I like to play. I threw the rhythm track together, and we just started pulling out blues lines and blues lyrics and just throwing them together — just tossed a bunch of stuff on the table, wrote down a bunch of paragraphs and picked them up, and I’d sing a line, he’d sing a line, I’d sing a line, he’d sing a line and it was done.
Steve Miller, about recording “Used To Be Bad” with Paul McCartney, from the Flaming Pie Archive Collection, 2020
Last updated on September 27, 2020
Lyrics
I used to be bad
But I don't have to be bad no more
Yeah, I used to be bad
But I don't have to be bad no more
Well ain't no doubt about it, people
It's something you can't ignore
Well, I ain't good looking
People, you know I've been up on a shelf
Yes, I know I ain't good looking
And I've been put up on the shelf
But I got a sweet disposition
I like to enjoy myself
I used to be bad
But I don't have to be bad no more
Yeah, I used to be bad
But I don't have to be bad no more
You know I learned my lesson
A long, long time ago
Well, no matter what you say
No matter what you do
You got one life to live
It's gonna come back home to you
I used to be bad
But I don't have to be bad no more
Yeah people, I learned my lesson
A long, long time ago
The good Lord made this world
And everything that's in it
The way I see it, baby
You got to love it to the limit
Oh yes, now people
It's something you can't ignore
Yes I used to be bad
But I ain't gonna be bad no more
Well, the way you treat me darling
Made me understand
Never quit you baby
I'm gonna love you to the end
Yeah, I used to be bad
But I ain't gonna be bad no more
Yes, I learned my lesson
A long, long time ago
Yes, I learned my lesson
A long, long time ago
Yes, I learned my lesson
You're gonna reap just what you sow
Officially appears on
Official album • Released in 1997
4.08 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Flaming Pie - 6-track sampler cassette
Cassette • Released in 1997
4:04 • Studio version • A1 • Pre-mastered version
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Flaming Pie (White-Label Promo LP)
Official album • Released in 1997
4.08 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Official album • Released in 1997
4.08 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
EP • Released in 1997
4:08 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
The World Tonight / Used To Be Bad
7" Single • Released in 1997
4:08 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Flaming Pie - Archive Collection
Official album • Released in 2020
4:12 • Studio version • A2020 • 2020 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Alex Wharton :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Official album • Released in 2020
4.08 • Studio version • A2020.1 • 2020 half-speed remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Miles Showell :
- Mastering
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
7" Single • Released in 2022
4:12 • Studio version • A2020
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Alex Wharton :
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Bootlegs
Complete Flaming Pie - Sessions & Beyond (1997-1998)
Unofficial album
3:39 • Radio show • A • From the "Flaming Pie Radio Show"
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
UK Singles Collection - Volume 06
Unofficial album • Released in 2007
4:13 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Flaming Pie - Ultimate Archive Collection
Unofficial album • Released in 2016
4:12 • Studio version • A
- Paul McCartney :
- Bass guitar, Drums, Lead vocal, Producer
- Steve Miller :
- Electric guitar, Lead vocal
- Geoff Emerick :
- Mixing engineer, Recording engineer
- Jon Jacobs :
- Recording engineer
- Keith Smith :
- Assistant engineer
- Session Recording:
- May 05, 1995
- Studio :
- Hog Hill Studio, Rye, UK
Live performances
Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.
Contribute!
Have you spotted an error on the page? Do you want to suggest new content? Or do you simply want to leave a comment ? Please use the form below!