THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

726-Cream-Badge.

1969-Number 18 single.

Best Bit-At 2.12. The crème de la crème of Cream.

‘Cream’ were formed in London, England, in 1966, by Jack Bruce, (1943-2014) (lead vocals, and bass, keyboards, piano, harmonica, cello, acoustic guitar, and recorder) Ginger Baker, (1939-2019) (drums, and backing and lead vocals) and Eric Clapton, (lead and rhythm guitars, and backing and lead vocals) the trio are widely considered to be the first ‘supergroup.’ A ‘supergroup’ is a musical group formed with members who are already successful as solo artists, or as members of other successful groups. The group were named ‘Cream,’ as the three members were considered the ‘cream of the crop’ amongst ‘Blues,’ and ‘Jazz’ musicians. As ‘Cream’ they were active between 1966-1968,’ although they did perform together again in 1993, and then for a final time in 2005.

‘Cream’ who have sold in excess of 15 million Albums worldwide, released four studio Albums between 1966-1969, and there have been 10 singles issued between 1966-2006. There are also 10 official compilation Albums, and four live Albums available. In the UK, all four of their studio Albums reached the top 10, with their final release ‘Goodbye’ making Number 1, while in America on the ‘Billboard 200,’ all four Albums made the top 40, with their third release ‘Wheels of Fire’ reaching Number 1. Seven of their singles made the top 40 in the UK, with ‘I Feel Free’ peaking the highest at Number 11 in 1966, while in America on the ‘Billboard Hot 100,’ three of their singles have made the top 40, with ‘White Room’ from 1968, charting the highest at Number 5.

Eric Patrick Clapton CBE was born on March 30th, 1945, in Ripley, Surrey, England, he is the only three-time inductee to the ‘Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,’ once as a solo artist, and separately as a member of the ‘Yardbirds’ (see also best songs 361) and of ‘Cream.’ With record sales of around 300 million worldwide, he is one of the best selling artists of all time. He acquired his nickname ‘slowhand,’ because whenever he broke a guitar string during a concert, he would stay on stage and replace it. The English audiences would wait out the delay by doing what is called a ‘slow handclap,’ it was the music producer Giorgio Gomelsky (1934-2016) who gave him that nickname. Prior to starting a solo career in 1970, Eric Clapton had played in a number of different local bands, before joining the ‘Yardbirds’ from 1963-1965, and then ‘John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers,’ from 1965 to 1966. He then became a member of ‘Cream’ between 1966-1968, after which he formed ‘Bind Faith,’ who were active for just a few months, before forming ‘Derek and the Dominos,’ who like ‘Blind Faith,’ he released just one studio Album with. As a solo artist Eric Clapton has released 21 studio Albums between 1970-2018, and 61 singles between 1970-2016, there are also 21 official compilation Albums, and 15 live Albums available. Clapton has also released a further 25 singles as a member of the aforementioned groups he was a member of prior to 1970. In the UK as a solo artist 12 of his singles have reached the top 40, with ‘Tears in Heaven’ from 1992, peaking the highest at Number 5, while in America on the Billboard Hot 100, he has had 15 top 40 hits, with ‘I Shot the Sheriff,’ reaching Number 1 in 1974.

‘Badge’ was the only single issued from ‘Cream’s’ fourth an final studio Album ‘Goodbye,’ (also known as ‘Goodbye Cream’) from February 1969. ‘Badge’ was co-written by Eric Clapton, and George Harrison, (1943-2001) (see also best songs 737) with the production credited to Felix Pappalardi, (1939-1983) who had also been the producer of ‘Cream’s’ second and third studio Albums, Pappalardi also played the piano and mellotron on ‘Badge.’ George Harrison played rhythm guitar on the track, but due to contractual reasons he is listed under the pseudonym of ‘L’Angelo Misterioso.’ The songs title ‘Badge’ has absolutely nothing to do with the songs subject, as when Clapton was reading through Harrison’s notes, he misread ‘Bridge’ (as in the songs bridge) for ‘Badge,’ which Harrison found funny, so they decided to use it. The songs lyrics are not intended to make any sense, the line about swans living in the park, was actually a throwaway comment made by Ringo Starr when he was drunk, although Starr does not receive any songwriting credits.

‘Thinkin’ ’bout the times you drove in my car, thinkin’ that I might have drove you too far, and I’m thinkin’ ’bout the love that you laid on my table. I told you not to wander ’round in the dark, I told you ’bout the swans, that they live in the park, then I told you ’bout our kid, now he’s married to Mabel.’