This George Thorogood Hit Was a Direct Response to The Rolling Stones’ “Start Me Up”

Necessity is the mother of invention, and that’s especially true for artists carving their unique path in the ultra-competitive world of the music business. Some well-established necessities for succeeding in this industry include a solid brand, memorable sound, consistent work ethic, and, ideally, a hit song. George Thorogood had everything but the last one in the early 1980s.

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Thorogood and his band, The Destroyers, had developed a reputation in the northeast United States for their blues-driven rock ‘n’ roll. But it wasn’t until Thorogood went on tour with The Rolling Stones that he realized that a strong association with blues music just wasn’t going to cut it.

George Thorogood Was Inspired by The Rolling Stones

Speaking to The Guardian in May 2026, George Thorogood recalled watching the visceral reactions audience members had to The Rolling Stones while the two bands were touring together. Specifically, Thorogood watched the crowd light up, night after night, each time The Stones played “Start Me Up”. “I said, ‘Man, we’d better hurry up and write an original song with a catchy intro or, five years from now, people will go, ‘Oh, yeah. George Thorogood. Wasn’t he good at playing Chuck Berry or something?”

Indeed, up to that point, Thorogood and The Destroyers’ bread and butter was old blues standards. So, it only made sense that the first original song with a catchy intro that the band wrote was a track that would go on to become synonymous with blues rock: “Bad To The Bone”.

Thorogood released “Bad To The Bone” in 1982 on the album of the same name. The song quickly became the band’s best-known hit, earning a Silver Certification in the United Kingdom and Gold Certification in the United States. From the quintessential blues lick that moves the song along to Thorogood’s stuttering vocal delivery, “Bad To The Bone” was one of those songs that sounded like it had been around for decades.

Capitalizing on the Male Fantasy Worked in the Band’s Favor

“Bad To The Bone” has more than a catchy melody. It has an attitude—one that most of us secretly wish we could embody more often. Who wouldn’t want to walk around knowing that they’re “bad to the bone?” Capitalizing on that leather-clad daydream was the secret element that gave the song its magic. In his interview with The Guardian, George Thorogood explained, “‘Bad To The Bone’ is a male fantasy.” 

“Let’s face it,” he continued. “Every guy wants to be bad…that’s the whole idea of the song. None of us in the band are tough guys. ‘Bad To The Bone’ brings out the lion in the mouse. But it’s not to be taken that seriously. It’s an over-masculine chuckle.”

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