Uploaded October 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
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Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo of "Badge” by Cream from their 1969 album Goodbye for Polydor Records.
Words and music by Eric Clapton and George Harrison
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
Yes, I told you that the light goes up and down
Don't you notice how the wheel goes 'round?
And you'd better pick yourself up from the ground
Before they bring the curtain down
Yes, before they bring the curtain down
Talkin' 'bout a girl that looks quite like you
She didn't have the time to wait in the queue
She cried away her life since she fell off the cradle
*Song Facts*
"Badge" is a song by the British rock band Cream, written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison. It first appeared on Cream's final album Goodbye, released in the UK on February 28, 1969. "Badge" was issued as a single in the US on March 17, and its release followed in the UK on 3 April. It peaked at number 18 in the UK Singles Chart and number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
There was originally no title for "Badge". During the production transfer for the album Goodbye, the original music sheet was used to produce the liner notes and track listing. The only discernible word on the page was "bridge" (indicating the song's bridge section). Due to Harrison's handwriting, however, Clapton misread it as "badge"—and the song was thus titled soon thereafter.
Harrison remembered the story thus: "I helped Eric write "Badge" you know. Each of them had to come up with a song for that Goodbye Cream album and Eric didn't have his written. We were working across from each other and I was writing the lyrics down and we came to the middle part so I wrote 'Bridge.' Eric read it upside down and cracked up laughing – 'What's BADGE?' he said. After that, Ringo [Starr] walked in drunk and gave us that line about the swans living in the park."
Common legends or misconceptions are that the name came about because its chord progression was B–A–D–G–E (Which is not true). Or simply because the notation of a guitar's standard tuning (E–A–D–G–B–E) can be arranged to spell "Badge".
Cash Box said of "Badge": "More subdued drumming and almost conventional instrumental work show the Cream in a new light, one which should have a tremendous impact on listeners of cleaner-cut rock who may not have been into the blues outings that hit earlier." Billboard called it an "easy beat, driving rocker".
In the US, Atco Records' initial releases of Goodbye and of "Badge" as a single gave the song's writing credit to Clapton alone, with publishing credit to Robert Stigwood's company Casserole (BMI). Atco later corrected this in 1969 with the release of Best of Cream, which lists both Clapton and Harrison as the song's authors. The UK single of "Badge" released by Polydor Records gave writing credit to both Clapton and Harrison, with publishing credit going to Dratleaf and Harrisongs Ltd. Since the early 1990s the writing credit has been listed as Clapton/Harrison with publishing credit going to E.C. Music, Ltd. and Harrisongs.
On top of co-writing "Badge", George Harrison also played rhythm guitar on the track. Eric Clapton had played on Harrison's album Wonderwall the previous year. As well as playing lead guitar on The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Which was written by Harrison.
Cream recorded "Badge" shortly before their final shows: two sold-out performances at Royal Albert Hall in England. It was one of three studio recordings on their last album; the rest of it was filled with live cuts. Cream had broken up by the time the single for "Badge" was released. Clapton was already working with his new group, Blind Faith.
"Badge" is the only Cream song to include 5 people: in addition to Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and George Harrison, Felix Pappalardi played the piano and Mellotron. Pappalardi was the producer on 3 of Cream's 4 albums (Disreali Gears, Wheels Of Fire, and Goodbye) and contributed by playing a wide variety of instruments.
For the bridge on "Badge", Clapton ran his guitar through a Leslie speaker cabinet to create a swirling sound. The Leslie Cabinet contained a rotating paddle and was designed for organs, but many musicians tried it with guitars. Jimmy Page used the technique on "Good Times, Bad Times." Clapton even used it on "Layla" the next year with Derek and the Dominos.
The song titles were written on tombstones inside of the Goodbye album, leaving little doubt that it was Cream's last album. But they had a great run in just a few short years. One of the most consequential bands of their era. Paving the way for everything that followed in rock.
#GuitarSolo #EricClapton #BluesRock
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Nolan Randall playing the guitar solo of "Badge” by Cream from their 1969 album Goodbye for Polydor Records.
Words and music by Eric Clapton and George Harrison
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
Yes, I told you that the light goes up and down
Don't you notice how the wheel goes 'round?
And you'd better pick yourself up from the ground
Before they bring the curtain down
Yes, before they bring the curtain down
Talkin' 'bout a girl that looks quite like you
She didn't have the time to wait in the queue
She cried away her life since she fell off the cradle
*Song Facts*
"Badge" is a song by the British rock band Cream, written by Eric Clapton and George Harrison. It first appeared on Cream's final album Goodbye, released in the UK on February 28, 1969. "Badge" was issued as a single in the US on March 17, and its release followed in the UK on 3 April. It peaked at number 18 in the UK Singles Chart and number 60 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.
There was originally no title for "Badge". During the production transfer for the album Goodbye, the original music sheet was used to produce the liner notes and track listing. The only discernible word on the page was "bridge" (indicating the song's bridge section). Due to Harrison's handwriting, however, Clapton misread it as "badge"—and the song was thus titled soon thereafter.
Harrison remembered the story thus: "I helped Eric write "Badge" you know. Each of them had to come up with a song for that Goodbye Cream album and Eric didn't have his written. We were working across from each other and I was writing the lyrics down and we came to the middle part so I wrote 'Bridge.' Eric read it upside down and cracked up laughing – 'What's BADGE?' he said. After that, Ringo [Starr] walked in drunk and gave us that line about the swans living in the park."
Common legends or misconceptions are that the name came about because its chord progression was B–A–D–G–E (Which is not true). Or simply because the notation of a guitar's standard tuning (E–A–D–G–B–E) can be arranged to spell "Badge".
Cash Box said of "Badge": "More subdued drumming and almost conventional instrumental work show the Cream in a new light, one which should have a tremendous impact on listeners of cleaner-cut rock who may not have been into the blues outings that hit earlier." Billboard called it an "easy beat, driving rocker".
In the US, Atco Records' initial releases of Goodbye and of "Badge" as a single gave the song's writing credit to Clapton alone, with publishing credit to Robert Stigwood's company Casserole (BMI). Atco later corrected this in 1969 with the release of Best of Cream, which lists both Clapton and Harrison as the song's authors. The UK single of "Badge" released by Polydor Records gave writing credit to both Clapton and Harrison, with publishing credit going to Dratleaf and Harrisongs Ltd. Since the early 1990s the writing credit has been listed as Clapton/Harrison with publishing credit going to E.C. Music, Ltd. and Harrisongs.
On top of co-writing "Badge", George Harrison also played rhythm guitar on the track. Eric Clapton had played on Harrison's album Wonderwall the previous year. As well as playing lead guitar on The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps". Which was written by Harrison.
Cream recorded "Badge" shortly before their final shows: two sold-out performances at Royal Albert Hall in England. It was one of three studio recordings on their last album; the rest of it was filled with live cuts. Cream had broken up by the time the single for "Badge" was released. Clapton was already working with his new group, Blind Faith.
"Badge" is the only Cream song to include 5 people: in addition to Eric Clapton, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker and George Harrison, Felix Pappalardi played the piano and Mellotron. Pappalardi was the producer on 3 of Cream's 4 albums (Disreali Gears, Wheels Of Fire, and Goodbye) and contributed by playing a wide variety of instruments.
For the bridge on "Badge", Clapton ran his guitar through a Leslie speaker cabinet to create a swirling sound. The Leslie Cabinet contained a rotating paddle and was designed for organs, but many musicians tried it with guitars. Jimmy Page used the technique on "Good Times, Bad Times." Clapton even used it on "Layla" the next year with Derek and the Dominos.
The song titles were written on tombstones inside of the Goodbye album, leaving little doubt that it was Cream's last album. But they had a great run in just a few short years. One of the most consequential bands of their era. Paving the way for everything that followed in rock.
#GuitarSolo #EricClapton #BluesRock
