B.U.S.H. (initially meaning "Buy Us Some Heroin") started in late 1979 on L… Read Full Bio ↴B.U.S.H. (initially meaning "Buy Us Some Heroin") started in late 1979 on Los Angeles.'s east side, as part of the so called "new generation" of L.A. punk, alongside names like Black Flag, China White and Fear. Early gigs shocked the old decadent punk crowd that went to The Masque, because the music was too out there (even for punkers) and their following was mostly comprised of brutes, speed freaks and borderline retards in general. After some airplay on Rodney on The Roq, the band recorded a self titled mini-album for Posh Boy Records in 1981.

After some touring and a couple of appearances on TV shows (one was an early mourning news feature on punk violence, the other was an episode of "CHIPS", playing a gang of street thugs who disguised themselves as a band - it's not like they even needed to act very hard...) the follow up LP "Fuck With Me" was released on Restless in 1983. The album's name caused a lot of controversy, and the word "Fuck" had to be covered with a blank sticker. But the name was not the only source of controversy: the music was different, with more melody and hooks, even some keyboards here and there. It didn't please their hardcore following but attracted other audiences and generated rave reviews.

Around that time, drug use started to disrupt their productivity. The band began losing member after member, until only drummer Germonster was left from the original line-up. Everything seemed lost when he reformed the band with 3 new musicians, with whom he wrote and recorded the poorly received album "Pussy Hangover", with yet a new musical direction, leaning towards the Poodle Metal tendencies of the time. According to an old rumor, Germonster had much better material written for "Pussy Hangover", but sold all the good songs to a new Hollywood band called Guns N' Roses in order to pay the original member's rehab bills, hoping to reunite the original band.

But rehab didn't work: in 1987 the other 3 original members were shot by the police during a raid at the crack house they inhabited. In disgust, Germonster killed himself without even leaving a letter, his last feelings expressed only by a Hanoi Rocks album still turning on the turntable.

Fearing scandal, shame and disgrace, friends and former labels decided to destroy all of the remaining material related to B.U.S.H., paying journalists not to write about them, blocking all reissue proposals and hunting down anyone who tried to press bootlegs. The band was successfully stalinized, wiped out of existence. And to top it all, thousands of records and pictures were burned on a black magic ritual to make people totally forget about them. It worked.

Nobody ever talked about the band again until in 2004 the spirits of the original members, fighting the curse, possessed 4 unsuspecting youths from Sao Paulo, Brazil. who had started a project with the same name a year before. The 4 psychic punk rockers involuntarily became tools through which the ghosts began rewriting their original songs, but with lyrics adapted to current reality. And that's what you're listening to

Bad Influence
B.U.S.H. Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Call it bad,
My bad, my bad influence.

Big town holds me back,
Big town skins my mind.
Small minds wear me down,
Spreading salt on fertile ground.
Honest pleasures now forsaken,

Drastic measures to be taken.
Can't accept your difference,
They call it bad influence.

[Chorus]
Free mind, free soul,
It's time for liberation to flow.
Free mind, free soul,
It's time, so let your future unfold.

Call it bad,
My bad, my bad influence.

Break out of the mold before the mold sets in.
Dangerous walls are closin' in.
They twist the truth,
Then give it a spin.
Love's a grenade, I'll pull the pin.

[Chorus]

The circle is wide.
Shadows flower into the light.

Bad influence.
Bad, such a bad influence.
You think I'm bad,
You think I'm bad.
Well I'm the most fun that you ever had.
So good, so good,
But people say I'm a bad influence.

Wide mouths, narrow minds,
Can't accept your difference.
Open season on new ideas,
They call it bad influence.

[Chorus]

My bad, my bad influence.
Just a bad influence.
My bad, my bad influence.

Call it bad,
My bad, my bad influence.

Wide mouths with narrow minds;
Narrow minds, creak and grind.
Rally to a peaceful sound,
Let the barriers tumble down.

My bad, my bad influence.
My bad, my bad influence.

Break out of the mold before the mold sets in.
Dangerous walls are closin' in.
They twist the truth,
Then give it a spin.
If love's a grenade, better pull the pin!

Call it bad,
My bad, my bad influence.

Overall Meaning

The song "Bad Influence" by B.U.S.H. is a commentary on the closed-mindedness of people in big towns, who refuse to accept differences and new ideas. The singer feels restrained and suffocated by the small minds of those around him, who spread salt on fertile ground and twist the truth to fit their narrow worldview. He sees himself as a bad influence, but also celebrates his free mind and soul, urging others to break out of the mold and let their future unfold.

The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "Free mind, free soul," emphasizing the theme of liberation and individuality. The singer portrays love as a grenade that he's willing to pull the pin on, suggesting a willingness to take risks and defy convention. He acknowledges that some people view him as a bad influence, but counters that he's also the most fun they've ever had.

Overall, "Bad Influence" is a rebellious anthem for anyone who feels stifled by the conformity of their surroundings. It encourages listeners to embrace their differences and think for themselves, rather than letting others dictate their beliefs and actions.

Line by Line Meaning

Call it bad,
I'm labeled as 'bad'

My bad, my bad influence.
I have a bad influence on others

Big town holds me back,
Living in a big city restricts me

Big town skins my mind.
Living in a big city makes me feel numb

Small minds wear me down,
Narrow-minded people are exhausting me

Spreading salt on fertile ground.
They ruin good things with their negativity

Honest pleasures now forsaken,
I'm giving up on things I enjoy because of others' judgement

Drastic measures to be taken.
I need to take bold actions to break free from their influence

Can't accept your difference,
They can't tolerate anyone who is different from them

They call it bad influence.
They blame me for their own close-mindedness

Free mind, free soul,
I deserve to be free and true to myself