Sedaka wrote his 1959 hit "Oh! Carol" about his then-girlfriend, Carol Klein, later to become Carole King. In 1963, King released a humorous answer entitled "Oh Neil".
The Laughter In the Rain Songfacts says Sedaka's hits dried up when The Beatles arrived, but then he teamed up with the lyricist Philip Cody and had a a number 1 hit with "Laughter In The Rain." It re-ignited Sedaka's career and he had 6 more Top-40 hits in America by 1977.
Sedaka's voice is in the tenor range.
Bad Blood
Neil Sedaka Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who went and bit off a little bit more than he could chew
You said that you had it made, but you been had
The woman no good, no how, thinkin' maybe the blood is bad
Bad (bad) blood (blood)
The woman was born to lie
Makes promises she can't keep
Bad (bad) blood (blood)
Is takin' you for a ride
The only thing good about bad blood
Is lettin' it slide
From where I stand, it looks mighty strange
How you let a woman like that treat you like small change
I don't understand what you're lookin' to find
The only thing bad blood do is mess up a good man's mind
Hear me talkin' now
Bad (bad) blood (blood)
The bitch is in her smile
The lie is on her lips
Such an evil child
Bad (bad) blood (blood)
Is takin' you for a ride
The only thing good about bad blood
Is lettin' it slide
Doo-ron, doo-ron, di di, dit, dit, ron-ron
Doo-ron, doo-ron, di di, dit, dit, ron-ron
Doo-ron, doo-ron, di di, dit, dit, ron-ron
Bad blood, talkin' 'bout bad blood
Doo-ron, doo-ron, di di, dit, dit, ron-ron
Doo-ron, doo-ron, di di, dit, dit, ron-ron
Doo-ron, doo-ron, di di, dit, dit, ron-ron
Bad blood
Here we go
Bad (bad) blood (blood)
The bitch is in her smile
The lie is on her lips
Such an evil child
Bad (bad) blood (blood)
Is takin' you for a ride
The only thing good about bad blood
Is lettin' it slide
The only thing good about bad blood
Is lettin' it slide, bad blood
In Neil Sedaka's song "Bad Blood," the singer is warning his friend about a woman who has betrayed him. The first verse is addressed to the friend himself, who has gotten into some trouble because he trusted the woman in question. The chorus establishes the theme of "bad blood" that permeates the song: this woman is no good and will only cause trouble. The second verse continues to express the singer's bewilderment and concern for his friend, questioning why he would subject himself to such treatment. The bridge acts as a sort of rallying cry, drawing attention to the insidious nature of the woman in question and emphasizing how important it is to avoid falling prey to her.
Overall, "Bad Blood" is a cautionary tale about the dangers of trusting the wrong people. The character singing the song is warning his friend about a woman who is manipulative and difficult to resist, ultimately suggesting that it is best to simply let go of any feelings or attachments to her (as implied by the final line of the song).
Line by Line Meaning
It coulda been me but it was you
Although the situation might have applied to me, instead it happened to you
Who went and bit off a little bit more than he could chew
You took on more than you were capable of handling
You said that you had it made, but you been had
You thought you were successful, but in reality, you were fooled
The woman no good, no how, thinkin' maybe the blood is bad
The woman is not trustworthy, and it's possible that this is due to bad blood, or genetics
Bad (bad) blood (blood)
The woman was born to lie
Makes promises she can't keep
With the wink on an eye
The woman is inherently deceitful, and uses her charm to make empty promises
Bad (bad) blood (blood)
Is takin' you for a ride
The only thing good about bad blood
Is lettin' it slide
The situation is taking advantage of you, and the best course of action is to avoid conflict
From where I stand, it looks mighty strange
How you let a woman like that treat you like small change
Observing from my perspective, it's unclear why you allow yourself to be treated poorly by someone like her
I don't understand what you're lookin' to find
The only thing bad blood do is mess up a good man's mind
I'm unsure what you're trying to achieve, but all bad blood does is cause confusion and emotional turmoil
The bitch is in her smile
The lie is on her lips
Such an evil child
The woman's outward charm masks her deceitful nature, making her truly untrustworthy
Doo-ron, doo-ron, di di, dit, dit, ron-ron
Bad blood, talkin' 'bout bad blood
Repeating nonsensical sounds to emphasize the theme of the song – bad blood
The only thing good about bad blood
Is lettin' it slide, bad blood
Once again reiterating that it's best to avoid conflict with people who have bad blood
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Philip Cody, Neil Sedaka
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Rick Nelson
Eric and Kitty nailed it! Great classic tune!
BeckyBoo
@David Berchtold it was a scene on that 70s show
David Berchtold
Eric who? Kitty who? Totally lost me.
T.Vampiro
Stronger than Batman and Superman.
BAAAD BAAAAD BLOOD BLOOOOOD!!!!
D Yogendra Rao
@Jake Crisci Just saw that they had used this score in that scene too
Rockin' Rock
I'm watching this now.
Christopher Phillips
Out of all of Neil Sedaka's songs, this one is arguably his best.
Pibly
@lisalu910 Exactly !
lisalu910
@Willomina Balasco Elton John's vocals bring it to a whole other level. That's a fact!
fernmann7
Yeah that’s what he was saying. 🙄