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{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}} {{About|the band|other uses|Broken English (disambiguation)|and|Bad English (disambiguation)}} {{short description|American rock band}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Bad English | image = Bad English.jpg | caption = Bad English, clockwise L-to-R: Neal Schon, Deen Castronovo, Ricky Phillips, Jonathan Cain, and John Waite | image_size = | origin = [[Los Angeles]], [[California]], U.S. | instrument = | genre = {{hlist||[[Hard rock]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bad English | Biography, Albums, Streaming Links |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/bad-english-mn0000077264 |access-date=October 31, 2019 |website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref>|[[arena rock]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Everley |first=Dave |date=2017-07-17 |title=Bad English - Bad English album review |url=https://www.loudersound.com/reviews/bad-english-bad-english-album-review |access-date=2023-07-30 |website=[[Louder (website)|Louder]]}}</ref>|{{nowrap|[[glam metal]]<ref>{{Cite book |last=Popoff |first=Martin |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/858901054 |title=The big book of hair metal: the illustrated oral history of heavy metal's debauched decade |date=August 15, 2014 |isbn=978-0-7603-4546-7 |location=Minneapolis, MN |pages=171, 209 |oclc=858901054 |access-date=March 10, 2021}}</ref>}}}} | years_active = 1987β1991 | label = [[Epic Records|Epic]] | spinoff_of = {{hlist|[[The Babys]]|[[Journey (band)|Journey]]}} | past_members = [[John Waite]]<br />[[Neal Schon]]<br />[[Jonathan Cain]]<br />[[Ricky Phillips]]<br />[[Deen Castronovo]] }} '''Bad English''' was an American/British [[hard rock]] [[Supergroup (music)|supergroup]] formed in 1987. It reunited [[Journey (band)|Journey]] keyboardist [[Jonathan Cain]] with singer [[John Waite]] and bassist [[Ricky Phillips]], his former bandmates in [[the Babys]], along with Journey guitarist [[Neal Schon]] and drummer [[Deen Castronovo]]. The band is known for their hit single "[[When I See You Smile]]", which peaked at number 1 on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] in November 1989.<ref name="Hot 100">{{Cite magazine |title=Hot 100 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/bad-english/chart-history |access-date=March 16, 2021 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> == History == The members decided on a name for the band while playing [[Pocket billiards|pool]]. John Waite missed a shot and Jonathan Cain made a comment on how bad his "{{Cuegloss|English|english}}" was (referring to the spin a player puts on the [[cue ball]]), and the band decided to use the phrase.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://library.thinkquest.org/4626/rock.htm |title= Rock Band Name Origins at WHAT'S IN A NAME| website= thinkquest.org| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20060831050940/http://library.thinkquest.org/4626/rock.htm |archivedate=August 31, 2006 |publisher= | first= | last= | date= | access-date= }}</ref> Jonathan Cain and guitarist Neal Schon, members of the successful rock band [[Journey (band)|Journey]], formed Bad English with Waite after Journey disbanded.<ref>{{cite news| url= http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=LA&p_theme=la&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EF5B9CC38A9C208&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM |title= A Rousing Reception for Bad English| work=[[Daily News of Los Angeles]]| date= January 29, 1990| via= newsbank.com| access-date= }}</ref> They were joined by Ricky Phillips, who had played bass for [[the Babys]] on two albums with Waite and Cain, and drummer Deen Castronovo. === [[Bad English (album)|First album]] === The band's first album, ''[[Bad English (album)|Bad English]]'', was a big seller. It contained three top-40 hit singles: the number one hit "[[When I See You Smile]]", the top 10 hit "[[Price of Love (Bad English song)|Price of Love]]", and "Possession". The album's first single, however, was "Forget Me Not". It stalled outside the top 40 at number 45, but the single peaked at number 2 on the [[Mainstream Rock]] chart. The second single, "When I See You Smile", was their biggest hit, peaking at number 1 on the Hot 100. The song is also notable for being one of only two songs (the other being "Don't Walk Away") to be entirely written by an outside writer without help from at least one member of the band.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Giles |first=Jeff |date=June 26, 2015 |title=How Journey and The Babys Alumni Rose and Fell in Bad English |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/bad-english/ |access-date=March 16, 2021 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |publisher= |language=en}}</ref> "Best of What I Got" was released as a promotional single to [[Mainstream rock|Rock Radio]], where the tune cracked the top 10.<ref name="MR" /> From March to June 1990, the band toured across the US with [[Whitesnake]] in support of the album.<ref>{{Cite web |date=July 4, 2008 |title=Life Story of John Waite β Bad English| url= http://www.johnwaite.com/lifestory/badenglish.htm |archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080704075015/http://www.johnwaite.com/lifestory/badenglish.htm|archivedate= July 4, 2008 |access-date=March 16, 2021 |website= johnwaite.com| publisher= }}</ref> === [[Backlash (Bad English album)|Second album]] === The band's second album, ''[[Backlash (Bad English album)|Backlash]]'', came and went without any fanfare. The only single, "Straight to Your Heart", missed the top 40, peaking at number 42. Ricky Phillips writes on his website that the group had parted company before the second album had been mixed. Both Phillips and guitarist Neal Schon expressed frustration with the "[[Pop music|pop]]" side of the band's music and wanted a harder edge. In the end, it proved to be the band's undoing as everyone left to pursue other projects. === Breakup === In later interviews, Waite revealed that although he loved playing to stadium-sized audiences, he was uncomfortable with the [[corporate rock]] image that he felt the band had presented. He returned to working as a solo artist. Schon and Castronovo joined the fledgling rock band [[Hardline (band)|Hardline]] in 1991; however, both would leave the group not long after the release of its debut album, with Schon pursuing other projects and Castronovo joining [[Ozzy Osbourne]]'s band. In the mid-1990s, Schon rejoined Cain, who had released two solo albums in the interim, in a reformed Journey. Castronovo also joined Journey in 1998, eventually leaving in 2015. He later became a member of [[the Dead Daisies]] and [[Revolution Saints]] before returning to Journey in 2021. Meanwhile, Phillips returned to session work, recording with artists such as [[Coverdale/Page]], [[Bobby Kimball]] and [[Eddie Money]] before joining [[Styx (band)|Styx]] in the early 2000s. == In popular culture == "Best of What I Got", from the band's first album, is featured during the credits to the 1989 movie ''[[Tango & Cash]]'' starring [[Sylvester Stallone]] and [[Kurt Russell]].<ref>{{Citation |title=Tango & Cash (1989) β IMDb |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098439/soundtrack |access-date=March 16, 2021}}</ref> == Band members == * [[John Waite]] β lead vocals, rhythm guitar * [[Neal Schon]] β lead guitar, backing vocals * [[Jonathan Cain]] β keyboards, piano, rhythm guitar, backing vocals * [[Ricky Phillips]] β bass, backing vocals * [[Deen Castronovo]] β drums, percussion, backing vocals == Discography == === Studio albums === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Album details ! colspan="6"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"| [[Music recording sales certification|Certifications]]<br /><small>([[List of best selling music artists|sales threshold]])</small> |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="30"| [[Billboard 200|US]]<br /><ref>{{Cite magazine |title=Billboard 200 |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bad-english/chart-history/tlp/ |access-date=March 16, 2021 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[ARIA Charts|AUS]]<br /><ref>{{Cite web |title=australian-charts.com β Australian charts portal |url=http://www.australian-charts.com/search.asp?cat=a&search=Bad+English |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121011205338/http://www.australian-charts.com/search.asp?cat=a&search=Bad+English |archive-date=October 11, 2012 |access-date=January 23, 2010 |publisher=australian-charts.com}}</ref><ref name="aus2">{{cite web|url=https://www.bubblingdownunder.com/2022/10/week-commencing-14-october-1991.html| title=Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing October 14, 1991|website=Bubbling Down Under|access-date=October 14, 2022}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Canadian Albums Chart|CAN]]<br /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Results β RPM β Library and Archives Canada: Top Albums/CDs |url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=lq498cep6giiqq58vjqcsvvs20&q1=Bad+English&q2=Top+Albums%2FCDs&interval=20 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017235408/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=lq498cep6giiqq58vjqcsvvs20&q1=Bad+English&q2=Top+Albums%2FCDs&interval=20 |archive-date=October 17, 2012 |access-date=August 11, 2010 |publisher=[[RPM (magazine)|RPM]]}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Sverigetopplistan|SWE]]<br /><ref>{{Cite web |title=swedishcharts.com β Swedish charts portal |url=http://swedishcharts.com/search.asp?cat=a&search=bad+english |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121024114142/http://swedishcharts.com/search.asp?cat=a&search=bad+english |archive-date=October 24, 2012 |access-date=January 23, 2010 |publisher=swedishcharts.com}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[Swiss Music Charts|SWI]]<br /><ref>{{Cite web |title=hitparade.ch β Swiss charts portal |url=http://hitparade.ch/search.asp?search=bad+english&cat=a |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110203036/http://hitparade.ch/search.asp?search=bad+english&cat=a |archive-date=November 10, 2012 |access-date=January 23, 2010 |publisher=hitparde.ch}}</ref> ! width="30"| [[UK Albums Chart|UK]]<br /><ref name="occ">{{Cite web |title=Bad English β Full Official Chart History |url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/25808/bad-english/ |access-date=January 20, 2016 |website=Official Charts Company }}</ref> |- | 1989 | align="left"| ''[[Bad English (album)|Bad English]]'' * Release date: June 1989 * Label: [[Epic Records]] | 21 | 12 | 34 | 39 | β | 74 | align="left"| * [[Recording Industry Association of America|US]]: Platinum<ref name="RIAA">{{Cite web |title=Gold & Platinum |url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/ |access-date=March 16, 2021 |website=RIAA |language=en-US}}</ref> * [[Canadian Recording Industry Association|CAN]]: Gold<ref>{{Cite web |title=Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA): Gold & Platinum |url=http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=bad&ica=False&sa=english&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130721100602/http://www.musiccanada.com/GPSearchResult.aspx?st=bad&ica=False&sa=english&sl=&smt=0&sat=-1&ssb=Artist |archive-date=July 21, 2013 |access-date=July 21, 2013 |publisher=[[Music Canada]]}}</ref> |- | 1991 | align="left"| ''[[Backlash (Bad English album)|Backlash]]'' * Release date: August 1991 * Label: Epic Records | 72 | 159 | 34 | 21 | 30 | 64 | |- | colspan="10" style="font-size:8pt"| "β" denotes releases that did not chart |- |} === Compilation albums === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! Year ! Album details |- | 1995 | align="left"| ''Greatest Hits'' * Label: [[Epic Records]] |- |} === Singles === {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" |- ! rowspan="2"| Year ! rowspan="2"| Single ! colspan="6"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2"| [[Music recording sales certification|Certifications]]<br /><small>([[List of best selling music artists|sales threshold]])</small> ! rowspan="2"| Album |- style="font-size:smaller;" ! width="35"| [[Billboard Hot 100|US]]<br /><ref name="Hot 100" /> ! width="35"| [[Adult Contemporary (chart)|US AC]]<br /><ref name="AC">{{Cite magazine |title=Adult Contemporary |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bad-english/chart-history/asi/ |access-date=March 16, 2021 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> ! width="35"| [[Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks|US Main]]<br /><ref name="MR">{{Cite magazine |title=Mainstream Rock |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/bad-english/chart-history/rtt/ |access-date=March 16, 2021 |magazine=Billboard}}</ref> ! width="35"| [[ARIA Charts|AUS]]<br /><ref>{{Cite web |title=australian-charts.com β Australian charts portal |url=http://www.australian-charts.com/search.asp?search=Bad+English&cat=s |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121016081416/http://www.australian-charts.com/search.asp?search=Bad+English&cat=s |archive-date=October 16, 2012 |access-date=December 5, 2010 |publisher=australian-charts.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bubblingdownunder.com/2021/06/week-commencing-11-june-1990.html|title=Week commencing 11 June 1990|website=bubblingdownunder|date=June 11, 2021|access-date=June 11, 2021}}</ref><ref name="aus2" /> ! width="35"| [[UK Singles Chart|UK]]<br /><ref name="occ" /> ! width="35"| [[Mega Charts|NL]]<br /><ref>{{Cite web |title=dutchcharts.nl β Dutch charts portal |url=http://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Bad+English |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025054000/http://dutchcharts.nl/showinterpret.asp?interpret=Bad+English |archive-date=October 25, 2012 |access-date=February 24, 2011 |publisher=Hung Medien}}</ref> |- | rowspan="4"| 1989 | align="left"| "Forget Me Not" | 45 | β | 2 | β | β | β | | align="left" rowspan="7"| ''[[Bad English (album)|Bad English]]'' |- | align="left"| "[[When I See You Smile]]" | 1 | 11 | 10 | 4 | 61 | β | align="left"| * [[Recording Industry Association of America|US]]: Gold<ref name="RIAA" /> * [[ARIA Charts|AUS]]: Platinum<ref name="ausye">{{Cite web |title=1990 ARIA Singles Chart |url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/1990/singles-chart |access-date=August 13, 2020 |publisher=[[Australian Recording Industry Association|ARIA]]}}</ref> |- | align="left"| "[[Price of Love (Bad English song)|Price of Love]]" | 5 | 38 | 30 | 44 | 80 | β | |- | align="left"| "Best of What I Got" | β | β | 9 | β | β | β | |- | rowspan="3"| 1990 | align="left"| "Heaven Is a 4 Letter Word" | 66 | β | 12 | 124 | β | β | |- | align="left"| "Possession" | 21 | 42 | β | β | β | β | |- | align="left"| "Don't Walk Away" | β | β | β | β | 110 | β | |- | rowspan="2"| 1991 | align="left"| "Straight to Your Heart" | 42 | β | 9 | 116 | β | 41 | | align="left" rowspan="2"| ''[[Backlash (Bad English album)|Backlash]]'' |- | align="left"| "Time Stood Still" | β | β | β | β | β | 19 | |- | align="center" colspan="10" style="font-size:8pt"| "β" denotes releases that did not chart or not released to that country |- |} == References == {{reflist}} ==External links== *{{allmusic}} {{Bad English}} {{The Babys}} {{Journey}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:1987 establishments in California]] [[Category:1991 disestablishments in California]] [[Category:American heavy metal supergroups]] [[Category:American rock music supergroups]] [[Category:Arena rock musical groups]] [[Category:Epic Records artists]] [[Category:Glam metal musical groups from California]] [[Category:Hard rock musical groups from California]] [[Category:Heavy metal musical groups from California]] [[Category:Musical groups established in 1987]] [[Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1991]]
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