Bad Time

Album: Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs (2023)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • "Bad Time" explodes with raw emotion as frontman Matt Skiba belts out his love for a past flame amid life-threatening chaos.

    Thought you called me up that one time
    Thought that I heard gunfire
    I stepped outside
    Left a message saying "hi"
    I answered from a firefight
    Told you it's a bad time, but I can talk


    This isn't just fiction – it's straight from Skiba's wild life. "Bad Time" was sparked by a real-deal experience on tour in El Paso, Texas. The singer's friend and crush called him right in the middle of an active shooter situation that was unfolding just across from where the band were staying. "We could hear gunshots and sirens as the situation escalated," he recalled. "My friend asked if it was a bad time to talk, and I said no - I really wanted to speak with her. It was actually a terrible and terrifying time, but it was never a bad time to hear her voice."
  • No, I really wanna talk to you
    I'm being stalked
    By Latin royalty and me and Bobby just ate shrooms
    It's a bad time


    The lyric goes back to a time in Chicago when Skipa and his roommate Bobby were caught in the crossfire of a drive-by shooting. Mushroom-fueled and soaring high, they narrowly dodged death. "We lived in a neighborhood run by Latin Kings at the time of the shooting," said Skipa, "so I reference those facts as well as how nice it would have been to hear from the same girl back then."
  • "Bad Time" is the second single from Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs, the band's final album with drummer Derek Grant before being replaced by Atom Willard. Alkaline Trio's drummer since 2001, Grant stepped down from the band for the sake of his mental health.
  • Alkaline Trio began writing new material for Blood, Hair, and Eyeballs in early 2022. Recording officially began in 2023 at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 with producer Cameron Webb (Silverstein, Motorhead). Webb also produced the band's previous album, 2018's Is This Thing Cursed?
  • Ravi Dhar (Awolnation, Lianne La Havas) directed the dreamy video: "We spent the short time we had to put this together, brainstorming and sending links, photos, and film references," said Skiba of the director. "It's not every day I meet someone who loves Dario Argento or Stanley Kubrick."

    Dhar also directed the zombie-infested visual for the title track of Blood, Hair and Eyeballs.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Who Did It First?

Who Did It First?Music Quiz

Do you know who recorded the original versions of these ten hit songs?

Danny Kortchmar

Danny KortchmarSongwriter Interviews

Danny played guitar on Sweet Baby James, Tapestry, and Running On Empty. He also co-wrote many hit songs, including "Dirty Laundry," "Sunset Grill" and "Tender Is The Night."

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up Musicians

Into The Great Wide Open: Made-up MusiciansSong Writing

Eddie (played by Johnny Depp in the video) found fame fleeting, but Chuck Berry's made-up musician fared better.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Gary Louris of The Jayhawks

Gary Louris of The JayhawksSongwriter Interviews

The Jayhawks' song "Big Star" has special meaning to Gary, who explains how longevity and inspiration have trumped adulation.