Beat 'Em Up

Album: Club Ninja (1985)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This pugnacious-sounding rocker isn't really about beating up your enemies. "That was a pushback against the establishment, but it was more beat' em up with volume than with fists," the song's writer, Bob Halligan, Jr., explained to Songfacts.

    Those fists in the air are for rockin' out to the music, not for punching.
  • "Beat 'Em Up" is part of Blue Öyster Cult's 10th album, Club Ninja, their first without founding member Allen Lanier. The band's popularity was diminishing, and a few years later their longtime label, Columbia, dropped them. They soldiered on into the '90s on smaller labels, led by their stalwarts Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom. Lead vocals on this song are by Bloom.
  • BÖC wrote most of their music in house but this one came from an outside writer, Bob Halligan, Jr. He had a band called Pictures that flamed out, but he had a publishing deal and landed two songs with Judas Priest: "(Take These) Chains" and "Some Heads Are Gonna Roll." He didn't set out to be a hard rock writer but he certainly had a talent for it. After writing songs for the likes of Helix and Kix, he moved into more mellow material in the '90s, writing for Michael Bolton and Cher. Halligan formed his own band, the Celtic-influenced Ceili Rain, in 1995.
  • With the fists-in-the-air imagery, "Beat 'Em Up" worked well as a live song. It was part of the setlist on Blue Öyster Cult's 1985 tour.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

The Police

The PoliceFact or Fiction

Do their first three albums have French titles? Is "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" really meaningless? See if you can tell in this Fact or Fiction.

Glen Burtnik

Glen BurtnikSongwriter Interviews

On Glen's résumé: hit songwriter, Facebook dominator, and member of Styx.

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Creedence Clearwater RevivalFact or Fiction

Is "Have You Ever Seen the Rain" about Vietnam? Was John Fogerty really born on a Bayou? It's the CCR edition of Fact or Fiction.

Rock Stars of Horror

Rock Stars of HorrorMusic Quiz

Rock Stars - especially those in the metal realm - are often enlisted for horror movies. See if you know can match the rocker to the role.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers

JJ Burnel of The StranglersSongwriter Interviews

JJ talks about The Stranglers' signature sound - keyboard and bass - which isn't your typical strain of punk rock.