Big Bad John

The song is about a mysterious and quiet miner who earns the nickname Big John because of his height, weight, and muscular physique – "He stood six foot six and weighed 245".

He apparently hails from New Orleans, where, with "a crashin' blow from a huge right hand", he allegedly killed a man in a fight over a Cajun Queen.

Queenie revives Big John by kissing is "cold blue lips, he started breathing," seemingly raising him from the dead.

In June 1962, the story concludes with the arrival of "Little Bitty Big John", the flip side to "Steel Men" on Columbia 4-42483, learning about his father's act of heroism.

This contradicts the previous sequel, "The Cajun Queen", since Big John's son has never met his father and the ending suggests he died in the mine and was never rescued or revived.

Nikki Sixx, of Mötley Crüe, has stated that "Big Bad John" was one of the songs he heard growing up that influenced him the most, along with "Helter Skelter" by the Beatles.

"Strongman John"), as part of the 1982 Israeli television show "Red River Valley" dedicated to Manor's translations of famous country songs.

Dean wrote the beginnings of "Big Bad John" on a flight from New York to Nashville because he realized he needed a fourth song for his recording session.

(However, a verse earlier in the song, "Through the smoke and the dust of this man-made hell..." remains intact in both versions, with no apparent controversy.)

[13] Cleveland DJ Phil McLean, had a minor hit about a cowardly character, "Small Sad Sam", which was released in December 1961.

Country Yossi, an Orthodox Jewish composer and singer, spoofed it as "Big Bad Moish" on one of his children's albums.

It was done as a one-time novelty act by TV show host Réal Giguère but it caught the public's attention and was afterwards recorded by popular demand, selling over 300,000 copies.

[18] The song was used in a television advertisement for British supermarket chain Sainsbury's for their car insurance featuring a character named "Little Bill".