A Quick Badfinger Note

I can’t live
If living is without you
I can’t live
I can’t give anymore
I can’t live
If living is without you
I can’t live
I can’t give anymore


Almost anytime somebody from my generation—I was born in 1960—or from around my generation gets all sad the topic of Badfinger usually comes up. But it occurred to me that the youngs probably never heard of Badfinger so I am going to do a quick summary.

Badfinger was a music group from the Sixties.

In the early Sixties some young British musicians including guitar player Pete Ham formed a group called “The Iveys.”

The Iveys played around Britain and did okay. Soon another guitar player, Tom Evans, joined the group. Ham and Evans became friends and the group continued to tour around Britain and continued to do well.

In fact Ham and Evans did remarkably well. The group was almost always considered the “next big thing” and even already famous musicians enjoyed their music. Ray Davies of The Kinks briefly took them under his wing and produced some of their songs.

Then the Beatles took Ham and Evans under their wing.

Paul McCartney gave them his song “Come And Get It.” He produced it for them and guided their arrangements of their own songs.

While working with the Beatles Ham and Evans became Badfinger. Their hits “Baby Blue” and “Without You” were recorded as Badfinger.

Like almost every other band of that era Ham and Evans experienced all sorts of trials and tribulations with their managers and bankers. But Badfinger was loved by fans, respected by other musicians and their songs were covered by performers in almost every genre.

They were at the top of the global music scene and the future seemed to be theirs.

But for Ham and Evans, apparently, the sad lyrics to their songs were written from the heart.

In 1975 Pete Ham hanged himself in his garage.

Tom Evans continued with music, continued with money troubles.

In 1983 Tom Evans hanged himself in his garden.

That’s the Badfinger saga. They started with nothing. They conquered the music world and inspired the very best. They wrote and performed some great songs. They had it all. And they killed themselves.

Badfinger.


So when someone from my generation gets all sad and someone asks how they’re doing and the sad person says, “It’s awful, but, you know, don’t worry, I’m not going to go all Badfinger” people smile because it means things are sad but nobody is going to commit suicide.


Badfinger. They wrote some great songs. They were sad songs. And the sad songs were, apparently, truly from the heart.


I can’t forget this evening
Your face when you were leaving
But I guess that’s just the way the story goes
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows
Yes it shows

Well I can’t forget tomorrow
When I think of all my sorrow
I had you there but then I let you go
And now it’s only fair that I should let you know
What you should know

I can’t live, if living is without you
I can’t live, I can’t give anymore
I can’t live, if living is without you
I can’t live, I can’t give anymore

Well I can’t forget this evening
And your face when you were leaving
But I guess that’s just the way the story goes
You always smile but in your eyes your sorrow shows
Yes it shows

I can’t live, if living is without you
I can’t live, I can’t give anymore
I can’t live, if living is without you
I can’t live, I can’t give anymore