"Big Bad Handsome Man" is a song by Irish rockabilly singer Imelda May. Written solely by May, the song was released as her second single on April 13, 2009 and final single from her second studio album, Love Tattoo.

"Big Bad Handsome Man"
Single by Imelda May
from the album Love Tattoo
ReleasedApril 13, 2009
Recorded2008 at Embassy Studios in Basingstoke, United Kingdom
GenreRockabilly, jazz
Length2:45
LabelAmbassador Records (Universal Music Ireland)
Songwriter(s)Imelda May
Producer(s)Imelda May
Imelda May singles chronology
"Johnny Got a Boom Boom"
(2009)
"Big Bad Handsome Man"
(2009)
"Psycho"
(2010)

Origin and recording

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The song is known to have been written by May during her professional career. The song was recorded during the Love Tattoo sessions at Embassy Studios, a sixteen track analogue recording studio in a converted cow shed, near Basingstoke, United Kingdom.

Release and promotion

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Though no promotional music video for "Big Bad Handsome Man" was recorded, the song still remained popular among critics and fans, though not to the extent of its predecessor, "Johnny Got a Boom Boom".

The song was performed at various television appearances by May in promotion for Love Tattoo, including Later... with Jools Holland, on which she gained recognition in the United Kingdom and The Late Late Show.[1][2]

The song was featured in a trailer for the HBO television series True Blood in 2009,[3] and further promoted May in the United States, where she later toured with British musician Jamie Cullum.

Musicians and personnel

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The Imelda May Band
Technical personnel
  • Imelda May - producer, engineer, mixing
  • Guy Davie - mastering

Track listing

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All songs written by Imelda May.

Digital download[4]
  1. "Big Bad Handsome Man" (radio edit) - 2:22

References

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  1. ^ "RTÉ Television - The Late Late Show - 29 May 2009". RTÉ.ie. May 29, 2009. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  2. ^ "Most handsome chunk 1997".
  3. ^ May, Imelda. "We went touring in America for about five weeks on the tour bus and went back for another couple of weeks and HBO have taken up 'Big Bad Handsome Man.' On a lot of ads for True Blood, they're using 'Big Bad Handsome Man.'" Interview during The Late Late Show, broadcast on September 10, 2010 on RTÉ One.
  4. ^ "Big Bad Handsome Man - Single by Imelda May - Download Big Bad Handsome Man - Single on iTunes". iTunes. Archived from the original on November 10, 2012. Retrieved December 25, 2010.