1974 Classic Rock Hit With Iconic Guitar Riff Became Band's Biggest Hit, Despite Never Reaching No. 1
Not every rock band is lucky enough to have their debut single be a massive success. Even some of the most iconic groups in history spent years paying their dues before scoring a hit tune...but in the case of Bad Company, the band's first single ever released wasn't just popular, it ended up becoming their biggest hit of all time.
Then again, Bad Company's instant success might have had something to do with the fact that the band was a supergroup, made up of former Free members Paul Rodgers and Simon Kirke, Mott the Hoople's Mick Ralphs and King Crimson's Boz Burrell.
Clearly, these guys already knew how to rock when they released their self-titled debut album in 1974 - and the record's first single, "Can't Get Enough," was proof.
Written by Ralphs, "Can't Get Enough" shot to #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it came out, and in the years since, it's only grown in popularity (as anyone who's ever listened to classic rock radio knows).
Malcolm Dome of Classic Rock called "Can't Get Enough" one of "the most recognized songs not just of Bad Company's career, but of the era it came from."
"As soon as the opening guitar chord is struck you know exactly what's in store," Dome wrote. "No wonder it was the band's biggest hit single, because it combines a shuffling riff with a classy melody, all done with a big production that still sounds intimate."
As the late Ralphs explained in an interview with Vintage Guitar magazine, that trademark riff originally sounded a bit different.
"When we did 'Can't Get Enough' and 'Movin' On,' Paul liked the songs, but he wanted me to change the key," Ralphs said. "So we ended up doing them in the key of C. I used a Strat or a Tele and I had to put really light strings on it and tune it up to the key of C – C, C, G, C, E, C."
"That's quite high, but it gives a very unique sound," he continued. "It never really sounds right in standard tuning. It needs the open C to have that ring, but it makes the tension on the strings feel really tight. I play the solo in the end in the open tuning, but Paul's guitar is tuned in standard tuning. It's really hard for me to bend when I get to the end of that solo, but I've gotten used to it. I just have to remember not to hit the guitar too hard or I might break the strings if I'm not careful."
Together, Rodgers and Ralphs made musical magic happen. "Can't Get Enough" might have been Bad Company's biggest hit, but it certainly wasn't their last.
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This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 7:53 PM.