- Album This song officially appears on the Let It Be (Limited Edition) LP.
Related sessions
This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions
Get Back sessions - January 24, 1969 - Day 13
Jan 24, 1969
Mixing the Get Back album (2nd & 3rd compilations)
March - May 1969
Mar 26, 1970
2021 ?
Related articles
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Song facts
From Wikipedia:
“Maggie May” (or “Maggie Mae“) is a traditional Liverpool folk song about a prostitute who robbed a “homeward bounder“: a sailor coming home from a round trip.
John Manifold, in his Penguin Australian Song Book, described it as “A foc’sle song of Liverpool origin apparently, but immensely popular among seamen all over the world“. It became widely circulated in a skiffle version from the late 1950s.
In 1964, the composer and lyricist Lionel Bart (the creator of the musical Oliver!), used the song and its backstory as the basis of a musical set around the Liverpool Docks. The show, also called Maggie May, ran for two years in London. In 1970 a truncated version of the song performed by the Beatles was included on their album Let It Be.
Lyrics
As with most folk songs, the lyrics exist in many variant forms. The song specifies several real streets in Liverpool, notably Lime Street in the centre of the city. […]
In the most established version, it is sung in the first person by a sailor who has come home to Liverpool from Sierra Leone. He is paid off for the trip. With his wages in his pocket, he sees Maggie “cruising up and down old Canning Place“. She had “a figure so divine” (either “like a frigate of the line” or with “a voice so refined“). He picks her up and she takes him home to her lodgings. When he awakes the following morning, she has taken all his money and even his clothes, insisting that they are in “Kelly’s locker“, a pawn shop. When he fails to find his clothes in the pawn shop, he contacts the police. She is found guilty of theft and sentenced to transportation to Botany Bay.
While the most famous version of the chorus contains the line, “she’ll never walk down Lime Street any more“, Stan Hugill in his Shanties from the Seven Seas writes that in different versions several streets are named, referring to different historical red light areas of Liverpool, including Paradise Street, Peter Street and Park Lane. […]
The Beatles’ version
A brief extract was performed by the Beatles in a joking manner during their Get Back sessions, in early 1969, at a point in the proceedings when they were warming up in the studio by playing old rock and roll and skiffle songs that they had known and played in their teenage years. They adopt heavy scouse accents for the performance. Though the performance was obviously tongue-in-cheek a truncated version of it was included on the 1970 album drawn from those sessions, Let It Be, appearing as the last track on the LP’s first side, immediately after the title song.
The version they performed was spelled “Maggie Mae” on the track listing and all four Beatles were credited as arrangers of the traditional song, thus allowing them to collect the writers’ share of the publishing income for this public domain song. At 39 seconds long, it is the second-shortest song released on an official Beatles album (the shortest being “Her Majesty“, at 23 seconds).
This song and “Dig It” appear on the Let It Be album, but are not included on the Let It Be… Naked album. Let It Be… Naked did include “Maggie Mae” on the bonus disc, “Fly on the Wall” at 17 minutes and 30 seconds. This extends beyond the 39 seconds included on the original Let it Be and segues at 54 seconds into “I Fancy Me Chances” as McCartney sings “Take it Maggie…oh, I fancy me chances with you“.
The song had been a staple of the repertoire of the Quarrymen, the skiffle group formed by Lennon that evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Lennon was still making home recordings of the song shortly before his death in 1980. These instances demonstrate an important personal connection to the song for Lennon and may have contributed to the snippet being included on the album Let It Be. […]
From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:
[a] stereo 26 Mar 1970.
UK: Apple PXS 1 and PCS 7096 Let It Be 1970.
US: Apple AR 34001 Let It Be 1970.
CD: EMI CDP 7 46447 2 Let It Be 1987.
In 2017, Paul McCartney played the role of Uncle Jack in the film “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales“ and sang “Maggie Mae” from his prison cell.
Last updated on October 12, 2021
Lyrics
Oh dirty Maggie Mae they have taken her away
And she never walk down Lime Street any more
Oh the judge he guilty found her for robbing a homeward bounder
That dirty no good robbing Maggie Mae
This is a part of Liverpool, they returned me to
Two pounds ten a week, that was my pay
Officially appears on
LP • Released in 1970
0:40 • Studio version • A • Stereo
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- George Harrison :
- Lead guitar
- Phil Spector :
- Producer
- Peter Bown :
- Engineer
- Glyn Johns :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Jan 24, 1969
- Studio :
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
- Session Mixing:
- Mar 26, 1970
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Room 4, Abbey Road
LP • Released in 1970
0:40 • Studio version • A • Stereo
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- George Harrison :
- Lead guitar
- Phil Spector :
- Producer
- Peter Bown :
- Engineer
- Glyn Johns :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Jan 24, 1969
- Studio :
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
- Session Mixing:
- Mar 26, 1970
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Room 4, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 2003
0:22 • Studio version • B • From the "Fly On The Wall" bonus disc
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- George Harrison :
- Lead guitar
- Glyn Johns :
- Recording engineer
Let It Be (Stereo - 2009 remaster)
Official album • Released in 2009
0:40 • Studio version • A2009 • Stereo • 2009 remaster
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- George Harrison :
- Lead guitar
- Phil Spector :
- Producer
- Peter Bown :
- Engineer
- Glyn Johns :
- Recording engineer
- Guy Massey :
- Remastering
- Steve Rooke :
- Remastering
- Sam Okell :
- Remastering
- Allan Rouse :
- Project co-ordinator
- Session Recording:
- Jan 24, 1969
- Studio :
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
- Session Mixing:
- Mar 26, 1970
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Room 4, Abbey Road
Let It Be (50th anniversary boxset)
Official album • Released in 2021
0:40 • Studio version • C • Stereo • 2021 mix
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- George Harrison :
- Lead guitar
- Phil Spector :
- Producer
- Peter Bown :
- Engineer
- Glyn Johns :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Jan 24, 1969
- Studio :
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
- Session Mixing:
- Mar 26, 1970
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Room 4, Abbey Road
Let It Be (50th anniversary boxset)
Official album • Released in 2021
0:20 • Studio version • Medley with "Fancy My Chances With You". Recorded on January 24, 1969 nine minutes before Take 4 of “Two of Us”. The actual length of this version of “Maggie Mae” was 55 seconds, of which only 20 are used in this new mix in the same way that it is edited on the disk ‘Fly on the Wall’ (17:27-17:47) from ‘Let it Be… Naked’.
- Session Recording:
- Jan 24, 1969
- Studio :
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Let It Be (50th anniversary boxset)
Official album • Released in 2021
0:37 • Studio version • January 24, 1969 (EMI Tape E90491-8T and NAGRA Roll 444-445), recorded immediately after Take 4 of “Two Of Us” (see CD 2). The 1969 and 1970 mixes are the same.
- Session Recording:
- Jan 24, 1969
- Studio :
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Let It Be (50th anniversary boxset - SHM - Japanese edition)
Official album • Released in 2021
0:40 • Studio version • C • Stereo • 2021 mix
- Paul McCartney :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- Ringo Starr :
- Drums
- John Lennon :
- Acoustic guitar, Vocals
- George Harrison :
- Lead guitar
- Phil Spector :
- Producer
- Peter Bown :
- Engineer
- Glyn Johns :
- Recording engineer
- Session Recording:
- Jan 24, 1969
- Studio :
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
- Session Mixing:
- Mar 26, 1970
- Studio :
- EMI Studios, Room 4, Abbey Road
Let It Be (50th anniversary boxset - SHM - Japanese edition)
Official album • Released in 2021
0:20 • Studio version • Medley with "Fancy My Chances With You". Recorded on January 24, 1969 nine minutes before Take 4 of “Two of Us”. The actual length of this version of “Maggie Mae” was 55 seconds, of which only 20 are used in this new mix in the same way that it is edited on the disk ‘Fly on the Wall’ (17:27-17:47) from ‘Let it Be… Naked’.
- Session Recording:
- Jan 24, 1969
- Studio :
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Let It Be (50th anniversary boxset - SHM - Japanese edition)
Official album • Released in 2021
0:37 • Studio version • January 24, 1969 (EMI Tape E90491-8T and NAGRA Roll 444-445), recorded immediately after Take 4 of “Two Of Us” (see CD 2). The 1969 and 1970 mixes are the same.
- Session Recording:
- Jan 24, 1969
- Studio :
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Bootlegs
Unofficial album • Released in 1969
4:11 • Studio version • From Glyn Johns' 2nd "Get Back" compilation
- Session Recording:
- Jan 24, 1969
- Studio :
- Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
- Session Mixing:
- March - May 1969
- Studio :
- Olympic Sound Studios, London
- Session Mixing:
- May 09, 1969
- Studio :
- Olympic Sound Studios, London
Unofficial live
5:08 • Live
Concert From the concert in Liverpool, United Kingdom on Jun 01, 2003
Unofficial live • Released in 2003
5:08 • Live
Concert From the concert in Liverpool, United Kingdom on Jun 01, 2003
Live performances
“Maggie Mae” has been played in 3 concerts.
Latest concerts where Maggie Mae has been played
Liverpool • King's Dock • United Kingdom
Jun 01, 2003 • Part of Back in the World tour
Brighton • New Conference Centre • United Kingdom
Dec 02, 1979 • Part of Wings 1979 UK Tour
Manchester • The Apollo • United Kingdom
Nov 28, 1979 • Part of Wings 1979 UK Tour
Going further
Paul McCartney: Music Is Ideas. The Stories Behind the Songs (Vol. 1) 1970-1989
With 25 albums of pop music, 5 of classical – a total of around 500 songs – released over the course of more than half a century, Paul McCartney's career, on his own and with Wings, boasts an incredible catalogue that's always striving to free itself from the shadow of The Beatles. The stories behind the songs, demos and studio recordings, unreleased tracks, recording dates, musicians, live performances and tours, covers, events: Music Is Ideas Volume 1 traces McCartney's post-Beatles output from 1970 to 1989 in the form of 346 song sheets, filled with details of the recordings and stories behind the sessions. Accompanied by photos, and drawing on interviews and contemporary reviews, this reference book draws the portrait of a musical craftsman who has elevated popular song to an art-form.
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