Bad Boy

Song facts

From Wikipedia:

“Bad Boy” is a song composed and recorded by Larry Williams. The song was recorded at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California on August 14, 1958. The musicians on the recording included Williams on vocals and piano, Earl Palmer on drums, René Hall on guitar, Jewell Grant on baritone sax, Plas Johnson on tenor sax, and Ted Brinson on bass. The record did not break the Top 40 charts in the United States.

“She Said Yeah” was originally the B-side of the Larry Williams single, and has been covered by the Rolling Stones and the Animals, amongst others. The Beatles loved the song and almost certainly performed it on stage and fully intended to record it. Paul McCartney in the liner notes to his album Run Devil Run said “Me and John [Lennon] particularly loved Larry Williams…Bony Moronie…John did Slow Down…I was always going to do She Said Yeah“. Roy Young (who was invited to join The Beatles) recorded a cover version in 1959. Paul McCartney finally recorded it in 1999.

The song, recorded between 1957 and 1958, also appears on the 1992 compilation of the same name.

Covers

The Beatles

“Bad Boy” is one of several Larry Williams songs which the Beatles covered during their career. Along with “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy“, “Bad Boy” was recorded by the band on May 10, 1965 (Larry Williams’ birthday), and was originally intended for a solely American release; however, “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy” featured on the British Help! album that year. “Bad Boy” was first released on Beatles VI in June 1965. It eventually got a UK release on A Collection of Beatles Oldies in December 1966. It is also available on the 1988 release, Past Masters, Volume One. […]

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:

• [a] mono 10 May 1965.
  US: Capitol T 2358 Beatles VI 1965.
  UK: Parlophone PMC 7016 Collection of Oldies 1966.
• [b] stereo 10 May 1965.
  US: Capitol ST 2358 Beatles VI 1965.
  UK: Parlophone PCS 7016 Collection of Oldies 1966, Parlophone PSLP 261 and PCM 1001 Rarities 1978-79.
  CD: EMI CDP 7 90043 2 Past Masters 1 1988.

[a] has bass and drums mixed louder.(Curious fact: this song was available in the US for about a year and a half before the rest of the world including the UK. It’s not the only song released first in the US, as some others from the Help! and Revolver albums in progress were sent out to fill in Capitol’s albums, but this is the only case where the song wasn’t actually used for the UK album.)

Last updated on May 25, 2016

Lyrics