Album This song officially appears on the Beatles VI (Mono) Official album.
Timeline This song was officially released in 1965
This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:
May 10, 1965
The "Get Back / Let It Be" sessions • Day 15
Jan 24, 1969
January 1967 • From The Beatles Monthly Book
Officially appears on Run Devil Run
Officially appears on Help! (Mono)
Officially appears on Long Tall Sally
Unreleased song
Unreleased song
From Wikipedia:
“Bad Boy” is a song written and recorded by American R&B musician Larry Williams. Specialty Records released it as a single in 1958, but it failed to reach the U.S. Billboard charts. However, music journalist Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls it one of Williams’s “genuine rock & roll classics” and notes its popularity among 1960s British Invasion groups, such as the Beatles.
Original song
Williams was among the early rhythm and blues artists to adapt his style to the new rock and roll sound. The lyrics reflect a teenage sensibility: “He’s a guy who causes trouble in the classroom, puts chewing gum in little girls’ hair, and doesn’t want to go to school to learn to read and write”, according to critic Richie Unterberger. Musically, he calls it:
rather conventional if energetic early rock’n’roll, sounding like a more pop-oriented Little Richard, as Williams was wont to do. He made it more effective than a common generic early rock’n’roll tune, however, with some start-stop tempos, devious blues-rock guitar, spoken comic “he’s a … bad boy” interjections after lines in the verse, and exaggerated whoops and, most memorably, falsetto commands “Now Junior, behave yourself!”.
Music writer Gene Sculatti compares it to Williams’s earlier song “Dizzy, Miss Lizzy“, but with backup vocals more like the Coasters “Charlie Brown” and the Everly Brothers “Bird Dog”, both Billboard chart hits. […]
“Bad Boy” is one of several Larry Williams songs The Beatles recorded during their career.
According to Mark Lewisohn in “The Complete Beatles Chronicle“, The Beatles performed “Bad Boy” regularly between 1960 and 1962, with John Lennon on lead vocals. However, no known recordings from that period exist.
On May 10, 1965, which happened to be Larry Williams’ birthday, The Beatles recorded “Bad Boy“, intending it solely for North American release. “Bad Boy” debuted on the U.S. album “Beatles VI” in June 1965. It wasn’t until December 1966 that “Bad Boy” was issued in the UK, on the compilation “A Collection of Beatles Oldies.” It later gained worldwide availability through the 1988 release “Past Masters, Volume One” and its 2009 reissue, “Past Masters,” which combined both volumes.
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.)
A bad little kid
Moved into my neighborhood
He won't do nothing right
Just a sitting got to look so good
He don't wanna go to school
And learn to read and write
Just sits around the house and plays
That rock and roll music all night
Well he put thumb tacks on teacher's chair
Put chewing gum in little girl's hair
Now Junior, behave yourself!
Buys every rock and roll book
On the magazine stand
Every dime that he gets
Oh he's off to the jukebox man
Well he worries his teacher
Till at night she's already to poop
From rocking and a rolling
Spinning in a hula-hoop
Well his rock and roll has gotta stop
Junior's head is hard as rock
Now Junior, behave yourself, ow!
Gonna tell ya mamma
You'd better do what she said
Get to the barber shop
And get that hair cut off your head
You shoot the canary
and you fed it to the neighbor's cat
You have the cocker spaniel
A bath in mother's Laundromat
Well ya mamma said it's gotta stop
Junior's head is hard as a rock
Now Junior, behave yourself! Woo
Official album • Released in 1965
2:17 • Studio version • A • Mono
Paul McCartney : Bass, Hohner pianet electric piano Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording & mixing : May 10, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 1965
2:17 • Studio version • B • Stereo
Paul McCartney : Bass, Hohner pianet electric piano Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording & mixing : May 10, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
A Collection of Beatles Oldies (Mono)
LP • Released in 1966
2:18 • Studio version • A • Mono
Paul McCartney : Bass, Hohner pianet electric piano Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording & mixing : May 10, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
A Collection of Beatles Oldies (Stereo)
LP • Released in 1966
2:18 • Studio version • B • Stereo
Paul McCartney : Bass, Hohner pianet electric piano Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording & mixing : May 10, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 1988
2:21 • Studio version • B
Paul McCartney : Bass, Hohner pianet electric piano Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer
SessionRecording & mixing : May 10, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 2006
2:17 • Studio version • B2006 • Stereo • 2006 remaster
Paul McCartney : Bass, Hohner pianet electric piano Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer Ted Jensen : Remastering
SessionRecording & mixing : May 10, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Official album • Released in 2006
2:17 • Studio version • A2006 • Mono • 2006 remaster
Paul McCartney : Bass, Hohner pianet electric piano Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer Ted Jensen : Remastering
SessionRecording & mixing : May 10, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Mono Masters (Mono - 2009 remaster)
Official album • Released in 2009
2:17 • Studio version • A2009 • Mono • 2009 remaster
Paul McCartney : Bass, Hohner pianet electric piano Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer Paul Hicks : Remastering Guy Massey : Remastering Steve Rooke : Remastering Sean Magee : Remastering Allan Rouse : Project co-ordinator
SessionRecording & mixing : May 10, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
Past Masters (Stereo - 2009 remaster)
Official album • Released in 2009
2:21 • Studio version • B2009 • Stereo • 2009 remaster
Paul McCartney : Bass, Hohner pianet electric piano Ringo Starr : Drums, Tambourine John Lennon : Rhythm guitar, Vocals George Harrison : Lead guitar George Martin : Producer Norman Smith : Recording engineer Paul Hicks : Remastering Guy Massey : Remastering Steve Rooke : Remastering Sean Magee : Remastering Allan Rouse : Project co-ordinator
SessionRecording & mixing : May 10, 1965 • Studio : EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road
A/B Road Complete Get Back Sessions - Jan 24th, 1969 - 3 & 4
Bootleg • Released in 2004
4:27 • Rehearsal • Jan.24 - D4-14 - Bad Boy 24.98
SessionRecording : Jan 24, 1969 • Studio : Apple Studios, 3 Savile Row, London
Help! - Studio Sessions - Back To Basics
Bootleg • Released in 2011
2:22 • Alternate take • Rs From Take 4 Rock N Roll Music Stereo
"Bad Boy" was covered during The Beatles' "Get Back" sessions in January 1969. Here is the complete list of covers recorded by Paul McCartney, either alone or with other Beatles, during these sessions:
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