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Released in 1963

Bad To Me

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Last updated on November 8, 2021


Album This song officially appears on the Bad To Me 7" Single.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1963

From Wikipedia:

Bad to Me” is a song John Lennon wrote (credited to Lennon–McCartney) for Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas while on holiday in Spain. Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas released their recording of the song in 1963 and it became their first number 1 in the UK Singles Chart. Paul McCartney was present during the recording session at Abbey Road Studios. The single would be released in the US the following year, and become a top-ten hit there, reaching number 9. It became one of the first occasions a Lennon–McCartney composition made the US Top 40 recorded by an artist other than the Beatles (the first being “A World Without Love” by Peter & Gordon).

Bootlegs exist of Lennon’s original demo of the song, which was recorded on 31 May 1963. An acoustic demo from the same era was released on iTunes in December 2013 on the album The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963. […]

John and I were a song writing team and what song writing teams did in those days was write for everyone – unless you couldn’t come up with something or wanted to keep a song for yourself and it was a bit too good to give away. John and I would get together, ‘Oh we gotta write one for Billy J, OK’… and we just knocked them out. In our minds there was a very vague formula and we could do it quite easily.

Paul McCartney – From a late eighties interview – From “Northern Songs: The True Story of the Beatles Song Publishing Empire”, by Rupert Perry

Lyrics

If you ever leave me

I'll be sad and blue

Don't you ever leave me

I'm so in love with you


The birds in the sky

Would be sad and lonely

If they knew that I lost

My one and only

They'd be sad

If you're bad to me


The leaves on the trees

Would be softly sighing

If they heard from the breeze

That you left me crying

They'd be sad

Don't be bad to me


But I know you won't leave me

'Cause you told me so

And I've no intention

Of letting you go

Just as long as you let me know

You won't be bad to me


So the birds in the sky

Won't be sad and lonely

'Cause they know I've

Got my one and only

They'll be glad

You're not bad to me


But I know you won't leave me

'Cause you told me so

And I've no intention

Of letting you go

Just as long as you let me know

You won't be bad to me


So the birds in the sky

Won't be sad and lonely

'Cause they know that

I've got my one and only

They'll be glad

You're not bad to me


They'll be glad

You're not bad to me

To me, to me

Officially appears on

Bootlegs

Live performances

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.

Paul McCartney writing

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Notice any inaccuracies on this page? Have additional insights or ideas for new content? Or just want to share your thoughts? We value your feedback! Please use the form below to get in touch with us.

Mark Lloyd • 1 year ago

Has Paul McCartney ever played Bad to me live ? Where was this ? 🎸


The PaulMcCartney Project • 1 year ago

Not that I am aware of, Mark.


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