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Song facts
“Bip Bop” is the second track from Wings’ debut album, “Wild Life“, released in 1971. It was the first song of the album to be recorded (July 24th), one of the last ones to be mixed (October 17th) ; and strange thing, has been recorded in mono.
Aside the version recorded with the full band, there is also one acoustic & instrumental version that has become “Bip Bop Link” placed towards the end of the album.
If “Wild Life” has often been considered as a low-point in Paul McCartney’s career, “Bip Bop” is likely to be the low point of the album; to such extent that Paul doesn’t keep the song high in his own esteem.
[…] The weakest song I have ever written in my life […]
Paul McCartney
[…] It just goes nowhere. I still cringe every time I hear it. […]
Paul McCartney
[…] It’s the one our baby likes. […]
Paul McCartney
When you allow yourself to be playful, the morning after or the month after or the year after, you can just think, Oh, maybe that was a bit too playful.
Paul McCartney
I remember saying to Trevor Horn that I really hated the songs from that period. And he asked which ones. “There’s a terrible little thing on Wild Life called Bip Bop”, I said, “It’s just nothing”. And he said “You’re kidding, man, that’s one of my favourites!”. My son’s been playing it recently and I think it’s a cracking little track. I’d gone with the current opinion at the time, that it wasn’t much good.
Paul McCartney, Record Collector, June 1997
Paul McCartney in "Conversations With McCartney", by Paul Du Noyer:
That’s my theory, that in years to come, people may actually look at all my work rather than the context of it following the Beatles. That’s the danger, as it came from Here, There And Everywhere, Yesterday, The Fool On The Hill, to Bip Bop, which is such an inconsequential little song. I must say, I’ve always hated that song.
From paulmccartney.com, October 29, 2018:
PM.com: You mentioned while you were remastering the track that you were perhaps a little embarrassed by the lyrics?
Paul: Well, definitely ‘Bip Bop’, I was, yeah. I mean, you know, we didn’t get good reviews for this because I think people were expecting something more sort of Beatle-like and I was purposefully digging my heels in saying, ‘We’re not gonna do that’. Just like an imitation of The Beatles. I didn’t feel like that was a good way to go.
Last updated on November 26, 2018
Lyrics
Bip bop, bip bop, bop,
Bip bop, bip bop, bam.
Bip bop, bip bop, bop,
Bip bop, bip bop, bam.
Take your bottom dollar, hold it in your hand,
(And you go) Bip bop, bip bop, bop.
Try to hide your handbag, underneath the stand,
(And you go) Bip bop, bip bop, bop.
Bip bop, bip bop, bam,
Try to hide your handbag, underneath the stand,
Wip wop, wim and wop,
Wip wop, wim and wam.
Wip wop, wim and wop,
Wip wop, wim and wam.
Bip bop, bip bop, bop
Bip bop, bip bop, bam.
Wip wop, wim and wop,
Wip wop, wim and wam,
Wip wop, wim and wop,
Wip wop, wim and wam.
Try to hide your handbag underneath the stand,
(And you go) wip wop, wam and wop,
Wip wop, wim and wam.
Put your hair in curlers, we're goin' to see a band
Wip wop, wim and wop,
Wip wop, wim and wam.
Treat me like a good boy, treat me like a man.
Take me hair in curlers, treat me like a man.
Officially appears on
Official album • Released in 1971
4:10 • Studio version • A • Mono
- Paul McCartney:
- Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney:
- Tambourine (?), Vocals
- Denny Laine:
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell:
- Drums, Tambourine (?)
- Tony Clark:
- Engineer
- Alan Parsons:
- Engineer
- Session Recording:
- Jul 24, 1971
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 17, 1971
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 1993
4:10 • Studio version • R1993 • 1993 remastering
- Paul McCartney:
- Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney:
- Tambourine (?), Vocals
- Denny Laine:
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell:
- Drums, Tambourine (?)
- Tony Clark:
- Engineer
- Alan Parsons:
- Engineer
- Peter Mew:
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- Jul 24, 1971
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 17, 1971
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 2016
Studio version • R2016 • 2016 remastering
- Paul McCartney:
- Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney:
- Tambourine (?), Vocals
- Denny Laine:
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell:
- Drums, Tambourine (?)
- Tony Clark:
- Engineer
- Alan Parsons:
- Engineer
- Alex Wharton:
- Remastering
- Session Recording:
- Jul 24, 1971
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 17, 1971
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 2018
Studio version • R2018 • 2018 Remaster
- Paul McCartney:
- Bass, Electric guitar, Producer, Vocals
- Linda McCartney:
- Tambourine (?), Vocals
- Denny Laine:
- Electric guitar
- Denny Seiwell:
- Drums, Tambourine (?)
- Tony Clark:
- Engineer
- Alan Parsons:
- Engineer
- Session Recording:
- Jul 24, 1971
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
- Session Mixing:
- Oct 17, 1971
- Studio:
- EMI Studios, Abbey Road
Credits & recording details courtesy of Luca Perasi • Buy Paul McCartney: Recording Sessions (1969-2013) on Amazon
Official album • Released in 2018
Live • L1
Concert From the concert in The Hague, Netherlands on Aug 21, 1972
Bootlegs
Live performances
“Bip Bop” has been played in 29 concerts.
Latest concerts where “Bip Bop” has been played
Aug 24, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
Aug 22, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
Aug 21, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
Aug 20, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
Groningen • Evenementenhal Martinihal
Aug 19, 1972 • Part of Wings Over Europe Tour
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