Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby

Written by Carl Perkins

Album This song officially appears on the Beatles For Sale (Mono) LP.
Timeline This song has been officially released in 1964

Master release


Related sessions

This song has been recorded during the following studio sessions




Other Carl Perkins songs by The Beatles


Matchbox

Officially appears on Long Tall Sally


Honey Don't

Officially appears on Beatles For Sale (Mono)

Related interviews


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Song facts

From Wikipedia:

Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” is a rockabilly song credited to Carl Perkins. Based on a 1934 song written by singer/songwriter Rex Griffin, it achieved widespread popularity when it was released in 1956 by Carl Perkins and covered by the Beatles in 1964.

Background

Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” borrows from a song with the same title, chorus and verses written in the mid-1930s by Alabama-born country songwriter Rex Griffin. Griffin recorded the song for Decca Records in 1936 with the title “Everybody’s Tryin’ to Be My Baby”. Perkins recorded his song with the same title with similar music but an updated arrangement in 1956 for Sun Records. Lyrically, the Perkins and Griffin songs are similar, but musically, the arrangement is more modern. The melody, later used in “Rock Around the Clock”, was also borrowed by Hank Williams for “Move It On Over” and “Mind Your Own Business”. The Carl Perkins song is more blues-based and closer to “Blue Suede Shoes” in style.

The recording was re-released on the 1961 Sun Records album Teen Beat: The Best of Carl Perkins, Carl Perkins’ Original Golden Hits by Sun International in 1969, Original Sun Greatest Hits by Rhino Records in 1986, Blues Suede Shoes: A Rockabilly Session, and on a Rhino Records CD EP Lil’ Bit of Gold in 1988.

The Beatles’ version

The Beatles recorded “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” on October 18, 1964, at EMI Studios, London, with George Harrison (a lifelong fan of Perkins) on vocals. Harrison’s vocals were heavily processed with the STEED effect. It was first released as the final track on Beatles for Sale in the United Kingdom later that year, and likewise as the concluding track on the North American album Beatles ’65.

The Beatles’ recording finishes with a false ending, with the final phrase repeating itself after the song seems to have stopped. A version recorded live at the Star-Club in Hamburg in December 1962 contained four of these musical phrases.

Live performances of the Beatles’ “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” were recorded in June 1963 for the BBC radio program Pop Go The Beatles, and in November 1964 for Saturday Club. The latter recording can be heard on Live at the BBC.

The Beatles continued to perform the song after their studio recording was released. The song was performed in Paris, France in 1965. The performance recorded at Shea Stadium on August 15, 1965, was included on Anthology 2.

In 1976, Capitol released the song on the compilation album Rock ‘n’ Roll Music. […]

In 2016, the song was featured as a bonus track on the remastered Live at the Hollywood Bowl album in a live performance from August 30, 1965 in conjunction with the release of the Ron Howard concert film The Beatles: Eight Days a Week. […]

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:

[a] mono 21 Oct 1964
UK: Parlophone PMC 1240 For Sale 1964.
US: Capitol T 2228 Beatles ’65 1964.
CD: EMI CDP 7 46438 2 For Sale 1987.

[b] stereo 4 Nov 1964
UK: Parlophone PCS 3062 For Sale 1964.
US: Capitol ST 2228 Beatles ’65 1964.

Last updated on May 9, 2021

Lyrics

Well they took some honey from a tree
Dressed it up and they called it me

Everybody's trying to be my baby
Everybody's trying to be my baby
Everybody's trying to be my baby now

Woke up last night, half past four
Fifty women knocking on my door

Everybody's trying to be my baby
Everybody's trying to be my baby
Everybody's trying to be my baby now

Went out last night, I didn't stay late
'Fore I got home I had nineteen dates

Everybody's trying to be my baby
Everybody's trying to be my baby
Everybody's trying to be my baby now

Went out last night, I didn't stay late
'Fore I got home I had nineteen dates

Everybody's trying to be my baby
Everybody's trying to be my baby
Everybody's trying to be my baby now

Well they took some honey from a tree
Dressed it up and they called it me

Everybody's trying to be my baby
Everybody's trying to be my baby
Everybody's trying to be my baby now

Officially appears on


Beatles For Sale (Mono)

LP • Released in 1964

2:23 • Studio versionA • Mono

Paul McCartney :
Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar, Tambourine
George Harrison :
Lead guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Oct 18, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Oct 21, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Room 65, Abbey Road


Beatles For Sale (Stereo)

LP • Released in 1964

2:24 • Studio versionB • Stereo

Paul McCartney :
Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar, Tambourine
George Harrison :
Lead guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Oct 18, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Nov 04, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


Beatles '65 (Mono)

Official album • Released in 1964

2:24 • Studio versionA • Mono

Paul McCartney :
Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar, Tambourine
George Harrison :
Lead guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Oct 18, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Oct 21, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Room 65, Abbey Road


Beatles '65 (Stereo)

Official album • Released in 1964

2:24 • Studio versionB • Stereo

Paul McCartney :
Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar, Tambourine
George Harrison :
Lead guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer

Session Recording:
Oct 18, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Nov 04, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


Rock 'n' Roll Music

LP • Released in 1976

Studio version


Live At The BBC

Official live • Released in 1994


Anthology 2

Official album • Released in 1996


The Legendary Songs Of Carl Perkins

Official album • Released in 2003

Studio version


Beatles '65 (2004 remaster)

Official album • Released in 2004

2:24 • Studio versionB2004 • Stereo • 2004 remaster

Paul McCartney :
Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar, Tambourine
George Harrison :
Lead guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer
Ted Jensen :
Remastering

Session Recording:
Oct 18, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Nov 04, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road


Beatles '65 (2004 remaster)

Official album • Released in 2004

2:24 • Studio versionA2004 • Mono • 2004 remaster

Paul McCartney :
Bass
Ringo Starr :
Drums
John Lennon :
Acoustic rhythm guitar, Tambourine
George Harrison :
Lead guitar, Vocals
George Martin :
Producer
Norman Smith :
Recording engineer
Ted Jensen :
Remastering

Session Recording:
Oct 18, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Studio Two, Abbey Road

Session Mixing:
Oct 21, 1964
Studio :
EMI Studios, Room 65, Abbey Road


Bootlegs


Star Club - Hamburg, Germany - December 1962

Unofficial live

3:20 • Live • The recording date is a guess - all we now for certain is that the Star-Club tapes were recorded between December 18 and 31, 1962.


Alpha Omega Volume 2

Unofficial album • Released in 1973

Studio version


The Beatles At The Beeb - Volume 2

Unofficial live • Released in 2003


The Beatles At The Beeb - Volume 9

Unofficial live • Released in 2003


The Beatles At The Beeb - Volume 11

Unofficial live • Released in 2003

2:58 • Live • Top Gear #2 26Nov64


Live performances

“Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby” has been played in 74 concerts.

Latest concerts where Everybody's Trying To Be My Baby has been played


San Francisco • Cow Palace • USA

Aug 31, 1965 • Evening show • Part of 1965 US tour


San Francisco • Cow Palace • USA

Aug 31, 1965 • 2pm show • Part of 1965 US tour





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brian hackert 6 years ago

originally written by Rex Griffin in 1934


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