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Bad to Me

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"Bad to Me"
Single by Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas
from the album Little Children
B-side"I Call Your Name"
Released26 July 1963 (UK)
May 1964 (US)
Recorded26 June 1963
GenrePop, beat
Length2:22
LabelParlophone R5049[1]
Songwriter(s)Lennon–McCartney[1]
Producer(s)George Martin[1]
Billy J. Kramer with the Dakotas singles chronology
"Do You Want to Know a Secret"
(1963)
"Bad to Me"
(1963)
"I'll Keep You Satisfied"
(1963)
"Bad to Me"
Song by the Beatles
from the album The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963
Released17 December 2013
Recorded1963
GenreMerseybeat
Length1:29
LabelApple, Universal Music Group
Songwriter(s)Lennon–McCartney

"Bad to Me" is a song credited to Lennon–McCartney. In late interviews, John Lennon said that he wrote it for Billy J. Kramer with The Dakotas[2] while on holiday in Spain. However, in a 1964 interview he said that he and Paul McCartney wrote it in the back of a van, declaring McCartney a contributor.[3] Lennon's original demo of the song was released on iTunes in December 2013 on the album The Beatles Bootleg Recordings 1963. 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).

Chart performance

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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.[1] Paul McCartney was present during the recording session at Abbey Road Studios. The single was released in the US the following year, and was a top-ten hit there, reaching number 9.[4] In Canada "Bad To Me' reached number 12 on both the CHUM and RPM charts.[5][6][7]

Cover versions

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  • Terry Black released a version of the song on his 1965 debut album, Only 16.[8]
  • Graham Parker recorded a version of the song for the 2003 album Lost Songs of Lennon & McCartney, new versions of 17 Lennon–McCartney songs that were originally released by other artists.[9] Leif Garrett also recorded a version of the song for his self-titled debut album. Finnish rock band Hurriganes covered this song in their third album, Crazy Days.
  • Recordings of "Bad to Me" as the Beatles may have performed it are available on the 1989 album by Bas Muys entitled Secret Songs: Lennon & McCartney[10][11] and on the 1998 release It's Four You by the Australian tribute band The Beatnix.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 73. ISBN 0-85112-250-7.
  2. ^ David Sheff, All We Are Saying. New York: St. Martin's Press, 2000, ISBN 0-312-25464-4, p. 170
  3. ^ Compton, Todd (2017). Who wrote the Beatle songs? : a history of Lennon-McCartney. San Jose, California: Todd M. Compton. p. 50. ISBN 978-0998899701.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 353.
  5. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - May 11, 1964".
  6. ^ "CHUM Hit Parade - June 8, 1964".
  7. ^ "RPM Top 40-5s - June 29, 1964" (PDF).
  8. ^ Terry Black, Only 16 Retrieved 15 June 2015
  9. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Review of Lost Songs of Lennon & McCartney". AllMusic.
  10. ^ "Bas Muys, Lennon & McCartney Secret Songs (Vinyl)". Tagtuner.com. 18 December 2006. Archived from the original on 22 July 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  11. ^ "Bas Muys - Lennon & McCartney Secret Songs (Vinyl)". Gnudb.org. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
  12. ^ "It's Four You". Amazon. Retrieved 20 August 2011.
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