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Cry Baby Cry

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This is an old revision of this page, as edited by JG66 (talk | contribs) at 07:14, 8 February 2016 (Undid revision by A Gangsta (talk) sorry but naming album tracks either side of the song is just trivial for an infobox; tracklist templates have gone but there's still a box at foot of article). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

"Cry Baby Cry"
Song

"Cry Baby Cry" is a song by the Beatles, written by John Lennon,[1] from their 1968 album The Beatles. The outro of the song is a short segment referred to as "Can You Take Me Back", written by Paul McCartney, which was actually an outtake from the "I Will" session.

Composition

Demos indicate that Lennon composed the song in late 1967. The original lyrics were "Cry baby cry, make your mother buy." Lennon described to biographer Hunter Davies how he got the words from an advertisement.[2] Some of the lyrics of the song are loosely based on the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence".

Recording

Engineer Geoff Emerick resigned during the recording of "Cry Baby Cry", though his departure was precipitated by Lennon and McCartney's obsessions over the recording of both "Revolution" and "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da", respectively, and the overall tensions of the White Album sessions. Emerick would not work with the Beatles again until the session for "The Ballad of John and Yoko" nine months later.[3]

After a day-long rehearsal, on 16 July 1968 the basic tracks were laid down for Lennon's guitar part and his vocal on the introduction, McCartney's bass, and Starr's drums, along with Lennon's piano and George Martin's harmonium, while all other parts were dubbed in two days later: Lennon's lead vocal, Lennon/McCartney falsetto backing vocals and tambourines, Martin's harmonium introduction, sound effects for tea, and Harrison's guitar, a Gibson Les Paul borrowed from Eric Clapton and soon to be a permanent gift.[4]

"Can You Take Me Back"

The song is followed on the album by an unrelated and unlisted track, ad libbed and sung by Paul McCartney. Though the song has no official name, it is popularly known as "Can You Take Me Back" (after the primary lyric of the song). The hidden track is an improvised jam recorded by the band during a 16 September 1968 session for "I Will".[5]

Personnel

Per Ian MacDonald:[6]

"Cry Baby Cry"

"Can You Take Me Back"

Cover versions

Notes

  1. ^ Miles 1997, p. 487.
  2. ^ Davies 1968.
  3. ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 173.
  4. ^ Everett 1999, p. 167.
  5. ^ Pollack, Alan. "Notes on "Can You Take Me Back"". Retrieved 25 November 2011.
  6. ^ MacDonald 2005, p. 296.

References