The Beatles recorded two Larry Williams songs during a single 10 May 1965 session: ‘Bad Boy’ and ‘Dizzy Miss Lizzy’, both of which were sung by John Lennon.
The songs were recorded for Capitol Records, The Beatles’ North American label, so they could release the Beatles VI album in June 1965.
Beatles VI was otherwise a mish-mash of six tracks from Beatles For Sale, some others intended for Help!, and Ticket To Ride’s b-side ‘Yes It Is’.
‘Bad Boy’ didn’t appear in the UK until December 1966, when EMI released A Collection Of Beatles Oldies to plug the Christmas gap after Revolver. It was the only previously-unreleased song on the album, and its inclusion meant that all Beatles songs from 1962 to that point were available on both sides of the Atlantic.
In the studio
Having been part of The Beatles’ live set since the early 1960s, The Beatles wasted little time in recording ‘Bad Boy’ in four takes.
The first three takes were rhythm tracks only, and onto the fourth were overdubbed lead vocals (John Lennon), double-tracked lead guitar (George Harrison), electric piano (Paul McCartney) and tambourine (Ringo Starr).
Lyrics
A bad little kid moved in to my neighbourhood
He won’t do nothing right just sitting down and looks so good
He don’t want to go to school and learn to read and write
Just sits around the house and plays that rock ‘n’ roll music all night
Well, he put thumb tacks on teacher’s chair
Puts chewing gum in little girls’ hair
Now junior, behave yourself
Buy every rock ‘n’ roll book on the magazine stand
Every dime that he get, ooh, he’s off to the jukebox, man
Well he worries his teacher till at night she’s a-ready to poop
From rockin’ and a-rollin’, spinnin’ in a hula hoop
Well this rock and roll has gotta stop
Junior’s head is hard as rock
Now junior, behave yourself
Gonna tell your mama, you better do what she said
Get to the barber shop and get that hair cut off your head
Took the canary and you fed it to the neighbour’s cat
You gave the cocker spaniel a bath in mother’s laundromat
Well this modern mess has got to stop
Junior’s head is hard as rock
Now junior, behave yourself
Whoo!
Larry Williams’ original lyric is “he don’t do nothing right, his report card looks no good”. John either didn’t like the line or just couldn’t be bothered- he sings:
“He won’t do nothin’ right
hizim frizzim card look so good”!
literally laughed out loud on this one… i remember the gibberish when he sang “Don’t Let Me Down” live on the rooftop…
I love your comment about John’s lyric vs Larry Williams’s original intent. As a former singer in a rock band — and we did not have good access to recorded material outside airplay — and, as one of those guys who always mis-heard lyrics — you have to do the best you can. Sometimes that boils down to “hizim frizzim”.
I’m Finnish and have been wondering what on earth does he sing there. Thank you guys, now I know, problem solved 🙂
I always heard,
“He won’t do nothing’ right
Just sits there and looks so good.”
Yeah I always heard that, Robert
I always heard it as “just sitting round looks so good.” which makes no sense, except of course as a John lyric, so I’m goin’ with it…
“He won’t do nothin’ right, just sits around and looks so good”. Kinda makes sense but a bit odd in the context of the song….
Me too!
This song really rocks! Ringo’s drumming is very solid and John’s rock ‘n roll vocal is killer. All The Beatles cut loose on this one. … Love this website by the way!
totally agree. my second fav John vocal, it is sooo him probably in real life.
I also agree. John’s vocal is simply amazing. That Lennon tone is so perfect. Another tune I think has that quality but is completely different is “I Know (I Know) from 1973’s “Mind Games.
One of my fave Beatles songs. Very under-rated.
Agreed
One of John’s most scorching vocals and the ensemble playing (as per usual) is tight and ferocious.
I read that in Beatles books and websites because it was the first song not to be released anywhere in worldwide after the US, such as the United Kingdom and Australia.
Would’ve loved to have heard a BBC version of this, bet it would’ve rocked even harder. Twin Specialty Records influences; Little Richard for Paul, Larry Williams for John.
I can hear the piano almost only during the solo… Can you?
If you listen, you can hear the piano all through the song in the left headphone, playing a bass/rhythm part.
Great John Lennon vocal. First obtained a copy of this when I got Beatles ” Oldies ” album in August 1980. Lennon does Larry Williams songs so well i.e. ” Slow Down”, ” Dizzy Miss Lizzy ” and ” Bad Boy “. The British “Oldies” album is essential, a long side the US ” Hey Jude” album, because those songs on them compliment the” “regular” albums so to speak. The ” Oldies” cover is brilliant and is a great singles collection 1963-1966 and the inclusion of the brilliant “Bad Boy” with it’s great beat, guitar and vocal tops it off.
I had never heard of this song until I read about it in Stephen King’s newest novel “Bazaar of Bad Dreams”. Mr. King rocks because this is not the first song he’s written about that I’d never heard of.
It’s one of the most powerfull rock song of the Beatles, though not composed by them.
The same energy as in “I’m down” or “Helter Skelter”
More lyric corrections needed:
Thumb tacks, not some tacks
Every dime that he gets, he’s off to the jukebox, man
Took the canary. No throwing!
Mama’s head? Please. “This modern mess has got to stop”
Thanks!
For the last forty years, I’ve been singing “juiced the canary.” Same general idea, I guess.
What about ‘poop’? Really, does it have another meaning in the UK?
I hope it does
The word has many meanings including ‘to stop because of exhaustion’. Your question is silly though, as LarryWilliams, the writer was American not British, so why would he use a purely British expression?
I’m American and my mom use to use quite often when I was growing up to mean really tired. “Man I sure am pooped after that long, hard day of non-stop work!” I think it’s a bit of an old fashioned term. One time my mom said it when my son was quite young (maybe 3 years old) and he was so tired I had to carry him out to the car. She said, quite loudly, “Oh boy, he’s so pooped!”. He heard it and immediately woke up and strongly protested, “No I haven’t!” LOL, it was cute at the time…..
I am convinced the gibberish wasn’t deliberate gibberish, but fluffed vocals which either time or total lack of importance resulted in their staying.
Larry Williams, who to date (3/2018) is still not in the Rock and Roll hall of fame. The guy who wrote Dizzy miss lizzy, Slow down, Bad Boy, Bonie Maronie on and on is not in the Rock and Roll hall of fame. But Madonna is. So is disco singer Donna Summer. So is James Taylor and his put you in a coma songs.
Totally agree – and with the sentiment about James Taylor music, ha ha. Made me laugh!
When I was lead singer in a band in the mid 90’s I used to like to sing ‘Bad Boy’ and ‘Slow Down.’
Classic rock n roll……..
Too funny, re: James Taylor. Always said his music inspired suicide.
And, the R&R HOF, what’s up with Jethro Tull not in there yet???
Oh man, John’s voice is amazing in this song. A very powerfull song.
One of my favourites of the cover versions the Beatles made in their early years. John Lennon in real life?
The Beatles really made a very good and rocking version of this song.
I always like straight-out, no frills rock and roll. This one is outstanding!
(BTW – It sound to me very like “He won’t do nothin’ right, just sittin’ there and look so good!”)
“Well he puts some tacks on teachers chair, push your Norman Lillegar hair” That’s what I hear….
Oh my goodness, I remember when this came out an blew all of us away with this wild blast rock,because at the time Motown domanated the music market. They had the best across the board an we loved it.But this was different the British sound was here an everything was changing, Vietnam, Watergate,Kent State! While Marvin was singing whats going on? We all know how that turned out.But just as today everything is changing again an never ever be the same again. At least for people my age. So you youngsters rock on an carry the music we made you listen to when you were kids. All I am saying is,give peace a chance.
If you haven’t heard Larry William’s original version of “Bad Boy.” it’s worth a listen. After each line of the verses, he interjects a spoken “He’s a bad boy.”
One of John’s finest vocal performances.
It should have been on Help instead of Dizzy Miss Lizzy.
A Much better song and performance.
Shame that in the UK you had to buy ‘A Collection Of Beatles Oldies…But Goldies’ to first hear this incredible performance.
I tend to agree with you -always preferred Bad Boy to Dizzy Miss Lizzy where I found the guitar riff a little too repetitive/ song itself 1 dimensional.
I first heard it on a repeat of The Beatles cartoon TV show at the start of the 1980’s as a kid -absolutely perfect for the show & always thought when John was singing it he was thinking it reflected himself, lol.
I never had a copy of it until Past Masters was released on CD (a great collection for Beatles fans), probably like a lot of people outside of America who didn’t have a copy of Beatles Oldies.
Love the double tracked solo. George really nailed this one!
I believe that’s John playing the solo
It’s George. What in the world would that make you think it’s John? Now someone else will say it’s all Paul lol
Because John and Paul (and esp Paul) played a fair number of guitar solos that George couldn’t get. Read Emerick’s book if you’re skeptical. George, esp early George, was a tasteful player but not a very technically skilled one, esp compared to Paul.
Don’t believe everything in that book, as it’s mostly full of fabricated stories and unconvincing claims.
George was actually a very good guitarist and it’s unfair to compare him to Paul; besides, John and Paul playing occasional guitar solos didn’t make them better than George.
Geoff should’ve redirected his denigration of George’s guitar playing to Sid Vicious.
While Paul seems to have been the most naturally skilled and versatile guitarist in The Beatles – i.e., he learned parts and instruments more quickly, and might have been technically more proficient – the range of riffs, fills, solos, melodic ideas and musical textures that George came up with is astonishing (acoustic, electric and nylon string parts, not to mention the wonderful sitar playing on ‘Love You To’).
Neither Paul nor John had George’s consistent imagination on guitar (even though the solos and riffs they occasionally played were wonderful) – and the guitar textures and variation George brought to the songs were amazing.
None of them could read or notate Western music, but somehow George, at age 20 – came up with the incredibly mature, and melodic, jazz-tinged solo to ‘Till There Was You’ (among many other fine guitar parts).
Until the teacher’s ready to W H A T