Although destined for Paul McCartney’s début solo album in 1970, ‘Teddy Boy’ was recorded on two occasions by The Beatles during the Get Back/Let It Be sessions in January 1969.
McCartney began writing the song in 1968 in Rishikesh, India, although it was completed upon his return to Britain. A light-hearted – and musically lightweight – tale of a boy whose mother tells him about his soldier father, ‘Teddy Boy’ was clearly disliked by John Lennon, who sabotaged McCartney’s early attempts to teach it to the group.
McCartney eventually recorded ‘Teddy Boy’ for his debut solo album. He recorded the basic track on his four-track home studio in late 1969 or early 1970, with further overdubs added at Morgan Studios in February 1970.
My second cousin Ted is the son of my cousin Betty Danher, who was a big influence on me musically… Ted was their first boy, so that’s partly why I refer to him as ‘Teddy Boy’. It’s an affectionate term, as I’m just over ten years older than him. But the Teddy Boys were also the ruffians of my youth, the guys who wore long frock coats with velvet collars, drainpipe trousers and crepe-soled shoes. Their shoes were known as ‘beetle crushers’ or ‘brothel creepers’. These Teddy Boys were notable in the UK for hanging around street corners waiting for a little aggro.So, Ted is the jumping-off point for the song, but as usual, it takes its own cues and puts on its own show. The ‘tales about his soldier dad’ are pure imagination. The lines ‘Teddy Boy’s here/Teddy’s gonna see you through’ are what I imagined Teddy saying to his mum when he was trying to support her.
It’s not too much of a stretch to connect this psychodrama to two sources. One is the terrible sense of loss I still feel about my mother. Teddy is then a version of myself, trying to console myself while purportedly consoling my mother. The other is that ‘Teddy Boy’ was written during that oddly productive time we spent in India in 1968. The Beatles actually did several takes of it in early 1969 for the Let It Be film. They were mostly acoustic takes with a little electric guitar from George Harrison, but there was a bit of tension between us all and it wasn’t released until I included it in my first solo record, McCartney, which came out in 1970.
The Lyrics: 1956 To The Present
In the studio
The Beatles recorded six versions of ‘Teddy Boy’ on 24 January 1969, although a brief snippet of the song had been played two weeks before at Twickenham Film Studios.
One of the versions from 24 January, lasting nearly six minutes, was mixed by Glyn Johns for the aborted Get Back album. When ‘Teddy Boy’ eventually surfaced on Anthology 3, however, it was an edited version comprising parts of this version and another from 28 January.
We’ve now put together a version, an edit of one of the takes of us trying it, which sounds interesting. You can hear on it that the band wasn’t very interested in it. I don’t know why. Maybe I hadn’t finished it enough or something. Maybe it was just tension coming in. The bit I’d like to keep actually was John sort of making fun of it. He starts towards the end of it, going, ‘Grab your partners, do-si-do,’ so we’ve kept that on. And while it was, in some way, indicative of friction, it was good-humoured friction.
McCartney revived the song on 28 January, taking The Beatles through a further two attempts. The longer of the two was used for the first part of the Anthology 3 edit.
Another version of ‘Teddy Boy’ was recorded the towards the end of the following day’s session, after The Beatles had performed a number of rock ‘n’ roll oldies, McCartney chose to lead the group into a final rehearsal. This arrangement was more rock-oriented, in contrast to the acoustic-based earlier attempts.
On 31 January, during final filming for the Let It Be movie, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg ran through a potential list of songs to include. He suggested filming the group playing ‘Teddy Boy’, but was promptly disabused of the notion by a regretful McCartney.
‘Teddy Boy’ is actually… that’s as far as it’s gonna get. I thought maybe we can come back after a week or something…
But there was no return to the Get Back project. The Beatles moved on to new recordings, and never again attempted ‘Teddy Boy’.
On 10 March 1969 Glyn Johns made a stereo mix of a 24 January performance of the song, considering it a potential contender for the Get Back LP.
Phil Spector also mixed the song. He evidently thought it suitable for the Let It Be album, although it was never used. On 25 March 1970 Spector made two stereo mixes: the first was faithful to the 25 January 1969 recording; the other was an edited version lasting 3’10”.
In my opinion, I love the original Get Back version than the Anthologized version. I feel that the Anthology version took away its purity as to the original 1969 Glyn Johns mix. I also love the Get Back version to the McCartney lp version. I guess cause it was the first original attempt of the song and that it had the Beatles on it. I suggest buying the unreleased Get Back album on CD and judge for yourself.
In the Glyn Johns version there is a second Acoustic Guitar IMO played by John.
“Get Back” version from Anthology is the best. It is truly awesome.
After hearing the uncut version (from either 24 or 25 January 1969, two dates given in this article and I don’t have the Recording Sessions book right now to look it up) I prefer the Anthology edit. The intro is much superior to that of the full take I think, with even more Lennon goofing. Wonder how the second half sounds? Though a few caveats about the Anthology version: from a musical perspective, it sounds weird fading out on a full lyric like it does. If I recall correctly one whistling part is removed, why not tack that on and fade on whistling? Or cut to the real ending? Beatles nerd-ery, oh my!!!
I wanna hear the spector mix. Yes I don’t like him but Spector always did mixes for le it be which sound like normal songs and i want to hear a version of teddy boy by the beatles which does this
The McCartney version is delicate, beautiful, haunting. I especially like the descant. The Beatles versions sound uninspired, casualties of the Let It Be ennui.
I disagree with the masses on this one. It is even one of the weaker songs on the” McCartney” album. I think that the Beatles made the right choice in leaving it off an LP. I have a bootleg with the long version – it is meandering and searching for a hook of some sort. I think that John was bored and wanted it to end.
I couldn’t agree more. It’s one of Paul’s overworked attempts at being “cute”, songwriting-wise.
I’ve never listened to any version all the way through, save the first time I listened to Anthology 3.
John may have been a bit mean-spirited there, but it’s the only part worth listening to (it IS funny).
I always thought Teddy Boy was one of McCartney’s most forgettable tunes, and the lyrics didn’t do the song any favors, either. I can see why the other Beatles were less than enthusiastic about it. I’d really like to hear Spector’s trademark treatment of the song, if only for a laugh. There is only so much a “Wall Of Sound” can do to take a sad song, and make it better.
Well said, Bungalow Bob!
(It’s startling to notice that your comment fifty years after the first year of Beatlemania, and this response is written fifty years after they’d broken up!)
Apart from singing “Do-si-do,” just how did John sabotage McCartney’s early attempts to teach it to the group?
I love the tune.
Nothing said here, perhaps because it’s so obvious, of the song being a poke at the Teddy Boy subculture.
Perhaps an irritant for John was the subject matter. A song about a boy and his mother dealing with an absentee father could have been painful for him. The subtext of the Teddy Boys might have made two calls back to unhappier days in one song for him.
I agree. It seems to me that he related too much to the subject matter, and did not want to release a song that obviously would remind people of his own story. Not because it was painful, but disrespectful as well. Would you like your band mate, with whom you’ve been quarrelling for a while, to tell the whole world about your painful past through his eyes?
Plus the song was not that good.
I have always thought that Teddy Boy was unquestionably about John Lennon. And knowing how John was affected by the entire scenario in his life about his mother – not just her death; if all else had been right he could have mourned his mother’s death normally – it made sense that he would just want to put his hands flat on his ears and block this song from entering his mind. In real life, he simply mocked it out loud and continuously until he couldn’t hear it. It is a marvel how closely knit John and Paul must have been for John to act the way he did and for Paul to simply digest all of John’s rude behaviour as if it was only the wild behaviour of one of his own (Paul’s) strands of hair.
Another thing I have always thought is that Paul McCartney never finished the lyrics to Teddy Boy. The lyrics distinctly start with a “story” to be told, yet there is clearly no ending to the tale, even the music evokes chaos and questions as to the fate of “Ted”, on the album McCartney.
John had often wondered at Paul’s ability to write songs that described him (John). This one just struck the target in the bull’s eye.
I agree entirely with you, Rose – Ted is John, and that’s why he hated the gut-wrenching pathos of that song, which was way too close to the bone – the old Lennon-McCartney pact of “don’t get real with me, man”. Good point too about the song story not ending – perhaps he could already sense there was tragedy ahead of some sort for his alter ego. (For his part, Paul would have hated the trivial version of himself portrayed in the film “Nowhere Boy” – how unfair was that, whether intentional or inadvertent).
The irascible schizoid self-loathing Lennon was the unrequited love of McCartney’s life, as he was (to a less extent) of Harrison’s and Starkey’s. Jude of course was also Lennon – acknowledging and forgiving both himself and Cyn being pushed aside for a new muse. And who was Macca thinking of in LAWR when he plucked up the courage to say, “Anyway, you’ll never know, the many ways I’ve tried.” It was “Here Today” two decades ahead of time.
Dear, but many us are going to cry a lot when Paul passes away – so much of our own dreams and lives subconsciously buried in the legendary teamwork of those young scouse lads… weren’t they fantastic? The ultimate male fantasy.
One of the best comments I’ve read on this site.
One can read into it what is in their own minds. I don’t think it’s about John at all. (His mom telling him about his “soldier dad” ? – Nah.)
I know this is a stretch but wasn’t John’s Dad a merchant seaman or merchant marine or something like that during WW II? Not a soldier but….
Yes, I learned more about the song in the comments section than I did in the article. The more I read about the Beatles and understand their internal environment, the more I understand John. He was my fav Beatle, and sometimes I thought he was a real dick. But when you get a passive aggressive McCartney writing these type of songs that hit below the belt, I can understand John more. I’m sure John was thinking or maybe saying, if you have something to say, don’t hide behind an instrument or lyric……be a man and step up.
sorry, I cannot listen to more than a few seconds of this song. too syrupy, sing-songy, sweet, freshfaced pap; Macca at his maudlin worst. just my two cents worth. (this is from the McCartney lover who went catatonic with awe after hearing ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’ for the first time).
and after all the remarkable comments on its possible effects on John, I’ll give him a pass for not wanting to be involved in it.
Irritating that some of McCartney’s more charming songs still described using those s**t Americanisms – syrupy, smaltzy etc. so beloved of Rolling Stone magazine. I don’t see the song as maudlin. I know he can be overly winsome at times but even so. Wonder how all the non beatles songs out there that really are mushy are called. Perhaps too much is read into John’s reaction to Teddy Boy. It may be about Paul himself when told as a young boy he may have to join the army and kill men. Maybe I’m Amazed – I liked it at first but now it’s neediness puts me off.
I have a Beatles bootleg called “Kum Bak” with this song on, complete with Lennon’s do-si-do interjections. It must have emerged after “Get Back” and the split, has a black and while line drawing of a girl wearing a Beatles badge and tears rolling down her face.
It sounded familiar to me. After a minute I realized it is a proto Maxwell’s Silver Hammer thru and thru.
John and Paul are both playing acoustic guitars on this song and even the footage in “Get Back” confirms this.
Awful song even by McCartney’s standards.
Thank God they chose not to carry on with it.
Are there awful songs ‘even by’ Lennon and Harrison’s standards, I wonder? I can think of a few but I won’t enrage the protectors of the dead by naming them. The standard of awfulness was not set by McCartney alone by any means, but the overriding prejudice of rock bores towards him just goes on and on. John thought every second song Paul wrote was about himself. Paul actually did and does have a life, identity, and history of his own, believe it or not.
I can also think of a couple of clunkers by John and George that are equally as bad.. Blue Jay Way and …Bungalow Bill are both just as bad but they managed to somehow get them on a record.