Teddy Boy

Written by: McCartney
Recorded: 24, 28 January 1969
Engineer: Glyn Johns

Released: 28 October 1996

Paul McCartney: vocals, acoustic guitar
John Lennon: vocals
George Harrison: lead guitar
Ringo Starr: drums

Available on:
Anthology 3

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 sessions in January 1969.

Anthology 3

Beatles. Capitol 1996, Audio CD, $12.65

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.

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 this day, 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 runs through a potential list of songs to include. He suggests filming the group playing Teddy Boy, although is 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 gladly moved on to new recordings, and never again attempted Teddy Boy.

On 10 March 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 recording; the other was an edited version lasting 3'10".

Related articles:

• Teddy Boy
• Mixing, master compilation: Let It Be, Get Back LP
• Mixing, editing: Get Back LP
• Mixing: Get Back, Teddy Boy, Two Of Us, Dig A Pony, I've Got A Feeling, The Long And Winding Road, Let It Be, Rocker, Save The Last Dance For Me, Don't Let Me Down, For You Blue, The Walk
• Mixing: The Long And Winding Road, Let It Be