Bad Boy

Robert Bunter: Alright, Beatlemaniacal Trivia Time: What is the only Beatles song that features the word "poop"?

Richard Furnstein: Ha, good one. But it's playing right now: "Bad Boy." This is an oddity in the boys' catalog as stupid Capitol Records needed another song to fill out their latest money grabbin' collection. They hit up our heroes, who delivered this Larry Williams boogie from the Help! sessions.

Robert Bunter: It's chilling to hear the agonized Lennon howl that would later adorn such soul-crushers as "Cold Turkey" and "Mother." But there he is talking about his fears and paranoia, this time his voice is just a throat scorching adornment to a story about a mischievous child. However, close attention reveals that he was already wrestling with themes of childhood alienation and dislocation from his mother, Julia Lennon (née Stanley).

Richard Furnstein: Wait, are you talking about the line about putting tacks on the teacher's chair? That talks about the pain of his mother leaving him?


Robert Bunter: You don't understand the demons in that main's head. I've listened to this on headphones and wept like a child. John literally didn't go to school to read and write, he just sat around and played that rock and roll music all night.

Richard Furnstein: I think you are making too big of a deal about this. It's catalog filler with a fun vocal take. Later featured on A Collection of Beatles Oldies, some dumb compilation for ugly British people that can't buy complete albums by the best band of all time.