Come and Get It (song)
Encyclopedia
"Come and Get It" is the name of a song composed by Paul McCartney
for the 1969 film The Magic Christian
, and made popular by the group Badfinger
.
of the song on July 24, 1969, when he arrived early for an Abbey Road session. He sang the double-tracked lead vocal and played all the instruments: he sang and played piano on the first take, sang again and played maracas on the first overdub, drums came third and bass guitar was added last. It took less than an hour to finish. The demo appears on various bootlegs. It was officially released in 1996 on The Beatles Anthology 3
and issued under The Beatles' name, even though McCartney was the only Beatle performing on the record.
band Badfinger (then called The Iveys) telling them, "Okay, it's got to be exactly like this demo." His "carrot" for the band was his offer to produce this song and two other Iveys originals for the movie The Magic Christian, since he had a contract to supply three songs for it. The band followed his instructions.
McCartney auditioned each of the four Iveys to sing lead on "Come and Get It". Ultimately, he picked fellow Liverpudlian Tom Evans
over the three Welshmen, Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, and Mike Gibbins.
The single was released on Apple Records on 5 December 1969. "Come and Get It" was a hit single for the band, peaking at No. 7 in the United States, and No. 4 in the United Kingdom. It was the opening theme for the film The Magic Christian, starring Peter Sellers
and Ringo Starr
(it was also repeated during the movie's closing credits, with an additional string arrangement added). The biggest differences between the two versions are a slower tempo on McCartney's original and Badfinger's version featuring the use of three-part harmonies.
The UK picture sleeve for the single shows all four members of Badfinger that appear on the song, although bassist Ron Griffiths departed the band before the single was released.
In 1978 a reformed version of Badfinger re-recorded "Come and Get It" for K-Tel
Records, with Evans again singing lead. This served to provide a demo recording to give to Elektra, and resulted in the Airwaves
album in 1979.
, Italy
on 26 November, 2011.
on their 1973 first and self-titled album. There is also a version by Elton John
and a band Lazlo Bane
.
This song was also produced by Maclen Music Inc. (BMI) on Epic Records (45rpm) album #5-10580 for release to radio stations on March 4, 1970 and performed by the Vic Lewis Orchestra and His Singers.
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...
for the 1969 film The Magic Christian
The Magic Christian (film)
The Magic Christian is a 1969 British comedy film directed by Joseph McGrath and starring Peter Sellers and Ringo Starr, with noteworthy appearances by John Cleese, Raquel Welch, Christopher Lee, Richard Attenborough and Roman Polanski. It was loosely adapted from the 1959 comic novel of the same...
, and made popular by the group Badfinger
Badfinger
Badfinger were a British rock band consisting originally of Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, Mike Gibbins and Tom Evans, active from 1968 to 1983, and evolving from The Iveys, formed by Ham, Griffiths and David "Dai" Jenkins in Swansea, Wales, in the early 1960s. Joey Molland joined the group in 1969,...
.
Beatles version
McCartney recorded a solo demoDemo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
of the song on July 24, 1969, when he arrived early for an Abbey Road session. He sang the double-tracked lead vocal and played all the instruments: he sang and played piano on the first take, sang again and played maracas on the first overdub, drums came third and bass guitar was added last. It took less than an hour to finish. The demo appears on various bootlegs. It was officially released in 1996 on The Beatles Anthology 3
Anthology 3
Anthology 3 is a compilation album by The Beatles released in October 1996 by Apple Records as part of The Beatles Anthology series. The album includes rarities and alternative tracks from the final two years of the band's career, ranging from the initial sessions for The Beatles to the last...
and issued under The Beatles' name, even though McCartney was the only Beatle performing on the record.
Badfinger versions
On August 2, 1969, McCartney presented his demo to AppleApple Records
Apple Records is a record label founded by The Beatles in 1968, as a division of Apple Corps Ltd. It was initially intended as a creative outlet for the Beatles, both as a group and individually, plus a selection of other artists including Mary Hopkin, James Taylor, Badfinger, and Billy Preston...
band Badfinger (then called The Iveys) telling them, "Okay, it's got to be exactly like this demo." His "carrot" for the band was his offer to produce this song and two other Iveys originals for the movie The Magic Christian, since he had a contract to supply three songs for it. The band followed his instructions.
McCartney auditioned each of the four Iveys to sing lead on "Come and Get It". Ultimately, he picked fellow Liverpudlian Tom Evans
Tom Evans (musician)
Thomas Evans Jr was a musician who was most notable for his work with the band Badfinger.- Badfinger :In 1969, The Iveys changed their name to Badfinger and Paul McCartney of The Beatles gave the group a boost by offering them his song "Come and Get It" which he produced for the band...
over the three Welshmen, Pete Ham, Ron Griffiths, and Mike Gibbins.
The single was released on Apple Records on 5 December 1969. "Come and Get It" was a hit single for the band, peaking at No. 7 in the United States, and No. 4 in the United Kingdom. It was the opening theme for the film The Magic Christian, starring Peter Sellers
Peter Sellers
Richard Henry Sellers, CBE , known as Peter Sellers, was a British comedian and actor. Perhaps best known as Chief Inspector Clouseau in The Pink Panther film series, he is also notable for playing three different characters in Dr...
and Ringo Starr
Ringo Starr
Richard Starkey, MBE better known by his stage name Ringo Starr, is an English musician and actor who gained worldwide fame as the drummer for The Beatles. When the band formed in 1960, Starr was a member of another Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. He became The Beatles' drummer in...
(it was also repeated during the movie's closing credits, with an additional string arrangement added). The biggest differences between the two versions are a slower tempo on McCartney's original and Badfinger's version featuring the use of three-part harmonies.
The UK picture sleeve for the single shows all four members of Badfinger that appear on the song, although bassist Ron Griffiths departed the band before the single was released.
In 1978 a reformed version of Badfinger re-recorded "Come and Get It" for K-Tel
K-tel
K-tel International is an "As-Seen-On-TV" company, which is most noted for its compilation music albums, such as "The Super Hits" series, "The Dynamic Hits" series and "The Number One Hits" series...
Records, with Evans again singing lead. This served to provide a demo recording to give to Elektra, and resulted in the Airwaves
Airwaves (album)
Airwaves is an album released by Badfinger in 1979 on the Elektra label , the seventh album released that was credited to Badfinger...
album in 1979.
Paul McCartney version
Paul McCartney perfomed the song live for the first time in BolognaBologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
on 26 November, 2011.
Other versions
The song was covered by Peruvian band We All TogetherWe All Together
We All Together is a Peruvian rock and roll band formed in 1970. They composed songs both in English and Spanish during their career. Their most known songs are the cover "Carry on till tomorrow" , "Hey Revolution" and "It's a sin to go away", which appeared on Nuggets II.The first line-up was...
on their 1973 first and self-titled album. There is also a version by Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
and a band Lazlo Bane
Lazlo Bane
Lazlo Bane is an alternative rock band hailing from Santa Monica, California, United States. They are well known for collaborating with former Men at Work member Colin Hay, and providing the song "Superman" as the theme for the television show Scrubs...
.
This song was also produced by Maclen Music Inc. (BMI) on Epic Records (45rpm) album #5-10580 for release to radio stations on March 4, 1970 and performed by the Vic Lewis Orchestra and His Singers.