How a John Lennon Song Was Banished from Beatles’ Albums—”It’s the Most Weird Song”

Early Vaults and a Lost Track

Recorded in February 1965 for the album Help!, “If You’ve Got Trouble” became the first Beatles original written only for drummer Ringo Starr. Yet almost as soon as it was taped, the track was sealed away in the vault and stayed unheard by fans for decades.

By the time the group split in 1969, they had issued more than 200 songs and left many completed recordings unreleased. “If You’ve Got Trouble” joined that hidden pile, despite being finished in the same sessions that produced several chart hits.

From their first LP, the Beatles tried to give Starr one lead vocal per album—except on 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night—because his “everyman” charm drew huge support, particularly in the United States. During Beatlemania’s first year, American magazines often called Ringo the most popular member.

His screen time backed that claim. He got a friendly side‑plot in A Hard Day’s Night and became the main focus of the follow‑up movie Help! in 1965. Fans liked his humble style, so Lennon and McCartney felt a duty to hand him songs he could manage.

The Song’s Simple Structure

John Lennon wrote “If You’ve Got Trouble” around basic I‑IV‑V blues chords. The riff was close in spirit to “She’s a Woman,” “I’m Down,” and “I Feel Fine,” though less polished. Lyrically it fit Ringo’s public image with lines such as “you can’t be as worried as me” and “you think I’m soft in the head.”

Because Starr was not a writer, he usually sang covers like “Boys” and “Honey Don’t” or minor Lennon‑McCartney leftovers such as “I Wanna Be Your Man.” “If You’ve Got Trouble” landed squarely in that second category, intended to satisfy fans rather than break new ground.

Music journalist Ray Coleman, then editor of Melody Maker, attended the February 18, 1965 session at EMI’s Studio Two. He later reported Lennon openly mocking his own work. “I wrote it,” Lennon told Coleman. “It’s the funniest thing I’ve ever done. Listen to the words,” he said, laughing. “I didn’t expect anybody to want to record it.”

Coleman still praised the energy. He wrote, “Paul thought the sound was one of the best ever,” noting McCartney’s enthusiasm as the group drove through multiple takes with George Martin behind the desk.

McCartney on Lead Guitar

The recording is notable because Paul McCartney joined George Harrison on lead guitars, both playing the riff in different octaves. Lennon pointed this out to Coleman: “Hey, listen, hear that play by Paul? He’s been doing quite a bit of lead guitar work this week… Listen on that one. George and Paul are playing the same break, exactly, both playing in different octaves.”

This week also produced “Ticket to Ride,” “Another Girl,” and “The Night Before,” the first Beatles tracks to feature McCartney’s new Epiphone Casino as a solo instrument, showing his growing interest in guitar work.

Starr usually introduced guitar breaks with a friendly cheer. On “Boys” he yelled, “All right, George.” During “Honey Don’t,” he shouted, “Rock on, George, one time for Ringo.” But faced with two possible soloists on the new track, he improvised, “Oh, rock on, anybody!” George Martin’s notes say Ringo’s vocals were recorded before the solo, hinting the band had yet to decide who would take the lead.

Harrison eventually overdubbed a quick solo, widely regarded by writers as his dullest on any Beatles song. The underwhelming break likely confirmed the group’s doubts about the track.

Shelved and Forgotten

After a mixing session on February 20, the band moved “If You’ve Got Trouble” to the rejected pile. That same day they recorded McCartney’s “That Means a Lot,” which also failed to satisfy them and was later given to P. J. Proby. With better songs filling Help!, there was little urge to rescue Ringo’s rocker.

For nineteen years the tape sat untouched. Engineers compiling 1984’s proposed Sessions album asked Geoff Emerick to prepare it. He rearranged verses and trimmed twenty seconds, hoping to improve the flow, but the surviving Beatles halted the entire project.

Although the Sessions album was blocked, Emerick’s edit leaked on bootlegs, making “If You’ve Got Trouble” a curiosity among collectors. Its first sanctioned appearance came in 1996 on Anthology 2, using the full‑length mix rather than Emerick’s cut.

Listeners finally had the chance to judge the song. Many fans enjoyed hearing a rarity, yet critics were harsh. Author Ian MacDonald called it “the only unmitigated disaster in the Lennon–McCartney catalog,” citing weak lyrics and a flat hook.

Critical Response

Band members did not defend the track. In the Anthology book, George Harrison dismissed it outright: “It’s the most weird song,” he said. “I’ve no recollection of ever recording it. It’s got stupid words and is the naffest song. No wonder it didn’t make it onto anything.”

With such blunt opinions from both its writer and its guitarist, “If You’ve Got Trouble” remains a rare example of a Beatles recording everybody—except perhaps devoted completists—agrees was better left unheard.