The Beatles

Released: November 30, 1994

Songwriter: Chuck Berry

Producer: George Martin

[Verse 1]
Running to-and-fro, hard working at the mill
Never fail, in the mail, yeah come a rotten bill

[Chorus]
Too much monkey business, too much monkey business
Too much monkey business for me to be involved in

[Verse 2]
Salesman talking to me, trying to run me up a creek
Says you can buy, go on try it
You can pay me next week, ahh!

[Chorus]
Too much monkey business, too much monkey business
Too much monkey business for me to be involved in

[Verse 3]
Blonde haired, good looking trying to get me hooked
Want me to marry, get a home
Settle down, write a book, ahh!

[Chorus]
Too much monkey business too much monkey business
Too much monkey business for me to be involved in

[Verse 4]
Same thing every day getting up, going to school
No need for me complaining, my objection's overruled, ahh!

[Chorus]
Too much monkey business, too much monkey business
Too much monkey business for me to be involved in

[Verse 5]
Pay phone, something wrong, dime gone, will mail
I ought to sue the operator for telling me a tale, ahh!

[Chorus]
Too much monkey business, too much monkey business
Too much monkey business for me to be involved in

[Verse 6]
Been to Yokohama been fighting in the war
Army bunk, Army chow, Army clothes, Army car, ahh!

[Chorus]
Too much monkey business, too much monkey business
Too much monkey business for me to be involved in

[Verse 7]
Working in the filling station, too many tasks
Wipe the windows, check the tires
Check the oil, a dollar gas, ahh!

[Chorus]
Too much monkey business, too much monkey business
I don't want your botheration, get away, leave me be!

The Beatles are arguably the most famous, critically-acclaimed, and successful rock band of all time—certainly the preeminent group of the 20th century. They started out as four teenagers playing grimy basement clubs in Liverpool and Hamburg, but they progressed to become world-beating rock stars who are still influential to this day.

John Lennon first formed a skiffle group called The Quarrymen in March 1957. A fifteen-year-old Paul McCartney joined shortly thereafter, eventually inviting his friend George Harrison to audition for the band. After finally impressing John with his guitar skills, George was asked to join—but this juncture would be short-lived as John’s departure to college signaled the other quarrymen to go their separate ways.

By 1960, Lennon, McCartney, and Harrison had re-branded from ‘Johnny & the Moondogs’ to ‘The Silver Beetles’ at the behest of their new bass player, Stuart Sutcliffe. The name would eventually evolve into ‘The Silver Beatles’ by July of that year, before settling on ‘The Beatles’ come August—just in time for their trip to Hamburg with new drummer, Pete Best. Though club residencies in Germany would prove fundamental to the group’s progress as a whole, the tour turned out to be a blessing and a curse, following the deportation of a then-seventeen-year-old George Harrison, and the eventual tragic death of Stuart Sutcliffe.

more tracks from the album

Live At The BBC

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Live At The BBC (1994)

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Too Much Monkey Business (Live at the BBC for “Pop Go The Beatles” / 10th September, 1963)The Beatles

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