| "Madman" | |
|---|---|
| Song bythe Beatles | |
| Recorded | 14 and 21 January 1969 |
| Studio | Apple Studio, London |
| Genre | Rock |
| Length | ≈4:51 (bootleg version)[a] |
| Songwriter | Lennon–McCartney |
"Madman" is an unfinished song improvised and developed by the English rock bandthe Beatles during theGet Back sessions in January 1969. Although never formally recorded for release, the performance is preserved on the continuousNagra tapes used for the filming ofLet It Be. Both Lennon and McCartney contributed musical ideas, with Lennon leading the vocal and structural direction of the fragment.
The song was worked on at Apple Studio across at least two identifiable sessions on 14 January and 21 January 1969, during a period in which the group alternated between rehearsing new material and developing ad-hoc musical sketches.[1] Contemporary reconstructions of the sessions show Lennon introducing "Madman" spontaneously, with McCartney and Starr supporting him instrumentally.[2]
Several researchers, including Unterberger, have noted a stylistic resemblance to Lennon's later composition "Mean Mr. Mustard", developed more fully for the albumAbbey Road. Both pieces share Lennon's tendency toward character-based lyrical sketches and clipped rhythmic phrasing.[3]
"Madman" is built around Lennon's electric-piano vamping and a half-spoken, fragmented lyric that shifts order between the two surviving run-throughs. McCartney supplies electric-guitar accents and short lead lines that push the texture into loose rock territory, while Starr provides a steady, unobtrusive drum pattern. Sulpy and Schweighhardt describe the 21 January rendition as showing "greater internal coherence," suggesting Lennon was experimenting with transitions and delivery despite the fragmentary state of the piece.[1]
As an unreleased Beatles recording circulating only through bootlegs, "Madman" exists in versions of varying lengths. Scholarly sources commonly describe a duration around 3:17.[4] However, one widely referenced bootleg upload on YouTube runs approximately 4:51, indicating that the circulating tape includes additional dialogue, warm-ups or extended vamping surrounding the core performance.[5]
The song was not revisited on later days of the Apple Studio sessions, nor was it considered for the rooftop performance.
Based on Nagra audio and session documentation:[1]
George Harrison does not appear to participate in the documented run-throughs, and he is not referenced in session logs covering this fragment.
In surveys of the Beatles' unreleased work, "Madman" is often cited as an example of Lennon's spontaneous character-based songwriting. Unterberger notes its structural resemblance to "Mean Mr. Mustard", while Sulpy highlights it as one of the more musically coherent improvisations from mid-January 1969. Its bootleg availability has made it a familiar entry in lists of notable outtakes, though its unfinished state prevents formal classification as a completed Beatles composition.[7]