A song which
John Lennon composed and unsuccessfully tried to have included first on
The Beatles (White Album) and later as a
Plastic Ono Band single.
In May 1969 John said, "There was a mad thing I wrote half with our electrionic genius, Alex. It was called 'What A Shame Mary Jane Had A Pain At The Party' and it was meant for the last Beatles album. It was real madness, but we never released it. I'd like to do it again."
The Beatles originally recorded it on Wednesday, 14 August 1968. At the last minute it was left off, officially because there was not enough room on the album, but it was also mooted that the other members of the group thought it was too bizarre to appear on the double album.
John sent producer Malcolm Davis into the studio to produce some stereo mixes of the song in September 1969 and John listened to them and decided to issue the track with another of his songs, 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)' as a Plastic Ono Band single. Together with Yoko Ono he went into Abbey Road Studios on November 26, 1969, and they spent six hours working on both tracks, adding vocal and sound overdubs.
What's the New Mary Jane in track number 22 on Anthology 3.
What's The New Mary Jane
She looks as an African queen,
She eating twelve chapattis and cream,
She tastes as Mongolian lamb,
She coming from out of Bahran.
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
What a shame Mary Jane.
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
She like to be married with Yeti,
He grooving such cooky spaghetti,
She jumping as Mexican bean
To make that her body more thin.
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
What a shame Mary Jane.
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
She catch Patagonian pancake
With that one a gin party makes.
She having all the ways good contacts,
She making with Apple an contract.
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
What a shame Mary Jane.
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
All together now:
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
What a shame Mary Jane.
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
She looks as an African queen,
She tastes as Mongolian lamb.
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
What a shame Mary Jane.
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
What a shame Mary Jane.
What a shame Mary Jane
Had a pain at the party.
(Lennon/McCartney)