The first
Beatles composition to appear on record.
The song was mainly composed by George Harrison, with John Lennon's approval, and was really a parody of the Shadows' 'Frightened City', which George had done as a spoof to fool Rory Storm. The number had gone under the working title 'Beatle Bop'.
When Bert Kaempfert recorded The Beatles as a backing band for Tony Sheridan in June 1961, they asked if they could cut some tracks of their own. John sang on 'Ain't She Sweet'. Kaempfert had asked them if they had an original compositions of their own. John and Paul McCartney did play a couple of their own compositions for Kaempfert, but he was unimpressed with their songs, although he felt George's cod-Shadows style on Cry For A Shadow was suitable and suggested that they recorded it.
'Cry For A Shadow' was included on Sheridan's German album My Bonnie in June 1962 earning itself the honor of being the first original composition by a Beatle to find itself on record.
The news of the recording was announced on the front page issue No. 2 of Mersey Beat.