Cry for a Shadow

{{About|the Beatles instrumental|the Beat Happening song|Dreamy (Beat Happening album)}}

{{Infobox song

| name = Cry for a Shadow

| cover = File:Cryforashadow.png

| alt =

| caption = US picture sleeve

| type = single

| artist = the Beatles

| album =

| A-side = Why (US)

| B-side = Why (Europe)

| released = 27 March 1964 (single)
20 November 1995 (Anthology 1)

| format =

| recorded = 22 June 1961

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = Instrumental rock

| length = 2:20

| label = {{plainlist|

• Polydor (UK)
• MGM 13227 (US)

}}

| writer = Harrison/Lennon

| producer = Bert Kaempfert

| prev_title =

| prev_year =

| next_title =

| next_year =

}}

"Cry for a Shadow" is an instrumental rock piece recorded by the Beatles on 22 June 1961. They recorded the song at Friedrich-Ebert-Halle within the gymnasium, Hamburg, West Germany while they were performing as Tony Sheridan's backing band for a few tracks, under the moniker the Beat Brothers. It was written by George Harrison with John Lennon, as a pastiche of the Shadows' styleMacDonald, Ian. Revolution in the Head. 2007, Chicago Review Press, {{ISBN|1-55652-733-0}}, p. 48 (the Shadows, who backed Cliff Richard, were the biggest British instrumental rock & roll group at the time of the recording). It is the only Beatles track to be credited to Lennon and Harrison alone, and a rare (for The Beatles) non-vocal instrumental track.

"Cry for a Shadow"'s original title was "Beatle Bop".Lewisohn, Mark: All These Years Volume 1:The Beatles Tune In, Little Brown, London 2013,{{ISBN|978-0-316-72960-4}}, page 465 It was intended to be released as the B-side of "Why", another Sheridan song with the Beatles, but the record company Polydor chose to release another song instead. This instrumental is the Beatles' first recording of an original song commercially released when, in January 1962, it was included on Tony Sheridan's French EP entitled "Mister Twist".{{Cite web|url=http://virtuabeatlesmusic.blogspot.ca/2010/10/polydor-21914-mister-twist-tony-sheridan.html|title = Virtua Beatles Music: Polydor 21914: Mister Twist - Tony Sheridan|date = 27 October 2010}} In mid-1963, as the Beatles were gaining popularity, Polydor decided to rerelease this EP in Germany as "Tony Sheridan With The Beatles",{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/Tony-Sheridan-With-The-Beatles-My-Bonnie/release/2341733|title = Tony Sheridan with the Beatles – My Bonnie (1963, Vinyl)|website = Discogs| date=12 July 1963 }} and in early 1964, "Cry for a Shadow" was released in Britain, Germany and Australia (where it reached number 32){{cite book

| last=Kent

| first=David

| year=2009

| page=203

| author-link=David Kent (historian)

| title=Australian Chart Book:Australian Chart Chronicles (1940–2008)

| publisher=Australian Chart Book

| location=Turramurra

| isbn=9780646512037

}} as a single with "Why" changed to the B-side,{{cite web |url=http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/cry-for-a-shadow/ |publisher=The Beatles Bible |title=Cry For A Shadow |date=18 March 2008 |accessdate=2008-08-25}} while in North America, Sheridan's song was designated as the A-side.{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/The-Beatles-With-Tony-Sheridan-Why/release/5298392|title = The Beatles with Tony Sheridan – Why (1964, Vinyl)|website = Discogs| year=1964 }}

This song is one of only two officially released Beatles singles to feature Pete Best on drums. The other is "Ain't She Sweet".

It is also featured on The Beatles' First{{cite web|url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/beatles-first-german-deluxe-edition-mw0000744650|title=Beatles' First [German Deluxe Edition] - The Beatles - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards - AllMusic|author=Bruce Eder|work=AllMusic}} and as part of the Anthology 1 compilation in 1995.