You've Got a Habit of Leaving

"You've Got a Habit of Leaving"
Reissue compilation sleeve
Single by Davy Jones and The Lower Third
B-side	"Baby Loves That Way"
Released	20 August 1965
Format	7" single
Recorded	July 1965, IBC Studios, London
Genre	Rock
Length	2:35
Label	Parlophone R5315
Writer(s)	Davy Jones (David Bowie)
Producer(s)	Shel Talmy
David Bowie singles chronology
"I Pity the Fool" The Manish Boys (1964) "You've Got a Habit of Leaving" Davy Jones (& The Lower Third) (1965) "Can't Help Thinking About Me" David Bowie & The Lower Third (1966)

"You've Got a Habit of Leaving" is a song written by David Bowie in 1965 and released as a single under the name Davy Jones & The Lower Third. It was the last song that Bowie, born David Jones, released before changing his name to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of The Monkees, and the first of two singles that he recorded with The Lower Third after leaving his previous band, The Manish Boys.

With The Lower Third, Bowie moved away from Americanised R&B of his two earlier singles into Who-style mod music. However, a typical concert at this time could incorporate "Mars" from Gustav Holst's The Planets and "Chim Chim Cheree" from Mary Poppins. Bowie's future manager Ken Pitt attended one of these mid-1960s concerts, where the band finished with The Rodgers and Hammerstein song "You'll Never Walk Alone".

Track listing

1. "You've Got a Habit of Leaving" (Bowie) - 2:31
2. "Baby Loves That Way" (Bowie) – 3:03

Production credits

• Producers:
  • Shel Talmy
• Musicians:
  • Davy Jones: Vocals, Alto & Tenor Saxophone, Harmonica
  • Denis 'T-Cup' Taylor: Lead Guitar (born 6 July 1944, Ramsgate, Kent)
  • Graham 'Death' Rivens: Bass (born 12 October 1945, Plaistow, East London)
  • Phil Lancaster: Drums (born Philip Lancaster, 25 December 1942, Walthamstow, East London)

Other releases

• Both songs on the single were re-released by EMI in the UK on 2 March 1979 on the B-side of a 10" record; on the A-side of this re-release were the two songs from Bowie's previous single with The Manish Boys, "I Pity the Fool" and "Take My Tip". The cover of this release (see infobox) featured Bowie pictured with The Lower Third. This mini-compilation was reissued by See For Miles Records in October 1982, and as a 12" picture disc in June 1985.
• It also appeared on the compilation Early On (1964–1966) in 1991.
• Bowie recorded a new version of the song, nearly twice as long, in 2000 for the unreleased Toy album. This appeared on the European release of the single "Slow Burn", the two-disc deluxe edition of 'Heathen' and the UK release of the single "Everyone Says 'Hi'"
• The original version was released on Bowie's 2014 compilation album Nothing Has Changed.

References

• Roy Carr & Charles Shaar Murray (1981). Bowie: An Illustrated Record: pp. 19,101, Avon Books, ISBN 978-0380779666
• David Buckley (1999). Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story, pp. 30,50-51, Virgin Books, ISBN 978-0753504574

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics