I Don't Want to Do It is a song written by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

and performed by

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

for the ''

Porky's Revenge! ''Porky's Revenge!'' is a 1985 sex comedy film and the third and final film of the original ''Porky's'' film series. It was directed by James Komack. Plot During the semi-final basketball game, the cheerleaders promise the team an orgy if they ...

'' soundtrack, released in 1985. It was issued as a single in the United States and some other countries, but failed to chart.

History

"I Don't Want to Do It" was written by Bob Dylan in 1968 and was little known until George Harrison's version first appeared in March 1985. The song marked the first new release from Harrison in over two years, since his ''

Gone Troppo ''Gone Troppo'' is the tenth studio album by English rock musician George Harrison, released on 5 November 1982 by Dark Horse Records. It includes " Wake Up My Love", issued as a single, and " Dream Away", which was the theme song for the 1981 H ...

'' album in November 1982. Harrison recorded the song in Los Angeles in November 1984, with producer

Dave Edmunds David William Edmunds (born 15 April 1944) is a Welsh singer-songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Although he is mainly associated with pub rock and new wave, having many hits in the 1970s and early 1980s, his natural leaning has alwa ...

, who was overseeing musical contributions from a number of different artists for the ''

'' soundtrack. The soundtrack album was issued on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in America on 18 March 1985, with a British release following on 28 June. As a US single from the album, released on 22 April, Columbia selected "I Don't Want to Do It", backed by Edmunds' "

Queen of the Hop "Queen of the Hop" is a song written by Woody Harris and performed by Bobby Darin. It reached #6 on the US R&B chart, #9 on the US pop chart, and #24 on the UK Singles Chart in 1958. Other versions * Don Lang released a version of the song as ...

". The single version is distinguished by a guitar solo in the middle, while the mix chosen for the film instead features an organ solo from

Chuck Leavell Charles Alfred Leavell (born April 28, 1952) is an American musician. A member of the Allman Brothers Band throughout their commercial zenith in the 1970s, he subsequently became a founding member of the band Sea Level. He has served as the pri ...

. A

demo Demo, usually short for demonstration, may refer to: Music and film *Demo (music), a song typically recorded for reference rather than release * ''Demo'' (Behind Crimson Eyes), a 2004 recording by the band Behind Crimson Eyes * ''Demo'' (Deafhea ...

of the song, recorded before the main sessions for Harrison's 1970 triple album '' All Things Must Pass'', can be found on bootlegs such as ''

Beware of ABKCO! ''Beware of ABKCO!'' is a bootleg album of songs performed by English rock musician George Harrison in May 1970. It contains songs that were under consideration for Harrison's triple album ''All Things Must Pass'', his first release as a solo ar ...

'' and ''12 Arnold Grove''. This early version had remained officially unreleased until its appearance on the 50th Anniversary box set of “All Things Must Pass” on 6 August 2021. In 2009 the ''Porky's Revenge'' version of the song was remastered by

Giles Martin Giles Martin (born 9 October 1969) is an English record producer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist. His studio recordings, stage shows, TV and film works have been critically acclaimed and commercially successful around the world ...

and Dave Edmunds for inclusion on the compilation album '' Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison''. George Harrison: Let It Roll, 2010.

Reception

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described the single as a "fairly traditional early rock arrangement of this recently uncovered Bob Dylan gem."

References

1985 singles George Harrison songs Songs written by Bob Dylan 1985 songs Columbia Records singles {{1980s-single-stub